News Broadcasting
TV-Turnoff Week 2005 takes on intl flavour
MUMBAI: TV-Turnoff Week 2005 will have its largest international participation yet. TV-Turnoff Network which is a US nonprofit organization that encourages children and adults to watch much less television in order to promote healthier lives and communities made the announcement.
Activists in at least 10 countries are promoting TV-Turnoff events this year. TV-Turnoff Network executive director Frank Vespe says, “This growing movement to turn off TV and turn on life has not only taken root here in the United States but it is also catching fire around the world.”
Ccountries where Turnoff events will occur include Australia, Brazil, Great Britain, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Italy and Mexico. These add to an effort that is expected to inspire more than 7.6 million Americans to break free of TV this April. TV Turnoff Week takes place from 25 April -1 May 2005.
While the US likely leads the world in hours of television watched, the medium’s growth in other countries is resulting in increasing concerns among parents, teachers, doctors, and others that too much screen time displaces a wide variety of other healthy activities, including reading, exercise, and interaction with friends and family.
On average, American children watch about three hours of daily television and spend more than two hours each day in other screen time – videos, video games, computer games. American school children spend more time each year in front of the television set than in the classroom.
“TV-Turnoff Week 2005 presents an ideal way for kids and adults to take back time from the tube, What’s more, for many people, participation in the Week becomes the springboard to lasting change: to reducing their screen time, to choosing what they do watch more selectively, and to making sure to make time for screen-free activities” added Vespe.
This year marks the eleventh annual TV-Turnoff Week celebration. In 2004, an estimated 7.6 million children and adults participated in over 19,000 organised Turnoffs in every state in the US.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
