In our second faculty (BMM co-ordinators) interview in a series of three, we conversed with the direct and stern, Mr. Sudhakar, co-ordinator of Wilson BMM. Known as the man who seldom smiles and who mentors his students with unmatched dedication, in this interview he sheds light on the things that set BMM apart from other courses and tell us how academics go beyond books. Read on!

Mr. Sudhakar

1. What according to you sets BMM apart from other graduation courses?

The one thing that sets BMM apart is the quality and quantity of projects that students are required to undertake and the range of subjects they study. Right from psychology to marketing to sociology and television even, students are introduced to and required to study these varied subject. Also, the kind of projects and the interpretations they are required to draw from what they learn sets BMM apart.

2. What skill sets must a student have if he/she wishes to take up BMM after standard 12?

Any student interested in BMM must be open to possibilities, to ideas. What happens many times is that we become creatures of habit. So much so, that we ignore ideas. This is something that must be avoided at all costs. Students, individuals must be open and curious, they must be willing to observe, learn and harbour a different kind of attitude.

3. How do BMM students who seek entry into the professional media world benefit from this course?

I think the varied subjects, a thorough understanding of them and the resultant strong theoretical base is what helps BMM students in the professional world. However, it is imperative that they are taught these subjects well and that they learn these with utmost attention.

4. How much weightage would you place on fests and academics in the BMM course structure?

Ultimately, it is all about balance. A thorough academic and theoretical understanding of the subject is a must, though. Also, theory is not just about syllabus. Attending lectures, participating in discussions, sharing your point-of-views, raising issues is a great way to learn.

5. What sets Wilson BMM apart from BMM as offered by other colleges?

We have a rigorous course structure. We don’t simply stick to the syllabus designed by the university. We use material from Harvard Business Review (HBR), The Economist, etc. to get a holistic view of the current events/trends. The projects are rigorous too and they demand much of the students.

Enjoyed reading Prof. Sudhakar’s views? If you’d like us to interview your college co-ordinator and highlight the efforts of the BMM department of your college on BMMBox.com, then drop us an email at connect@bmmbox.com. Do mention the following details in the email: Co-ordinator’s Name, College, Subject taught, Co-ordinator’s email address/mobile number.

Manjula Ma'am

In our first faculty interview (BMM co-ordinators) in a series of 3, we touched base with Ms. Manjula – Co-ordinator, KCBMM. This soft-spoken lady kindly spoke to us about the importance of the BMM course, what sets it apart from the rest and told us why KCBMM is different from BMM offered in other colleges.

Excerpts from the interview

1. What according to you sets BMM apart from other graduation courses?

Other graduation courses are theoretical, whereas, BMM has practical components that set it apart from the rest. The structure of this course is such that a student will get hands-on experiences that will help him/her in his/her academic + professional life.

2. What skill sets must a student have if he/she wishes to take up BMM after standard 12?

I think this question is not valid in the present context because Mumbai University does not allow colleges to admit students on basis of an entrance exam. As per norms we are required to admit students on basis of merit alone. If you ask me ‘what kind of students should take this course up’ then I’d say that those who are good at writing, those who excel in various forms of communications and are good with creativity – in terms of designing, writing, presenting something in an interesting manner, should take this course up.

3. How do BMM students who seek entry into the professional media world benefit from this course?

According to me, assignments for all 36 papers that cover all genres like photography, creative writing, marketing, management, understanding cinema, and so on give students a thorough understanding of various aspects of the media world.  Further on, choosing the right specialisation in the third year and interning at a company of choice between the second year and third year break helps students understand what they are good at and what kind of work they enjoy.

4. How much weightage would you place on fests and academics in the BMM course structure?

70:30. But then again, one has to theoretically sound to apply all the knowledge practically. And for this one must be thorough in the syllabus and must excel at each module by the end of the term.

5. Some BMM myths you’d like to break?

One BMM myth I’d like to break is that fests are not life. They are an integral part of BMM as students learn a lot – people skills, management of finance, they get a chance to network and so on, but all this does not help beyond a point.

I think students need to focus on projects more and while theories might be redundant because the University has not updated the syllabus, students can make projects keeping in mind today’s requirements, changes, etc.

6. What sets KCBMM apart from BMM as offered by other colleges?

I’d say that KCBMM has stability. For one, our department and most of our faculty has not changed in 13 years. This proves to be a strong base for the course.

Additionally, I have made program difficult by incorporating essential extra components like a Certificate Course, a Program on Contemporary Issues that has been running since 8-9 years now and has been well accepted by professionals. The fact that KC students must take up compulsory internships has proved greatly beneficial too. Our two newspapers – Scribe (serious) and Slubberdigulligan (chit-chatty) gives students a platform to showcase their talents.

I don’t believe in just theoretical knowledge. I believe in challenging my students by giving them challenging projects that they are required to submit within strict deadlines and it is this that pushes them to excel.

Image Courtesy | Coolage.in

Enjoyed reading Prof. Manjula’s views? If you’d like us to interview your college co-ordinator and highlight the efforts of the BMM department of your college on BMMBox.com, then drop us an email at connect@bmmbox.com. Do mention the following details in the email: Co-ordinator’s Name, College, Subject taught, Co-ordinator’s email address/mobile number.

Hey there!

Here are a few behind the scene pictures of the Cortokino team getting ready to unleash global cinema on you!

Raunaq Bajaj and Pratik Gangavane who have conceptualized all the incredible events revolving around the theme of Cinema give us an insight into how they came about these ideas.

Pratik tells us, “When we first sat to figure the events it looked pretty easy, but we soon realized that having a mainstream theme comes with a challenge of maintaining the crowds interest with out of the box events. We wanted the events to be challenging and at the same time realistic enough.”

Raunaq adds, “As difficult it is for the colleges to execute the events, it was equally exigent for us to craft them. Being largely culture orientated, incepting the marketing event i.e. Filmy Bazaar, was a big challenge for us. Considering the track of Cinema and Bollywood, it’s easy to frame artistic and cultural events but not the theory ones. Our chief foundation behind every event was to keep it fun and challenging, which would hold everyone’s attention. We wanted the colleges to actually crack their heads in coming up with the best ways to present their acts.”

Pratik continues, “We have made sure we do not spoon feed our contingents. Curtain Call, our fashion show event this year is demanding and expects the contestants to walk the ramp without performing any stunts, which has been the trend lately. We wanted to bring back the original concept of fashion shows back.”

Detour is famous and renowned to start every event on time, a feat which other colleges fail to accomplish. We asked the two vivacious events heads of Detour that how they were managing to live up to this legacy, “Pratik and I are personally never on time for any of our meetings or even lectures for that matter. But for Detour we have a standard to follow and live up to a name. So, we’ll be there on time. Will you too?”

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of college? More often than not, the one memory that would pop into everyone’s mind would be that of fests or college events. No matter how small the college or the event, college events promise to be part of a memory that’s pleasant and more fondly remembered than the rest.

A lot goes into getting these events to work and even more to make them popular. So what makes a *great* event stand out from the rest? Well it’s some fabulous marketing, coupled with a lot of hard work and fun. While there are no written mantras for making your college event a hit, I hope these pointers help.

1. Plan Ahead

Even if the event is just a two day affair, it is important to plan well in advance. While the entire event needs to be chalked out at least a month in advance, the marketing plan should start way before. There is nothing worse than a last minute publicity plan for any event, even a college fest. There should be a well defined campaign in terms of dates and duties should be assigned to the members in charge.

2. Have a varied marketing strategy

With the number of options available today, the sky is the limit. Television, radio, internet are all wonderful platforms to publicize events. The crazy growth of social networking has added to this list a charm that is hard to be replicated. Therefore, have a marketing strategy that spans across platforms. Use mediums that will reach out to your audience and leave out those that show little potential.

3. Work from the heart

The most important aspect of an event is the passion that the organizers have for it. Only if they love the event enough to put in their heart and soul into it will the event turn out to be a hit. In the absence of such dedication any effort can only be half hearted at best.

4. Inclusion

It is important for the smooth working of the event that everyone works cohesively on it. This means that seniors and juniors needs to function like a team and work in perfect sync.

5. Be creative

No idea is a bad one unless you deem it to be so. It is important to discuss all the ideas so that they can be chosen or dumped. Some of the nicest ideas could sound catastrophic during their inception and some of the best ones could turn out to be trash. The trick is to make sure the event is extraordinary and that it would appeal to everyone.

6. Have pre-events and contests

All of us like winning prizes. Have interesting contests running throughout the month culminating in the major event. These contents will bring about an interest for the main event.

Events are big. And everyone loves to be a part of them. The only thing to be kept in mind is that the success of an event- big or small depends on the amount of dedication and passion that has gone into it. Bring these two into the picture, stand back and watch the magic unfold!