Shariq Haider Naqvi
Shariq_naqvi@yahoo.com
Snippet: Two students of Jamia Millia Islamia’s MCRC have been short listed for the 2009 Sony World Photography Awards at Cannes next month.
Jamia Millia Islamia has just added another feather to its cap. After the runaway success of Slumdog Millionaire, the assistant director of which was Loveleen Tandon, an alumna of AJK Mass Communications Research Centre, two of its students from the PG Diploma Course in Still Photography - Pranab Kumar Aich and Neal Kartik - have been successfully short listed for the 2009 Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA) at Cannes.
These students were short listed after beating participants from several prestigious universities across Asia. The two students along with their teacher and mentor Professor Farhat Bashir Khan will be travelling to Cannes in April for the final lap of the competition, where they will be competing with the best student photographers from five other continents. They will be vying for the title of Sony World Photographer carrying the grand prize of 45.000 euros worth of photography equipment.
F. B. Khan, their professor and mentor is elated: “The hard work and determination of both the students and faculty has finally borne fruit”. He further added, “It is very good times for photography in India as photographers from here are showcasing their work all over the world and people are beginning to sit up and notice”.
Shankar Chandra, another alumnus of the same institution and reputed photographer, congratulates them: “Professional photographers from the country have got the international recognition before, but this is the first time that students have been selected”. It’s a wake up call for Indian photographers to become more proactive and bring laurels to the country through their work.
Each student was required to submit photographs based on a subject: environment, specific to their country. The students presented pictures they took in Orissa underlining the issue of deforestation.
The SWPA will give the students not only a terrific experience but also huge exposure. The event is a convergence of photographic agendas, exhibitions and workshops. Pranab, overwhelmed and looking forward to attending the workshop, said, “I had to sacrifice many things to join this course. It is an achievement for me, my institution as well as our country.”
Quotes: “The hard work and determination of both the students and faculty has finally borne fruit.”- F.B. Khan
“I had to sacrifice many things to join this course. It is an achievement for me, my institution as well as our country.”-
Pranab Kumar
Fallen Angels: Pranab Kumar Aich
