— Devina Sethia, TYBMM, Sophia College

Have you ever experienced eating a buffet lunch with an endless spread of items to choose from? Thai dishes. Japanese Sushi’s. Punjabi tadka. Et el. (your mouth is already watering, I suppose.)  Have you ever tasted everything on the platter and then realised you fancied a particular cuisine?

You must be wondering why I am talking about buffet lunches here. Well, because Bachelor’s in Mass Media (BMM) is just like the buffet lunch. BMM is the course that will give you the taste, flavour and feel of as many as 36 subjects including Cinema, Public Relations, Advertising, Journalism, Marketing etc.  BMM as an undergraduate degree course will open up innumerable avenues for your career that you can choose from. Film-making, Print Journalism, Public Relations, Radio, Television, Advertising, Event Management, Photography and the list goes on!

In today’s world, films are being made on true incidents reported by the journalists. Advertisers are joining hands with film-makers and film-stars to promote and sell their product. Radio is broadcasting news as well as entertainment. I hope these instances mentioned above are enough to make you understand that all these different branches of media are inter-linked and inter-connected. Having the knowledge of all aspects of media will help you enhance your talent and skill in the field of media that you choose to pursue. Hence, one can say that BMM is as good if not better than any specialised degree course. Let me give you an instance to further explain my point. Two interns were hired by a print media firm. Intern A was a second year BMM student and Intern B was a second year English Hons. student. Intern A managed to get two by-line feature articles to her credit during the month long internship. One article required research while the other needed interview skills. On the other hand, intern B could not even manage a single one. The reason was not that she was not good enough or did not have the potential. The reason was that it took her sometime to understand how to research, how to interview and how to report. Intern A did not face any such trouble having studied ‘Mass Media Research’ and ‘Reporting’ as a part of her course.

Passion. Passion to find answers. Passion to seek the truth. Passion to entertain. Passion for media.  Passion. This is the one and only and surely the most important pre-requisite one must have before joining the media course. Your passion for any field of the media is the only thing that will help you cope up with the stress that comes along in the course. Yes, there will be stress. A little bit of it. I’m not scaring you, it is just that I’m just informing you. So, should you not take up this course because it’s stressful? No way. Should you take up this course because you’re passionate about the media? Yes. Should you take up this course because you want to explore as many possibilities as you can? Yes, please take up this course.

If you think you can work with the camera or in front of it, if you think you enjoy being back stage, if you love writing, if you want to be the next big journalist, then I think BMM is the place for you.

My Name is: Shloka Chhabria

BMM College: Jai Hind

BMM Specialisation: Advertising

Currently Working at: HELLO! India

Shloka’s Take

Q1. Does being a BMMite give you an edge over others in the field of media?

It certainly does… It prepares you for – what people call – the big bad world of media. You may not begin your career graph as an ace, but you can be sure of two things: You’ll know what you’re getting into [the long hours and sleepless nights spent scrambling to finish BMM assignments pay off here] and it’s not until you start working that you will truly the understand the power of the media [be it in Advertising or Journalism].

Q2. Do the subjects in BMM help you know the reality of the job? Is there any place for theory in the creative world?

The subjects cover the fundamental aspects of the media, yes, but only when you start your job do you get a feel of the ‘real’ world. Having said that, I do feel that the BMM course as a whole – subjects, assignments et. al. take you as close to reality as you can get. So that when you do get there, you’re not a fish out of water. In today’s day when the media is ruthlessly cut-throat and cutting-edge, the space left for theory is very narrow. Creativity is limitless, that is its weakness and its strength.

Q3. BMM or BMM from a particular college? Does it make a difference?

I don’t think I’d ever imagine myself doing BMM from any college other than Jai Hind. However, I did participate in the exciting inter-college events and I have to say that the vibe and enthusiasm shared by all the participating colleges was alike. Though, academics are equally – if not more – important and Jai Hind tops my list here!

Q4. Internships during colleges – are they relevant in the long run?

Very relevant. I thought I would get into the Marketing field until I did an internship in my first year, when I realized that Marketing was a big no for me! It’s always, always better to get a taste of the field that you want to specialize in – and what better time than during the summer? That way you have a clearer idea of what you want to do after you graduate.

Q5. Work Experience or Higher Studies? What’s your pick? Why?

Don’t ignore higher studies, but get some experience first. Work until you know for sure what you love doing. Use your time to try different things. You never know what clicks. once you’ve set your mind on a field, then go and pursue your studies – educating yourself never goes to waste.

Tips for BMMBoxers

Your favourite subjects in BMM: Journalism, Cinema.

Tips for BMMites: Don’t take your assignments lightly, they hold as much weight as your grades and when you go for a job interview you have more than just a CV to your credit.

Have some questions for the interviewee above? Wish to get some of your doubts cleared? Or want to just say a simple ‘Hi?’ Feel free to add your thoughts and questions as comments and we will try and have them answered for you!

Minence, a G.N. Khalsa College, BMS/BMM department initiative launched a first-of its kind award function to felicitate BMM toppers from various colleges in Mumbai. The toppers were recognized for their achievements at a common forum. Academic toppers of 5^th semester of University of Mumbai examination and Co-curricular achievers (as nominated by their respective Co-ordinators) of numerous college were awarded for their academic excellence, hard work and perseverance.

The event, held on 25^th April, 2013 at G.N. Khalsa College Seminar hall, saw more than 45 top ranking students toppers from 23 different BMM colleges of Mumbai. TV Celebrity, Shraddha Musale Tomar, film maker Saransh Mohite, and Prof. Ketan Vira of Guru Nanak College (Sion) were the chief guests who encouraged the students to enter the world of Media with confidence, courage and an open mind. They also added that the competition should always be healthy so that there is scope for improvement among all.

Principal of G.N. Khalsa College, Dr Ajit Singh, welcomed the achievers and the guests. He reiterated that the path chosen would not be easy yet they should not allow any negativity or sense of despair to stop them from growing. Prof Simran Chawla, Academic Coordinator BMS/BMM & Prof. Praveish Vishwanath shared their views and experiences on teaching BMM students. Then, Ms. Shruti Parathsarthy, Academic Co-ordinator, PGDM in Media Management, made a presentation which spoke about the various options one has after graduating from BMM. She, being a BMM student herself, assured that at this stage it is okay to be confused and stressed on the fact that research and networking has the potential to get you on the right track. Shruti then spoke about the PGDM in Media Management – the ONLY AICTE approved course in India in Media at GNIMS. To know more about the course, log onto www.gnims.com.

The toppers were felicitated with a Certificate of achievement and a token of appreciation. The programme concluded with refreshments for the achievers.