Churumuri (blog)

Churumuri.com is an Indian blog published by Krishna Prasad, [cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/21/opinion/21FRIE.html?ei=5007&en=1898d692e784c2c1&ex=1395205200&partner=USERLAND&pagewanted=print&position=/ |title=Software of Democracy |publisher=NY Times |accessdate=2007-05-01 |author=Thomas L Friedman ] a writer for "Outlook" weekly who lives in Mysore. In May of 2008 NDTV News called it "one of India's most popular blogs" which "takes a bash at just about everything." [ [http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/videopod/default.aspx?id=28530 Bangalore bloggers ] ] Launched in March 2006 on the day of Ugadi, the Hindu New Year, to discuss issues of the Mysore region and beyond, Churumuri gets much of its web traffic from netizens interested in Karnataka. [http://www.hindu.com/2006/04/14/stories/2006041414750400.htm The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : Tragic news gives fledgling blog a boost ] ]

Often skeptical, Churumuri covers topics in politics, [cite web |url=http://churumuri.wordpress.com/tag/issues-and-ideas/ |title=Politics |publisher=churumuri |accessdate=2007-05-01 ] business, cricket, [cite web |url=http://churumuri.wordpress.com/tag/cricket-etcetera/ |title=Cricket |publisher=churumuri |accessdate=2007-05-01] media [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/tag/media/ Media « churumuri ] ] movies and music. [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/tag/films-television/] It publishes some participatory journalism [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/tag/churumuri-poll/ Churumuri Poll « churumuri ] ] , nostalgia [cite web |url=http://churumuri.wordpress.com/tag/once-upon-a-time/ |title=Nostalgia |publisher=churumuri |accessdate=2007-05-01 |author= ] and humour. [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/tag/tongue-in-cheek/ Tongue In Cheek « churumuri ] ] On occasion its headlines contain emphatic swears, a type of profanity. [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2008/09/11/tony-buzzan-maan-who-the-fuck-is-tony-buzzan/ « churumuri ] ]

Krishna Prasad edited the English-language daily Vijay Times (now defunct) from August 2006 to June 2007. [ [http://www.exchange4media.com/e4m/news/newfullstory_band.asp?news_id=24641 India media news marketing India advertising Indian brands tv media newspapers ] ] He visited the United States August-October 2007, lecturing on Indian journalism at Central Michigan University, Ball State University, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and Penn State University.

The name

The blog is named after the Mysore street snack "churumuri" prepared from puffed rice, grated carrot, roasted peanuts, shredded onion, lemon juice and green chilli peppers, usually sold for five rupees (less than a U.S. dime) in cones of old newspaper.cite web |url=http://churumuri.wordpress.com/what-is-churumuri/ |title=What is churumuri |publisher=churumuri |accessdate=2007-05-01 ] The tagline "swalpa sihi, swalpa spicy" is Kannada for "a little sweet, a little spicy."

Notability

Churumuri made news in the mainstream media a few times. The blog's campaign [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/tag/rk-narayan-campaign/ R.K. Narayan Campaign « churumuri ] ] to secure governmental recognition for the writer R.K. Narayanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.K._Narayan/] in his home town in the centenary year of his birth drew the attention of the historian Ramachandra Guha and later found a mention in The Hindu Sunday Magazine by Narayan's biographer, N. Ram. Eventually the campaign reached the governor [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2006/06/27/to-the-governor-of-karnataka-from-us/ To The Governor Of Karnataka, From Us « Churumuri ] ] of Karnataka, T.N. Chaturvedi.

Churumuri's discussion of an Art of Living Foundation seminar was one of its most viewed posts, [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/the-the-great-great-sri-sri-ngo-ngo-scam-scam/ The the Great great Sri Sri NGO NGO Scam Scam ] ] as was its discussion of Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw's funeral. [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2008/06/28/if-you-have-to-die-can-you-please-do-so-in-delhi/ If you have to die, can you please do so in Delhi? ] ] An analysis [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2006/05/30/under-n-ram-the-hindu-becomes-a-sorry-paper/ Under N. Ram, the Hindu becomes a ’sorry’ paper « churumuri ] ] of the apology tendered by the editor-in-chief of The Hindu to Tata Motors drew a responsehttp://www.hindu.com/2006/06/05/stories/2006060506531100.htm /] from Readers' Editor K. Narayanan. [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2006/06/05/the-hindu-responds-to-churumuri-and-we-do-too/ The Hindu responds to Churumuri. We do too. « churumuri ] ] .

When the Vijaya Karnataka Group was purchased by the Times of India Group, the blog hosted a discussion with rumours, theories and intrigue surrounding the takeover. Some of the commentators seemed to be pseudonymous journalists working for either group. [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2006/06/16/tribune-story-helped-toi-pick-up-vijaya-karnataka/ A small Tribune story helped TOI pick up VK, VT « churumuri ] ] Churumuri's reporting of the internecine war in Deccan Herald [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/exclusive-inside-story-of-deccan-herald-coup/ EXCLUSIVE: Inside story of Deccan Herald coup « churumuri ] ] , and the change of stewardship [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2007/03/11/a-surprising-first-at-employee-friendly-hindu/ A surprising first at employee-friendly Hindu « churumuri ] ] of The Hindu in Bangalore attracted were popularity inflection points as well.

The blog debated Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist and the squash ball controversy [http://blogs.smh.com.au/sport/archives/2007/05/sri_lankan_sour_grapes_or_aust.html/] and was mentioned in a sample of bloggers' reactions to N. R. Narayana Murthy's remarks about the national anthem. [ [http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE120070409110340&Title=Bangalore&Topic=0&/ Blogs boil at Murthy’s anthem remark - Newindpress.com ] ] .

Churumuri claimed to be the most visited blog in the world for two days in mid April of 2006 [cite web |url=http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2006/04/14/churumuri-no-1-wordpress-blog-for-2-days/|title=Most visited|publisher=churumuri.com|accessdate=2007-04-27] when it was among the first to cover [cite web |url=http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/one-year-without-dr-raj-kumar/|title=Rajkumar|publisher=churumuri.com|accessdate=2007-04-27] the passing of Dr. Rajkumar and the chaos that followed.

Churumuri generally carries articles which are biased towards communism. It also promotes atheism. It has been observed that it is soft on Islamic terrorism and has even went on to suggest that recent bomb blasts is a conspiracy of Mossad and CIA and linked them to economic reforms of the early nineties. [ [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/bomb-blasts-are-now-doing-what-riots-used-to/] ]

Regular contributors

Contributors to Churumuri mostly comprise journalists and others who live in or were raised in Mysore, including the distinguished Mysore–based photojournalist T.S. Satyan, [ [http://www.hindu.com/2006/03/18/stories/2006031809070200.htm The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : Down memory lane with Satyan ] ] his brother the photographer T.S. Nagarajan, [cite web |url=http://www.luminous-lint.com/__sw.php?action=ACT_SING_PH&p1=T_S__Nagarajan&p2=ABCDEFGHIJKLN |title= T S Nagarajan bio|publisher=churumuri |accessdate=2007-05-01 |author= ] the author Sunaad Raghuram, [ [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0066210631 Amazon.com: Veerappan: India's Most Wanted Man: Books: Sunaad Raghuram ] ] the former editor of "Samachar" (Mysore's first English eveninger, now defunct) Gouri Satya, [ [http://www.mysoresamachar.com/ Mysore news, information on Mysore, Karnataka information and news headlines ] ] the corporate manager turned humourist E.R. Ramachandran, the syndicated news photographer Saggere Ramaswamy, [ [http://karnatakaphotonews.com/ Html Redirect ] ] the corporate manager Arun S. Padaki, the journalist turned media professor Nikhil Moro, [ [http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~nmoro/ Nikhil Moro's Virtual World, the fascinating universe of an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University ] ] and the journalist turned Intel manager Chetan Krishnaswamy.

Affiliated blogs

Krishna Prasad also operates two subsidiary blogs: A media blog aimed at journalists, journalism students and journalism educators, [http://wearethebest.wordpress.com/ Sans Serif] http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/greenslade/2007/04/want_a_job_in_journalism_then.htm/] , and a food blog focused on southern Indian vegetarian cuisines, [http://kosambari.wordpress.com/ Kosambari] .

References

External links

* [http://Churumuri.com Churumuri]
* [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/VIJAYKARNATAKA.pdf Visveswara Bhat on Churumuri]
* [http://www.indianembassy.org/US_Media/2004/mar/Software_of_Democracy.htm Thomas L. Friedman on Krishna Prasad]
* [http://www.outlookindia.com/diary.asp?fname=Diary&subsubsecname=Delhi&fodname=20050926&authorname=Vinod+Mehta Vinod Mehta on Krishna Prasad]
* [http://indiaenews.com/2006-07/13470-blog-campaign-recognition-malgudi.htm Blog campaign for recognition to Malgudi Man]
* [http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2006/05/21/stories/2006052100270300.htm Ramachandra Guha on Churumuri]
* [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2006/10/08/stories/2006100800050100.htm N. Ram on Churumuri's R K Narayan campaign]
* [http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2006/04/12/dr-rajkumar-1930-2006/ Dr Raj Kumar: the passing of a legend - Coverage by Churumuri]