The neutrons & protons of the department

           It’s been almost 6 month since I have joined this course (MAPR (Masters in Public Relations))& let me tell you that it has been the one of the best days of my life. The entire journey of giving the entrance exam at MAPR (Masters in Public Relations), then the personal interview & finally hitting the jackpot has been the best thing that has happen to me in my life. I have been obliged to be under the guidance of professors at MAPR (Masters in Public Relations)like Ms. Meenakshi Upadhyay & Our very own ‘DCP’, the ever smiling Mona Lisa Ms.Daivata Chavan Patil.

          Then you have some teachers at MAPR (Masters in Public Relations)who make you feel as if ‘Gabbar’ was his/her cousin because the moment they enter the class room you hear that same old background score which was used for ‘Gabbar’ & then at one point you feel as if the teacher  at MAPR (Masters in Public Relations) will ask you,’ Abey Oye Kaliya Ab Tera Kya Hoga Re’…. & finally your dream bubbles burst out& you realize it was just another night mare? This one is Ms. Reena Sharma who is now one of my favorite teachers at the University. Then Ms. Jayshree Ma’am whose smile is always questioned? Why because you can never make out what is that smile for. Is she thinking?  If yes then what? Is she planning another nuclear type assignment for us? If no then what is cooking in her deadly brains? Well by the time you try to solve this Da-Vin-Chi code the lecture is already over…The support staff is very friendly & the only time you hate them is when they tell you that you have been charged with late fees for submitting your fee 10 days after the due date. Then we have our so called seniors & let me tell you they have set a high bench mark for us, except in studies at MAPR (Masters in Public Relations)

Last but not the least is your classmates. If god forbidden you don’t have samples in your class then your 2 years is a just a waste of time & money because there is nothing to learn from a class whose students are not maniac & mad over department (M.O.D).I am lucky enough to have such good & talented classmates with me. Yes it’s a different thing all together that their performance is worse every time they set out to perform & that encourages some shameless people like me to come late too & waste time & don’t submit projects on time & give a list of excuses, exclusively for MAPR (Masters in Public Relations) students for free, free, free… So I hope now you understood what is the U.S.P of MAPR (Masters in Public Relations)? If you didn’t understand read it once more.

Time machine

                                  If you want to make god laugh, just tell him your future plans'. Similarly it has never been easy for me to predict my future ever as I have always got something unexpected & out of the blue. The advent of MAPR (Masters in Public Relations) in my life has set open new & exciting gates for me in my life. The field that I have chosen is said to be the next rising power in the world after the Nazis… But the question arises, where do I see myself 2 years down the line? 

                      ‘The one who goes through the journey of MAPR (Masters in Public Relations), is only promising to those who have what it takes to be the best in the field', quoted Meenakshi ma'am, a professor at the department of communication & journalism. Well that's true because it's Masters & it's not a piece of cake but at the same time it's not even rocket science. I don't want to waste words by telling you ‘my prediction' about ‘my future' but what I can do is tell you what this course has given me till date & what it promises to. Being a part of this course makes you understand the market more in detail, how brands use PR as tool to overcome crises situation & how journalist enjoy the press releases & press conferences. The way you pitch your PR ideas to the client & how creative can you be in your presentation is totally your cup of tea, because it finally depends upon the fact how much you desire to fill it. The best part about PR is the campaigns. There are no limits as far as the creative aspect goes in a PR campaign. It's more of a 360 degree approach where we try to cover all that aspect that pulls the target audience towards the brand. So at the end of the MAPR (Masters in Public Relations) course one will realize that he has now not mastered the art but made him realize that practice will make him a Kung Fu Panda for sure.

   

In the near future when we finally withheld the Master's Degree in our hands that will be the point where you will feel the need to learn more & excel more because there is no point in life where one will ever get satisfied & the hunger to learn will motivate him to push himself harder & harder till he gives up.

MAPR… Yehi Hai Right Choice Baby aha…

            The course MAPR (Masters in Public Relations) on the whole offers a lot than it promises. Why? It’s because of the people that comprise of  MAPR (Masters in Public Relations)  .The professors who live every day only to figure out what different can we do tomorrow. What factors can we add to this course to increase its popularity & it’s USP among people & what could they do to encourage student s to have the courage & the willingness to do something different in their lives. Every day is like a new day at the MAPR (Masters in Public Relations) department of journalism & communication where professors sit together & ideate about tomorrow & think how can they push the students beyond their comfort level & excel in the world which is waiting for it desperately.

            Then comes the roots of the department the students… the best thing that I have seen about this department is that till date you will find the Ex-Students of MAPR (Masters in Public Relations) coming in & sharing their experiences & how things were at their time & how it Is now & what difficulty they had to face & how it has become more flexible & more interesting. Well we still have some who come in as guest lecturer as well & the entire class session becomes more interactive because they are teacher cum student so the whole experience is just amazing & super fun only at MAPR (Masters in Public Relations). Then it’s the existing students that is the seniors & the juniors & the fun we have is just mind blasting & together we enjoy like nothing ever before. All thanks to us since we allow our seniors to enjoy our company…Joking. But as time passes by everything become tougher & thus there is always a need to excel & improve just like Apple products which keeps stretching the imagination of its customers & gives more than what one ever expected. So at MAPR (Masters in Public Relations) all that change we need is to let the bar of performance reach new heights & set new records every time a new group comes in & let the world know about the MAPRites MAPR (Masters in Public Relations)…Every year old student’s leaves & new comers come in but the tradition of the departments stays forever & ever…Thus it’s the students & the culture that we practice at the department that makes all the difference & the tradition will keep getting carry forward by individuals & performance wise we will always keep setting in new bars & take upon new challenges at MAPR (Masters in Public Relations).

The 3 Musketeers of the Department

            The Department of Communication & Journalism offers 3 courses…Masters in Public Relation, Masters In Communication & Journalism & Masters in Electronic Media. These courses are run in the administration of 3 people. Ms.Meenakshi Upadhyay, Mr.Sanjay Ranade & Mr.Mangesh Karandikar. These 3 people have taken complete charge of this course & let me tell you the problems & accusation & allegation they have faced & the storms they have faced, still they are able to sail across calmly & without any hiccups.

            I would like to call them The 3 musketeers of the department. We start with meenakshi ma’am. Well she is awesome as an individual & a Rock star as a professor. The cool iced customer who never loses its temperament so easily & instead of wasting time thinking about the loss she focuses on the next fight & starts analyzing from the word Go. She is currently pursuing her P.H.D degree & is buzzy with her thesis but still she finds out time to check who is attending college & who is not & always there for students to share their personal problems with her & how beautifully she comes up with answers & solutions to it. The best part about her is that she is able to understand every individual on a personal level & the connection she creates with everyone is just speechless & no one can ever beat her in that. I personally look up to her to take more encouragement & confidence. She is a perfect role model for all those who wish to excel in life & perform better at the professional level.

‘With great power comes great responsibility’, this quote goes for the next person we are going to talk about.Mr.Sanjay Ranade cum Ra.1 cum Rajnikant of the department. He is an absolute dude who is a cool as a cucumber & a style icon which is very rare in the Mumbai University where you see more of modesty coming out of their shirts & a jungle on the head which is never taken care of. Last but not the least is Mr.Mangesh Karandikar. He is a person who believes only in performance & less in words, Bole toh ‘No’ Bol Bacchan & only performance. He is always there to support students for any initiative the students plan to take no matter it’s a festival celebration or events. Thus I feel these are the pillars of our department without whom this wouldn’t have been possible, besides there are many more who we can talk about but even if you ask them the same question you will get the same answer.

The Duel of Life

            My experience in P.R has been a great one. Beginning from the Interview till today. It was like I’m in  a game wherein I had to cross all the levels with my ability to get into P.R and the difficulty increased at each level, I was quite confident that ill crack all the levels! The game began, Level one: My entrance test was good and I had performed well. Level two: group discussion, my performance was appreciated by everyone present out there, and that helped me increase my confidence level. Then was the final level, Level three: Personal interview, wherein I had a personal one on one session with the boss of the department...There were questions thrown on me on contemporary issues and how will I balance between my job in MTV and the course..But I was able to deal with them strongly...And the final question was why did I choose P.R? I was able to justify myself by telling them that I’m here to fulfill my hunger & thirst, that is to excel individually.

            And yes I had crossed all the levels and now what was left was the result! The question that was raised in my mind was will my hard work be paid? Will I get what I deserve??? And the result was announced...Yes, I was a part of the lucky 20...I had won the game! I had successfully defeated almost 120 students in each level and was among the top 20 winners. I still cherish this moment of my life! But amongst all this happiness, there was a little part of me which was still alone...Not happy...This little part had gone through one of the toughest times of his life...This little part was hesitant and nervous on the first day of his lectures. But whatever happened on that day was unexpected...The professors’ were welcoming...The seniors were guiding us...Do this don’t do that and all! The interaction amongst everyone was commendable! Staying in the university till late evenings with friends doing projects and presentations was one of the best times I had with them. All these beautiful experience helped that little part of mine to Smile...To breathe again! This wouldn’t have happened without all of them. Then came the class presentations for which I was appreciated a lot and my professor had invited my group for adinner! Yes, I was feeling lucky! Then came the I.V trip to Kerala...I had not been out for a trip since ages...So was super excited for a learning and thrilling experience!  I did learn a lot...saw new things...New things? Different pictures of everyone .hmm…Let’s not mention it...Let it be a secret!! Now after all this fun...Waiting for my results which will be out pretty soon...I’m sure it will be turn out to be another success for me!  And a stepping stone for my great future!