Professor, two students to represent Asia
They have won top awards in photography
NEW DELHI: Jamia Millia Islamia is going places, quite literally. After Loveleen Tandan, the co-director of Slumdog Millionaire and an alumna of the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre at Jamia who recently walked the red carpet at the Oscars, a team from the same institute is headed for Cannes next month.
Farhat Basir Khan, Professor of Media and Communication at the MCRC, and his two students, Neal Kartik and Pranab Kumar Aich, are going to represent Asia at the Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) ceremony.
The SWPA has created an initiative -- “Student Focus” -- that provides a unique opportunity for universities and their students to get experience within the professional field. The programme stretches across the globe.
In this competition, students had to submit photographs on the environmental issues specific to their country. From each continent, ten countries are involved, with one university representing each country. The two winning students along with their professor from each continent will be flown to Cannes for workshops and lectures during SWPA Festival between April 14 and 19.
The Jamia team won the top honours for the Asia continent after beating top universities from nine countries, and will now attend the grand finale at Cannes to try and bring home the World Photography Award. The students presented pictures they took in Orissa underlining the issue of deforestation.
Prof. Khan, who has taught some prominent names of the film and television industry like Shah Rukh Khan, Roshan Abbas and Lovleen Tandan, feels this is a proud moment for both India and Jamia.
“It is a brilliant time for photography in India, especially after the advent of digital technology. Indian photographers never had it better. Their works are now being shown in some of the best galleries across the world,” he adds.