Oh my word Pogrom, Program, Programme

The students were deeply engrossed in watching a television programme about the pogrom in Nazi Germany during the World War II. When would you like to join the MBA program? Pogrom is an organized massacre, an organised persecution. Pogrom is a deliberate act of killing a particular group, or class, or community because of their race or religion or language. Pogrom is a noun. In Russian, pogrom refers to destruction.

The pro-Nazi Palestinian leader, Haj Amin al-Husseini, instigated the Farhud pogrom against the Jews of Iraq in 1941. Programme functions as a noun and verb. Programme is a printed list of events; performances (Get the programme brochure, please. I want to see the list of performances); a plan of future events (What’s the programme for the weekend?); a series of lectures or performances (Our day is packed with programmes: lecture, workshop, seminar and a music gig).

In the context of computers, programme refers to a series of coded instructions to control the operation of a computer or any other automated machine. Programme is a radio or television broadcast (What programme would like to watch on television?) The interest in radio programmes has been kindled in the wake or privatization of radio waves by the Government of India. But on private radio stations there is a ban on airing news and current affairs programme.

Programme as a verb refers to make a programme or make a plan to do something; the word programme is spelt as program in the context of computers for denoting coded information and instructions. The derivatives of the verb programme are programmed and programming; other derivatives are: programmable and programmatic (adjectives), programmatically (adverb) and programmer (noun).

Rita learnt the concepts of programming in her computer class. Program is the variant or the alternative spelling for programme. In American English, programme is spelt as program, and also in Australia. It is a simple matter to program the computer to recognise symbols.

Is there a magazine or a website which gives a comprehensive list of programmes on Indian television stations ? In the UK, there are magazines exclusively on television programmes, and are sold in large numbers. The newspapers also have listings of radio and television programmes. Is human brain programmed to endure hardships and survive in all extremes?

Kovuuri G Reddy