Anhad

Celebrating Diversity and Pluralism

anhad e-admin — 2010-03-02T20:32:09Z


Poster for Celebrating Diversity and Pluralism: (March 6, 2010, St Andrews College Auditorium, Mumbai)

March 6, 2010

St Andrews College Auditorium, Bandra West, Mumbai

4:00 -5.00pm Umbrella Painting on Diversity: Children 10-15yrs (already registered for the program)

5.00pm onwards artists paint on a 100 feet canvas on the theme of diversity, pluralism, democratic rights ( we invite visual artists , students to participate)

5.00-6.00 pm - Interactive Session Diversity and Pluralism : Nandita Das and Rahul Bose talk to college students, youth ( others are invited too)

6.00-9.00pm – poetry, music, dance, theatre, solidarity statements

Participating artists and activists include:

Amjad Khan, Anand Teltumde, Atul Tiwari, Auritra Ghosh, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Dhruv Sangari, Gersen da Cunha, Imaad Shah, Kumud Misra, Madhur Bhandarker, Mahesh Bhatt, Mahesh Dattani, Manu Rishi, Mehneer Sudan, Mohit Kaycee, Neiloufer Bhagwat, Nandita Das, Piyush Misra, Proscenium, Priyanka Borpujari, Rahul Bose, Rajit Kapoor, Ravi Shekhar, Saba Azad, Salim Arif, Sabhaji Bhagat, Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Sen, Shyama Kulkarni, Swanand Kirkire, Vahida Nainar, Vidhyadhar Bhave, Vikrant Chaturvedi, Yuvak Biradari

9.00-10.00pm- The programme will culminate with Dhruv Sangari, disciple of Late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan adding flavour of Sufism by singing Sufi music. He will be accompanied on Tabla by Amjad Khan.

This is an open event for every denizen of Mumbai to join in and be part of ‘Celebration of Diversity and Pluralism' of Mumbai with the artists, dignitaries and organisers.

The programme is organised by Anhad and supported by Oxfam India and Hivos.

Waiting For Justice (Srinagar, February 20-21, 2010)

anhad e-admin — 2010-02-19T07:10:26Z

Announcement of An Independent People's Tribunal on Human Rights Violations in Kashmir (Torture, Custodial Killings, Disappearances & Rapes)

An Independent People's Tribunal on Human Rights Violations in Kashmir (Torture, Custodial Killings, Disappearances & Rapes)

February 20-21, 2010

Hotel Broadway, Srinagar

Jury Members

Justice Hosbet Suresh (Former Judge, Bombay High Court)

Justice DN Baruah (Former Judge, Guwhati High Court)

Justice Malay Sengupta (Former Chief Justice, Sikkim High Court)

Prof Anuradha Chenoy (Professor, JNU, Delhi)

Shujaat Bukhari (Senior Journalist, Srinagar)

Prof Kamal Chenoy (Professor, JNU, Delhi)

Colin Gonsalves (Supreme Court Advocate)

Nusrat Andrabi (Former Principal, Govt Women's College, Srinagar)

Organised by ANHAD & HRLN

ANHAD
23, Canning Lane
New Delhi—110001
Ph: 23070722/23070740

National Consultation on The Communal Violence Bill

anhad e-admin — 2010-02-11T08:56:29Z

The Common Minimum Programme (CMP) had promised the citizens of this country a ‘comprehensive legislation' that would finally challenge the decades of impunity which communal criminals have enjoyed; which would strengthen the struggle against communalism; which would have provisions to prosecute for mass crimes committed with political will and intent. Unfortunately what we were offered was a cynical, shoddy, and dangerous piece of legislation, whose first avatar was The Communal Violence (Suppression) Bill, 2005. That was then replaced but not vastly improved by The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005.

The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill, 2005 (hereafter referred to as the Bill) represented nothing less than a complete betrayal of the promise of the CMP. The Bill introduced in Parliament on December 5, 2005, was then sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs for its review and recommendations. The Standing Committee called in those experts it saw fit, but again did not open its doors wide in what should have been a public, transparent and inclusive process. Barring one group of women's rights activists who managed to seek time for a formal deposition before the Standing Committee, few civil society activists were invited to give comments.

The report of the Standing Committee tabled in Parliament on December 13, 2006 failed to make any correctives which would retrieve the Bill; it did not make any structural changes in the framework of the Bill towards strengthening citizens as opposed to further strengthening the hands of (communally motivated) state governments; it failed to address impunity for mass crimes; it did not take on board any substantive recommendations related to gender-based crimes; nor did it address the severe lacunae in terms of seeking accountability for the inaction and complicity of state officials in communal violence. The response of the Government of India, contained in the Standing Committee's report, indicating complete satisfaction with the basic structure of the existing Bill, was truly a betrayal of people's faith.

Anhad had organized a national consultation on the bill in June 2007 attended by over 100 top most jurists and activists to suggest non negotiable. After the national consultations a series of meetings with UPA Chairperson, the Home Minster and other officers of the home ministry by Anhad and other citizens groups could stall the bill in that form.

A new version of the CV Bill has been cleared by Cabinet recently. It has so far not been tabled in the Parliament. We are however told that the Govt is keen to table it at the earliest perhaps even during the Budget session in March 2010.

We are therefore calling a National Consultation on Feb 12-13, 2010 in New Delhi of all anti communal groups, senior activists and jurists who have over the past few years engaged themselves actively with the whole process and negotiations. In our opinion it is very important to collectively debate the Bill with the members of various political parties and government representatives to ensure that the bill when finally passed serves its purpose and does not become another tool in the hands of the communal forces.


Invitation National Consultation on The Communal Violence Bill


Invitation National Consultation on The Communal Violence Bill backcover

National Consultation on the Communal Violence Bill

Feb 12-13, 2010

Deputy Speaker Hall, Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi

Note: Presentation are for 10 minutes each. Each session will be followed by an open session for 30 -40 minutes

Feb 12, 2010

9.00-10am- tea and registration

10.00 am -2pm

SESSION I

Introduction to Objectives of National Consultation, History of CV Bill

Farah Naqvi

SESSION II

Framework of the New Bill

Definitions, Communally Disturbed Area & Enhanced Punishment

Chair: Zoya Hasan

Justice. K.K. Usha, Usha Ramanathan, Vahida Nainar

SESSION III

Gender Based Crimes

Chair: Prof. Roop Rekha Verma

Saumya Uma, Kavita Srivastava

2pm-3pm

Lunch

3.00pm-7pm

SESSION IV

Command Responsibility

Impunity/ Accountability of Public Servants

Chair: V.N. Rai

Sidhharth Vardarajan, Mihir Desai, Sujato Bhadro

SESSION V

Criminal Justice System

Special Public Prosecutors , Fast track courts, Witness / Victim Protection

Chair: Justice Ahmadi

Justice Sardar Ali, Vrinda Grover, Shafeeq Mahajir

SESSION VI

Reparations

Compensation & Internally Displaced persons

Chair: Gagan Sethi

Colin Gonsalves, Sr. Mary Scaria

7pm-9pm

Compilation of Responses and Preparation of the Civil Society's Response to the Bill by a small core group

Feb 13, 2010

9.00am-11am

Compilation of Responses and Preparation of the Civil Society's

11.00am

Presentation of the Document by the core group –Civil Society's Response to the Bill

11.30am- 12.30 pm

Discussion on the draft prepared by the core group and finalization of the document

Chair: Harsh Mander

Respondents: Justice KK Usha, Justice Sardar Ali, Justice R. Sachar, Prof Upendra Baxi, Asghar Ali Engineer

12.30- 2.00pm

Responses from the House

2pm-3pm

Lunch

3.30pm

Press Conference, Release of the Document prepared during the Consultation

Kabir Festival - Ahmedabad, Gujarat 19 December 2009

anhad e-admin — 2009-12-17T13:15:45Z

Anhad cordially invites you to

Kabir Festival

Date: December 19th 2009

Time: 3pm onwards

Venue: Diamond Jubilee Hall, Gujarat Vidhyapeeth, Ashram Road

Ahmedabad

3pm

Had Anhad (103min)

Documentary Film by Shabnam Virmani

5pm-6pm

Discussion with the filmmaker

6-6.30

Tea Break

6.30-9.00pm

Kabir by Folk Singers

Prahlad Tipaniya

Mukhtiyar Ali

Info on artists & the documentary:

Shabnam Virmani is a documentary film maker and artist in residence at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore since 2002.Co-founder of the Drishti Media Arts and Human Rights collective, she has directed several documentaries in close partnership with grassroots women's groups in the country, some of which have won awards.

Had-Anhad : Journeys with Ram and Kabir

Kabir was a 15th century mystic poet of north India who defied the boundaries between Hindu and Muslim. He had a Muslim name and upbringing, but his poetry repeatedly invokes the widely revered Hindu name for God – Ram. Who is Kabir's Ram? This film journeys through song and poem into the politics of religion, and finds a myriad answers on both sides of the hostile border between India and Pakistan. (102 min)

Had Anhad has won many awards and has been screened at various film festivals: 1st Prize (shared), One Billion Eyes Documentary Film Festival, August 2008, Chennai, Mahindra Indo-Americal Arts Council Film Festival, Nov 5-9, New York, USA, World Performing Arts Festival, Nov, 2008, Lahore, Pakistan, Bangalore International Film Festival, Jan, 2009, Bangalore, India, Kala Ghoda Festival, Feb, 2009, Mumbai, South Asian Documentary Film Festival organized by Anhad, November 2009, Srinagar, Kashmir, Inaugural film, VIBGYOR International Film Festival, Feb, 2009, Thrissur, Kerala, India

Prahlad Tipanya is one of the most compelling folk voices of Kabir in India today who combines singing and explanation of Kabir in the Malwi folk style from Madhya Pradesh. He has toured the US, and in Feb 2008 was felicitated with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Mukhtiar Ali is a Mirasi folk singer from Bikaner and blends the Rajasthani folk idiom with refined classicism, singing the poetry of Kabir, Mira and other Sufi poets like Bulleh Shah. Through the Kabir project, Mukhtiar was spotted by world music circuits and made his Europe debut in July 2007.

Organised by Anhad

Supported by Action Aid & Janvikas

Anhad

1914, Karanjwala Building

Khanpur

Ahmedabad-390001

Tel- 079- 25500844


kabir-festival-invite-front


kabir-festival-invite-back

National Meet On The Status Of Muslims In Contemporary India

anhad e-admin — 2009-09-16T15:53:43Z

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A MUSLIM IN INDIA TODAY

OCTOBER 3-5, 2009

New Delhi

Venue: Speaker Hall, Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi
Timings: 9am to 10pm on October 3, 4 2009 and 9am to 5pm on October 5, 2009


Invitation to National Meet On The Status Of Muslims In Contemporary India: OCTOBER 3-5, 2009, New Delhi

Anhad is organizing a National Meet on the Status of Muslims to document the continuing ways of discrimination, exclusion, persecution of Muslims in India today, to document overt as well as low intensity violence and the insecurity that they live with, and to prepare a charter of demands for the present government. We also plan to develop a strategy paper for voluntary organizations who are working for the minority rights.

During the three day meet senior activists, academicians, grass root workers and victims would present and listen to testimonies and reports, and reflect on these conditions.

Panel of distinguished jury members will come up with recommendations on the last day.

Panelists:

Admiral Ramdas, Ahmad Saeed Malihabadi, Asghar Ali Engineer, Colin Gonsalves, Gagan Sethi, Ghanshyam Shah, Hanif Lakdawala, Harsh Mander, Justice Bhargava , Kavita Srivastava, Mahesh Bhat, Prashant Bhushan, Ram Puniyani, Rooprekha Verma, Sandeep Pandey, Shahid Latif, Tarun Tejpal, Uma Chakravarty, Zafar Agha, Zahid Ali Khan, Zoya Hasan

Speakers:

Abu Zafar, Ajit Sahi, Amit Sengupta, Apoorvanand, Arshad Ajmal, Ashish Khaitan, Avinash Kumar, Azam Khan, Aziz Mubaraki, Baharul Islam, Farah Naqvi , Harinder Baweja, Hozzefa Ujjaini, Iftikhar Gilani, Irfan engineer, Jawed Naqvi, Jyoti Punwani, Manisha Sethi, Manoj Jha, Mehmood bhai, Minakshi Ganguly, Mohd Azam Khan, Mohd Shuaib, Nagma Nadaf, Naseem Ansari , Nihal Ahmad Ansari , Nishat Hussain, Noorjahan, Poornima Joshi, Rajendra Y J? Clifton ( to be confirmed), Rajiv Yadav, Rashida Khan, Sarwar Raza, Shafeeq Mahajir , Shahnawaz Alam, Shesh Narain Singh, Sohail Hashmi, Vidyadhar Gadgil , Vineet Tiwari, Vrinda Grover, Yogesh Diwan, Yusuf Shaikh , Zaheer Ali Khan, Zakia Soman

Note 1.: Victims will also be deposing. Their names have not been included in the list

NOTE 2.: Apart from the speakers, panelists and victims who have been invited by Anhad for the Meet, we will not be able to arrange for any accomodation in Delhi or travel for outstation participants. Those out station participants wanting to attend the Meet must arrange their own travel and stay and also must write to : anhad.delhi@gmail.com to register as there is limited space available. Delhi particpants are requested to inform us so that we can work out the logistics.

Note 3: The sessions will start at 9am and continue till 10pm on October 3 and 4th, 2009.

Note 4: All presentations will be 10-15 minutes and testimonies: 5-7 min only.

Schedule

October 3, 2009, 9.00am — 4pm

Session 1 Persecution in the Name of Terrorism

Manisha Sethi, Ajit Sahi, Shafeeq Mahajir , Naseem Ansari , Abu Zafar, Azam Khan, Shahnawaz Alam, Rajiv Yadav, Danish Quraishi

October 3, 2009, 5pm—10pm

Session 2 Social, Economic, Educational, Political Discrimination, and limited access to the impact of govt schemes

Zakia Soman, Arshad Ajmal, Aamir Edresy-to be confirmed, Aziz Mubariki, Baharul Islam, Nishat Hussain, Sarwar Raza, Nagma Nadaf, Noorjahan, Mehmood bhai, Apoorvanand, Hozzefa Ujjaini, Zulekha Jabin, Zakir

October 4, 2009, 9.00am — 4pm

Session 3 Faces of Discrimination

What it means to be a Muslim in today's India- Javed Naqvi, Sohail Hashmi
Hate campaigns- hate material- Dr Muzzafar Asadi, Deepak Bhatt
Appropriation of Muslim religious and cultural spaces- Yogesh Diwan
Negative Images Creative in Media- Shesh Narain Singh, Mohd Shuaib
Discrimination against Muslims by law enforcement agencies both Police and judiciary- Iftikhar Gilani, Irfan Engineer, Rashida Khan
Systematic Appropriation of the Waqf properties and Qabristans – Vidyadhar Gadgil , Zaheer Ali Khan, Dr. Zafar Mahmood
Failures to Control organizations spreading hatred, Impunity and Failures to implement Enquiry reports and punish those guilty of Communal Crimes - Harinder Baweja
Rise and infiltration of Communal politics in Indian Society- Poornima Joshi
Ignoring the large scale terror links of the Sangh – Ashish Khaitan
Cow slaughter -an excuse to attack – cases
Politics of symbols and words- Manoj Jha
Discrimination during relief, rehabilitation, natural calamities- Avinash Kumar
Emergence and role of new age gurus- Amit Sengupta
Attacking big businesses to break the economic backbone the community

October 4, 2009, 5pm-10pm

Session 4 Communal Violence and State Impunity

Jyoti Punwani, Vineet Tiwari, Vrinda Grover , Farah Naqvi , Yusuf Shaikh

October 5, 2009

9am-11am Deputy Speaker Hall, Constitution Club

Jury members deliberate and prepare recommendations

11am- 2pm Jury members Speak

Panel: Working out the recommendations

3.30pm- Press Conference and releasing of recommendations by the Jury Members

Transforming a Village: An Experiment

anhad e-admin — 2009-06-07T13:05:34Z

Sarai Khatela is a small village in Palwal District, Haryana, 70 kilometers from Delhi on the main highway on Mathura Road. Some of the villagers approached Anhad towards the end of 2008 to start a tailoring and cutting center for girls in their village. It took us some time to visit the place but once we went there we were totally appalled by the conditions.

Sarai Khatela has a population of approximately 10,000 people, majority of them meos (mewati) from the Muslim community, there are some 15-20 Dalit families in the village. The village has no school, one primary school is across the Highway. There is no dispensary, roads are in pathetic condition, and electricity appears during the day every alternate week and during the night during the other weeks. Major portion of the village does not get drinking water. The water line does not touch the inner part of the village as a result women spend a lot of time fetching water.

Most of the girls above the age group of 10-12 are totally illiterate, the younger kids have now started going to school. There is an ill equipped small private school inside the village run by a local enthusiastic youth. Rain water gets clogged up as there is no sewer system in the village; most the roads do not have drains. Mosquitoes in thousands breed in the village.

Anhad's Intervention

Anhad started a small women empowerment center in the village and called it Apna Aagan. 60 young girls are enrolled in this center. It was inaugurated on January 29, 2009.

Series of meetings with four former sarpunches and some enthusiastic young people took place before starting the center. The inaugural marked the beginning of the journey towards transformation.

Anhad was able to convince the village elders that women and girls will sit in the front at the inaugural function. Nothing like that had happened in the village. Apna Aangan slowly started transforming the 60 girls, they now can stitch many things pretty well but more than that the freedom to come out everyday is great. They have an hour for reading stories and newspapers and discuss what is happening in the world and in the country around them. They are already worried what will happen to them once their course is over in July. Not one of them wants to return to the confines of their homes without coming out once a day to learn more and more.

Anhad has been able to form a women's group, two groups of young people and a group of senior citizens, to monitor the work and act as a pressure group to get the developmental work done in the village.

Due to Anhad's intervention and submission of charter of demands the authoritites have promised to : clean the village, to provide clean drinking water, to build the boundary of the dalit cremetorium, to start the process of building a dispensary in the village etc. The pressure of course is also due to several RTIs which have been filed.

Anhad's Future Action Plans

Further consolidation of various coordination committees
Regular filing of RTI applications to find the status of the development work and the money available and being spent on it.
Monitoring of NREGA scheme
Starting Open School classes for adult girls-especially for our own students
Starting a primary school for girls with immediate effect
Organising free health camps
Organising Clean the Village drives
Organising meetings, lectures on various topics; health, hygiene, child marriage, dowry, education, women literacy and empowerment, minority rights, gender rights, Dalit rights, political rights given to a citizen by the Indian constitution
Organising regular interaction between the village monitoring committee and different state officials- District Collector, Chief Medical Officer, Block Development Officer
Getting the government to provide basic infrastructure for the village through meeting, negotiations and as a last resort dharnas and demonstrations
Checking the corruption at various levels
Organising cultural, sports and other activities in the village
Sensitising and involving the urban youth to the reality and conditions of ordinary villagers in India.

Anhad aims to fight the social evils like child marriage, illiteracy and dowry, improve the health of each and every villager, especially women, make them aware of their citizenship rights and empower them to fight for their rights, pressurize the government to develop the basic infrastructure of the village.

Anhad plans to accomplish this task in the coming three years before expanding to other villages in the region.

We need your help:

Donations - Anhad has 80-g tax exemption certificate.
Your time- the most precious- Volunteers who are ready to live in the village at least thrice a week and teach young girls. We are looking for two female volunteers. The minimum commitment required is 6 months thrice a week. Apna Aangan has folding beds, a toilet and electricity. It has basic cooking facilities for volunteers to stay and cook their own food. those wanting to volunteer should write send their cv to anhad.delhi(at)gmail.com
Material help- stationary- note books, chart papers, colours, pencils, sharpners etc/ Fridge/ cooler
Story Books for 12-13+ in Hindi/ Children's books- can be dropped off at Anhad, 23, Canning Lane( Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukl Lane, off Kasturba Gandhi Marg), New Delhi-110001

Those who want to help us in this endevour can contact Anhad: -anhad.delhi(at)gmail.com
Arun Kumar Tiwari— Coordinator Apna Aangan— 9871528361
Mansi Sharma: 23070740/23070722

PS: Anhad also works in remote villages of Kashmir for which we are inviting internship. last date for that is June 15, 2009. Contact Mansi Sharma: anhad.delhi(at)gmail.com

Youth for Peace Invites Interns to Work in Kashmir

anhad e-admin — 2009-05-29T09:49:26Z

Dear Friends,

Four Young students undertook a jouney in 2002 from their cozy homes and middle class schools to the relief camps of Gujarat. They went with the Anhad team to do relief work and documentation of the 2002 Gujarat carnage. What they saw and witnessed during that period totally shook them and they decided to form Youth for Peace to fight hatred and prejudices amongst youth.

Using creative means Youth for Peace has reached out to thousands of young students across the country during the past 7 years since its inception.

Youth for Peace is dedicated to the values of secularism, equality, peace, justice and communal harmony.

Youth for Peace has organised major youth conventions, seminars, expeditions across India, national level competitions, has responded to Tsunami and to the earthquake in Kashmir.

Youth for Peace team distributed relief material – blankets, warm clothes, tin sheets for relief shelters in Kupwara district of Kashmir immediately after the earthquake in 2005. In 2006, Youth for Peace (Anhad) sent a team of 30 students spent over a month working in villages in Uri and Tangdar.

Youth for Peace(Anhad) is planning to send 10 -15 volunteers for 15 days to do internship in the Youth clubs and Women empowerment centres being run by Anhad in far flung villages of Uri and Tangdhar.

The trip is also meant to help young people understand the life of ordinary Kashmiri people and understand the problems of living in a conflict zone.

Interested volunteers will have to bear their own cost of traveling to Srinagar and back from there and contribute Rs 2000 towards food expenses. The volunteers should be able to rough it out and stay at very ordinary places arranged by organisers.

Dates: June 21-July 5, 2009

Eligibility Criteria: 18-25 yrs. The candidates should write approx 500 words on why they should be considered for this internship programme.

Last date for applying June 15,

Send your applications on plane paper to : Youth for Peace(Anhad), 23, Canning Lane, New Delhi-110001. Phone :23070740/ 22 or mail it to youthfpeace(AT)gmail(DOT)com

With regards

Mansi Sharma
Seema Duhan

Attack on Anhad and Aman Samudaya activists in Gandhinagar, Gujarat

Shabnam Hashmi — 2009-04-21T12:34:00Z

Anhad and Aman Samudaya activists were brutally beaten up today by BJP/ VHP members at two different locations in Shastri Nagar, Naranpura (Gandhi Nagar Constituency) while they were doing a door to door campaign.

The activists were surrounded near Pallav 4 Rasta and in Arpit Restaurant in Shastri Nagar abused, women activists were pushed around . Sachin Pandya and Robin Soni were kicked, punched and beaten with sticks. Using extremely filthy language the hoodlums threatened the activists never to enter that area again or face dire consequences.

All this happened around 1:00 pm. A man on black activa having BJP sticker on it, came and asked them to stop campaigning in the area. He made several calls and soon sachin and robin were surrounded by around 20-25 hoodlums, who started beating them. Arpit restaurant where volunteers of Anhad & Aman Samuday were sitting to have lunch were also surrounded by BJP activists came on bikes and car (some of the nos. of cars and bikes are – GJ 1 FM 5547, GJ 1 DF 7347, GJ 1 EL 2080, GJ 1 6931, GJ 1 FM 2993). In the mean time a lady named Geeta and a man named Gautam, both BJP activist came in the fore front started abusing with fowl language. Rasheeda and Shivani Singh were pushed around and manhandled by the BJP hoodlums. They also roughed up other activists.

The BJP goons took away all the campaign material.

We have complaind to the election commssion. We are in the process of filing a complaint with the Police Commissioner.

Anhad demands an immediate arrest of the hoodlums who attacked the activists.

This has happened in the 'PM in waiting' Advani's constituency. Is this going to happen all over India if he becomes the PM?


Dadi Ka Khat Poti Kay Naam: (Letter from Grandmother to her Granddaughter [in Hindi])

See Report in The Hindu, 21 April 2009
Anhad activists beaten up in Gujarat

Screening of Beena Sarwar's documentaries

anhad e-admin — 2009-04-15T10:29:06Z

Youth 4 Peace Invites you to the screening of Beena Sarwar's documentaries Followed by an interaction with the filmmaker, journalist from Pakistan

Date: April 19, 2009 Time: 4pm Venue: Press Club of India, Raisina Road, New Delhi-110001

Youth 4 Peace 23, Canning Lane, New Delhi-110001 Tel- 23070722/ 40

Anhad Institute of Media Studies

anhad e-admin — 2009-03-21T05:59:59Z

Dear Friends,

Anhad is starting a Media Institute from April 15 in Kashmir. Need your support and wishes.

shabnam Hashmi

Anhad Institute of Media Studies

The journey that has led us to the opening of AIMS began in 2005. Anhad went to the valley to provide relief material to the residents of far flung areas of Tangdar and Uri. The small beginning in the remote villages of Tangdar over the past few years gave birth to new ideas and work expanded to over 35 villages providing livelihood support, computer education and running nursing courses for the girls. Anhad's office in Srinagar became a vibrant youth centre with regular film screenings and discussions, book reading and poetry sessions. Anhad has since organised a student documentary film festival and a youth convention in Srinagar.

Discussions with students at the film festival showed us that there was a need felt strongly by the youth for an institute that could impart knowledge, both technical and that of the philosophical nature, in the arena of media. Anhad in order to serve this need has decided to create a Media Institute that will create working liaisons among scholars, professionals, educators, parents and the youth.

This media institute will not only be an institution of theoretical learning, but its students will be involved actively in the field, studying, helping Anhad raise awareness and mediating on Anhad's behalf when media performance and other critical issues of public interest arise. AIMS would therefore be an autonomous institution dedicated to the highest quality of education, research and production. It is based in Srinagar, at the heart of the Kashmir Valley.

The institute shall facilitate professional training for students in the disciplines of documentary film-making, broadcast journalism, photography, advertising, media research and other related fields. The endeavour is based on a firm belief in the potential of mass media to act as a catalyst for socio-economic change. Such a potential can only be realised through deployment of innovative techniques, dedicated teaching, creative production and excellence in programming skills that naturally address social issues.

The institute boasts of a wide range of sophisticated and latest digital technology and equipment such as cameras (video and still), editing software, studio equipment and lights that will help the students keep pace with the technology in the market. A posse of experienced and dynamic faculty, the crème de la crème of media practitioners, filmmakers, photographers, journalists and all that would regularly come to the institute as visiting-faculty. An extensive film library and round the clock internet and editing facility are some of the factors that lend a cutting edge to AIMS in the field of media education.

Vision, Aims and Objectives

The AIMS is envisioned with the aim to train and shape highly skilled professionals for the burgeoning video, television and advertising industry by providing the state of the art facilities to its students. The institute's broad mission encapsulates the need to impart a holistic education having a sound amalgam of theoretical and practical learning. It aims to stimulate the creative potential of its students and to cultivate a scientific temper for probing social events. On the solid foundation of latest research in the field of media and communication, the students will be encouraged to creatively explore the audio visual medium for social change. They will be motivated to try out innovative ideas and forms and to come up with alternative media practices in the domain of documentary filmmaking as well as broadcast journalism. To this end students will be provided with state of the art facilities for production of programmes, documentaries, serials, talk-shows, etc. They will be encouraged to experiment with latest digital and analogue technologies.

The courses are designed to give an edge to practical hands-on training and they will be subjected to regular upgrading. The institute is expected to keenly follow the volatile technological scenario and the job requirements. AIMS would facilitate higher interaction of the students with the industry in the form of internships and collaboration with media agencies, TV channels and production houses. In the long run AIMS plans to introduce animation, graphic design, web design courses as well as run community TV and Radio stations.

In all, the main objective of the institute would be to prepare its students for a leading career in TV channels, production houses, advertising firms, MNC's, media research and educational institutions, non-governmental organisations, etc.

PG Diploma in Broadcast Journalism

Duration: 12 Months (Full Time)

Eligibility: Graduation Degree from a university in any discipline.

Admission process: Interview and Portfolio.

Course aim: The rapid proliferation of satellite TV, private channels and news media has created an unprecedented demand for skilled reporters, anchors, writers, news editors, camera person, producers, etc. The course is designed to equip the students with professional journalistic skills for joining this ever expanding universe of TV industry. Through the illustrated classroom lectures, practical exercises in the form of studio productions and news simulations and workshops with media professionals, the students learn to write, report, anchor, shoot and edit their own programmes. They get a-hands-on-training on lighting equipments and sound recording. The core objective of the course would be to teach the methods of objective news reporting and to demystify news and its status as a saleable commodity. The course stresses on the need to use news as an agent of political critique. The students also get exposed to the limitations and potentials of news in shaping the social changes.

PG Diploma in Documentary Film Production

Duration: 12 Months (Full Time)

Eligibility: Graduation Degree from a reputed university in any discipline

Admission process: Interview and Portfolio.

Course aims: The course focuses primarily on production, practices and fiction/ non-fiction discourses as an arena of creative expression for socio-political change. It seeks to redefine and problematise the documentary by negotiating the concepts of subjectivity and deconstructing the binaries of fiction\non-fiction, real\unreal, etc, to create an increasing cross-pollination of genres. The course is designed to prepare the students towards a creative and professional approach to video production and filmmaking through regular exercises, workshops, classroom lectures and screenings of visual, developmental and conceptual communication skills. The students are exposed to the history, theory and contemporary practices of documentary film and mass communication research. Extensive practical exercises in camera, lighting, editing, research and scriptwriting, sound recording and post production prepare the students for their final diploma film as well as enable them to further pursue their careers in television, production houses or as independent filmmakers. The students are encouraged to challenge the traditional mode of documentary production by experimenting with form and content and also through creative application of ideas for social change.

Admission Procedures and Rules

Application Form and Portfolio

Students should submit a portfolio along with the application form consisting of evidence regarding participation in extra curricular and/or media related activities during their student days. The portfolio may include examples of their published writing, photographs, music, painting, certificates of dance or theatre performances, evidence of social work and any other creative activities.

The students are expected to attach photocopies of their works and certificates and not to append audio and video tapes with the portfolio. The original products or recorded examples of candidate's work can be brought at the time of the interview for further consideration. In the first round the candidates would be selected on the basis of their academic performance, their participation in extracurricular activities and the essay that they are required to send with the application form. The selected students would be intimated through telephone, institute's web site and by post as well. However, it would be the responsibility of the students to seek information about her/his selection after the due date. Institute does not take any responsibility of any postal failure, telephone or web services.

The number of candidates called for interview will be two times the number of seats in the order of merit. At the interview stage the candidates would also be assessed on the basis of their individual portfolios.

Admission Schedule

Availability of Prospectus and Forms from March 21, 2009

Last date of submission of application forms and portfolios: 1-04-2009

Display of the list of candidates called for interview: 5-04-2009

Interview dates and place: April 6,7, 2009, AIMS Srinagar

Display of the first list of candidates selected for admission: April 8, 2009

Last date for fee submission & completion of admission formalities for the first list : April 10, 2009

Display of the second list of candidates selected for admission: April 11, 2009

Last date for fee submission & completion of admission formalities for the second list : April 13, 2009

Orientation: April 14, 2009

Classes Commence: April 15, 2009

How to Apply

Prospectus with application form can be obtained in person by paying Rs. 100 in cash or through post by sending non-refundable demand draft of Rs. 125 in favour of Anhad Institute of Media Studies payable at Srinagar from AIMS, 10- Sona Manzil, Rajbagh, Srinagar-190008.

Application forms can also be downloaded from the institute's web site

www.aimskashmir.org ( WILL BE UP BY 22 MARCH, 2009)

In case the application form is downloaded from the website demand draft of Rs. 125 drawn in the name of Anhad Institute of Media Studies, payable at Srinagar could be attached with the application form.

AIMS takes no responsibility, whatsoever, for any delay in postal transit or non-receipt of application form, interview information or any other communication regarding admission.

AIMS would provide limited residential accommodation for those applicants who are selected for the interview, to be held in AIMS, Srinagar with nominal payment and on first come first serve basis. Those who would like to avail this facility would have to convey their request to the Administrator AIMS well in advance.

The candidates have to submit attested copies of following documents along with the application form:

Certificate of date of birth
Mark-sheets of the examinations passed
Portfolio regarding his/her earlier media related activities
Passport size photographs on application form
Certificate of income of both parents if seeking scholarship/ sponsorship

Support for Economically weaker sections

Scholarships and partial grants would be awarded to the deserving candidates. In this regard the decision of the management would be final.

Facilities at AIMS

Production Facilities

Institute would train students in video technology using latest analogue and digital equipment for professional and students' programme production. A fully equipped studio for multi-camera production facility is prepared. AIMS would also train students on high-end as well as low-end shooting and editing systems. A sufficient number of video and still cameras have been acquired. The institute aims at frequently updating its technology and capability of technical staff to keep pace with the changes in the market.

Library

A library with video viewing facilities is located in the institute. It is a plentiful source of films, video programmes and textual reference material. With the help of a rich collection of books, journals, films and music on CDs and DVDs, encyclopaedias etc. it serves both academic and production needs of the students.

Cafeteria

We expect the students to work on their projects during odd hours; hence a cafeteria for students and staff members of the institute has been created. It provides basic refreshments and eatables like tea, coffee, soft drinks, snacks, etc. Canteen charges are payable in cash at the time of purchase.

Internet Facility

The institute has made arrangement for twenty-four hours internet connection. Round the clock, at no cost internet facility is available to the students.

Advisory Board

Prof. K N Panikkar, historian and social commentator, former Vice- Chancellor, Sree Sankaracharya University, Kalady, Kerala, is an established historian of international repute. An outstanding academic luminary, he holds prestigious Visiting Professorships in many Universities in India, Europe and America.

Mahesh Bhatt is a prominent Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. Bhatt's early directional career consisted of acclaimed art parallel films, such as Arth, Saaransh, Janam and Naam. In 1987 he set up his own banner Vishesh Films. He is one of the most recognised film directors of the Indian film industry.

Siddharth Varadarajan is a well known journalist. He works for The Hindu as its Strategic Affairs editor. After studying economics at the London School of Economics and Columbia University, he taught at New York University for several years before joining The Times of India as an editorial writer in 1995. In 2004, he joined The Hindu.

Tarun J. Tejpal is a journalist and publisher. He has been an editor with the India Today and The Indian Express groups, and the managing editor of Outlook. He has also written for several international publications, including The Paris Review, The Guardian, The Financial Times and Prospect. In March 2000 he started Tehelka. In 2001, Asiaweek listed Tejpal as one of Asia's 50 most powerful communicators, and BusinessWeek declared him among 50 leaders at the forefront of change in Asia.

Dr. Agha Ashraf Ali is a celebrated academician, remarkable teacher and a philosopher. A professor, a scholar, a man of ideas, Dr. Agha Ashraf Ali combines sufi school of thought of human love and glory with the ethos of modern education. He has heavy contributions in the field of education.

Gauhar Raza, a scientist by profession, is a leading Urdu poet, social activist and documentary film maker engaged in popularizing the understanding of science. An electrical engineer by qualification, Raza received his M. Tech from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. For the past 25 years, Raza has worked in the area of Communications He is also experienced in all aspects of video production, planning, directing, post-production work, and dissemination. He has produced 30 video documentary films during the past 20 years.

Visiting Faculty

Rakesh Sharma began his film/TV career in 1986 as an assistant director on Shyam Benegal's Discovery of India. His broadcast industry experience includes the set up/ launch of 3 broadcast channels in India: Channel [V], Star Plus and Vijay TV. He has now gone back to independent documentary film-making. Documentaries Final Solution and Aftershocks made by him have won several national and international awards.

Anand Patwardhan has been making political documentaries for nearly three decades pursuing diverse and controversial issues that are at the crux of social and political life in India. Many of his films were at one time or another banned by state television channels in India and became the subject of litigation by Patwardhan who successfully challenged the censorship rulings in court.

Anjum Rajabali is an independent, professional script writer and has been writing scripts for feature films for the last 12 years. Apart from writing features independently, he has also collaborated on scripts with some well-known names in the film industry including Govind Nihalani and Rajkumar Santoshi. Anjum is a script consultant with iDream Production, Mumbai, as also the Course Consultant for the one-year Certificate Course in Screenplay Writing at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.

Naghma Sehar, Associate Editor and Senior Anchor with NDTV India, Naghma has been working as a television journalist since 1999. Some of the big events that Naghma has extensively covered have been spending a fortnight in Tamil Nadu in the worst hit areas of Tsunami, Mumbai serial train blasts, Kashmir elections 2002 amongst others. Through her show, Salaam Zindagi, a popular talk show that covers sensitive topics like transgender, drug abuse, etc. Naghma has managed to carve a niche for herself with a dedicated audience.

Sohail Hashmi is a well known documentary film maker and a prolific travel writer. He has worked as a producer with PTI TV, Home TV and Executive Producer with Business India TV BiTV. From 1999 he has been working as a free lancer. Among his best known documentaries are nine documentaries on pioneers of women's education, on Shahjahanabad and four one hour episodes on the history of Urdu.

Zafar Agha is a Delhi based veteran journalist with nearly three decades of print and electronic experience. He has worked with magazines like India Today, Tehelka. He now works as a free lance journalist. He has been writing columns in both for National and foreign newspapers. His TV prograsmme Guftagu on ETV (Urdu) is widely seen and perceived as the most watched programme in Urdu.

Satya Sivaraman is a print and broadcast journalist with over 20 years of experience in South and Southeast Asia. He worked as an audio-visual consultant for UN ESCAP in 1999-2000, he supervised the production of a regional series on the right to development called A Matter of Rights . He has produced the series Young Outlook, featuring young social activists in 25 countries round the world. Satya's feature articles and opinion articles have been distributed by Inter Press Service (IPS) and Panos Features, and have appeared in English language newspapers and magazines across Asia

Biju Mohan works with Vigyan Prasar as Project Officer (Edusat) - In charge of Audio and Video productions and Edusat project. He has worked as programme producer in N-TV and C-DIT. He has worked as an associate professor in Jahangirabad Media Institute. He has contributed towards Curriculum development. He specialises in film appreciation, visual language, theory, videography and non-linear editing.

Rakesh Andania has been making documentary films for over 15 years. He has worked as a producer-director with prestigious Television channels & companies. His films were nominated for the competition section at International science Film Festival in Prague Czech Republic in Nov 2004. He directed a 13 part series “Hum Honge Kamyaab” for Young scientists on real life Challenges.

Pervez Rajan is a freelance graphic designer. He graduated from MS University Baroda in applied arts. He has worked as art director, designer, visualiser with many advertising firms and graphic design firms. Pervez's work strives for communication solutions that disseminate information as well as entertain, engage and enlighten. His work not only forces the target audience to think and reflect but more importantly, stimulate action. His obsession with form, colour and visual rhythm has its tools in his love for nature and he draws his inspiration from art, photography, music and travel. (http://pervezdesigns.com)

Subhash Kapoor is a journalist, documentary film maker with over twelve years of experience Subhash Kapoor made his debut feature film ‘Say Salaam India' in the year 2007. He is now working on his second feature film and is also planning his first book. His past documentary work includes the award winning ‘Ramlila' which has travelled to various film festivals across the world and ‘History of Urdu Language' shown on Discovery Channel

Dimple Kharbanda is a Creative professional with varied experience ranging from television to advertising to films. With over twelve years of hands on experience in various genres of programming, documentaries and educational films. Strengths comprise of conceptualizing, formatting, developing ideas into concrete reality in all forms of television programming, with specialization in non fiction and a knack for fiction.

Sahir Raza was recognised as a child prodigy for his photography. He has worked extensively with DV, HD and Film cameras. He has a master's degree in Film with a major in Cinematography and a minor in Direction from EICAR (International Film Institute, Paris)

Administrative Officer

Raoof Khanday has an experience of five years as a competent administrator. He has handledthe entire gamut of HR functions of the staff of various institutions where he worked. He has experience in supporting the directors in functions related to the affairs of the institutions as well as liaisoning with the local government officials. Raoof has excellent communication skills, is capable of multi-tasking in an IT enabled environment. Raoof is proactive and has a flair for leading a team and being a team player.

Anhad Institute of Media Studies
10 Sona Manzil, Near Post Office
Rajbagh
Srinagar
Jammu & Kashmir, Pin-190008
aimskashmir@gmail.com