Rethinking Bollywood

Writing studio presents
Bollywood and stereotypes
Rethinking Bollywood movies we love!!!!
Come together to Think, reflect and write.

Instructors- Devapreeta Jena, Dr Monal Desai

Date: 12th November 2022
Time: 10:30 am- 12:00 pm
Venue: Academic block 4-GF-112

This workshop offers a creative way to organise your thoughts around a Bollywood movie and write about it. Participants get to discuss popular Bollywood movies they have already watched but also at the same time write about the stereotypes they have probably encountered but turned a blind eye to them. This workshop will help to identify conflicts/stereotypes within Bollywood and to write about them creatively.

A) Participants choose one movie of their choice and identify the stereotype

B) Write about the stereotype in their own words

C) Exchange ideas with your fellow mates

Dissertation Bootcamp

This week-long program is executed with the aim to closely monitor, personally guide and acutely decipher the process of postgraduate students who are writing their dissertations. The tutors help them with any difficulties and writing barriers using various guiding tools and practical examples. This allows students to concentrate and commit themselves completely to writing their dissertation, which often comes across as a daunting project. The tutors provide a fresh perspective by breaking it down into core modules that are coherent and whole by themselves through a steady and gradual process rather than an exhausting, singular piece of labour. The bootcamp provides the right environment for writing without distractions, the guidance of writing experts and peer support to help students reach their writing goals. Two-hour sessions are conducted every day, starting with pep talks covering various topics such as writing different sections of the dissertation, structuring concise sentences, grammar and framing titles. It is followed by setting goals for the day and writing and discussion on their writing progress. The bootcamp helps them keep track of their writing and devise a writing strategy.

Project Isaac

During the nationwide lockdown (March-April 2020), the Writing Studio engaged students using two interventions. First was a daily review writing contest and second was a daily quiz and raffle. The objective was to stimulate meaningful engagement with the institute, encourage reading, and to keep the students’ spirit high during the trying times of social isolation.

Quarantine Reviews

This initiative consisted of a Facebook group where students were encouraged to post a review every day of a movie, TV show or book, or other media. The most popular and best of those posts were then given a daily prize. Daily engagement ranged from 5-15 posts per day, with a rolling set of 20 students making most of the posts. The initiative involved watching a TV show episode/movie/documentary/web series and writing a 300-500-word review of it. Prizes worth Rs. 100 were given to two winners each day. A weekly prize was awarded by the Writing Studio to the reviewer with the greatest social media engagement on Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheQuarantineReviewsIITGn

Write for Corona

It was a daily raffle that consisted of a google form with a short, easy quiz. Students were asked to fill it out, and 1 out of every 10 entries was randomly chosen to be the winner. A cash prize of Rs.200 per day was awarded to the winners. An online challenge in the form of a quiz based on current affairs or a poetry writing or reading challenge was presented each day and everyone that participated entered a raffle with one another.

The challenge was an awareness-driven and socially charged initiative which made students more cautious of the excess, irrelevant and false information abundantly available on the internet. It urged them to cut through the crud and to be more selective about what is factually credible to read, believe, share, and spread. Simultaneously, it also opened up the opportunity to practice how they communicate delicate information accurately, fairly, and in an accessible manner.

https://www.facebook.com/writeforcoronaiitgn

Friday Tea Time

Friday Tea Time was designed for students who found it difficult to practise English at home during the pandemic in 2020-2021. The meetings worked as a conversation club instead of a lecture course. Speaking activities took place in a comfortable environment, and students freely exchanged their thoughts, feelings, and current issues with Prof Jooyoung Kim.