One does not need to be a journalism student to know that the media is referred to as the fourth estate, and that its purpose is to serve the greater good while remaining free from state control. As students of journalism, we are taught through theories and instances, that surveillance and control are dangerous and that one must always be wary of them.

So, when the Modi government recently decided to ‘standardise’ the journalism syllabus across all media schools with the purpose of teaching prospective journalists to ‘serve the nation’, we were left more than a little anxious. The Centre also plans to set up a new Communications University.

Media schools teach their students reporting and editing for the technicalities of the job, they teach media and culture to foster an understanding of the media as part of a larger cultural public sphere and they also teach ethics. The syllabus for these papers is set by the respective universities to whom the schools or faculties belong. The syllabus is currently set by professors drawn from industry and academia. While one cannot say with surety that the syllabi for different courses are set independently (the banning of A Hundred Ramayanas in Delhi University proves otherwise), we do know that there is no outright external control.

The government has supported its case by taking the examples of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The MCI accredits medical colleges and sees to the advancement of medical education in the country, the AICTE plans and coordinates the technical education. Yes, they also oversee the syllabi. The difference- medicine and engineering are standardized scientific fields, media a liberal art.

How does one regulate the syllabus for an institution like the Film & Television Institute of India? Will politically charged documentaries become a thing of the past? Will we never learn to question and digress?

And how does the government decide what serving the nation means? Documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan has always invited the government’s ire, yet his films are amongst the most critically acclaimed. Perhaps, his films fall under our concept of serving the nation. Can the government’s proposal accommodate such contradicting opinions?

Let us see beyond the façade of the holier than the phrase of ‘serving the nation’, let us look at this as an attempt to control the freedom of speech and expression.

Featured image credit: newsfirst.lk

Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi in his speech implored the public at large to end gender discrimination, and lauded the girl child’s role in nation-building as paramount. Today is just another day. Yet, it’s not with 24^th January being observed as National Girl Child day.

Nothing would describe the joy that a girl child brings better than how actor Amitabh Bachchan did a few months back. “Daughters are special.. very special. They become the soul of the home and become the reason for the warmth that embraces us all. They conduct, command, secure, analyse, dictate, rule, govern and spread that tender thread which binds an entire family together. They are reason. They are consult. They are opinion. They are guidance.”

He certainly has everyone in agreement, because no matter how much we deny it, the truth remains that daughters share an inexplicable and heartfelt bond with their parents. Our parents have had a ball raising us. They play with them, run around the house, and fill the home with their shrieks of laughter. And while daughters may outgrow their parents’ laps, they can never outgrow their hearts. As they grow up and become mature, they become a pillar of strength themselves. Fathers and mothers wish for her to choose her battles carefully, and that she faces the difficulties head-on.

“A daughter is one of the most beautiful gifts this world has to give.”

With those words, here’s hoping that this day isn’t just many of the symbolic days, but rather a heartfelt expression of gratitude to the cheer that a girl child brings with her.

Kritika Narula
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Feature Image Credits: www.unp.in

Many times in my life I have received advises from people about my career and one common advice offered to me is to definitely do an internship while I am in college. An internship is one of the most different experiences in my life as a college student. In a year and a half of college I’ve done two internships, the first one was at a law firm. It made me realize that interest in your work was a lie we taught ourselves. On a serious note, it also taught me how to work hard, fast and pay attention to detail.

My second internship, which happened this past month, was at one of India’s best ad agencies Ogilvy and Mather. Ogilvy makes ads for the BJP, BMW, Seagram’s and a variety of other companies. The creative challenge of advertising, its pleasant work environment and the intense stories of my seniors drew me to this line of work. The work environment was very relaxed, creative and ‘chill’; quite in contrast to the law firm (which is also true for the work). The law firm had a very strict dress code, however here I could wear anything (as long as I wore something). The work there was pretty intense, but there were also moments when everyone in the office would sit and chat with each other. The best part about an ad agency is the spending the day looking at videos on Youtube is considered legitimate as it is ‘research’ and ‘creative liberty’.

The idea of doing an internship appeals to me on a certain level, it gives you a glimpse of the world outside of college, it prepares you mentally for ‘the big bad world’ and it gives you a sense of independence not found in much places. I really think everyone should try and intern at some place at least once, even if you don’t know what you want to do in the future. I honestly don’t know if I’ll be a lawyer, an ad man or something else; but the experiences I got will stay with me forever. For even if this knowledge I gained has no purpose, it is still, in all senses of the word, knowledge.

Ashish Matthews
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