It is indeed very sad to know that Prof Eapen is no more. Being a student, practitioner and trainer in Journalism based in the Eastern part of the country I did not have the opportunity to have personally interacted with him, but we all know and consider him as a doyen of Indian Journalism Training. Since the days when Journalism Training did was not considered to be a separate subject of study, it was he and some others in the other parts of the country gave a concrete shape to media education, which has now become a discipline of its own. I join his several other admirers to pay my tribute to him. he will be remembered as one of the pioneers of Journalism Education in India. =Snehasis Sur, Doordarshan News, Kolkata
----- Original Message ----- From: Ashish Sen <[email protected]> Date: Monday, October 25, 2010 12:21 pm Subject: [cr-india] PROFESSOR EAPEN To: [email protected] > PROFESSOR EAPEN PASSES AWAY > > Dr K E Eapen, who passed away on Saturday, October 23rd, has been > justifiablyacknowledged as a pioneer in journalism and > communication education in India. Less > articulated has been Professor Eapen’s vital role as a > development activist and his contribution to > development/community communications. Professor Eapen was one of > the key > voices and minds who actively engaged and helped to develop the > Bangalore Declaration of 1996. Many hold the declaration to be > the first and the basis for community > radio in the country. His involvement and active engagement with > the community > radio movement continued well after the 2006 guidelines came into > place. Earlier, > he played a significant role in the implementation and evaluation > of SITE > especially in Karnataka. > > > > I first had the privilege of interacting with Professor > Eapen in the late eighties when I was with the Media Centre in > Bangalore. The Centre was, arguably, one of > the first community-centric media centres in the city inspired by > the likes > of Chitrabhani (Kolkata) and the Xavier > Institute of Communications (Mumbai). The Centre’s emphasis on > low cost, community friendly > media production and its education programmers > benefited substantially by Dr Eapen’s wisdom, generosity and active > participation. Professor Eapen had a formidable media library which > he passed > onto the Centre in the late eighties. The library was one of the > first of its > kind in the country and was used by scholar and activist alike. > > > > At a time when many in the media world were swayed by the > “big” sweep of the communication explosion, Professor Eapen was > relentlesslyfocused in his belief and practice that small is > beautiful. I was fortunate to > glean this more intensely during most of the past decade when I was > the NGO > VOICES, where he was the Senior Trustee. His guidance also helped > to shape many of VOICES’ associations and > involvement with marginalized and vulnerable groups like people with > disabilities and senior citizens. While public memory may be short, > many of > these communities, as well as his students and fellow workers in > development, will > always remember him with great > affection, regard and respect. > > > > > > Ashish Sen > > > > > > > Snehasis Sur Doordarshan News, Kolkata, St. Xavier's College (Calcutta) Alumni Association. Res: P-338, C.I.T.Scheme:VI-M, Phulbagan, Kolkata-700 054, (R) +91+33+2362-8778/9 Join the Community Radio Forum. For membership details, please go to www.crforum.in
