Dr. Bhargavi D Hemmige - Chair

She is the chair at Radio Active CR 90.4 MHz and Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at Center for Management Studies, Jain (Deemed-to-be-University) having over 14 years of experience in teaching and research. She has also been working with NGOs and stayed associated with the government of Karnataka. One of her note-worthy engagements is being the media-co-ordinator to the Bengaluru-San Francisco sister city initiative where she closely worked with the Mayor of San Francisco, angel investors, and the government of Karnataka. She has also served as a ‘Syndicate Member’ to the University of Mangalore. Career Summary She has been inspired by Gandhi and her father-in-law, who has been a freedom fighter. She believes in the soft power of social media to make a difference, at the same time, being concerned about the challenges they bring in. She is a founder member of a society for visually challenged students in Mysuru and has been instrumental in setting up a scribe bank for them. She is passionate about gender equality, environment, and climate change, and grassroots media, particularly, community radio. She has completed funded projects on Social Media and Adolescents, Community Radio and has been working on a ‘Tribal Education Project’ and ‘Juvenile Home Project’. She believes that Journalism education can be successfully imparted only when the students are exposed to social realities. The focus needs to be on developing critical thinking and learning to make ethical judgments.