National Cinema Day
Date: 23/09/2022
On 23rd of September 2022, the Department of Media Studies (PG) organised a program to celebrate the National Cinema Day, calling the event as ‘Filmatic.’ The celebration was a three-hour event that was attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Dr. Gopakumar AV and other faculty members of Media Studies.

The event was arranged and preceded by the Coordinator of the Department of Media Studies, Dr Juby Thomas. The event became successful with meticulous planning by the students and the class teacher, Mr. Vishnu Menon. The final year students of the department managed the event from the beginning till the end, taking the opportunity to make use of the platform to learn to become great leaders and managers. It has been a great learning experience for all the participants.

The program commenced with an introduction to cinema, given by the Dean Dr. Gopakumar AV. He talked about what cinema is about and its relevance in our life. With the introduction, the event moved on to the screening of the movie “Prestige,” directed by the famous Filmmaker Christopher Nolan, very well known for portraying elements like meta-reality and psychology in his films. Once the screening was done, the participants were given the chance to involve themselves in an open discussion about the movie. The discussion revolved around the film language which comprised of many factors like the plot, characters, themes and the protagonist and antagonist. Thus, the beauty of film and its relevance in the lives of all individuals was celebrated in Kristu Jayanti College Autonomous on 23rd September 2022. Students from I MA Media Studies and other departments benefitted from the session.

World Photography Day
The department of Media Studies PG, of Kristu Jayanti College, organized an event “Capture the Magic Moment” because of World Photography Day. The event started with the Inauguration by Rev Father Dr. Augustine George, Principal of Kristu Jayanti College. Father Augustine was asked to share his Pearls of Wisdom. He spoke about how photographs are important as they create memories and memories are what keep us alive in the end.

After the inauguration, Hrishikesh M J, a student of the department of Media Studies who was dressed up as Henri Cartier Bresson, the pioneer of Street Photography briefed all the students about what the event was about. The event then started with Kala who talked about some of the photographers and their famous photographs. The next presenters were Sanaaz and Arathy who talked about all the firsts of photography.

The categories were the First photo ever taken, the first colored photo taken, first self-portrait, first digital photo, first aerial photo, etc. The next presenter was Mansi, who spoke about the basic rules to remember for taking an aesthetic or pleasing photograph. She talked about The Rule of Thirds, The Exposure Triangle, The Golden Hour, and some other interesting rules to remember about photography. The microphone was then passed on to Ashmita, who carried out the event while speaking about the different types of cameras used for photography. The last presenter was Leuwellyvn who taught the students how to use a camera and guided the students as they captured a photo with a camera.

The event also had a photo booth where people could take pictures and have fun with photography. There was also a feedback file that let people write feedback about the event, some of the feedback was, “Loved the presentation and the information shared, it was very informative, thank you for the wonderful presentation”, “ Well prepared presentation with visual aids, keep up the good work”, “It was very good knowledge about the camera and its technicalities!” Feedback like this helps the presenters to get motivated to organize such wonderful events like these in the future.

The event came to a successful end with everyone learning a lot more about different aspects of photography. Events like these help students broaden their skills in photography and give them a stepping stone to further enlighten their knowledge.

Two Day Campaign in Commemoration of UN Day
Date: 22/10/2021 and 23/10/2021
In commemoration of the United Nations Day, the Department of Media Studies (PG) of Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, organised a two-day campaign, “Make a Difference: Be the Difference”, as part of rural exposure. The campaign was conducted in Kannamangala, Purushanahalli, and Kanaswadi Governments schools with a focus on student empowerment and rural analysis. To reduce the inequalities and to measure the digital divide in the village, numerous programs were conducted by the students.

A survey was conducted to analyse the impact of Covid-19 in the village and their difficulties to encounter the pandemics. The exposure of the rural population to media platforms in a digital age for information and awareness was also analysed as part of the survey. One hundred fifty school children in the villages were empowered by conducting different curricular and extracurricular activities. The effectiveness of the vaccination drive in the villages was also measured to understand the efficiency of vaccination campaigns.

A green awareness drive at the village households was also a part of the campaign. Five hundred saplings were planted in the village in the campaign days, and 55 saplings were distributed to the children in schools to nurture for the future. Two thousand masks, sanitisers, and Covid awareness leaflets were also dispersed in the village to ensure safety during pandemics.

The campaign was conducted in partnership with Gujarat Tourism and WFV (Water for Voiceless). The media students were able to initiate development programs in the village successfully. A variety of programs, including cultural and experimental design, were organised for children to engage with the mainstream. Dr Juby Thomas, Faculty of Media Studies (PG), and Prof. Retheesh Palakkuzhyil, from the Department of Tourism, coordinated the two-day campaign.

International Day of Democracy: Media in Democracy
The Department of Media Studies (UG), in association with the Journalism Club of the Kristu Jayanti College had organized an Expert Lecture on the occasion of International Day of Democracy on September 15, 2021.

Mr Ramu Patil, Chief of Bureau, The New Indian Express, Bengaluru, delivered the session on the topic 'Media in Democracy' where he emphasised the significance and the role of media in a democracy. Patil pointed out the importance of the media and its role as a watchdog and as the fourth estate of democracy. He also answered many queries regarding the present scenario of the Indian media and the safety of journalists in the country.

Patil shared with students the importance of media responsibility and its implications while quoting his experiences. On safety aspects of journalists, Patil said that India is the safest democratic country, with respect to his previous experiences in other places abroad.

Sharing her experience, Harsha Ann Biju, student from III BA JPENG B, said that Mr Ramu Patil, touched upon all the aspects of media in a democracy, right from its history to the present-day scenario and also went on to explain his personal observation related to freedom of press in India.

Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav
Department of Media Studies (UG) commemorated the 75th Independence Day with a virtual photography competition on the theme ‘Servants of the Nation’ and a collage competition with the theme ‘We are One’ on August 15, 2021. Students from BA Visual Communication and BA JPCS stream actively participated in the event. Mr. Emmanuel Edwin, III Sem BA Visual Communication, secured first place in the photography competition and, Ms. S. Aaqifah Hilmi, III Sem BA Visual Communication secured first place in the collage competition.

“The collage competition encouraged the use of recycled materials. I found myself scanning through newspapers for relevant cut-outs and text. More importantly, the theme helped me reflect on the idea of Unity in Diversity- a trait that India is most known for”, said Ms. S. Aaqifah Hilmi when asked about her experience in the competition.