Media literacy a must for the new generation: Somnath Sen

Indore: With the increasing involvement of digital and social media in people’s lives shaping thoughts of the new generation, there is a necessity to inculcate media literacy among youngsters in schools, said noted filmmaker Somnath Sen, who interacted with TOI during his visit to Indore. Having entered academics after directing some alternative films and serials based on works by literary authors, Sen is in the city to conduct a two-day workshop on filmmaking, organised by Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

Sen said youngsters nowadays consume digital content throughout the time that they are awake. “It is necessary to make them understand and assess information being supplied to them. They should understand the difference between rumours and reality, various platforms of information dissemination ranging from facebook and twitter to personal messaging apps and blogs,” Sen said.

Working with Subhash Ghai’s institute in Mumbai, Sen has also played a role in creating a media literacy curriculum for Classes XI and XII under CBSE board. It is being run as an elective subject in around 4,000 schools across the country. However, the course has not yet been chosen by schools in Indore.

He also expressed his absolute intolerance towards censorship, as he believes that nothing should be censored at all. “If something offends a person, he should simply stop watching, reading or listening to that content. To prevent children from viewing such content, it is the parents’ or guardians’ responsibility to monitor their child,” Sen said.

Appreciating the success and fame achieved by Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone in Hollywood films, Sen said that all it takes is sheer effort, dedication and will power, as the US and Hollywood have always been open and accepting of worthy talent from around the world. However, for Indian films, Somnath said that it is the marketing and publicity which works wonders for every film no matter who made it or who acts in it.


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