abhijit bora | Tezpur University (original) (raw)
Papers by abhijit bora
Development Journalism : The way forward , 2016
This is a Book chapter discussing a few basic questions in the field of Development Journalism an... more This is a Book chapter discussing a few basic questions in the field of Development Journalism and Journalism Ethics.
Decoding Communication for Development in India's North-East , 2019
This is a literature review for Communication For Development.
Radio Journalism in India , 2017
This is a Book Chapter that attempts to look at the medium of radio with a new perspective under ... more This is a Book Chapter that attempts to look at the medium of radio with a new perspective under the present day circumstances.
Media in India : Parallels and Paradoxes , 2019
This Book Chapter discusses different relevant and contemporary issues of media literacy in the c... more This Book Chapter discusses different relevant and contemporary issues of media literacy in the current context.
ODL : Issues and perspectives from East and North Eastern Region , 2019
This book chapter discusses various aspects of ODL in the NER perspectives over the years.
Media in the time of COVID-19 , 2020
This is a Book Chapter discussing various issues of health information dissemination under the di... more This is a Book Chapter discussing various issues of health information dissemination under the difficult times of COVID-19 and therefater. It also draws upon the xepriences of people to find out what solutions can be there for an alkternative story-telling under such circumstances in future.
Indian Journal of Science Communication , 2019
Nations and societies across the world have set up many prominent institutions of education which... more Nations and societies across the world have set up many prominent institutions of education which have been developing a huge repository of knowledge through their research activities in all the fields like agriculture, medicine, technology, humanities, arts and social sciences. Some of these knowledge contents are of high caliber like Higgs Boson, large Hedron collider, Mars mission or Mangalayan, etc. These contents may not be directly beneficial or linked to the common people, although they have the potential to attracting the masses at large. On the other hand, some of these research findings such as medicine or vaccine for various common and major diseases, earthquake resistant house-building style, fuel efficiency in motor vehicles, etc., could be of direct benefit to the masses. All these knowledge contents need to be disseminated to the people for better usage so that they can utilize them to improvise their living standards. Thus, the role of communication is very important in communicating these contents to the people. In this regard the need of media assumes vital importance. This is because, unless the right kind of medium is used, these efforts would not be able to ensure the optimum level of desired benefits and the proper purpose would not be effectively served. Hence, choosing the potential media and a judicious media planning are of high significance for the success of any communication effort, more so for science communication.
Indian Journal of Science Communication , 2017
As the human society is getting more and more dependent on S&T, it is high time the citizens to b... more As the human society is getting more and more dependent
on S&T, it is high time the citizens to be educated
on various aspects of scientific temperament
and scientific literacy. We need to realize the growing
importance and need of making the common
man conversant with various aspects of scientific
developments so that the society can lead a better
life in the near and distant future. At a time when
there is no dearth of information necessary for leading
a better life probably in all aspects of the society,
the question arises is how to utilize mass media in a
judicious way to ensure that the people are benefited
from such information in a convenient and comprehensive
manner! We must explore the role that media
can play in this direction.
Insight , 2019
Media and Communication are two domains which are so important and essential for disseminating kn... more Media and Communication are two domains which are so important and essential for disseminating knowledge amongst the masses. Moreover, the present age is that of Information and Communication which, if utilized properly can bring about beneficial results in the field of public or mass education in future. Though some steps have been taken in this regard, yet a lot remains to be explored. On the other hand, Education is also an equally important domain that needs to be seen in a different hue against the backdrop of the emerging times. This paper attempts to explore how and where such a synergy can be established as well as taken care of effectively for spreading the knowledge base of the masses. This has become necessary because each and every field of study nowadays has rich repositories of knowledge acquired over the decades in their research activities across the world. However, if this knowledge base can't be disseminated or dedicated to the usage of the masses what is their utility at all. This is where the domain of Education supported by Media and Communication come in handy for affecting an effort to successfully disseminate such knowledge to the people. The paper discusses several important aspects of the entire issue and suggests possible steps for reaping the rewarding benefits of such collaboration in the real sense of the term.
Global Media journal (Indian Edition) , 2017
The philosophy of postmodernism is based on the idea of subjective truth which further argues tha... more The philosophy of postmodernism is based on the idea of subjective truth which further argues that the meaning-making process is differential and subject to the heterogeneity of culture. In context to postmodernism, the concept of critical media literacy can be understood as a social function of literacy. According to this concept, people do not create meaning in isolation, rather it is a social process in which the existing language system influences in deriving meanings and thereby constructs worldviews. The concept of literacy has been changed from an individual transformation of learning how to read and write to the social transformation of becoming a change agent. Specially in an era when the convergence of media is shaping a new form of meaning-making process in which a text is not in isolation. Convergence of media is leading to need of facilitating multiliteracies in media education for creating a collaborative teaching-learning environment. This study argues that acquiring critical media literacy skills facilitates the students in achieving autonomy in understanding and creating the meaning of experiences accommodating differences in ideas and opinions in the age of convergence.
University News , 2021
The importance of a holistic Educational system need not be reiterated to this august and learned... more The importance of a holistic Educational system
need not be reiterated to this august and learned body
of readers. It is such an integral necessity of life that
it can be ignored only at a grave peril to the future of
the society. In this regard, the four pillars of learning
suggested by UNESCO can be cited here. These are –
Learning-To Know, To Do, To Be, To Live Together.
This rather summarizes the basic aims, objectives
and principles of Education in a broader sense.
Communicator , 2020
As the year 2020 began with the COVID-19 crisis, various issues related directly and also indirec... more As the year 2020 began with the COVID-19 crisis, various issues related directly and also indirectly came up in all walks of our life, closely fighting for attention. These include preparedness for facing such an uphill task during this kind of testing times, the vulnerability of the human race itself against the outbreak of diseases, potential future problems to be tackled once the pandemic was controlled out among others. They raised sufficient grounds for severe deliberations by the quarters concerned cutting across geographical as well as political borders. A major one out of these is the need for having a mprehensive,
robust and dynamic ‘communication’ plan for effective health nformation dissemination to the people at every level. This shall serve two important purposes. First– the messages of a healthy lifestyle shall reach out to the people in the right perspective. Secondly– gradually convert the mindset of the masses towards taking such messages seriously for
the sake of the very survival of humankind. This study examines the current status of health communication, especially in the Indian context, with the possibility of arriving at a few recommendations for future usage. The study also attempts to identify several critical issues in this regard. These include bottlenecks on the way of achieving success, concern for mental health under such circumstances, identifying potential stakeholders, efforts from academic initiatives in this domain for empowering the people etc. It also looks at the issue of ‘risk communication’ which is a closely-related subject of the overall
domain of ‘health communication’.
Keywords: Academic initiative, Media, New media, Public health, Stakeholders
Communicator , 2019
The term fake news with all its related aspects has assumed a significant space for discourse in ... more The term fake news with all its related aspects has assumed a significant space for discourse in the modern day mass media and the networked world. With an enormous information overload aided by mass media and new media today, it is an appropriate time for the stakeholders to take an in-depth look into how it has made its inroad into society. Thereby being able to influence a considerable portion of the masses. A study by BBC has demonstrated how more often than not these kinds of information were circulated with a 'nationalistic fervour' for influencing more and more people. It also needs to be examined how the phenomenon has been able to project itself in stark competition with news and information. This paper attempts to study the situation prevailing in the contemporary world including India, USA, Europe and Sri Lanka with a view to examining its role in the electoral politics of these nations.
Vivekananda Journal of research , 2020
The COVID19 scenario has brought in an unprecedented situation. It has caused a major disruption ... more The COVID19 scenario has brought in an unprecedented situation. It has caused a major disruption in all walks of life for humankind across the world. Education, the basic precondition for a person's overall development is also a prime sufferer in the development. So, institutions all over the globe had to jump into the online or electronic knowledge delivery system in place of the Face-to-Face (F2F) one with no feasible alternative in sight. The term 'Blended Learning' has acquired a new meaning and lease of life with the sudden change in the situation. On one hand there are the traditional Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions, dual mode ones with ODL as one of the components. They seem to be at an advantage over other modes for their natural edge in delivering learning materials in the electronic mode. But the other modes with no such exposure are facing the heat more than anyone else. This sudden need for adopting a new knowledge delivery system has to be coordinated and fabricated in a proper way. And thereby rough edges smoothened up before it can be experimented for large-scale delivery. This paper examines various advantages and disadvantages related to this new development and looks for a feasible solution in the process. It discusses how modern technology can be blended with ODL and the Face to Face (F2F) systems for deriving the optimum benefit out of it. While there have been some amount of works going on in this direction, yet the thrust has become serious only now. It can only be hoped that it shall sustain till achieving a satisfactory result in future.
Global Media Journal (Indian Edition) , 2020
Assamese cinema is about to attain nine long decades of its existence with a lot of promises whil... more Assamese cinema is about to attain nine long decades of its existence with a lot of promises while leaving a rich legacy on the way. Like any other film industry anywhere in the world, it has also seen good and bad times on the way. But it has learnt to take all of them in its stride and move ahead in a robust manner. Today, Assamese cinema has climbed new heights of glory acquiring even global accolades in addition to being already recognized as an entity to be taken seriously in the national domain as well. This long journey would not have been possible without ample contribution from generations of filmmakers, directors who did care enough to take the challenge of presenting good cinema to the society from time-to-time. Being a regional language cinema industry with comparatively lesser number of audiences till date, it has been able to achieve for itself a respectful position in the world of Indian cinema. And thereby contributing invaluable contents to the overall cinema movement of the country and also the world. This paper is an effort to trace the journey of Assamese films from its humble beginning to the present day era. And also examine the various milestones of the meaningful development to an established brand making its presence felt in a comfortable manner against all odds. So, Assamese cinema seems to have come of age.
Global Media Journal (Indian Edition) , 2020
Film or cinema has always been a powerful medium that can be adapted to various situations of the... more Film or cinema has always been a powerful medium that can be adapted to various situations of the human societies anywhere in the world whenever necessary. It also possesses a huge potential in making a point felt meaningfully by the human beings if properly disseminated. Presently, with the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic situation, thinkers and activists from the field of communication and media need to seriously brainstorm about the most effective means of communicating messages of health and risk communication. Specially the medium of cinema as it has not been utilized to the optimum for achieving the desired goal. Cinema that includes feature films and documentaries have been used on experimental basis by a very few film makers for this purpose. However, films on different kinds of diseases and health risks have been usually produced more for commercial gains not necessarily orienting them from the perspective of our discussion. It is high time a serious, coordinated effort needs to be pushed forward for taking advantage of the medium for facilitating health and risk communication in a far convenient and effective manner than it has been till date. There is more than enough scope for presenting issues in these two fields as a fully-prepared package for the public which would go deep down their mindset and convert them to empowered active citizens. This shall help them in adopting the suggestions and hints and thereby improving their standard of living. This paper makes an attempt at examining the issues and challenges on the path towards achieving the same.
Development Journalism : The way forward , 2016
This is a Book chapter discussing a few basic questions in the field of Development Journalism an... more This is a Book chapter discussing a few basic questions in the field of Development Journalism and Journalism Ethics.
Decoding Communication for Development in India's North-East , 2019
This is a literature review for Communication For Development.
Radio Journalism in India , 2017
This is a Book Chapter that attempts to look at the medium of radio with a new perspective under ... more This is a Book Chapter that attempts to look at the medium of radio with a new perspective under the present day circumstances.
Media in India : Parallels and Paradoxes , 2019
This Book Chapter discusses different relevant and contemporary issues of media literacy in the c... more This Book Chapter discusses different relevant and contemporary issues of media literacy in the current context.
ODL : Issues and perspectives from East and North Eastern Region , 2019
This book chapter discusses various aspects of ODL in the NER perspectives over the years.
Media in the time of COVID-19 , 2020
This is a Book Chapter discussing various issues of health information dissemination under the di... more This is a Book Chapter discussing various issues of health information dissemination under the difficult times of COVID-19 and therefater. It also draws upon the xepriences of people to find out what solutions can be there for an alkternative story-telling under such circumstances in future.
Indian Journal of Science Communication , 2019
Nations and societies across the world have set up many prominent institutions of education which... more Nations and societies across the world have set up many prominent institutions of education which have been developing a huge repository of knowledge through their research activities in all the fields like agriculture, medicine, technology, humanities, arts and social sciences. Some of these knowledge contents are of high caliber like Higgs Boson, large Hedron collider, Mars mission or Mangalayan, etc. These contents may not be directly beneficial or linked to the common people, although they have the potential to attracting the masses at large. On the other hand, some of these research findings such as medicine or vaccine for various common and major diseases, earthquake resistant house-building style, fuel efficiency in motor vehicles, etc., could be of direct benefit to the masses. All these knowledge contents need to be disseminated to the people for better usage so that they can utilize them to improvise their living standards. Thus, the role of communication is very important in communicating these contents to the people. In this regard the need of media assumes vital importance. This is because, unless the right kind of medium is used, these efforts would not be able to ensure the optimum level of desired benefits and the proper purpose would not be effectively served. Hence, choosing the potential media and a judicious media planning are of high significance for the success of any communication effort, more so for science communication.
Indian Journal of Science Communication , 2017
As the human society is getting more and more dependent on S&T, it is high time the citizens to b... more As the human society is getting more and more dependent
on S&T, it is high time the citizens to be educated
on various aspects of scientific temperament
and scientific literacy. We need to realize the growing
importance and need of making the common
man conversant with various aspects of scientific
developments so that the society can lead a better
life in the near and distant future. At a time when
there is no dearth of information necessary for leading
a better life probably in all aspects of the society,
the question arises is how to utilize mass media in a
judicious way to ensure that the people are benefited
from such information in a convenient and comprehensive
manner! We must explore the role that media
can play in this direction.
Insight , 2019
Media and Communication are two domains which are so important and essential for disseminating kn... more Media and Communication are two domains which are so important and essential for disseminating knowledge amongst the masses. Moreover, the present age is that of Information and Communication which, if utilized properly can bring about beneficial results in the field of public or mass education in future. Though some steps have been taken in this regard, yet a lot remains to be explored. On the other hand, Education is also an equally important domain that needs to be seen in a different hue against the backdrop of the emerging times. This paper attempts to explore how and where such a synergy can be established as well as taken care of effectively for spreading the knowledge base of the masses. This has become necessary because each and every field of study nowadays has rich repositories of knowledge acquired over the decades in their research activities across the world. However, if this knowledge base can't be disseminated or dedicated to the usage of the masses what is their utility at all. This is where the domain of Education supported by Media and Communication come in handy for affecting an effort to successfully disseminate such knowledge to the people. The paper discusses several important aspects of the entire issue and suggests possible steps for reaping the rewarding benefits of such collaboration in the real sense of the term.
Global Media journal (Indian Edition) , 2017
The philosophy of postmodernism is based on the idea of subjective truth which further argues tha... more The philosophy of postmodernism is based on the idea of subjective truth which further argues that the meaning-making process is differential and subject to the heterogeneity of culture. In context to postmodernism, the concept of critical media literacy can be understood as a social function of literacy. According to this concept, people do not create meaning in isolation, rather it is a social process in which the existing language system influences in deriving meanings and thereby constructs worldviews. The concept of literacy has been changed from an individual transformation of learning how to read and write to the social transformation of becoming a change agent. Specially in an era when the convergence of media is shaping a new form of meaning-making process in which a text is not in isolation. Convergence of media is leading to need of facilitating multiliteracies in media education for creating a collaborative teaching-learning environment. This study argues that acquiring critical media literacy skills facilitates the students in achieving autonomy in understanding and creating the meaning of experiences accommodating differences in ideas and opinions in the age of convergence.
University News , 2021
The importance of a holistic Educational system need not be reiterated to this august and learned... more The importance of a holistic Educational system
need not be reiterated to this august and learned body
of readers. It is such an integral necessity of life that
it can be ignored only at a grave peril to the future of
the society. In this regard, the four pillars of learning
suggested by UNESCO can be cited here. These are –
Learning-To Know, To Do, To Be, To Live Together.
This rather summarizes the basic aims, objectives
and principles of Education in a broader sense.
Communicator , 2020
As the year 2020 began with the COVID-19 crisis, various issues related directly and also indirec... more As the year 2020 began with the COVID-19 crisis, various issues related directly and also indirectly came up in all walks of our life, closely fighting for attention. These include preparedness for facing such an uphill task during this kind of testing times, the vulnerability of the human race itself against the outbreak of diseases, potential future problems to be tackled once the pandemic was controlled out among others. They raised sufficient grounds for severe deliberations by the quarters concerned cutting across geographical as well as political borders. A major one out of these is the need for having a mprehensive,
robust and dynamic ‘communication’ plan for effective health nformation dissemination to the people at every level. This shall serve two important purposes. First– the messages of a healthy lifestyle shall reach out to the people in the right perspective. Secondly– gradually convert the mindset of the masses towards taking such messages seriously for
the sake of the very survival of humankind. This study examines the current status of health communication, especially in the Indian context, with the possibility of arriving at a few recommendations for future usage. The study also attempts to identify several critical issues in this regard. These include bottlenecks on the way of achieving success, concern for mental health under such circumstances, identifying potential stakeholders, efforts from academic initiatives in this domain for empowering the people etc. It also looks at the issue of ‘risk communication’ which is a closely-related subject of the overall
domain of ‘health communication’.
Keywords: Academic initiative, Media, New media, Public health, Stakeholders
Communicator , 2019
The term fake news with all its related aspects has assumed a significant space for discourse in ... more The term fake news with all its related aspects has assumed a significant space for discourse in the modern day mass media and the networked world. With an enormous information overload aided by mass media and new media today, it is an appropriate time for the stakeholders to take an in-depth look into how it has made its inroad into society. Thereby being able to influence a considerable portion of the masses. A study by BBC has demonstrated how more often than not these kinds of information were circulated with a 'nationalistic fervour' for influencing more and more people. It also needs to be examined how the phenomenon has been able to project itself in stark competition with news and information. This paper attempts to study the situation prevailing in the contemporary world including India, USA, Europe and Sri Lanka with a view to examining its role in the electoral politics of these nations.
Vivekananda Journal of research , 2020
The COVID19 scenario has brought in an unprecedented situation. It has caused a major disruption ... more The COVID19 scenario has brought in an unprecedented situation. It has caused a major disruption in all walks of life for humankind across the world. Education, the basic precondition for a person's overall development is also a prime sufferer in the development. So, institutions all over the globe had to jump into the online or electronic knowledge delivery system in place of the Face-to-Face (F2F) one with no feasible alternative in sight. The term 'Blended Learning' has acquired a new meaning and lease of life with the sudden change in the situation. On one hand there are the traditional Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions, dual mode ones with ODL as one of the components. They seem to be at an advantage over other modes for their natural edge in delivering learning materials in the electronic mode. But the other modes with no such exposure are facing the heat more than anyone else. This sudden need for adopting a new knowledge delivery system has to be coordinated and fabricated in a proper way. And thereby rough edges smoothened up before it can be experimented for large-scale delivery. This paper examines various advantages and disadvantages related to this new development and looks for a feasible solution in the process. It discusses how modern technology can be blended with ODL and the Face to Face (F2F) systems for deriving the optimum benefit out of it. While there have been some amount of works going on in this direction, yet the thrust has become serious only now. It can only be hoped that it shall sustain till achieving a satisfactory result in future.
Global Media Journal (Indian Edition) , 2020
Assamese cinema is about to attain nine long decades of its existence with a lot of promises whil... more Assamese cinema is about to attain nine long decades of its existence with a lot of promises while leaving a rich legacy on the way. Like any other film industry anywhere in the world, it has also seen good and bad times on the way. But it has learnt to take all of them in its stride and move ahead in a robust manner. Today, Assamese cinema has climbed new heights of glory acquiring even global accolades in addition to being already recognized as an entity to be taken seriously in the national domain as well. This long journey would not have been possible without ample contribution from generations of filmmakers, directors who did care enough to take the challenge of presenting good cinema to the society from time-to-time. Being a regional language cinema industry with comparatively lesser number of audiences till date, it has been able to achieve for itself a respectful position in the world of Indian cinema. And thereby contributing invaluable contents to the overall cinema movement of the country and also the world. This paper is an effort to trace the journey of Assamese films from its humble beginning to the present day era. And also examine the various milestones of the meaningful development to an established brand making its presence felt in a comfortable manner against all odds. So, Assamese cinema seems to have come of age.
Global Media Journal (Indian Edition) , 2020
Film or cinema has always been a powerful medium that can be adapted to various situations of the... more Film or cinema has always been a powerful medium that can be adapted to various situations of the human societies anywhere in the world whenever necessary. It also possesses a huge potential in making a point felt meaningfully by the human beings if properly disseminated. Presently, with the outbreak of the COVID19 pandemic situation, thinkers and activists from the field of communication and media need to seriously brainstorm about the most effective means of communicating messages of health and risk communication. Specially the medium of cinema as it has not been utilized to the optimum for achieving the desired goal. Cinema that includes feature films and documentaries have been used on experimental basis by a very few film makers for this purpose. However, films on different kinds of diseases and health risks have been usually produced more for commercial gains not necessarily orienting them from the perspective of our discussion. It is high time a serious, coordinated effort needs to be pushed forward for taking advantage of the medium for facilitating health and risk communication in a far convenient and effective manner than it has been till date. There is more than enough scope for presenting issues in these two fields as a fully-prepared package for the public which would go deep down their mindset and convert them to empowered active citizens. This shall help them in adopting the suggestions and hints and thereby improving their standard of living. This paper makes an attempt at examining the issues and challenges on the path towards achieving the same.