Interviewtimes 
Dhenkanal: “The importance and overarching philosophy of community media is to act as a tool to empower the marginalized and subaltern voices, to provide them with the agency to articulate their own concerns, to aid them to bring in their own local culture and lived experiences, and pave the road to a more inclusive and participatory democracy,” said Prof. Kanchan K. Malik of Hyderabad University while delivering the 6th “Prof. KM Shrivastava Memorial Lecture,” on the topic “Community Media: Vocal for Local.”
Prof. Malik went on to discuss the relevance of community media as a catalyst for social change and community connection. “The fact that community media is frequently viewed as an ‘alternative kind of media,’ may itself be a source of discussion and philosophical inquiry,” Prof. Malik continued. “Despite the fact that we are experiencing a huge paradigm change in information distribution methods and how we engage with the medium itself, most of it remains self-serving and based on the conventional top-down prescriptive order. This is where community media shines and casts doubt on the value of such a system,” said Prof. Kanchan Malik.
Professor Shrivastava, one of the most well-known names in Indian media academic circle, died on 28th August 2015, at the age of 63. He spent more than 25 years at IIMC as a professor and two years as the Director of IIMC Dhenkanal. Prof. Shrivastava has written many works, including ‘News Reporting and Editing,’ ‘Broadcast Journalism in the Twenty-First Century,’ ‘News Agencies: From Pigeon to Internet,’ and ‘Radio and TV Journalism.’
Dr. Manohar Khajuria, the regional director of IIMC, Jammu Campus, also shared his personal anecdotes and memories with his departed colleague Prof. Shrivastava. “All I have are happy recollections of him. To put it plainly, he had always been an inspirational figure. I am happy that IIMC, Dhenkanal pays him the love and respect that he deserves,” said Dr. Khajuria.
