Sunday 22 March 2015

One Night @ the Call Center



Major themes in One Night @ the Call Center

Name: Jinal B. Parmar

Roll no.:11

Paper no.: 13 “The New Literature”

M. A. Semester: 4

Year: 2015

PG Enrolment no.: 13101025

Email ID: jinal.parmar989883@gmail.com

Submitted to: Department of English

Smt. S. B. Gardi

Maharaja Krishnakumar sinhji

Bhavnagar University




Introduction: Chetan Bhagat:

              Chetan Bhagat is one of the great Indian writers. Chetan Bhagat in his books always writes about the young India. In his books he always writes about the problem in Indian society. Chetan Bhagat also who is a best seller of his books.
             Bhagat is also columnist for newspaper such as “The Times of India” and “Dainik Bhaskar”, where he writes about the youth career development and current affairs. “The New York” times called him as “The biggest selling English language novelist in India’s history”.
             Time magazine named him amongst the 100 most influential people in the world and fast company, U. S. A. listed him as one of the world’s 100 most creative people in business. In the novels he uses very simple language so that reader can easily understand and prefers to read more.
            Bhagat’s novels have been adapted into Bollywood films like, 2 States, 3 idiots, Kai po che!, Hello,  etc.

His Works:

    1.     Five point some one
    2.      The 3 mistakes of my life
    3.      2 states
    4.      One Night @ the Call Center
    5.      Revolution 2020
    6 .      What young India Wants
    7.      Half girlfriend

Introduction:

One Night @ the Call center

            One Night @ the Call Center is one of the novel written by Chetan Bhagat. The novel published in 2005. In this novel Bhagat talks about the call center where  there are six character are working, Gurgaon, Haryana in the novel.
                The characters of the novel are : Shyam, Varun, Esha, Priyanka, Radhika and Military Uncle. They are working in call center which is “Connexion call center”. All the character faces the problems in their family. One night they get call from God and God said them to listen your inner voice of your heart. All the characters inspired by the call of God.
               The story takes a dramatic and decisive turn through a literal Deux ex Machina, when the character receives a phone call from God.


Major Themes in the novel One Night @ the Call Center:

   1.                      Nationalism:

                  In the novel One Night @ the Call Center writer introduces a young India and their problems like six characters, shyam, Radhika, Esha, Priyanka, Vroom, and Military uncle of the novel they facing problems because they working in the call center. Once they get call from God to solve problem and the novel also about to call to alarm to India to the young people within it.

“Nationalism involves national identity, by contrast with the related construct of patriotism, which involves the social conditioning and personal behaviors that support a state’s decisions and actions”

                 Having had to suffer the country being screwed up by politicians for so years, the potential of the nation and its people is finally being allowed to flourish. In call center most of the people work in a night shift and get many calls from the America and solve their problems.

                In the novel characters working in the call center and their bay’s name is “Western Appliances Strategic Group” or WASG. They deal with the customers of home appliances such as refrigerator, oven and vacuum cleaners. These strategic customers call a lot and are too difficult to figure out things. So they thinks that they dealing with on the lines from America and even bigger up the management pecking order.

When Vroom talks to God, Vroom says,
“I should not have taken up a job just for money. Call center pays more, but only because the exchange rate is in the favor Americans. They toss their loose change at us. It seems like a lot of rupees but jobs that pay less could be better there could be jobs that define me, make me learn or help my country”

Vroom’s ideas are very anti American so he says that,

“Americans suck the life blood out of our country’s most productive generation”

            The implication is that Indian too must develop a greater sense of itself and reject the easy path of playing second fiddle to the U. S. 

   2.                      Phone call from God:

                 The phone call from God is one of the major theme and the salient feature in the novel. In the novel writer has presented God as a friendly figure rather than a boss. God is presented in a modern way and shown as speaking in modern modern rather than the stereo-typical pure English or Latin that one usually encounter God saying.

                  In the novel each characters suffers from their personal problems and when they are in difficult situation they get phone call from God. When they all go outside from call center at the night to go to club. After enjoying they coming back to the call center at that time their car Qualis crashes into a construction site hanging over a mesh of iron construction roads.

                  They are unable to call for as there is no mobile phone network at that place. In that circumstances shyam’s mobile phone starts up ringing. The phone call is from God. God talks with everyone and listen their problems and gives them suggestions and to improve their life.

                  The conversation with God motivates the characters to such an extent that they get ready to face their problems with utmost determination and motivation. The story takes a dramatic and decisive turn through a deux ex machina when the characters receive a phone call from God.

“Deux ex machina is a calque from Greek meaning “God from the machina”

                Deux ex machina is term which has evolved to mean a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability or subject. It can be intended to move the story forward when the writer has “painted himself into a corner” and sees no other way out, to surprise the audience.

                 In same way Chetan Bhagat has also used deux ex machina in this novel. Where he finds that the all characters are in trouble situation he uses a call from God to resolve a plot.

  3. Human relations, Love, sex and Marriage:

                   Chetan Bhagat in his novel trying to say about the young India. In the novel One Night @ the Call center Bhagat talks about the love story of Shyam and Priyanka and shyam’s dates with Priyanka. They both are not just friends but they have physical relationship with each other.

                  In the novel the characters of Esha who wants to become a model and for that she sleep with designer after that she cheated by him and said that she has not enough height for the ramp model. Here Bhagat present the dark side of the India.

   4.                      Cognizance:

                    In this novel the theme of cognizance play very important role in every characters. Chetan Bhagat’s intention was to convey the self defeating nature of blaming complaining and not taking responsibility. All the characters that always feel problems by showing the character’s hypocrisy that how they suffered from an inferiority complex and psychologically projected their self loathing into America.

                 After a get call from God, they improve their selves and listen their inner voice that’s what it says to do where Radhika decides to divorce her cheating husband and leave from her mother in laws critical clutches. Shyam rather to criticize himself, he implementing his ideas into practice and started new web design company with Vroom. Military uncle realized his mistake and wants to go America to live with his son and grandson. Esha quit her modeling aspirations and continued to work at the call center and also work with NGO. Priyanka also work in call center but after that she will go to college for an accelerated one year B. Ed.

                   After receiving a call from God the characters use their newfound self confidence and perspective on life. All the characters get awareness after solved problems by God.

                 The book also point out at valuable life lessons that take responsibility for your own lives, stop blaming others, stop making excuses and be your own. It also shown that as a citizen of India, instead of blaming others we need to do introspection that makes the better society to live in. 

   5.                      Modernization:

                  One Night @ the Call Center deals with issues of young people, including questions about career, inadequacy, marriage, family conflicts in a changing India, and the relationship of the young Indian middle class to both executive and ordinary clients whom they serve in the United States.
                 In this novel Bhagat’s aim is to convey a message to the people of India from the situation of the characters like the harshness of the situation of women in India. Esha who wants to become a model for that she forced to slept with 40 years old designer and it represents the dark side of the India.
Throughout the novel Bhagat presents modernity like smoking is the contemporary metaphore of melancholic state of being depression, stress, feel bad. Bhagat also talks about the Indian family like the situation of Radhika in her in law’s house. Like on day she do house hold works and in night she works in call center.
   6.                      Globalization :

 “Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology”

"Globalization is no longer a theoretical concept; it is a glaring reality, impinging upon almost every aspect of human existence"

             The title of the novel it self tells about the effect of globalization in call center. In this novel writer wants to give message  to the Indians  that who working in call center they just get good salary but it not give it a opportunity to do something else or for their skills  and creativity   Americanized form of English in the Call Centers.

         In this novel we Workers forced to change their names to Western one e.g. like,
                  Shyam Mehra – Sam Mercy
                  Varun Malhotra  - Victor
                  Radhika Jha – Regima Jones
                  Esha singh – Elina 

              Chetan Bhagat thinks that “On a different level, I began to think about the number individuals who sacrifice their creativity and skills and join call center merely because of the fact pay packet on offer.”

Vroom cannot stand two things: the Racists and the Americans. Vroom thinks Americans get to act superior to us “not because they are better people. But because their country is rich and ours is poor. That is the only damn reason. Because the losers who have run our country for the last fifty year couldn’t do better than make India one of the poorest countries on the earth”

               In this novel we find rising anxieties, fear and stress in these six characters in call center are constantly under pressure. They themselves are to be blamed for it but one can not deny that globalization is also responsible for it. Due to slack in software industry the call center wanted to cut down the number of employees in its main bay and that brings all the people under pressure. Actually this book talks about the anxieties, fears, and stress of call center employees.

                 Eroding values means compromising attitude .in the novel charcter of  Esha who  getting modelling assignments, gets ready to sleep with an influential person in the concerned field. When even after this compromise she doesn't get a way-in, she realises the horrible mistake she made. This example of hers reveals a disgusting reality in the world of modelling and fashion. At the same time it shows us a limitlessly compromising attitude that has come over today's youth
Thomas friedman gives definition about Globalization 

“Globalization is the integration of capital,
technology and information across national borders, in a way that is creating a
single global market, and to some degree, a global market”

In this book he gives three eras of Globalization


       1.     Globalization 1.0
       2.     Globalization 2.0
       3.     Globalization 3.0



                The novel One Night @ the Call Center we can connect with the Friedman’s  idea of flatteners.    One Night @ the Call Center connect with 3rd flattener      “Workflow software” where he talks about the technology and tells that world is become flat. In this book he talks about a new era of 21st century, world become very small.

                In one Night @ the Call Center we see some positive and negative effect of the Globalization. So here we can see the novel deals with the theme of globalization with the example of “The World is flat” by Thomas Friedman and connect the novel with his idea.






 

Television Genres



Television Genres


Name: Jinal B. Parmar
Roll no.:11
Paper no.: 15 Mass Communication and Media Studies
M. A. Semester: 4
Year: 2015
PG Enrolment no.: 13101025
Email ID: jinal.parmar989883@gmail.com
Submitted to: Department of English
Smt. S. B. Gardi
Maharaja Krishnakumar sinhji
Bhavnagar University

Introduction of Television


“Television means an electric communication medium that allows the transmission of real time visual images, and also sound.”
Tele means “From far away”
Vision means “To See”
Television means a device to which a picture and sound can be broadcast by means of radio waves or a cable.

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome means black and white or colored, with or without accompanying sound. “Television” may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming, or television transmission.

Television grownup as a great medium for entertainment, knowledge, education, etc. in our language Television means “Doordarshan and now known as TV. TV is a short form of television. As we all know in this 21st century the role of technology plays very vital role in every field like, education, business, agriculture, etc. Television is one of the great technological tools for the mass communication. Television is one of the helpful medium for the viewers. It provides information, communication and entertainment.

 Meaning of Genre

"Genre is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, for example music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audible or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria."


Genres are formed by conventions that change over time as new genres are invented and the uses of old ones are discontinued. Often, works fit into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions.

The term “Genre” comes from the French language and it means “Type” or “Kind” or “sort”.
A media theorist, Douglas Kellner gives a useful definition of “Genre”. He writes in his essay, “television images, codes and message”, that,

“A genre refers to as coded set of for mulas and convention which indicate a culturally accepted way or organizing material into distinct patterns. Once established, genres dictate the basic condition of a cultural production and reception”

Like, crime dramas invariable have a violent crime, a search for its perpetrators and often a chase, fight, or bloody elimination of the criminal, communicating the message “crime does not pay”.

All the media are based on texts, in which all fall into various categories or genres. We can say that genres studies and begins with comments relating to genres. Aristotle in his poetics tells that,

“Our subject being epic poetry, I propose to speak not only of the art in general but also of its species and their respective capacities… Epic poetry and tragedy, as also comedy… are all views as a whole modes of imitation… comedy is an imitation of men worse than average”

In book like “An Introduction to Film criticism: Major critical Approaches to Narrative Film”
Written by Tim Bywater and Thomas Sobschack. This book is relevant to our interest in television genres. The author of this book writes that,

“Essentially the problem the question of which came the first, the chicken or the egg. One has to select a group of films prior to identifying them as genre”

Television genres refer to a class of television programs and a given problems is an example of that genre. The creators of television who creates a Shaw for audience generally they focus on a genre to their purposes.

When a particular TV shows becomes popular, other television production companies’ start imitating it, hoping to cash in on the popularity of the genres. In some of the cases, television companies mix genres or create variations of traditional genres. Such as the show survivor which generated many imitations.


       Television is one of the great medium for entertainment and also a medium for drama. As Martin Esslin writes in “The Age of Television” in 1982,

“The language of television is none other than of drama, that television as indeed the cinema with which it has much in common- is, in its essence, a dramatic medium, and that looking at TV from the point of view and with the analytic tools of dramatic criticism and theory might contribute to a better understanding of its nature and many aspects of its psychological, social, and cultural impact, both in the short term and on a long term, macroscopic time scale”

In television there are different categories shows which are connected with the surrounding of our society and culture. There are different types of shows are coming up on television and it aims to provide entertainment and knowledge to the audience.

There are many television genres:



Education
Music
Animation
Infotainment
Sitcom
Entertainment
Religion
Family
Crime
Cartoon
Science
Soap opera
Thriller
Documentary
Drama
Arts and Culture
Adventure
Tele novella
News
Historical
Comedy
Talk show
Education
Weather
Game show
Reality show
Shopping
Business
Sports
Horror
Travel  
Nature




Comedy Shows


Television is a great medium for entertainment. Now a days in every house we find television and people love to watch television in their free time. Every person like from children to old age people prefers to watch comedy programs, which gives laughter and entertainment to the audience.

Example:
Comedy Night with Kapil:


A comedy night with Kapil is an Indian comedy show. This is one of the great comedy show presented by Kapil Sharma. In this type of comedy show we find celebrity guests who usually appear to promote their latest films in a comedy focused talk show format. This comedy show became India’s highest rated scripted TV Shaw.





Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chasmah:

 Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chasmah is one of the great comedy serial in which we find many comic elements. In this comedy serial. We see that there are many families who live in one society and their aim is to live in unity in their society. In this serial there is leading character namely Jethalal who finds difficult situation everywhere and its create laughter to the audience. The aim of this comedy serial is to make laugh and entertain to the audience in a various ways.
 
Khichdi (TV Serial):

Khichadi is a Hindi language sitcom. Khichdi is widely considered by audience and television critics to be one of the finest examples of true situation comedy in India.  It does not use a laugh track like many Indian comedy shows, but instead relies on its deadpan humor and its witty lines to become its unique selling point. The well etched out characters have become almost icons of Indian television, which is otherwise obsessed with family soaps.
This television genre,  comedy category its aim to make audience to enjoy and laughter. There are many comedy serials comes in television and through the comedy they create laughter and also give message to the audience of any kind of awareness.

Crime shows


In television there is a category of crime shows which aims to aware the audience from the crime. These type of crime shows talks about the surrounding of our society. These type of shows makes people conscious about crime.

Example:
Savdhaan India:

This crime show focus on real life crimes stories in India. This illustrate cases where people have valiantly fought back against atrocities such as gender discrimination, harassment, exertion, rape, murder, dowry, child labor and many more. The movement alerts viewers and inspires them to counter injustice with firm determination and immediate action. It is the story of common mans fight against crime.


There is another show like crime petrol which also focuses on the real life crime and their motto is to aware people.

These are the example for crime show in which they focuses criminals that how they harm and harass the common people. This is one of the genres in television. These types of crime shows people like to watch because of their awareness.
                Tele-novella


What is Tele novella???

Tele novella means it is a type of limited run serial drama and it is originally from Latin America and Popular on Southeast Asian, Latin American, East Asian, South Asian, Portuguese and Spanish television networks. The word combines ‘tele’, short for television and ‘novella’, a Spanish and Portuguese word for novel. Tele novella comes on television channels and these tele novellas are based on the some of the novel and their incident

In Indian television there are many TV series which are based on the novels. Which are comes daily in episodes.

Example:

Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chasmah:

“Taarak Mehta ka Ooltah Chasmah” is TV series and it is based on the “Duniya ne Oondha Chasmah” written by columnist and journalist Taarak Mehta for the Gujarati weekly magazine Chitralekha. “The novels provide fresh content. Indian literature is vast and rich and with some help from good writers in the industry, offers us a chance to adapt relevant stories to TV Shows.”
 
Saraswatichanda:
  
“Saraswatichandra” was an Indian soap opera, produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. This soap opera Saraswatichandra story is based on a Gujarati novel by ‘Goverdhanram Madhavram Tripathi’ an author of early 20th century Gujarati, India. It is widely read Gujarati literature. The novel written in five parts, narrates the lifestyle and ideology of people in the early 20th century. It depicts the social fabric of that time, extended family life and the beginning of the meltdown of old customs and tradition.
 
There are many differences between novel and TV shows. But many of the audience love to watch TV shows rather than to read an entire novel.

Lapataganj:

"Lapataganj – Sharad Joshi ki Kahaniyon Ka Pata", is an Indian television sitcom. The series is based on sharad Joshi’s novel of the same name. it has become one of the most popular comedy shows in India. This story is inspired by the writing of Sharad Joshi, who was an eminent Hindi satirist. His work has highlighted the bitter truth of Indian society with a satirical punch. The story also empathize with the situation people face in their daily lives.
 
These types of TV series are based on the various novels and called as tele novella. Television and novels are two different mediums. There are also some another example that some of the films are based on the literary work. As we take example like, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and there are also may many more novels which comes as a film. And there is one more example of our Indian writer Chetan Bhagat who’s some of the novel come in the film.

Reality shows


What is Reality show???

Reality show is genre of television programming that documents unscripted situation and actual occurrences and often features a publically unknown cast. This genre often highlights personal drama and conflict to a much greater extent than other unscripted television such as documentary shows.

Reality shows classified under Documentary, television news, sports television, talk shows and traditional game shows are not classified as reality television, even though they contain elements of the genres such as unscripted situations and something unknown participants.

In short the reality show means the show which is not scripted but it features as unscripted.

Example:
Big Boss:

Big Boss is one of the great reality shows. This show is all about celebrities who has spend three months in the house with any basic accessories. The cameras are put all around the house. This show is one of the most controversial reality shows in India.





 
Indian Idol:

This is a reality show which creates a platform for singers who want to showcase their singing talent. This is only reality show who gives solo singers a chance to become famous singer. This show changes the trend of singing.

  
Dance India Dance:

Dance India Dance is the most famous dance reality show of country. This show is giving dance to common people to showcase their dancing talent.
These types of reality shows are about the talent of a common people and give platform for their talent. These are the reality shows which comes on Television.


Game shows

What is Game show???

A game show is a type of television, radio or internet programming genre. In this type of Game show in which contestants television celebrities, sometimes as part of a term, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money or prize.
Television game shows descended from similar programs on radio. The very first television game show, spelling Bee broadcast in 1938. Truth or consequences was the first game show to air on commercially licensed television.

Example:
Kaun Banega Crorepati:

Kaun Banega Crorepati is an Indian television game show based on the UK game show’ who wants to be a millionaire?’ this game show is about general knowledge and it gives common people a chance to show their knowledge and earn money.






 
Fear factor: Khatron ke Khiladi:

Fear factor: Khatron ke khiladi is an Indian stunt Shaw, based on the American fear factor. In this game show contestant have to participate in different fearful stunts.
 
These are the examples of game show in which people can part and win. This game show is one of genre of the television.

Television has many genres and it comes under different categories. As we have seen the different genres and its example. There are different genres are required for different age of people. Like children loves to watch cartoon, education and game show, young people loves to watch reality shows and films and elder loves to watch religious, etc. There are different TV genres and it has its own feature. 

Now a days in television there are various programs are coming up which are different from each other. People in their free time they watch TV for their entertainment and enjoy. Television proves as one of the great medium for entertainment, information and education.