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The Department of Journalism at Kamla Nehru College, hosted its annual festival, featuring a keynote address, panel discussion, and student competitions centred on gender representation in media.

The Department of Journalism at Kamla Nehru College, University of Delhi, hosted its annual departmental festival, Journo Junction 2026, on April 16 at the Old Seminar Room of the college. The event centred on the theme ‘Gender Narratives in Media’ and brought together journalists, editors, and writers for discussions on representation in contemporary media. The 23rd edition of the department’s newsletter, Communiqué, was also released during the event.

Release of the Department of Journalism’s annual newsletter, *Communiqué*

The programme began with a lamp lighting ceremony led by Ms. Priya Sahgal, Editorial Director at NewsX, alongside faculty members including Dr. Jyoti Raghavan and Dr. Ramesh Aroli. In her keynote address, Sahgal spoke about her experiences across political reporting, feature writing, and television journalism. She emphasised the distinction between objectivity and neutrality, stating that journalism should remain grounded in facts rather than forced balance. She further noted that women in political spaces are often portrayed through limiting stereotypes, suggesting that deeper issues in representation continue despite visible progress.

A panel discussion followed, featuring Shruti Sonal, feature writer at The Times of India, and Sarvapriya Sangwan, Editor at BBC News. Sonal discussed the role of cinema in shaping gender narratives, observing that representation extends beyond lead characters to supporting roles and antagonists. Referring to recent OTT content, she stated that storytelling appears to be becoming more nuanced. She also addressed professional realities within journalism, including uncertainty, the importance of networks, and the use of artificial intelligence as a support tool.

Sangwan focused on structural dynamics within media organisations, stating that while more women are entering newsrooms, they remain underrepresented in decision-making roles. She added that women journalists are often directed towards lifestyle and entertainment beats, while political and hard news reporting continues to be male-dominated. She also highlighted the limited representation of Dalit and Muslim women in mainstream media discussions, suggesting that such gaps render the discourse incomplete.

The fest featured a range of student competitions, including live anchoring (Live Desk), photography (Prisms of Perception), and quiz (Les Quizrables), alongside a panel discussion with industry professionals. A debate competition, Mic Drop, was also held on the theme of media portrayals of gender, examining whether such portrayals are breaking stereotypes or reinforcing them.

Winners receive awards during the Prize Distribution Ceremony

The event concluded with a prize distribution ceremony, following which the department reiterated its commitment to fostering socially aware journalism and facilitating discussions on media and society.

Image Credits: Department of Journalism, Kamala Nehru College

Suansh Dembla

[email protected]

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The second day of the annual cultural fest of Kamala Nehru College, Ullas’17, started off with the incredible performances of the Western Music Choirs of various colleges in the event Rhythm and Blues hosted by Zephyr, the Western Music Society of Kamala Nehru College. Western Music Society of Lady Shri Ram College gave their award winning piece, adjudged by Yeashu Yuvraj. Echo of Jesus and Mary College was the first runner’s up followed by Swaranjali of Hans Raj College.

Inquizitive, a general trivia organised by Kaleidoscope, the Quiz society of Kamala Nehru College saw cut-throat competition for securing the lavish cash prizes as well as the grand vouchers from Mypicbook. Abhisek Paliwal and Akash Verma from Dyal Singh College took home the cash prize worth Rupees 8,000, while Manas Dimri of Campus law Centre bagged second position and cash prize of rupees 5,000. The third prize worth rupees 3,000 went to Ashish Kumar Gupta and Arsalan Ahmed of Jamia Milia Islamia.

Nrityakriti, a choreography competition curated by Adagio, the choreography society of Kamala Nehru College saw the participation of University of Delhi’s most exuberant dance creations which revolved around socially charged themes. The competition was adjudged by Mr. Nanda Kumar who is an internationally acclaimed choreographer and Miss. Ritika Chandra, a professional ballet dancer. Sensation, the Dance society of Kirori Mal College secured the first position for their mesmerising retelling of Lord Buddha’s life. Second position was awarded to the choreography society of Lady Shri Ram College for their latest production- Exodus.

In the Western solo competition, Shivash Chagti of Hans Raj College won the first prize, Kishore Ningthoujam of Amity University won the second and Ria Arora of College of Vocational Studies won the third prize. Kishore Ninghthoujam and Rhea Toor from Amity University bagged first position in the western Duet singing competition followed by Anurag and Vinayak from DTU. The warm afternoon witnessed excited spirits with the electrifying performances exhibited at the Bass Camp, the band competition. The event saw motley of genres entertaining the crowd. Common Threads of Shaheed Bhagat Singh conquered this battle of bands, followed by Tantrik Steve of Hans Raj College.

LaVogue, a fashion show competition organised by Glitz, the Fashion society of Kamala Nehru College saw glamour, poise and style of the best kind. The competition was judged by Mr. Hemant Sood, Mr. Akash Das, and Mr. Sahil Bhatia. I-vogue, the Fashion society of Shri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce maintained their track record and won the first position. Glamoratti, the Fashion society of Dyal Singh College secured the second position. Maintaining their monopoly on the awards, Shubham Ahlawat of Dyal Singh College and Prabhjot Singh from SGGSCC were declared the best male models. Subsequently, Bhavna Monga from Dyal Singh College was crowned Best Female Model. The awe-inspiring wardrobe of I-Vogue was bestowed with the title of the Best Collection and the prize of the Best Team was conferred upon Glamoratti for their theme ‘Shiva.’

The musical high was carried forward by DJ Mash and Monkey Junk with the EDM evening. With groovy renditions, the contemporary hits mixed with adrenaline pumping beats were thoroughly enjoyed by the audience. The two-day extravaganza pulled its curtains with the charged crowd dancing to the much-anticipated Star Night with the famous singer, Jubin Nautiyal, of ‘Humma Humma Again’ fame. As Ullas 2017 came to a close, the crowd exuberantly grooved towards the culmination of an enthralling fest.

Radhika Boruah

Niharika Dabral

Saumya Kalia