Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication, New Delhi

Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication (SACAC) is tucked away in a green pocket of the Aravalli hills in Delhi. A unit of Sri Aurobindo Society, it offers professional training in arts and communication. Six years in the running, the school offers postgraduate diploma in advertising and public relations, journalism (English and Hindi), film and television production, creative photography and audio technology.

Along with professional expertise in their chosen careers, the school seeks to develop holistic growth in students. “We imbibe the philosophy envisaged by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. It follows the principle that nothing can be taught, that knowledge cannot be imposed. Teachers guide students to realise their potential,” says director Daljeet Wadhwa.

In line with its educational philosophy, SACAC has tried to create an organisational structure that provides students with creative space and teacher support to explore their selves.

The number of students is deliberately kept small to facilitate greater interaction with teachers. The class size does not exceed 25 in any course. For the programme in film and TV production, each specialisation (direction, video camera, editing and sound design) has an intake of seven students. Arvind, a student of journalism who has got a job at Discovery Communications, says, “Our faculty knew the capability of each student. We too knew our individual strengths. We worked as a team to build on our strengths.”

At the time of admission, students are evaluated through a statement of purpose, written test, group discussion and personal interview. Not only the intelligence level but also the level of awareness, individual aspiration and desire to learn are taken note of.

The school takes pride in the rigour of its academic programmes. “We have restructured the journalism curriculum. We provide a good mix of theory and practice,” shares Ramesh Menon, head of the department of journalism. In order to give hands-on training and prepare students for the stresses in the communication industry, students of journalism are assessed through project work alone.

“We invite journalists, not academicians, to come and teach our students,” says Menon. The course also entails internship. Keeping in tune with the changing market demands, the department plans to introduce rural internship as well.

“The film and TV production department was formed in response to the need to develop a curriculum for film studies. The subject is not adequately dealt with in introductory mass communication programmes,” says Shankhajeet De, deputy director, academics, and teacher in the department. “Besides training students in the technicalities of film making, the specialisations offered help in perspective development,” he adds. The school’s campus is equipped with an editing suite, photography studio, library and resource centre, multimedia centres and a studio for shooting television projects. Students also visit Prasad Studios, India’s oldest post production studio, to see post production processes.

Tarun Jain, a film and television student of the 2006-07 batch, says, “I got a lot of time to explore myself. There is a certain kind of energy that allows students to do more and more things. The teachers are receptive to students’ ideas.”

SACAC organises frequent interactions with industry professionals who serve as visiting faculty and mentors. Feedback from mentors helps students explore new ways of approaching their craft. Ridhima, a student of creative photography, has an interest in capturing the human element. “I learned a lot in workshops with Raghu Rai. Over the year, I have been able to develop an identity as a professional photographer,” she says.

Every batch of students is taken on a fortnight trip to Auroville in Puducherry. Away from the humdrum of city life, students get a chance to interact with scholars there. At the end of the day students are expected to provide feedback on their experience.

The curriculum is interspersed with workshops on stress management, yoga, leadership qualities and team building exercises. These sessions also help students address and understand social problems such as gender discrimination, child labour and so on. The school believes that greater self-awareness and social consciousness will lead to creative and thought-provoking work.

Some of the organisations where past students have found placements are NDTV, Star News, IBN 7, The Asian Age, The Indian Express, Mint, Perfect Relations, Mudra Communications, Contiloe films and Synergy Adlabs.

SACAC also runs short-term courses for exploring the various art forms. These courses allow students to dabble in the creative process while learning its technicalities.

Vital Statistics

WHAT IS IT? It is a Delhi-based institution which offers training in arts and communication

WHO’S THE BOSS? Dr Daljeet Wadhwa is the director

where is it? Sri Aurobindo Society, Delhi branch Campus, Shaheed Jeet Singh Marg, Adhchini, New Delhi-110017 Phone: (011) 26561986 / 87 Website: www.saimc.com
Email:info@saimc.com

Source: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)