Venue: Media Screening Room, Media Building, Keele University, ST5 5BG, UK
‘Storytelling for Environmental Change’ (pollutionstories.org) and Keele Institute for Sustainable Futures invite you to a screening and roundtable examining environmental storytelling. The event will involve screening of three exciting new short documentaries presenting marginalised voices and overlooked perspectives on the urgent issue of air pollution in New Delhi. This will be followed by a roundtable examining the theme of ‘Environmental Storytelling for Just Transitions’ from the perspective of different disciplines and stakeholders. The roundtable will include contributions from Dr Ksenija Kuzmina (Loughborough University), Dr Ben Anderson (Keele University) and other expert practitioners.
The ‘Storytelling for Environmental Change’ project is led by Dr Pawas Bisht (Keele University, UK) and includes Dr Eva Giraud (University of Sheffield, UK), Dr Sabina Kidwai and Dr Sudeshna Devi (Jamia Millia Islamia, India).
The project is funded by the British Academy’s Humanities and Social Sciences’ Tackling Global Challenges Programme, supported under the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund.
AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, JMI organized a one-day screening of three films on the subject of air pollution, ‘Delhi 2.5’, ‘City Moves’ and ‘More than Just Smoke: Stubble- The Farmers’ Dilemma’ at the FTK-CIT Conference Hall on 14th September 2023. The films have been produced as part of ‘Storytelling for Environmental Change’, a collaborative project of AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, JMI and Keele University (UK), funded by the British Academy’s Humanities and Social Sciences’ Tackling Global Challenges Programme, supported under the UK Governments’ Global Challenges Research Fund. The project aims to develop new stories about the air pollution crisis in New Delhi which foreground voices and perspectives that have been absent from mainstream media narratives. The project team which includes Dr Pawas Bisht (Keele University), Dr Sabina Kidwai (JMI), Dr Eva Giraud (University of Sheffield) and Dr Sudeshna Devi (JMI), have functioned as the supervising producers for the films.
The film ‘Delhi 2.5’ by filmmakers Amit Bose and Siddharth Subramanian focuses on health of Delhi’s children and the menace of air pollution in a city that sees just a handful of good air days in a year. The film works with citizens, concerned mothers and youngsters to communicate their experiences, concerns and activism in relation to air pollution.
The film ‘City Moves’ by filmmakers Asna Jamal and Avikal Parashari looks at the issue of air pollution through the lens of mobility justice. It explores non-motorised transport as the sustainable solution for tackling air pollution in Delhi. The film documents how access to the city is embedded in the segregated spatial reality of Delhi.
The film ‘More Than Just Smoke: Stubble- The Farmer’s Dilemma’ by Shaz Syed looks at the issue of stubble burning in the state of Punjab. It shifts perspective from mainstream news headlines to the vast agricultural expanse of Punjab and to its farmers. It takes a small region as an example to reflect upon how farmers are caught in a web of agricultural policies that have over the years led to a steep decline in farming practices which have in turn adversely affected the land’s ecology and environment. The film screening was attended by guests from civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, filmmakers, faculty and students from AJK Mass Communication Research Centre and Department of Environmental Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia. The screenings were followed by engaging discussions among the filmmakers, the research team, and the audience. The films will soon be made available for public viewing on the project website <www. pollutionstories.org>.
We are very pleased to announce that Delhi 2.5, one of three films produced as part of our project, will have its UK premiere at ‘The British Academy Summer Showcase 2023’ in London. The film examines the devastating health impacts of air pollution in New Delhi, foregrounding the experiences of the city’s younger generation. It has been produced by Amit Bose and Siddharth Subramanian (https://www.metromedia.works/) with the ‘Storytelling for Environmental Change’ project team, Dr Pawas Bisht (Keele; PI), Dr Sabina Kidwai (Jamia Millia Islamia; CoI), Dr Eva Giraud (Sheffield; CoI) and Dr Sudeshna Devi (Research Assistant) acting as supervising producers.
Dr Pawas Bisht, will also be contributing to a panel on ‘How Art Helps Us Envision the Climate Crisis‘ alongside artist Emma Stibbon as part of the showcase launch on 15 June 2023. The panel will be chaired by Prof Julia Black, President of the British Academy.
Air Pollution in Delhi: Confronting Challenges and Telling New Stories
(22nd– 23rd August, 2022)
Venue: Media Resource Centre, AJKMCRC
Registration for Participants (9.00 AM -9.45 AM) 22nd August 2022
Session I: Confronting Challenges: Interventions by Environmental Organizations
Date & Time: 22nd August Morning (Offline) 10.00 AM-1.00 PM
Chair- Dr Sabina Kidwai
Sl.No.
Name
Designation& Organization
Time
Topic
Prof Shohini Ghosh
Dr Pawas Bisht
Officiating Director
Principal Investigator, Keele University
10.00 AM
Welcomes the participants
Introduction to the project
Tea 10.30 to 10.45
Shambhavi Shukla
Program Manager, Center for Science and Environment
11.00 AM
CSE’s work on Air Pollution with Special Emphasis on Vehicular Emissions
Shruti Sinha
Manager, Policy & Outreach,Chintan Environmental Research & Action Group
11.30 AM
Importance of Waste Management in Tackling Air Pollution
Dr. R. Suresh
Senior Fellow & Area Convenor, Center for Environmental Studies, The Energy Research Institute (TERI)
12.00 PM
Nature & Impact of Air Pollution Emanating from Rural Areas of Delhi NCR Region and TERI’s Interventions on it
Nimish Singh
Associate Fellow, Earth Science and Climate Division, The Energy Research Institute (TERI)
12.30 PM
Impact of Stubble Burning on Air Quality in Delhi and TERI’s Interventions on it
Lunch 1.00pm to 2.00pm Nehru Guest House
Session II: Confronting Challenges: Understanding Policy and Regulation
Date and Time: 22nd August Afternoon (Online) 2.30 PM-5.00PM (Arrangements will be made for offline participants to attend the online lectures at AJKMCRC)
Chair: Dr Eva Giraud
Sl.No.
Name
Designation &Organization
Time
Topic
1.
Prof. Awadhendra Sharan
Director and Professor,Center for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)
2.30 PM
Historical Context of Regulatory Policies on Air Pollution in Delhi
2.
Nandikesh Sivalingam
Director, Center for Research on Energy & Clean Air (CREA)
3.00 PM
CREA’s Interventions to Tackle Air Pollution
3..
Prof. S.N. Tripathi
Coordinator of the National Knowledge Network, formed under the National Clean Air Program and an Expert Member of Steering Committee and Monitoring Committee, National Clean Air Program
3.30 PM
Role of National Clean Air Program (NCAP) in Tackling Air Pollution
4..
Dr. Sarath Guttikunda
Director, Urban Emissions Info
4.00 PM
Urban Emissions Info’s Role in Data Generation on Air Pollution
5..
Satish Sinha
Associate Director, Toxics Link
4.30 PM
Waste and Impact on Air Quality
Tea will be served directly to the participants at 4.00pm
Session III: Storytelling for Environmental Change: I
Date and Time: 23rd August Morning (Offline) 10.30 AM- 1.00 PM
Chair: Dr Pawas Bisht
Sl.No.
Name
Designation &Organization
Time
Topic
1.
Dr. Pragati Paul
Senior Assistant Professor AJK MCRC
10.30 AM
Designing and Executing Campaigns for Creating Awareness to Tackle Air Pollution
2..
Sharad Gaur
Environmentalist
11.00 AM
Improving Waste Management through Citizen & Corporate Participation
Tea 11.30 to 11.45
3..
Joydeep Gupta
South Asia Director, Third Pole
12.00 PM
Reporting on Environment Stories
4..
Sohail Akbar
Associate Professor, AJK MCRC
12.30 PM
Air Pollution & Photographing Avian Fauna
Lunch 1.00pm to 2.00pm Nehru Guest House
Session IV: Storytelling for Environmental Change-II
Date and Time: 23rd August Afternoon (Online) 2.30 PM-5.00 PM (Arrangements will be made for offline participants to attend the online lecture at AJKMCRC)
Chair: Dr Sudeshna Devi
Sl.No.
Name
Designation & Organization
Time
Topic
1,.
Rajiv Khurana
Founder Trustee, Lung Care Foundation
2.30 PM
Impact of Air Pollution of Health & Well Being
2,.
Aesha Datta
Environmental Journalist
3.00 PM
Environment Beat in Indian Media with special emphasis on Reporting on Air Pollution
3.
Gautam Pandey
Director Riverbank Studios and Vice President Documentaries at International Forum of Motion Picture Producers
3.30 PM
Wildlife Filmmaking and Working on Air Pollution
4..
Shirish Khare
Independent Journalist and Writer
4.00PM
Environmental Storytelling: Experiences from the Margins
Tea will be served directly to the participants at 4.00pm
Note: Google Meet links will be sent for the online sessions
Call for filmmakers based in India and New Delhi as part of our ‘Pollution Stories’ project (pollutionstories.org) Looking for new voices and stories on air pollution in New Delhi. 20th July deadline. Apply now! #AirPollution#environment#storytelling
Recruiting New Delhi-based RA for Environmental Storytelling Project (16 months; full-time). Application deadline: 25 May 2022. Role is envisaged for Indian nationals.
We are pleased to announce that we are actively recruiting for a full-time ‘Research Assistant’ for “Storytelling for Environmental Change: Tackling Air Pollution in the World’s Most Polluted City” (www.pollutionstories.org) funded by the British Academy’s Humanities and Social Sciences’ Tackling Global Challenges Programme, supported under the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund.
The position will be based in New Delhi at our partner institution AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. The role is for 16 months and will involve assisting the project team (Bisht, Giraud & Kidwai) in the delivery of all aspects of the planned programme (profiles of project team and programme of work are available on project website).
The role would a great fit for Media or Social Sciences post-graduates with a keen interest in the field of creative environmental communications. It should be a great opportunity to work with an international team on an innovative project. The role holder would have the opportunity of deepening their reserach and creative communications skillls and participate in dissemination activity in India and the UK.
The project team (Bisht, Giraud, and Kidwai) alongwith community partners B Arts delivered an activity series titled ‘Environmental Storytelling Between Stoke-on-Trent and New Delhi’ at the 2021 Being Human Festival (UK’s national festival of the Humanities; led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership by the AHRC and the British Academy). The activity has been showcased as a model of best practice in public engagement by the festival organisers and Dr Pawas Bisht was invited to share his experience and knowledge at an online webinar for 2022 applicants: https://beinghumanfestival.org/get-involved/applying-being-human-2022
Bisht spoke about the value pf public engagement work, the significance of choosing the right community partners, and ways of engaging audiences and enabling participatory dialogue. A recording of the event can be viewed here:
We are delighted to share the news that two student films produced as part of the activities for the project were screened at the 4th Rain International Nature Film Festival (11-12 March 2022, CMS College, Kottayam, Kerala, India). ‘Latent City (Feeding Without Footprint)’ by Avikal and Pankaj and ‘The Giant Towers’ by Heena and Monazza’ were selected as part of the competition for student films. The filmmakers are students of the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI). The films were produced as part of a short course on ‘Storytelling for Environmental Change: Tackling Air Pollution’ offered to MA students at JMI; it was led by Dr Sabina Kidwai (Co-I) and supported by Dr Pawas Bisht (PI) and Dr Eva Giraud (Co-I). Congratulations to the filmmakers!
Pollution Stories 