The power of communication
Speaking Up
The ‘Communication Day’ celebrations were held at the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC) recently, where renowned journalist Mark Tully and Ramanujam Sridhar, CEO of Brand-comm addressed the students.
Communication, both verbal and non-verbal is the backbone of human existence. The event was held to celebrate the various media used in today’s world to allow this process to take place.
“We could have easily had a day of silence, but silence itself is a form of communication. Instead, we called experts from various fields of media to speak to us about the power of it,” said Maya Chakravarti, Director, SIMC-B.
There was a short film tribute titled ‘Mortal Men Immortal Memories’ to yesteryear heroes like Dev Anand, Jagjit Singh, M F Hussain, and others who passed away in 2011 from the world of arts, music and films. The SIMC-B yearbook was also unveiled by the dignitaries after which the chief guest, Mark Tully, delivered the key note address.
Tully spoke on the reach and power of various media like radio, television, and newspapers, while putting in personal anecdotes to substantiate what he was saying.
“In say, radio, a good broadcaster can make the listener feel like he or she is being spoken to directly, which is missing in TV broadcasting,” says Tully. “It’s a tragedy that in India, the private sector is not allowed to cover current affairs and news broadcasting. India is missing a huge opportunity by leaving radio in shackles and letting people believe that it is dead,” he adds, with strong conviction.
After Tully’s speech, Ramanujam Sridhar took the podium. “Speaking after Tully feels like coming to bat after Sehwag hits a double century,” he joked. His short talk was humorous and filled with examples from the media industry and enjoyed by all the students.
“We’ve assembled to celebrate ‘Communication Day’ and my only advice is that if you notice a problem in society, no matter what field you are in, speak up and tackle it. That is the power of communication,” he concluded.
The second half of the event saw a Spic Macay programme of percussion music by the famous ‘Mysore Brothers’, followed by an interactive theatre presentation by Evan Hastings, the Artistic Director of Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology.
