En-masse Communication Between Sports And Management

On Monday, March 28, 2005, the newly-introduced one-year two-semesters Post-graduate Diploma in Sports and Mass Communication Management course was formally inaugurated at a seminar organised by the parent Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Calcutta, at the Darbhanga Hall, CU Asutosh Shiksha Prangan(College Street Campus). The seminar was a part of the University's 150 years celebrations and was sponsored by the University Grants Commission's Departmental Special Assistance(DSA) programme.

In her welcome address, Prof. Dr. Tapati Basu, Head of the Department, CU Journalism and Mass Communication department, briefly narrated the rich history of the department as well as of the DSA programme. Mementos were presented by the students on behalf of the host department to Chief Guest, Mr. Subhash Chakraborty, honorable Minister of Sports and Transport, Government of West Bengal and Guest of Honour, Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya, Patron-in-Chief, Board of Control for Cricket in India and President, Cricket Association of Bengal. The new job-oriented academic course was then formally inaugurated in unison by Mr. Chakraborty, Mr. Dalmiya and , CU Registrar, Prof. Ujjwal Kumar Basu.

Emphasising the need for a sports and mass communication management course for meeting the huge demand for sports administrators, managers and organisers, Mr. Dalmiya in his speech, hailed this as the right hour to introduce such an academic discipline. He highlighted the role of mass communication media in the globalisation of sports by narrating from his own experience of China getting interested in cricket by watching the 1996 Cricket World Cup on television; China now has 185 schools, 12 grounds and five-year plans for promotion of cricket in the country in its bid to become a cricketing power by 2020. He also cited instances from other practical anecdotes to stress the importance of modern information technologies like video-conferencing etc. for enabling better functioning of sports management.

In his speech, Mr. Subhash Chakraborty, emphasised the need for bringing in more and more tribal people and women to the arena of sports in the country. Denouncing the traditional practice of looking down upon those who preferred sports to studies, he laid stress on physical fitness for mental development and urged for full-fleged intoduction of sports and other physical activities in the country's academic curricula, as in earstwhile USSR and China down the ages. He sharply critcised the lack of government financial assistance for the extension and expansion of sports in the country.

CU Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic Affairs), Prof. Suranjan Das regarded sports and mass communication management as the link between active sports and present-day commercialisation of sports.

Prof. Ujjwal Basu pointed out that though the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management already has a course on sports management, CU's initiative in commencing a sports and mass communication course directed both at journalist and administrators, is novel and unique in its own right.

The other dignitaries gracing the occasion were Mr. Dhurjoti Prosad Dey, Secretary, Faculties of Arts, Commerce and Journalism and Mass Communication, CU; Mr. Santanu Sanyal, Logistics Editor, The Hindu Business Line; Dr. Soumendra Nath Bera, faculty member, CU Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, and a host of others.

The programme ended on a thanksgiving note by Prof. Sudipti Bandopadhyay, emphsising the long-lasting commitment between university and sports. Not to forget, the delicious refreshment provided the icing on the cake.