RONO HILLS, Apr 22:A 3-day National Science Film-making Workshop organised by the Communication Resources Centre of the Department of Mass Communication in partnership with Vigyan Prasar, Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India got underway here at the RGU campus today.

Speaking at the inaugural session Nimish Kapoor, Head of the Science Films Division, Vigyan Prasar explained that the objective of the workshop was to de-mystify the concept of science and science filmmaking and make it more accessible to audiences.

Asserting that science film making was more about issues that affect people like climate change, environment and pollution, he said “With the smart phone taking over our lives, there is no moment when we are away from science and so there is a need to train communicators to take on this challenge”, he said. “In the context of Arunachal, these films can be very effective in bringing into focus issues of landslides, impact of de-forestation, cement and smelter industries, waste management and conservation.”

He elaborated that through workshops of this nature and the Annual Science Film Awards given out during the National Science Film Festival of India, Vigyan Prasar has been working to make films based on science-related issues more appealing and approachable by audiences. 

Senior Science Communicator and Chairman of the Young Scientists Schemes (UP-CST) Dr. CM Nautiyal in his address emphasised that science is an asset in these times and has become an essential part of our everyday lives.

Dr. SC Thaledi, in-charge of Doordarshan’s Arun Prabha channel and who is also attending the workshop as a Resource Person said that it is a great responsibility enshrined in the Indian Constitution to promote scientific temper and rational thinking, and that it has been the mandate of Prasar Bharti and Doordarshan to achieve this. 

Underlining the importance of films to not only be educational and informative, he said that films also now need to entertain or else audience interest will wander. He called upon the participants to make use of the applied and hands-on nature of the workshop that would enable the participants to make their own films. 

Also addressing the participants, Ritesh Taksande, film trainer associated with the prestigious FTII in Pune said that science film making, like any other art form, calls for our technique to be enhanced so that we are able to tell our stories better. He assured the participants that they would carry away a better sense of understanding the language of film from the workshop.

Earlier, giving a backdrop to the event, Focal Point of the workshop Moji Riba stated that this was the first event taken up by the newly established Communication Resources Centre in the Dept of Mass Communication and thanked Vigyan Prasar for partnering with the Centre.

The Centre has been set up with a mandate of providing capacity building and communication resources not just within the University, but also to Government and Civil Society so that the crucial component of communication in every initiative is used to its full potential, he shared. “This workshop is a wonderful model of how synergies of government agencies, non-government institutions and the University can come together to make a difference in how we perceive and execute communication ideas”, he said. 

In all 43 participants, consisting of University Faculty, Arunachal filmmakers, participants from the twin capital cities and University students are taking part in the workshop, an important outcome of which will be a series of short films on science that will be produced.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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