Zafar Sareshwala at MANUU
By Pervez Bari,
Bhopal, February 19: The Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, (MCJ) in the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, (MANUU), is going to organize a two-day International Conference on the theme ‘Muslims, Democracy and the Media: Challenges and Prospects’ . It is scheduled to be held on March 17 and 18 this year.
The broad themes and sub-themes of the conference are: 1. Minorities, Muslims and the Media: (i) Minorities and the Media; (ii) Muslims, Ethnic Media and the Problems of Marketing and Advertising; (iii) Muslims and Popular Cinema; (iv) Muslims and Popular Television; (v) Muslims and the Urdu TV Channels: Adequacies and Inadequacies; (vi) Challenges for Ethnic/Regional Media; (vii) Muslims and the lack of Corporatization of Ethnic Media; (viii) Urdu Media and Secularism & (ix) Muslims and International Media 2. Politics in Media and Media in Politics: (i) Muslims, Communalism and Indian Media; (ii) Muslims, Urdu Media and Muslim Politics & (iii) Muslims, Secular Democracy and the Media.
The last date of Abstract Submission of Paper is February 20 while the intimation of Abstract Acceptance would be made byFebruary 25. The last date of Full Paper Submission is March 2nd while the Acceptance of Full Paper would be intimated by March 6th, 2015.
The conference will be attended by many eminent personalities from media and academicians from India and abroad. N. Ram, eminent journalist, M. J. Akbar, eminent journalist, Najam Sethi, eminent journalist, (Pakistan), Imtiaz Alam (Pakistan), Ms. Mehmal Sarfaraz (Pakistan), Arif Nizami, (Editor, Pakistan Today), Syed Atique Hussain Naqvi, (Group Editor, TRENDS, UAE), Zafar Agha, Sr. Journalist (New Delhi), Saeed Naqvi, Sr. Journalist (New Delhi), Satish Jacob, Sr. Journalist (New Delhi), Shahid Siddiqui, Sr. Journalist (New Delhi), Kamal Faruqui (Former Chairman, Delhi Waqf Board), Kamal Khan (Resident Editor, NDTV, Lucknow), Hisam Siddiqui, Sr. Journalist (Lucknow), Hilal Ahmad (Associate Professor, CSDS, New Delhi), Anjum Rajab Ali (Film Writer, Mumbai), Seshadri Chari (Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha) and Prof. Shafey Kidwai (HOD of Mass Communication, AMU, Aligarh) have given their consent to participate in the International Conference.
MANUU Vice Chancellor Prof. Mohammad Miyan is the chief patron of the International conference while Dr. Ehtesham Ahmad Khan, HOD of MCJ, of the university is the conference Convener. The Hyderabad-based Muslim Educational, Social & Cultural Organization, (MESCO), is one of the sponsors of the conference.
According to MANUU website the aim of the International conference is to gain an understanding of the ways in which the media plays a role in shaping perceptions, opinions and views on the Muslims Indian community and how they do so in response to particular events either at home or abroad. The objective of the conference is to provide a platform for a meaningful dialogue to take place between scholars, academicians, researchers, media personnel, policy makers, opinion shapers, social activists and students appraising each other with views, observations and analyses of the scenario.
The conference would provide an opportunity to opinion makers to exchange views on the status of the media, and the problems confronted by the Muslim community vis-a-vis the media. The conference will raise issues pertaining to representation, misrepresentation and under representation of the under-privileged and the marginalized, the increasing commercialization of the Indian media that is seeking to re-invent itself solely in terms of advertising revenue generation and eyeballs. In such a scenario, it becomes obvious that the media will align with big industrial houses that are themselves allied with dominant political formations. It becomes all the more important for professionals of the media, the policy makers and the academia at large to raise questions and seek answers.
This international conference seeks answer to the pertinent question: Should the media explore the diversity of Muslim cultures by highlighting their ethnicity, cultural practices and even theological differences. The aim of the conference is to gain an understanding of the ways in which the media plays a role in shaping perceptions opinions and views on Muslims Indian community and how they do so in response to particular events either at home or abroad. The conference shall throw light on the issues of popular representation or misrepresentation of the community within the larger vortex of pop culture of news, electronic, print media and cinema, explore the problems of marketing of ethnic media in Indian Sub-continent such as the Urdu press, Muslims and their representation in cinema and popular culture, the problems of under-representations, the inadequacies of the ethnic media in advancing the interests of the Muslims, and reaching out to the non-Urdu speaking population in India. (pervezbari@yahoo.co.in)
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