IIMC Dhenkanal: An Introduction

IIMC Dhenkanal nestles in the rural and tribal hinterland of Central Odisha and has been at the forefront in imparting media education in the eastern region of the country. Both its English and Odia post-graduate diploma courses have been a big success.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India established the second campus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication in 1993 at Dhenkanal, Odisha, with the goal of teaching, training, and research in Journalism and Mass Communication. The institute is located about 80 km off Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha. IIMC Dhenkanal is connected by both rail and road (NH55).

Dr. Radhanath Rath, the former editor of the Odia daily "The Samaja," inaugurated IIMC Dhenkanal, and ever since then, the institute has lived up to its mission of offering a platform to teach, develop, and practice media learning across cultures. IIMC Dhenkanal has emerged as a ‘study destination’ for students from different parts of the country looking for quality media education and industry-standard training.

Since 1993, IIMC, Dhenkanal has produced around 2000 media professionals. Most of them are working in leading mainstream national and international media organizations as well as government establishments and NGOs, thereby demonstrating an outstanding student placement record. In fact, students from this Institute are in high demand in the media industry because they are more skilled and motivated to perform and excel. Many of IIMC’s alumni are working in the public relations and advertising domain as well. Some of them have started media units of their own, some have joined academics.

Courses

IIMC, Dhenkanal had its humble beginning with a regular PG Diploma Course in English Journalism with 40 seats from rented private accommodation. It relocated its campus in May of 2000. The 7.5-acre new campus, which is located in the valley of Paniohala hill (‘hanging water’ in Odia), commands a magnificent view.

A Post Graduate Diploma in Odia Journalism Course with 15 seats was introduced in 2001-2002 academic year in IIMC, Dhenkanal to cater to the needs of Odia media. It was the first time that a language journalism course, besides Hindi was launched by IIMC. The regional media industry has extended full cooperation in running the course. Editors and senior media professionals often visit the campus and interact with the students.  The students of the Institution have made their presence in the leading media organizations in Odisha. IIMC Dhenkanal currently has 68 and 25 seats respectively in its English and Odia Journalism PG program.

 Infrastructure

The institute has a library and a well-equipped computer lab, spacious classrooms, separate hostels for boys and girls, and a residential facility for faculty members. The institute’s infrastructure and the training program have improved immensely in the last decade. In fact, the institute has managed to raise the bar and keep up with the changing times through dynamic teaching and bringing in more industry experts to interact with the students for enhancing their understanding and providing exposure to the practical intricacies of the profession.

 Trainings and Short-Term Courses

 In addition to its two full-time P.G. Diploma programmes, IIMC Dhenkanal campus also offers short courses and training programs to a range of government and quasi-government organizations. It also conducts research for a variety of government and non-government agencies.

Publications

 IIMC, Dhenkanal has published two books in Odia and 26 monographs in English and Odia including ‘Agricultural Journalism’, ‘Peace Journalism’, ‘Jallianwala Bagh 101: Retrospect’, ‘Partition Films’, ‘Stress and PTSD’ and ‘Media in the time of Covid-19’.

Events

IIMC, Dhenkanal organizes an annual film-related event titled Filmi Chakkar and an annual visual story telling workshop titled Photographia. It organizes seminars/webinars and lectures on contemporary issues and workshops to hone skills related to journalism.

Academic Staffs

Prof. (Dr.) Mrinal Chatterjee, Regional Director: Prof. Mrinal Chatterjee is a journalist turned media academician. He is heading Eastern Indian campus of IIIMC since 2006. Prof. Chatterjee has written more than 20 books in the field of fiction and non-fiction.

 Dr. Jyoti Prakash Mohapatra, Assistant Professor: Dr. Mohapatra is journalist turned Media Academician. He has worked in different positions in both Print and Electronic Media and in couple of Projects with Odisha Government as Communication Specialist. He has written more than 10 research papers and attended several National and International Seminars and presented papers.

 Mr. Jitendra Pati, Academic Coordinator: Mr. Pati an MCA and Journalism degree holder, is an expert on Layout Design and Productions. 

Mr. Abhisek Roy- Academic Associate

Mr. Soumya Ranjan Bihara- Academic Assistant

Mr. Padmalochan Pradhan: Academic Assistant

Courses on offer:

PG Diploma in English Journalism

PG Diploma in Odia Journalism

CONTACT 

Prof. (Dr.) Mrinal Chatterjee

 : 06762-226194 to 197, Email: iimcdkl[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]in

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