My Quote in Indian Daily Mid Day’s Story on Blogging in India
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I was quoted recently in Indian daily Mid Day on a story on Alliance Francaise students blogging in French.
However, Internet professional and avid blogger Gaurav Mishra thinks that the trend of blogging in foreign languages is not a wise one. “In other countries, people blog in English because they want to reach out to the rest of the world. We already blog in English as a default, why would we change that,” said this author of gauravonomics.com.
Aastha approached me to ask if I was seeing a trend towards Indian bloggers writing in foreign languages. I said “no” and even did a sanity check by asking my friends on Twitter if they had come across such blogs (they hadn’t). So, I told Aastha that there is no trend here and she’ll be better off doing a story on how blogging is being used in classrooms. But, journalists sometimes stick with stories they are working on, even if those stories don’t exist.
In any case, I have also been slightly misquoted in the story. Here is my original quote.
Aastha: So do you think if this trend catches on, about Indians blogging in different languages, could it be of any help?
Gaurav: I don’t know how. In other countries, people blog in English because they want to reach out to the rest of the world. We already blog in English as a default.
Aastha: That’s a good point.
So, again, there is no trend of Indian bloggers writing in French, in case you are wondering.
Here is the full text of the story –
Adieu English blogs
By: Aastha Atray BananBlogging in English is passe; around 25 Indian students are blogging in French and simply loving it!
From the Big B to the BJP, netizens in India have taken to blogging in a big way. And GenY is now taking this trend to a new level. Students of Alliance Francaise De Mumbai are speaking their minds out about V-Day in India to Doordarshan on their blogs. And more interesting than their debates is the fact that they blog in French.
The brainchild of their professor, Bhushan Thapliyal, blogging in French seems to have opened a new world for these youngsters. “We started the exercise so that all the students could improve their language. But it has taken a life of its own,” said Bhushan.
And Satyajit Pradhan, a student of the advanced level at Alliance, is excited at the opportunity. “We pick different subjects, most of the time they reflect what’s happening in the city or the country. These blog entries are accessible to everyone at Alliance, and they all have a right to comment,” he said. A fact that has made them all very conscious about what they write and how they write it.
“Blogging in French has helped me a lot. We talk about subjects close to our hearts for example, about ‘The need for Valentine’s Day in India’, which was a hot-debated topic. At first, we were afraid about saying what we felt, now it’s all about sharing our thoughts,” said Satyajit. Suryesh Chatwani seconds Satyajit’s opinion. “I am so confident about my French now. But thank God that our entries are edited before they are posted,” he laughed.
Advantage
Blogging in a foreign language has an advantage of its own. “When an exercise like this is carried out on a blog, the readership is much wider. The blogger is more aware of the need to capture the reader’s attention, and hence, puts in more effort. Writing on blogs also kindles a sense of belonging to a ‘virtual’ community,” said the professor.
However, Internet professional and avid blogger Gaurav Mishra thinks that the trend of blogging in foreign languages is not a wise one. “In other countries, people blog in English because they want to reach out to the rest of the world. We already blog in English as a default, why would we change that,” said this author of gauravonomics.com.
India on the blog
Trine Norgaard, who is from Denmark, talks about how it’s not all “just slum and dirt” in Mumbai on her witty blog, greatdanetraveling, while an unnamed Lithuanian blogger who writes the A Girl From Foreign blog, says, “As soon as you accept how things work and realise that you should not expect Indians to fit into your (European, American or whatever) schedule, they come and prove you soooo wrong!” And just when you are thinking how true that is, you stumble upon the blog of an American in Delhi, who is visiting the few bookshops in Gurgaon and lamenting, “I’ll never find Steinbeck here in this country.”
Hey there,
Nice home you got there.
And congrats. specially when its damn hard to own a house in MUMBAI. oh, and that too in south bombay.