Peerzada Arshad Hamid

Srinagar

Four media students of the University of Kashmir came together and decided to launch a campus newspaper from under the shade of Chinars in Naseem Bagh. This week they successfully put the paper on stands within the campus. The efforts of the students were initially not taken well by the faculty of Media Education Research Centre (MERC), which has a attained a reputation of mediocrity. Instead of encouraging students and tapping their potential the MERC has been known for using archaic methods to discourage its brilliant students. In spite of its faculty the MERC has been producing media professionals who have made a mark in Kashmir journalism at various levels.

The four students, who despite challenges have been able to launch the campus publication, have set a valiant example, which may set a trend for future students of the department.

It is also a lesson for the department as well as the university itself, who have so far not been able to launch a campus newspaper, an essential feature of media studies departments worldwide. A campus newspaper and FM radio stations are considered to be the first training grounds for the media students anywhere in the world. The environment in such campus publications and stations is supposed to be close to media publications so that the students are ready to work in big or small media houses after completing their studies.

In the case of University of Kashmir the students had to be content with an annual in-house publication. The foursome need to be encouraged.