" THE EARLIEST MAGAZINE "

" MAGAZINES, UNDER THE BROADER GENERIC TERM OF ' PERIODICALS 'HAVE ALSO BEEN WITH US FOR HUNDRED OF YEARS. THE FRENCH ' JOURNAL DES SAVANTS ' COMMENCED PUBLICATION IN 1665,AND ITS SUCCESSOR PUBLICATION IS STILL BEING PRINTED TODAY.

' EARLIER MAGAZINES '

" ORIGIN OF NEWSPAPERS"

WE KNOW THAT NEWSPAPERS ARE BASICALLY JOURNALS RELATING TO MATTERS OF PUBLIC INTEREST. IN THIS CONTEXT, IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT COLUMBIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA ATTRIBUTES THE ORIGIN OF THE NEWSPAPER TO JULIUS CAESAR, AND THAT THE EARLIEST RECORDED EFFORT TO INFORM PUBLIC ON CURRENT EVENTS WAS THE ROMAN ' ACTA DIURNA ' WHICH WAS POSTED DAILY IN PUBLIC PLACES. CHINA'S OLDEST NEWSPAPER BEGAN IN THE EIGHT CENTURY, AND IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY , MANUSCRIPT NEWS SHEETS WERE ISSUED IN MAJOR CITIES THROUGHOUT GERMANY. IN 1556, THE VENETIAN GOVERNMENT POSTED THE ' NOTIZIE SCRITTE ' FOR WHICH READERS PAID A SMALL FEE OR ' GAZETTA '; IT BECAME SO POPULAR IT WAS FINALLY PRINTED IN QUANTITY.

GRAMMER OF URDU GHAZAL

GRAMMAR OF URDU GHAZAL
( THIS PIECE IS WRITTEN IN HINDI )

DIL NE KAHA KYUN NA DOSTON KO URDU GHAZAL KI GRAMMAR SAMJHA DI JAYE.
AB, AAP POOCH SAKTE HAIN KE AISI KYA ZAROORAT AAN PADI KE AAP GHAZAL KA MATLAB SAMJHANE BAITH GAYE.ISS KA JAWAB HAI KE PICHLE KUCH BARSON SE HAMARE DOST-YAAR GHAZLEN SUNTE AUR HUM SE UNKE MATLAB POOCHTE RAHE HAIN. HAMEIN LAGA KE SHAYED AUR BHI ANJAAN DOST HON JO URDU GHAZAL KO SAMJHNA CHAHTE HON.BAS YUN SAMAJH LIJIYE KE HAMEIN LAGA
" QAIS JUNGLE MEIN AKELA HAI MUJHE JAANE DO
 KHOOB GUZRE GI JO MIL BAITHEIN GE DEEWANE DO "

HUM NE LAGBHAG PICHLE TEES BARSON SE APNE HI DESH MEIN URDU KO TIL-TIL MARTE DEKHA HAI. WOH SHABD JO KABHI AAM BOL-CHAAL KA HISSA HUA KARTE THE, AAJ MAZAQ KI WAJAH BAN GAYE HAIN. MASLAN " BANDAPARWAR " ISS SHABD KO AAPNE AKSAR FILMI GEETON MEIN BHI SUNA HO GA JAISE " BANDAPARWAR THAAM LO JIGAR BAN KE PYAR PHIR AAYA HUN, KHIDMAT MEIN AAP KI HUZOOR PHIR WAHI DIL LAAYA HUN ".AAJ AGAR HUM KISI KO BANDAPARWAR KEH KAR MUKHATIB KARTE HAIN TAU WOH HUM SE POOCHTA HAI KE KYA YEH SABZI " PARWAR " KA KOI NAYA AVTAAR HAI?

KISI MAHILA KO MOHTARMA KEHNE PAR USKA " AAP NE HAMEIN KISS KI MAA KAHA " AAP NE STAND UP COMEDIANS KE ACTS MEIN DEKHA AUR SNA HO GA HI.

1969 MEIN BHARAT SARKAR NE MAHATMA GANDHI KI BIRTH ANNIVERSARY AUR MIRZA GHALIB KI DEATH ANNIVERSARY MANAYEE THI. VARSH KE ANT MEIN BATAUR CONCLUDING CEREMONY, MUMBAI KE BANDRA MEIN NATIONAL COLLEGE KE HAAL MEIN EK MUSHAYERE KA AAYOJAN KIYA GAYA THA.USS MUSHAYERE MEIN CHIEF GUEST THIN TATKAALEEN PRADHAN MANTRI SHRIMATI INDIRA GANDHI.

MUSHAYERE MEIN BHARAT KE SABHI NAAMI-GRAMI SHAYER SHAMIL THE AUR EK KE BAAD EK GHALIB KI SHAAN MEIN QASEEDE PADHE JAA RAHE THE. AAKHRI SHAYER THE JANAB SAHIR LUDHIANVI. UNKI NAZM NE MUSHAYERE KA RANG HI BADAL KAR RAKH DIYA THA. UNN KI NAZM KE KUCH HISSE THE

" EKKEES BARAS GUZRE AAZADI-E-KAAMIL KO
  TAB JA KE KAHIN HUM KO GHALIB KA KHAYAL AAYA HAI
  TYRBAT HAI KAHAN USKI MASKAN THA KAHAN USKA
  AB APNE SUKHAN-PARWAR ZEHNON MEIN SAWAAL AAYA HAI

  JIN SHAHRON MEIN GOONJI THI GHALIB KI NAWA BARSON
  UNN SHARON MEIN URDU BE NAAM-O-NISHAN THEHRI
  AAZADI-E-KAAMIL KA EILAAN HUA JIS DIN
  MAATOOB ZABAN THEHRI,GHADDAR ZABAN THEHRI

  JISS EHD-E-SIYASAT NE EK ZINDA ZABAN KUCHLI
  USS EHD-E-SIYASAT KO MARHOOMON KA GHAM KYUN HAI
  GHALIB JISE KEHTE HAIN URDU KA HI SHAYER THA
  URDU PAR SITAM DHAA KAR GHALIB PE KARAM KYUN HAI ".
UNN DINON HUM COLLEGE KE SECOND YEAR KE STUDENT HUA KARTE THE AUR TAB SAMAJH HI NAHIN PAAYE THE EK ZINDA ZABAN SACH MEIN KUCHLI JAA RAHI HAI.

KHAIR, CHODIYE MARHOOM ZABAN KA MAATAM
CHALIYE GHAZAL KA JASHN MANATE HAIN.

SAB SE PEHLE YEH SAMAJH LETE HAIN KE GHAZAL HAI KYA CHEEZ?.

GHAZAL UNN ASH-AAR( AAM BHASHA MEIN SHERON ) KA SANGRAH HAI JIS MEIN " MATLA, " MAQTA ", " BAHAR ", " QAAFIYA " AUR " RADEEF " KA PALAN KIYA JAATA HAI.

GHAZAL KA HAR SHER APNE AAP MEIN DO MISRON KI EK MUKAMMAL NAZM HOTA HAI, JAHAN SHAYER SAMUNDAR KOOZE ( CHOTI SI KATORI ) MEIN BAND KAR DETA HAI. MASLAN:
 HAR EK BAAT PE TUM KEHTE HO KE TU KYA HAI
TUM HI KAHO KE YEH ANDAZ-E-GUFTUGU KYA HAI

GHAZAL MEIN KAI SHER HOTE HAIN AUR UNN SHERON KA AAPAS MEIN KOI SAMBANDH NAHIN HOTA HAI.GHAZAL MEIN AAM TAUR PAR ZYADA SE ZYADA 12 AUR KAM SE KAM 7 SHER HOTE HAIN.

KUCH FILMI GHAZAL SE LAGTE HAIN LEKIN WOH GHAZAL NAHIN HOTE...MASLAN FILM GHAZL KA YEH GEET:

"RANG AUR NOOR KI YEH BARAAT KISE PESH KARUN.."
YEH GHAZL NAHIN HAI KYUNKE ISS KE HAR SHER MEIN TEEN MISRE HAIN JABKE GHAZAL KE HAR SHER MEIN DO HI MISRE HOTE HAIN.

ISS KE ILAWA ZAROORI HOTI HAI BAHAR, QAAFIYA AYR RADEEF.

BAHAR KAYA HAI...BAHAR DAR-ASAL SHER KA METER HOTA HAI, JIS SE TEH HOTA HAI KE SHER KITNA LAMBA YA CHOTA HO GA. SHER KE SABHI SHERON KA EK HI METER MEIN HONA ZAROORI HOTA HAI. WAISE TAU 19 ALAG-ALAG BAHAR HAIN LEKINAASANI KE LIYE UNHEIN FILHAAL TEEN HISSON MEIN BAANT LETE HAI " SHORT ', " MEDIUM " AUR LONG BAHAR.
CHOTI BAHAR KI MISAAAL HAI:
 IBN-E-MAIYAM HUA KARE KOI
MERE DUKH KI DAWA KARE KOI

MEDIUM BAHAR KI MISAAL HAI:
NUKTA-CHEEN HAI GHAM-E-DIL USS KO SUNAYE NA BANE
KYA BANE BAAT, JAHAN BAAT BANAYE NA BANE

LAMBI BAHAR KI MISAAL HAI:
WOH JO HUM MEI TUM MEIN QARAAR THA, TUMHEIN YAAD HO KE NA YAAD HO
WAHI YAANI VAADA NIBAAH KA, TUMHEIN YAAD HO KE NA YAAD HO

......TO BE CONTINUED IF I GET EVEN ONE REQUEST

ADVERTISING

ADVERTISING, HOW IMPORTANT IT IS

ADVERTISING HAS NOW CAUGHT UP WITH OTHER CHIEF ECONOMIC STRUCTURE.

PRIOR TO THE TURN OF TWENTIETH CENTURY, AS MANUFACTURING EMERGED FROM COTTAGE INDUSTRY TO MASS PRODUCTION, IT, TOO, WAS CALLED UPON TO SEE ITSELF IN RELATION TO MANKIND'S HOPES AND ASPIRATIONS. CHILD LABOUR WAS OUT FROM ORGANISED SECTOR. SAFETY AND DECENT WORKING CONDITIONS WERE IN. TODAY A GUARENTEED ANNUAL WAGE IS AN APPROACHING REALITY. SOMEWHAT LATER, THE FINANCIAL COMMUNITY MADE ITS ADJUSTMENTS. ABSCONDING BANKERS, WATERED STOCKS AND RIGGED MARKET BECAME INTOLERABLE IN A SOCIETY WHICH NEEDED A RELIABLE AND A LARGE-SCALE FINANCIAL APPARATUS, AND MOST PERSONS STARTED LOOKING AT THEIR PAYCHECKS FOR SURVIVAL RATHER THAN TO THE OUTPUT OF THE FAMILY FARM.

TODAY, MARKETING AND ITS VISIBLE, ARTICULATE, AND PERVASIVE PARTNER, ADVERTISING, HAVE JOINED PRODUCTION AND FINANCE AS INDISPENSABLE INGREDIENT OF ECONOMIC SURVIVAL AND GROWTH. 

MEDIA OWNERS, MIND YOUR LANGUAGE

Media owners, mind your language

Language is the most important means of communication for human beings. It has been, it is, it will be. Besides verbal languages, we have non-verbal languages such as sign language, body language and so on. Without a language, no communication is possible.

When a pharmaceutical company hires a medical representative, it makes sure that the person being hired is conversant with doctor's  language; because a doctor cannot be convinced by a person who does not speak his language. When an engineering company hires a salesman to sell its equipments  it makes sure that the candidate selected is well-versed with the engineering industry.

How do media houses hire people to sell their advertising space or time? There are two types. One is the owner who does not want to invest in fresh people. Instead he looks around and finds a person who has already proved himself in the field. The is the type who believes in fresh talent ( which is really a good thing considering the number of unemployed graduates we have).

Unfortunately, the good intentions of the latter don't go much further because such media owners haven't recognised the need for professionalism.

They hire fresh graduates and push them into field with one-line brief: ' Go and get some ads '. These poor freshers who have had no exposure to marketing and advertising moving amongst advertising professionals without any direction. Worse, they don't even know language of the advertising agency, media planners or the product managers at the advertises' office.

They have been told that their job is to get some ads. So, they visit advertising agencies and advertisers and start telling literally ' give me some ads '.

Some of other demands which one often hears from media sellers are:
# How about an ad? ( just like that ).
# Give me an ad, my job is at stake ( happens about once a week ).
#You handle so many products; you must give something to us too.
# I saw your ad in X. Why was it not released in our publication or channel? ( occurs about once a day )
 
What should a media owner do to avoid getting himself the image of a " scrounger "?

First, recruit people with a marketing and \ or advertising background. In the case of fresh graduates, provide them with adequate training in marketing and advertising. This will eliminate to a large extent the reoccurrence of of the scenario mentioned earlier. When a media seller makes a fool of himself, through sheer ignorance, it reflects more on the media owner than on the person himself.

Media owners must familiarise his representative with media planning process in an advertising agency; so, when his representative visits an ad agency he is able to speak the media planners' language.

A good media seller, in my opinion, is the one who is familiar with inter-media comparisons. He is the one who understands the target audience for his client's products, understands nature and seasonal patterns of various products. And above all, he is fully familiar with the singular characteristics of the medium he represents.

Unless media owners understand the need for talking to advertising professionals in their own language, they will continue to be in a difficult situation; as most are today.

HUMOUR IN ADVERTISING

They say if you want to live long, you should laugh for at least ten minutes every day. Before you go HA, HA, let me assure you there's nothing funny behind this statement.In fact, it"s a layman version of a medical fact; laughter exercises your lungs and keeps them fit and healthy.

Humour is a very important ingredient of life. Besides bringing joy, it adds a few extra moments to our lives ( remember the medical fact ). In advertising humour is the last resort of advertising running short of ideas.  The rationale being " one can be  funny about just anything ".However, humour in advertising is no laughing matter. It should be approached with caution because the dividing line between clowning and humour is very thin. On the other hand it is also true that the ad campaigns which move into public consciousness quickest and stay there,are the funny ones.

To most, including us advertising people, humour means " puns ". But puns are the lowest form of wit. However, a good, appropriate pun is always welcome. For example, hoardings for Amul Butter are always very timely and topical. Remember " Miyan ki dad se sharma gaye " it was when Miandad hit a six on Chetan Sharma's last ball in that famous Sharjah match.

Humour in advertising can be divided into three broad categories: HAH, HMM and HA-HA.

HAH: these are humor ads which fall flat or create unintended humour or worse still invite contempt. The saddest part is that most of our " humour advertising " are of this type. I remember seeing an advertisement for stainless steel fasteners which said ( in big, bold types ), " You Could Get Screwed ". I  don't know whether writer was trying to be funny, clever or sharing his experience.

HMM: Advertisements of this kind never fail to evoke a smile. Responses range from "It's nice to","I like it".
I would classify maggi sauce T.V. commercial( It's different,series),under this category.Also the highly successful,meri jaan,meri jaan,sunday ke sunday commercial for National Egg Coordination Committee.

HA,HA: Unforgettable.That's what advertisements are under this category.But unfortunately there are not many contenders.The all time greats could be only Amul Butter.

Oflate manufacturers have started generating a good deal of humour.unintended humour off course.One manufacturer has named his range of undergarments " LYRIL".I suppose USP now will be," The freshness underwear".Another has come up with "AMUL"( utterly,butterly) under-wears.

A soap manufacturer almost launched his brand of toilet soap under the brand name of "HUG", till someone pointed out its meaning in Hindi.Boy!It would have been a stinker.

So, fellow-admen just think twice before you try to be funny. After all no one likes to do business with a clown.