The Goa Arts & Literary Festival bring several artists together to socialize within their interest areas. But for the students of Journalism and Mass Communication of St. Xavier’s College, the festival is one of the most intense learning and working experiences.

Our students provide photography and videography service for the entire festival and also conduct television interviews with the eminent personalities attending the festival.

Look what some of them have to say!

Shailesh Shriram Tanpure, FYBA Journalism

“I told him I don’t know what to do; he said we’ll tell you. I said, I have never done it. He replied well there is always a first time. My persistent Sir was in no mood to give up. Finally he convinced me to intern for the Goa Arts & Literary Festival, 2014(GALF).

I now bow my head in gratitude, to the faculty of my department because this opportunity opened me up to a whole new world of experiences. I interviewed writers, did photography and also the videography for the various sessions of Goa Arts & Literary Festival. Not only did I get the chance to venture into something I would have not have done but it also allowed me to explore my creative side. I also got to know and meet some great writers such as Githa Hariharan, Keki N. Daruwalla and Mahabaleswar sail. For me the journey has just begun, I wait in anticipation for my next assignment.”

Kaushal Bathia, FYBA Journalism

For the 5th edition of Goa Arts & Literary Festival, the department of Journalism gave me the opportunity to interview the guests and participants of the festival. Being a newbie to this process, it was intimidating to be in the presence of established authors and professionals, moreover to question them on their work and as to the reason of it.

Ms. Sagarika Ghose, a journalist since 1991 in the field of print as well as electronic media and also an author of two books, a person who had been there and done a lot of which I am learning as of now. It was a learning experience not only in conducting the interview but the content received. The interview began with a basic question on her quest in journalism. As the interview progressed issues of ‘freedom of speech’, ‘injustice to press’ and ‘independent media houses’ were discussed during which along with the camera, a quality perspective was acquired by those present during the video interview.

After the interview with Sagarika Ghose, again Journalism was the hot topic and who better than Rajdeep Sardesai, a well known personality in TV Journalism, came in as my next interviewee. The conversation was natural and comfortable for both him and the camera. A book on the 2014 elections, his view on the election result, the future of Indian politics and obviously a word on the current state of Journalism was highlighted during the interview.

For me it was a first hand experience in front of a rolling camera, where an anxious newbie is considered talent and a veteran of that very field is the interviewee. Like they say expect the unexpected in journalism.

In conversation with Rajdeep Sardesai

In conversation with Sagarika Ghose