Veteran IAWRT Chapter India member, Dr Padmaja Shaw, has instituted a fellowship in IAWRT Chapter India henceforth titled the IAWRT-Shaw Memorial Fellowship in memory of her late husband Rajendra Shaw. Shaw was an alumni of India's eminent film school - the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune (1975 batch) and a firm believer in affirmative action.
The award has been instituted on October 26 - on Rajendra Shaw's birthday.
Rajendra Shaw worked his entire professional life in social sector organizations making communication materials, teaching and training people in visual and text documentation. He also mentored young people in photography,videography and video editing, in addition to writing in clear and simple language for text documentation.
"I wanted the scholarship in my late husband's memory to continue this in some way, by helping a Dalit girl student get formal training in film-making techniques through any available/willing institute (state-run, commercial or colleges run by mission schools to ensure that the student gets through and does come out with a portfolio that opens doors for meaningful work" Dr Padmaja observed.
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| Padmaja Shaw |
Padmaja has donated INR 5 lakhs (USD 7142) to the IAWRT corpus . While the principal amount will remain untouched , the interest accrued every two years on this will be used towards a fellowship of an Scheduled Caste /Scheduled Tribe candidate studying media/communications/film. It will be in the form of an award so that for the student it becomes a matter of pride and accomplishment.
There will be an innovative selection process and a two-member committee with Padmaja and one other IAWRT member will select the person for the award bi-annually. The Board is finalising the selection of the institute through which the fellowship will be instituted.
