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Narendu Ghosh-2023
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Narendu Ghosh-2023
Context: Leaked WhatsApp screenshot on 22Jan2023
Narendu Ghosh-2022
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Narendu Ghosh-2022
IIG
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IIG
“Winners focus on winning. Losers focus on winners.”
50+ old! Grow up…

#ExcellenceInPhotography
https://indiainternationalgroup.com/

[1Dec21]
Justice
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Justice
“No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to obey it.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
Temptation
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Temptation
And I believe… you are a LOSER if you can’t!

#StayHomeStaySafe
Poster Source: https://bit.ly/2RbLWIA
RTI
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RTI
6May2021
We Have Questions
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We Have Questions
Finally, I understood why the “Print Acceptance” is so important!

I can’t believe that all this could be created to earn some cut-money. What else can be the compulsion?

You have to expose yourself to unnecessary physical contact as you go to the Studio/Lab to make your print, buy packaging materials from the shop and then go to post office to send those prints! Obviously, you should do all this by ignoring the doctors’ warning to limit unnecessary physical exposure during this COVID pandemic!

Do they have any concern about your safety?

#CutMoneyFederation
#MFIP #MaaKaliFoundationForInternationalPhotographers
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Beware the photographers of Eastern India!

I heard that a self-declared custodian is wishing you “Kaalbaisakhi”!
This blunder is because of his lack of knowledge… as usual!

I do not know if I should cry or laugh!
Maybe you can “grant amnesty” to him!

#MaakaliFoundationOfInternationalPhotographers #MFIP #jokeoftheday
Vivekananda
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Vivekananda
Remember what Pythagoras said?
“Don’t try to cover your mistakes with false words, rather correct your mistakes...“

Respected sir, want to inform you that Swami Vivekananda never said those words. He was a cultured man and always encouraged people to be humble. If only you knew a little bit about Swami Vivekananda, then you would also know that he would never utter those arrogant ignorant words.
Cut-Money Federation
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Cut-Money Federation
The Tricolour represents India but what do these colourful HM Ribbons represent? Their “colourful friendship”?

What should the head of a photography organization do if they need some medals & ribbons? In my opinion, if this person is honest, then he should ask the members openly if they can help to make high quality medals & ribbons at the lowest cost.

Instead, when he secretly asked his favourite member to arrange these medals/ribbons instead of asking for help openly, I wonder what could be the reason? Is it some ‘cut-money’ that compelled him to order these medals & ribbons made by a specific favourite person secretly?

#suspect
#thief

Who says earning money from photography is difficult? One just needs to create an urgency for these medals/ribbons by not placing the order in time and then show that as the reason for a rush order with someone special.

By the way, this is the 2nd easiest way. Can you guess the 1st one?
PIPPA2020
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PIPPA2020
Isn’t morality the best virtue of any human being?
Should someone head any organization without it?

Then, why should not the current Secretary General of Federation of Indian Photography (FIP) RESIGN IMMEDIATELY on grounds of his involvement with the malpractices of Phoenix International Photography Planet Award-2020? Shouldn’t he ACCEPT THE MORAL RESPONSIBILITY of this malpractice & take ownership of protecting the sanctity and reputation of India amongst photographers around the World & specifically towards FIP?

We have seen in the past that many of our Union Railway Ministers resigned taking moral responsibility after a mishap though they were never directly involved in the situation or the cause of the mishaps. Here the Secretary General of FIP is directly involved right from granting patronage with inappropriate information to promoting the circuit to being a judge. Shouldn’t he then definitely shoulder the moral responsibility of this act?

Raise your voice! Save Indian Salon Photography… Else, you are going to be a victim soon too! Isn’t it time for him to go? It’s been long… infact, too long since he is holding on to power… (Poster Source: bit.ly/2MJR9EH)
Hiding in the crowd
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Hiding in the crowd
Have you seen that child who stands 1st in line to collect freebies & then tries to hide in the crowd? That’s the character of a naughty kid!

During my school days, I used to see that there were some special aids provided by the Government for students of backward communities. These were not meant for all the students. This selective distribution was hard to understand for those students who did not receive these free gifts. Why would only some students get these aids? They also wanted these freebies. I know the word “freebies” is perhaps an incorrect way of calling these aids as they were an important support for students from backward communities. However, to those students who were not eligible to get them, it felt like these aids were “freebies”. Hence, I am using this word from the child’s perspective.

During the distribution of these aids, some naughty students who were not eligible for them used to become super active & stand in the 1st row to collect one. When the teacher or the other students found out, they used to question this student asking them why they collected an aid that was not meant for them as their family was in a position of privilege in society.

That’s when this naughty kid would not stand in the 1st row anymore. He would try to hide in the midst of other students so he does not get caught! Kids will always be kids!

However, if an adult breaches his privilege and later tries to hide in the crowd, shy away from the 1st row in a list to hide somewhere near the last, it probably is because of the realization of his guilt.

He was 1st to collect a freebie when he did not deserve it & later tried to hide in the crowd. So, he is not caught shamefaced for breaching the privilege he has! Would you consider it a serious breach or think it’s a naughty kid that awoke in an adult’s mind now?

We photographers love all kind of freebies. Specially if it is a free Honorary Distinction even if it is a really cheap one!

Do you know of any honorary distinction that was being given away for free in Indian Photography recently and where a naughty undeserving kid stole it first and is now trying to hide away at the back?
Again, I hope your answer is no!

***
By the way, this is a photograph of the naughtiest little boy I ever met in Chennai. His photograph received 14 awards from 8 countries till date from various International Salons of photography.


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Date: 5Oct2020
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Never Give Up, Instead Raise Your Voice
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Never Give Up, Instead Raise Your Voice
“Hal chhero na bandhu, barang kantho chharo jore…” ~Kabir Suman

This is one of my favorite songs. It means “NEVER GIVE UP, INSTEAD RAISE YOUR VOICE”.

For me, raising my voice means asking questions. I believe we shouldn’t stop asking questions ever. Raising questions is the best way to highlight issues, drive change and progress, strive for excellence and prosper in life.

Keep asking the right questions, even if they are not liked by wrong-doers!

A sign of the wrong-doer losing the battle against truth is when they start giving excuses. A wrong decision can’t be justified as a collective decision. Taking a decision collectively doesn’t absolve the decision of its error nor does it establish the righteousness of the wrong-doer! It clearly means the leader is now passing the buck on to others instead of owning it. A definitive sign of a coward’s character!

Today is 2nd October. We celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings worldwide. It will be a true homage to him if we start raising our voice against any wrong doing.

Raise your voice… even it sounds hoarse… even if you have to stand high on a mountain or a rooftop… even if wrong-doers label you as mad…

Remember he didn’t give up when he was thrown out of the train in South Africa but he raised his voice higher and we know the rest of the story…

I had asked few questions to myself in September 2020 and later shared them here on my FB page about our world of Photography in India. On Gandhi Jayanthi today, I commit to asking more direct & serious questions soon related to Indian Photography. Let me know if you are aware of the answers so I can learn.

To listen to the song, I mentioned in the beginning of this post, click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGlTk0LXFug

I am sure you will love it even if you do not understand Bengali because of its powerful melody.


FB Link: bit.ly/33kk3RD
Date: 2Oct2020
Post Reached: 3050 People
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*Photograph Credit: iStock [387/-incl GST]
Award
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Award
Do you believe that hard work is the only way to establish yourself in any field & there is no shortcut?

What if, someone creates an award and confers it to their own self to prove to the World that they are a Master in that particular field? Then, to validate the prestige of the award, can they confer the same award to many other prominent names in that field every alternate day?

Genius!

I remember Newton’s third law that says “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” What will the opposite reaction of your hollow fame be? Won’t it be that you DEFAME the organisation you used to create that particular award?

We CAN CREATE history but we CAN’T WRITE history. Only the foolish think that they are writing history because they have power now. The fact however is, that today’s history will be written tomorrow when you are not in power. We have seen time and time again that no one can be in power for long. So when you will not be in power, won’t your history be re-written?

Aren’t you intelligent enough to estimate what will be written about you and how people will remember your name if you try to write such hollow stories today?

I will stress again, hard work is the only way to establish yourself in any field & there is no shortcut. I hope that our world of photography is not so stupid to think otherwise!

Do you know of any such stupidity in Indian Photography?


FB Link: bit.ly/338rueD
Date: 28Sep2020
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Outdated Webmaster
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Outdated Webmaster
The difference is in building Credibility or being seen as a Fraudster!

What will you do if you receive an email from your bank using a Gmail or Hotmail ID? Say the email came from hdfcbank@gmail.com or sbi@hotmail.com? You will know that those emails are fraudulent, right?

Isn’t this why you need an email ID with a website/domain name from your organization? Because that will create an impression of credibility!

How?
Any prankster can create a generic free email ID with your organization’s name but it is extremely difficult to create an email ID that has your domain name. Pranksters can easily use those generic IDs to hamper your reputation temporarily.

Does using generic Gmail/Hotmail/etc email IDs mean that your organization has no credibility or that people think it’s content/communication is always fraudulent? Not at all! But it does send a few negative signals and a few negative impressions are formed for sure. What are they?

That you really don’t care for your organization & are ignorant enough to not build its credibility.

That you may have a bag of reasons like old age or that you are from a different non-IT era or that you are unaware of these things to defend yourself. If your excuse is this, then I will say that the people surrounding you are not right for you! THAT IS YOUR FAILURE! That you failed to secure the right people around you who can give you the right ideas!

I accept that everyone doesn’t know everything. That is normal. You may not know about personalized emails yourself. That’s why we should have a knowledgeable “Webmaster”. It is his/her job to inform you about the right IT/Tech related services your organization needs to appear as credible as you want it to be. If your webmaster didn’t tell you yet about it or couldn’t convince you for it, that means HE IS AN OUTDATED WEBMASTER! You should THROW HIM/HER OUT IMMEDIATELY… outside your organization, circle of trust and influence.

Want to test what I said? Search for any generic email ID that a reputed organization uses. In fact, let me help you…. Here are some names you can check:

FIAP /PSA /Canon /Nikon /Sony /your own bank /Apollo Hospital /Columbia Asia Hospital /Toyota /Honda /Amazon /Flipkart /Tata ..... did you find one?

For individual use, using free generic email IDs are perfectly acceptable and normal. But it is always advisable to have an email ID with your website/domain name if you run an organization.

I am writing this post specially for some photographic organizations I love. Get the right people around you so you get right ideas & improve your club’s/organization’s credibility & trustworthiness!

FB Link: bit.ly/3mVyYte
Date: 26Sep2020
Post Reached: 2141 People
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Sugar Daddy
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Sugar Daddy
I recently learnt the usage of the word “Sugar Daddy”.

You all know that I try to relate everything I learn to photography. So, naturally the first question that came to my mind is if there is any “Sugar Daddy” in Indian Photography? I hope your answer is no.

According to Google & Oxford Languages, “Sugar daddy” means a “rich older man who lavishes gifts on a young woman in return for her company or s**ual favours.”

Google/Oxford Ref: bit.ly/MayTwnty
Wikipedia Ref: bit.ly/SepTwnty


FB Link: bit.ly/3iQAkTT
Date: 22Sep2020
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Special Medal
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Special Medal
Just received this HPS Bronze medal from Greece. What a beautiful medal to win!

As an afterthought… can we propose to MFIP or Makaali Foundation of International Photographers (I am still looking for their link) to adopt this feature in their medal? What if they can also make an HPS-like medal with the photograph of the person who heads MFIP?

Isn’t it true that Saddam Hussain planned an Iraqi currency with his photograph on it [bit.ly/2FI1ptu]?
Didn’t the Libyan currency have Gaddafi on it [https://bit.ly/2RuWezT]?
Any idea if North Korean Kim Jong-un is going to put his photograph on their currency?

On one hand, PEOPLE CONSIDER some great people as their guiding light, like Gandhi ji, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. On the other hand, some people think THEY THEMSELVES ARE great people and hold tremendous power to force people to consider them as their guiding light.

By the way, I looked closely at the medal I received from Greece today and It is Apollo, the Olympian deity from classical Greek and Roman mythology.

FB Link: bit.ly/35H0EvK
Date: 16Sep2020
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Makaali Foundation of International Photographers
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Makaali Foundation of International Photographers
I recently heard about a free photo contest by ”Makaali Foundation of International Photographers”. I want to participate in it. Does anyone have the link?

I believe they are offering an honorary distinction as well. What is the criterion for it and is it called “HonMFIP” (Hon. Makaali Foundation of International Photographers)?

FB Link: bit.ly/3infVW7
Date: 11Sep2020
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Change
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Change
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ~Socrates

I have been reflecting on the change I made in my life recently and these two quotes resonated most with me...

FB Link: bit.ly/2Reu3Fh
Date: 6Sep2020
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Leaving FIP
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Leaving FIP
When I was young, my father taught me the proverb “The righteous choose their friends carefully”. I want my 5 year old son to learn this lesson from me as well by showing that I still value and honour what I learnt from my father.

FB Link: bit.ly/3ioNkzK
Date: 5Sep2020
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