Double Whammy- JAI HO-(Jamia Millia Islamia) India does it Again !

This Time it’s Sony World Photography Award at Cannes
After the recent super success at the Oscars (MCRC, Jamia Alumnus Loveleen Tandon was the co-director), India can look forward to another big news thanks to the three member team led by Prof। Farhat Basir Khan, only this time it’s at the Mecca of all creative pursuits Cannes that has been bowled over।

Walking the red Carpet will be Prof. Farhat Basir Khan, Prof. Media & Communication at the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia & his two students. Neal Kartik & Pranab Kumar Aich. There is plenty of reason to celebrate. Thanks to them India will be representing Asia at the World Photography Award, as they’ve secured top honours at the Sony World Photography Awards - Asia. (This also included Russia)

Beating top Asian Universities from 9 countries, China: The China Academy of Art, Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Pakistan: Fatima Jinnah Women University,
 Philippines: University of the Philippines

Russia: Saint Petersburg State University of Culture & Arts

Singapore: LASALLE College of the Arts

Turkey: Anadolu University
 including the very formidable 
Japan: Tokyo Zokei University, Sony homeground.
The competition spans six continents Europe, South America, North America, Africa/Middle East, Asia, Australaisa. And representing Euraasia the largest continent after beating some of the finest photographers, is this trinity comprising of this brilliant photographer & academic who has taught some of the most prominent names from across the TV & Film industry including Shahrukh khan, Barkha Dutt, Roshan Abbas, Lovleen Tondon & a host of others.

Commenting on this occasion Prof. Farhat Basir Khan says it is indeed a proud moment for India & his university Jamia Millia Islamia. It is the sheer hardwork & determination of his boys Neal & Pranav that has won us this prestigious honour. Professor Khan who has served on the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC Jury (Design Team) has many accolades to his credit. Apart from being attached to Vatavaran International, he is also the co-founder of Academy of Photography for Excellence. This resounding win of the World Photography Eurasia is another feather in his cap. It was his insight & careful selection of Images that helped this team bring the laurels home.

This winning team is now slated to travel to Cannes where their work will be exhibited & then will travel across the globe to be showcased in some of the leading galleries across the world. They will then be part of the select gathering of the worlds finest photographers & the biggest photography agencies, in April. This is also where a final face off will happen between them & the other winners from the remaining five competing continents to bring the World Photography Award home.

On being asked about the state of Photography in India Prof. Khan says it’s a brilliant time for photography in India especially after the advent of digital, Indian photographers never had it better, their works are now showing in some of the best galleries across the world, photography today has emerged truly as serious art form. He only rues about the fact that the government is yet to wake up to the power of photography & the recognition due to photographers & the infrastructure required to propagate photography education is yet to be taken note of seriously. For it’s potential today is tremendous & remains largely unexplored.

In this competition, students were invited to submit photographs, which would highlight environmental issues specific to their country. The winners were selected by a prestigious judging panel from the photographic community including: Tom Ang - Leading Digital Photography specialist, Ruth Eichhorn - Director of Photography GEO Magazine, Mary-Ellen Mark - Documentary Photographer, Adrian Evans - Director of Panos Pictures and Susan Welchman - Senior photo editor at National Geographic. The 2 students from MCRC are part of a selected group of 12 budding photographers from 6 institutions spanning 6 continents.
We wish them the very best for putting India firmly & resoundingly on the Global map in Photography, one of the most important visual art forms of today। The student community, Academics & the entire Photographic Community congratulates AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia and Professor Khan (the father of modern Photography education in India) for his excellent guidance and hopes that they will continue to add laurels to this prestigious institution and the country.

Asia – India – Jamia Millia Islamia- The winning entries.
Fallen Angels Pranab Kumar Aich
A small sleepy village in Orissa sleeps no more; instead spends wakeful nights bracing itself to the aftermath of vast deforestation & unchecked industrialization. With the vanishing nesting sites it is now not so uncommon to find eggs fallen on the earth, helplessly lying, awaiting to be crushed under the inevitable wheels of human greed.

With Each Diamond Eye: Neal Kartik
Kalinga Nagar in Orissa was a quiet area of paddy fields and lush green forests; today it feeds construction demands of the fastest growing steel hub of India. This is where flows the river Baitarani, sadly enough tons of sand is deposited in the riverbed due to silting making it flood prone. As a result come monsoon the Baitrani takes on a life of it’s own, washing away with it all, what we take from it. Poetic Justice indeed...



Prof. Farhat Basir Khan
Professor Media and Communication

FB Khan is currently Professor of Media & Communication at AJK MCRC.
An activist practitioner and a teacher who holds the distinction of having taught at an MA level programme for over two decades now, has several firsts to his credit. From being the senior most faculty member of the prestigious AJK MCRC, he was also the first to develop Photography programmes for UGC and NCERT to be taught at both degree level and at 10+2. He also help set up several institutes across the country. And is now considered to be the country’s top most expert on Media, communication & Photography. He has recently also served on the Jury of IBC (Amsterdam), the world’s biggest International conference on Broadcasting & content for Media.

Having pioneered Photography education in the country he has also been actively involved in the Industry and has distinguished himself both as an Industrial and an Advertising Photographer. Having worked with all leading advertising agencies like Lintas, Grey, Leo Burnett, he’s given us some memorable campaigns, like the Oberoi Maidens, Atlas, Avis, Delhi Police, Grasim- the list is endless.

International projects too have been a part of his vast repertoire. Having been chosen to make the 50 year commemorative Audio- Visual for both the UNICEF and the WHO from amongst the Photographers all across the world he is the only professional photographer to hold this singular distinction. Recently he has just concluded a training programme for UNICEF delegates on Unspooling the Documentary process. The trainees were delegates from as wide a spectrum as the Harvard business school, MIT, Russian Film School.

He also represented MCRC and presented a paper for the Italian Embassy conclave on the “NEW & OLD Media- Conflicts and Discourses Within”. It was very well received and critically acclaimed as incisive, perceptive, and holistic.

He believes in constantly innovating and assimilating new technology platforms. Photography is a product of a very vibrant marriage between technology and art says he. And one can never know so much…. As every new day opens up more possibilities.

He has spearheaded the Photography, Multimedia & Audio- Visual Section of the MCRC, of which he has been the faculty in charge for over two decades & is also currently the placement officer as appointed by the University. He hopes to give shape to another visionary project of his here which is the first MA in Photography in the country, which has just been approved by the UGC due to his strenuous efforts.

He is also the Founder Director of the Academy for Photographic Excellence- a Jindal Photo Initiative, the first of it’s kind Academy which is a true synergy of the Academic, Professional and the Corporate. And has translated his vision into a School for all Professional and aspiring Photographers.

He contributes regularly to several Electronic Print & Web Media on the latest development in New Media Platforms & the avenues that media & communication offer today.


Contact: +91-9891297717; email: fbkhan@gmail.com