BeyondHeadlines News Desk
New Delhi: Two alumni of AJK Mass Communication Research Centre of Jamia Millia Islamia Ms Suhani Kanwar, an accomplished screenwriter and one of the co-writers of Netflix’s Leila, and Ms Natasha Badhwar, journalist, author and documentary filmmaker, were today felicitated at an orientation function for new students of the Centre.
Jamia Millia Islamia Vice-Chancellor Prof Najma Akthar presented the duo with citations and mementoes at a glittering function held at Dr M.A. Ansari Auditorium of the university.
Also felicitated was Prof Aasish Kumar, a visiting Fullbright Scholar from Hofstra University in the US. He is currently helping AJK MCRC in framing syllabi for immersive media and setting up of an immersive and emerging media lab.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Najma Akhtar congratulated the new entrants and said they should feel “blessed” that they have got the opportunity to study at one of the best media institutions in the country.
She also informed the gathering that JMI is reaching new academic heights and improving both its national and international rankings. She also referred to her recent meeting with the Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, who she said praised the students and teaching staff of the university. “This is a huge compliment coming from the top-most leader and gives me a lot of pride.”
“Many people had aspired to join the University, and you are the select few who have got in”, she said, adding “So, you are the blessed ones.”
Addressing the students as ‘young friends’, the Vice-Chancellor called upon them to make the best use of their time at AJK MCRC by focussing on their studies and become a source of pride for both their parents and the university.
Prof Akthar noted that the university administration was working towards creating a conducive environment for the physical and intellectual growth of the students. “We are trying to set up a robust student grievance readdressal system through the involvement of departments and the Dean, Student’s Welfare,” she said. She asked students to quickly inform if there are any issues they are facing which can be resolved timely.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy against gender injustice, eve-teasing and sexual harassment” the Vice-Chancellor stated, noting that all students, especially the female students, must feel protected while enjoying a sense of freedom in the campus.
She also congratulated Kanwar and Badhwar for their distinguished works in the fields of media, literature and education and asked the students to follow their example.
Both Kanwar and Badhwar shared their experiences as students of AJK MCRC and said that the knowledge and training they had gained at the university have served them throughout their professional careers. They urged students to take full advantage of the resources and expertise of the faculty which will help them once they step into the media industry.
Kanwar, who passed out of AJK MCRC in 2004, has written and collaborated on a diversity of cinematic and televisual genres such as Siyasat, a political drama, Swim-Team, a sports drama and Ragini MMS 2 and Lipstick Under My Burkha.
Badhwar, who completed her MA in Mass Communication in 1995, is a media practitioner and writer who started her career with NDTV, where she was one of the first woman camerapersons. A popular columnist and writer, she has written books like My Daughter’s Mum and Immortal For a Moment. Currently, she is the Director, Media with Karwan-e-Mohabbat, a national campaign that aims to support victims of hate crimes and majoritarian politics.
Earlier the Vice-Chancellor was welcomed by AJK MCRC officiating director Prof Shohini Ghosh. The function was attended among others by faculty members and staff of AJK MCRC and Dean of Students Welfare Prof Seemi Farhat Basir.
