If an education in economics provides economic class, our education in the social sciences gets us social class.
One positive aspect about India’s best mass communication college is that it has made me a more accepting person, especially in my professional pursuits.
The internships, projects and a general gruelling atmosphere are an obvious reason for this change. But more so, the processes we have to go through, the hoops we have to jump, to get a signature on a project form or a phone call to an internship house—as the system works in a certain manner—teaches us that the world is not just difficult, it is Kafkaesque. The system is bigger than the individual.
I have learnt several lessons from when I have missed a deadline by a minute or read a mail wrong –survival is a full-time job in the industry, and this is what our Centre prides itself for.
Symbiosis Centre for Media & Communication has modern architecture, a style rooted in the philosophy that no one should be comforted. It is not just the stairs and the glass panes that are stark, but also the treatment of humans, who may or may not be privileged enough to believe they are more than a file or a receipt in the accounts department. Lessons learnt in every nook and cranny has helped me come to terms with whatever treatment I face or witness during my internships and projects.
I have to do my job diligently, and expect nothing except more complications at the end of a sincere workday. Having gulped this down, there is pretty much nothing a dehumanising industry can throw our way that will break our spirit. Onlookers may misconstrue that our spirits are already broken, but this is where our learning helps to guide us. As a more accepting individual, I am also open to the fact that idealism does not exist, and when used as a bar or scale, serves to throw us into despair. A job in a metropolitan city is better than despair.
This year, I had the opportunity to intern in New Delhi with a media organisation. An internship at a big media organisation helps develop healthy pride. Most students at Ivy League colleges are majoring in economics or finance. If an education in economics provides them economic class, our education in the social sciences gets us social class.
For making me able to talk about Monet and Manet, boast of industry contacts, as well as know how to dress appropriately, I am thankful to SCMC.
Article by: Kuwar Singh (Batch of 2018)
Photograph by: Nairika Lodhi (Batch of 2019)
