The mass communication and journalism students of Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies host their annual media festival — Spandan — digitally
Braving the ongoing blitz of Coronavirus pandemic across the globe, the mass communication and journalism students of Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies (VIPS), New Delhi have created a historical feat by organising the biggest annual media festival on the digital platform.
Themed at digital literacy, media and pandemic, the three-day event will be hosted from December 3 to December 5 with a total of 22 competitive and non competitive events. Over 300 students are organising and participating remotely, to create a much awaited, unprecedented and grand experience with Spandan 2020.
It will start with the flagship event of ‘Media Panchayat’ on the topic of ‘Information to misinformation: 25 Years of Indian Television News Industry’. The event will witness the participation of industry veterans like Sidharth Mishra, Anant Vijay, Sumit Pande, Satish K Singh and Prof Charu Lata Singh. The second in the line is a workshop on ‘Pathkatha: Plot Writing’ by writer Anu Singh Choudhary.
The major highlights of the festival include the cultural events, sanskriti — A fusion of Indian culture, dance, fashion and music, and grand musical finale. All activities are curated for the online medium, produced and recorded over a month following all COVID precautions and safety measures.
Other events include ‘Out of Reach’: A Mental Health Workshop, with the objective of raising awareness about mental illnesses and the importance of reaching out for help.
Among the international collaboration and events, the festival brings a live concert with Southern Time Band and NADIA HIGH from Canada for the event ‘Talks and Tunes’ on December 4, promoting AIDS awareness. An event management masterclass with Prof David Hind, President, Asia Pacific Institute of Event Management will be conducted on December 5, for the students making this year’s festival a global event.
It also includes webinars with Filmmaker Jalal Jeelani, Cinematographer Aditi Sharma, Screenwriter Anu Singh Choudhary, RJ Errol Gonsalves, National Award winning artist Manisha Jha, and Content Creators Aman Dhattarwal, Vipasha Malhotra, Yashvi Bagga, The Bajis and more. Numerous competitive events in the fields of radio, video editing, logo designing, photography and advertising have also been incorporated to instill the competitive and creative spirit. This year it’s the XVIth edition of the festival.