June 24, 2011
School of Communication, Coimbatore
 

This well known Indian media personality gained acclaim for her historic frontline coverage of the 1999 Kargil War. In-depth reporting of the Kashmir, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts, the 2004 tsunami and the 2008 Mumbai attacks made her one of India’s foremost broadcast journalists.
 

An eminent journalist like Barkha Dutt was not made in a day, she studied for it.
 

After graduating with a BA, she got her MA in journalism, worked at NDTV, and went on to study at Columbia University where she gained international experience in journalism and another master’s degree.
 

Like Dutt, Gaurango Banerjee, who recently graduated with a BA in Mass Communication from Amrita’s School of Communication, will also venture oversees to gain international exposure in journalism.
 

This fall, Banerjee will join UK’s University of Chester to pursue a Master’s in Television Production. Chester’s Connect and Create Partnership with the BBC is among its many programs that help prepare students for a career in the television industry.
 

Explaining how his education at Amrita was a stepping stone to his venturing abroad, Banerjee said, “The training I received at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has been very useful for me. The exposure that I received here helped me a lot. I look forward to utilizing it in my future endeavors.”
 

When asked what course of study he will pursue at Chester, he replied, “I am planning to focus on broadcast journalism.”
 

Banerjee takes with him considerable journalistic experience. He has written and published several articles on a wide variety of topics like the environment, fuel efficient vehicles, the recession and the auto industry, and the irregularities of auto registration practices in India. His interest in autos also led to research projects that deepened his knowledge of fuel efficient systems.
 

Banerjee’s next academic endeavor at the University of Chester will take him one step closer to a career in broadcast journalism.
 

Raja Lakshmi, another Amrita student who broadened her knowledge oversees, recently returned from the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque in the US. Having participated in Amrita’s student exchange program, she was able to complete the final semester of her BA program in Mass Communication at the US university.
 

Students like Raja Lakshmi benefit from educational opportunities abroad through university exchange programs offered by Amrita. Others like Gaurango Banerjee choose to enroll at international universities after completing their studies at Amrita. Both take advantage of the opportunity provided to gain additional knowledge that will enhance their potential in their chosen fields.
 

Amrita congratulates both Gaurango Banerjee and Raja Lakshmi for their achievements and enterprise.