Entertainment sector now at Rs 1.26 lakh crore

Demonetisation shaved off 150 to 250 basis points in terms of growth across all sub-segments of the media and entertainment (M&E) industry at the of 2016, according to a report, according to the FICCI-KPMG Media and Entertainment Report 2017.

The report said the Indian M&E industry grew at 9.1% to Rs 1,26,210 crore on the back of advertising growth of 11.2%. This was aided by strong fundamentals and a steady growth in consumption.

While the TV industry grew 8.5% to Rs 58,830 crore, print media industry grew 7% to Rs 30,330 crore in 2016. Revenues from the digital advertising segment grew 28% to Rs 7,690 crore, while the animation and VFX segment saw 16.4% growth to Rs 5,950 crore. (Deccan Herald)

Maoists' solar-powered printing press found  

Security forces were baffled to find a contemporary printing press on a mountain top in the remote forest terrain of Madopara in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh. Officials said the printing unit was installed by the outlawed CPI (Maoist) to publish documents, statements and other publications of the banned organisation. The security forces finally destroyed the facility.

The most interesting aspect of the find was that the printing unit was run using electricity generated from solar panels. Perhaps this ingenuity is not all surprising since in a conflict zone like Bastar, power supply, especially off-grid power supply, is hard to come by.

“During a search operation, the forces found a small printing press set up, powered by portable solar panels installed on top of the mountain. Some printed documents and other publications of the Maoists were traced at the location. This is the first of its kind traced by the police,” said a senior police officer.

As the equipment, the printing machine and batteries were heavy to carry back, the security forces destroyed them on the spot.

In Chhattisgarh, printing press owners have been given an advisory to be wary printing any material or propaganda for Maoists or their sympathisers. (The Indian Express)

Chemistry instead of math paper in Odisha schools

The Council of Higher Secondary Education (CHSE) in Odisha had to postpone the Chemistry paper due to irregularities. During the ongoing examinations, on the day of mathematics exam, chemistry papers were found in the question paper packets when they were opened for distribution among examinees.

Due to the fiasco, Odisha school and mass education minister Debi Prasad Mishra asked Controller of examinations of the CHSE to probe into irregularities.

Chemistry question papers in mathematics question paper packets were found at least in 14 examination centres.

“The government would not hesitate to blacklist the printing press if the press was found guilty,” the minister said adding that the Controller of Examinations of the Council of Higher Secondary Examination (CHSE) will probe under which circumstances the chemistry questions entered into the mathematics question paper packets.

“The Controller of Examinations will also investigate whether there was any conspiracy in the incident,” Mishra said.

Meanwhile, the centres managed to conduct the examination after providing photo copies of the mathematics questions to the students. (The Indian Express)

Printing the ancient way keeps Buddhist texts alive in Tibet

In a heart-warming tale of the never-say-die spirit of printing, Edward Wong of The New York Times travels to Derge in China to witness how Tibetan monks are using the ancient ways of printing to keep Buddhist texts alive.    

One of the most revered institutions in the Tibetan world, the Parkhang printing lamasery is located in the mountainous heart of the Kham region. On Chinese maps, it is in the far west of Sichuan Province, across the Cho La. The press, in the town of Derge, dates to 1729 and draws pilgrims from across the Tibetan plateau to the three-story monastery.

The printing press is the embodiment of a hallowed tradition and is one site where the Tibetan language is being preserved, despite the lack of government support for immersive Tibetan-language education on the plateau. It has more than 320,000 wooden printing blocks that are on average more than 260 years old.

The monastery also houses collections of sutras, including 830 classic scriptures and copies of more than 70% of ancient Tibetan manuscripts. The founder of the monastery, Chokyi Tenpa Tsering, embraced works from the range of Tibetan Buddhist schools.

Besides trying to preserve the old blocks, the printing house has been making new ones since the 1980s. A decade from now, it is expected to have 400,000 blocks.

The printing blocks are constructed from red birchwood in 13 steps. At an early stage, the raw pieces of wood have to be soaked in feces for a half-year. Those that do not crack or break during this period are then made into printing blocks.

The printing operations now employ about 60 people. At its height, the press employed more than 500 people, and almost all were monks from the neighboring Gonchen Monastery. These days, the printers are laypeople. (The New York Times)