Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai on March 19-20 hosted Media Manthan 2025, a 2-day long event organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Somaiya School of Humanities and Social Sciences, in association with the Press Club of India and the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia to delve into the intricate role of media in shaping public discourse and democracy.
Prof B K Ravi, Vice Chancellor of Koppal University; renowned film director r. Anil Sharma; Ambassador TP Sreenivasan, Faculty of Eminence and Prof V N Rajasekhran Pillai, Vice Chancellor of Somaiya Vidyavihar University were among those who attended the plenary during which Prof B K Ravi’s keynote on Journalistic Metamorphosis set the stage for thought-provoking discussions.
Critical issues such as digital media’s impact on democracy, responsible journalism, corporate communication in the digital age, and the role of gender in the public sphere, were some of the themes for subsequent sessions. Notable discussions included an expert talk by Dr Tamilselvi Natarajan on media literacy and fact-checking and an insightful lecture by Yogendra Puranik, Japan’s first elected non-Japanese MLA, on ‘Bridging Cultures: The Impact of International Communication on Public Opinion Formation.
Day 1 featured research paper presentations on media, digital communication, and social influence, covering topics like social media’s impact on politics, activism, gender representation, and news coverage.
The second day of the conference saw engaging conversations on the intersection of art and retail marketing by Anushka Guha, an engaging session on gender and the public sphere by Prof Manjula Bharathy, and an impactful panel discussion featuring Dr Milind Kokje (Chief Editor, BioSpectrum Asia), Sahil Joshi (Managing Editor, India Today), and Ms Vaishna Roy (Editor-in-Chief, Frontline), moderated by Ms Chetna Israni( Founder of Morning Star BrandCom) on the theme The Journalist, The Politician, and The Public: Who Shapes Whom?
Prof. G N Devy, Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences speaking about the success of the conference emphasized the need of more research on historical role of media, ““From the middle of the 19th century till the middle of the 20th century, Indian media played an active role in gaining independence for this country. That part of the sociological engagement of the media needs to be studied fully.”
During the valedictory session, Gautam Lahiri, President of the Press Club of India, reflected on the conference’s role in fostering media accountability and democratic values. Mr Lahiri also shared insights on the history, importance, and role of the Press Club of India, congratulated SVU for successfully organizing the event, and expressed his enthusiasm for greater collaboration with the university in the future.
