At the Girls’ Higher Secondary School in Ashok Nagar, English lessons have moved beyond grammar drills and rote learning. Students are now learning the language through activities that combine creativity, communication, and career awareness. Supported by the school’s boarding team, the program encourages interactive sessions, role plays, and presentations that help students gain confidence and fluency. The classroom, once traditional, now feels like a creative studio where students expand their horizons and sharpen their cognitive skills. As part of its field reporting, Influencing India visited the school to understand how these students are turning language lessons into real-world experiences. Headmistress K. Vasuki said, “The media room setup is in its final stages, with work already underway. Once completed, it will enable students to learn and practise more effectively in the days to come.” BT (Basic Trained) Assistant R. Hemalatha explained that her classroom follow

The Dakshina Kannada District Working Journalists’ Association (DKDWJA) has announced its newly elected representatives for the 2025–2028 term. Pushparaj B N has been elected president, while Rajesh K Poojary will serve as general secretary. Vijay Kotian Padu was elected unopposed as treasurer. The elections were held on Sunday at the Department of Information and Public Relations office auditorium in Mangaluru. Of the 352 registered members, 331 cast their votes, Mangalore Today stated. Muhammad Arif Padubidre, Wilfred D’Souza, and Rajesh Shetty were chosen as vice presidents. The secretary posts went to Siddiq Neeraje, Suresh D Palli, and Satish Ira. The newly formed executive committee includes Ashok Shetty B N, Sandesh Jara, Sandeep Kumar, Lakshmi Narayan, Harish Motukana, Divakar Padmunja, Kiran Sirsikar, Abhishek H S, Jayashree, Bhuvaneshwar, Sandeep Wagle, Harish K Adoor, Girish Adpangaya, Sandeep Salyan, and Arif Kalkatta. In the election to the Karnataka State Work

Fayaz Dilbar, a respected journalist, playwright, and poet, passed away in Srinagar on November 9 following a major heart attack. He was 68. Dilbar had been battling chest-related health issues and reportedly suffered the fatal cardiac arrest around 8 p.m. His funeral is scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. in his native village, Darbagh, Harwan. He is survived by his wife and son. Born and raised in Maharaj Gunj, Srinagar, Dilbar began his journalistic career with the Srinagar Times. In the early 1980s, he co-founded the Kashmir News Bureau (KNB) alongside fellow journalist and writer Imdad Saqi. Operating from the Dar Building at Madina Chowk, KNB emerged as one of the region’s most active and influential news agencies of its time, according to Kashmir Life. Beyond journalism, Dilbar was widely admired for his contributions to Kashmiri literature, particularly in the realms of drama and poetry.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has proposed a significant change to how television news viewership is measured—one that could disrupt a 250 crore industry practice. According to Exchange4Media, the ministry plans to exclude “landing page” impressions from official Television Rating Points (TRPs), a move that could reshape how channels compete for audience share. Landing pages refer to the default channels that appear automatically when a viewer switches on their television. Many news broadcasters currently pay hefty sums to cable operators to secure these prime slots, leveraging the automatic exposure to inflate their TRP figures. Industry estimates suggest that top broadcasters collectively spend between 120 crore and 150 crore annually on such deals. These arrangements vary in duration—some are short-term, timed around major news events, while others are long-term contracts that keep a channel as the default for months. In certain cases, viewers’ rem

Morning, welcome to Wednesday and let's start with Remembrance Day which was held yesterday across the country and if you were lucky Princess Ann dropped in too. Yes, the Princess Royal is visiting Australia in what has been a relatively low key outing but for the British Royal Family that's probably a blessing after the ongoing salacious stories about her brother, now just plain Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.  Sydney's Daily Telegraph has the Princess on its front page alongside a serving soldier, and a full report ('Heartfelt silence heard across the world') on page 14 and written by Tyson Jackson.  Remembrance Day doesn't get as much press here - or quite the attendance - as it does in the UK where it's the major war commemorative event. For regional journalists in particular here though it is a big day and is always covered in much detail as locals march and remember. In Australia Anzac Day is the big one, but The Australian leans in with a clever headline today ('Dire def

For nearly three months, journalists have not been allowed to stand outside the Election Commission of India’s headquarters on Delhi’s Ashoka Road or film visuals from across the street. The area remains barricaded with police restrictions in place. According to Newslaundry, television reporters say the curbs have made it impossible to record on-camera reports or track which politicians are visiting the Commission and why. The barricades were first set up in August, when police blocked the opposition’s march to the EC office over alleged election irregularities. An EC official cited Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita as the reason for the curbs. Additional DCP (New Delhi) Anand Mishra called them “routine,” saying they help regulate VIP movement and traffic.

A video from Bihar has been making rounds showing BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Tarkishore Prasad assaulting a journalist after being asked what the Modi–Nitish government has achieved in 20 years. According to a video shared by Maktoob, the journalist’s question appeared to anger Prasad, who seemed to have twisted the reporter’s hand and lashed out physically. The video, widely circulated on social media, has triggered outrage among journalists and opposition parties. Opposition parties said the assault reflects a “jungle raj” atmosphere, where questioning those in power is met with aggression instead of accountability. The journalist community has demanded strict action and reiterated the need to ensure the safety of reporters, particularly when engaging with political figures in public spaces.