Light & Life Academy is the first and only Professional Photography Institute in India situated on a picturesque mountain-top in Nilgiris, in Tamil Nadu, supported by the industry.

This Photography College offers a full- time One-Year PG Diploma in Professional Photography with options to study various areas of specialisation like Portrait photography, Fashion photography, Architecture & Interiors photography, Travel photography, Nature photography and Fine art Photography and a 100 Day photojournalism programme. Besides, this Photography Institute also offers Short Duration Photography Workshops.

Founded by one of India's leading advertising photographers, Iqbal Mohamed, the Light & Life Academy aims at teaching the art & science of photography in a holistic fashion, with equal emphasis on aesthetics and techniques.

PICTURE - CAMPUS AT OOTY
VISIT http://www.llacademy.org

-News dated- 11 Jan,21010-The New Indian Express-
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Watch out Photographers, Elephants on the rampage again. Click on attachment for reading the news item
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An elephant killing a mahout in kochi city-click on picture to enlarge
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KILLING SPREE BY ELEPHANTS ON THE RISE.

Domesticated elephants have been steadily turning against their mahouts in an unprecedented increase of violence by elephants in the southern state of India,Kerala known all over the world as ‘gods own country’ for its scenic beauty and culture. Three mahouts had been brutally killed by their wards in the past few years all watched by horrified bystanders. The area also witnessed another ‘first’ when a domesticated elephant was poisoned and killed right in the heart of the city by poachers but failed to get hold of the tusks.


The state boasts of a large number of domesticated elephants being used for temple festivals as a part of a religious tradition. Temple festivals in kerala start from December to April each year. The larger the number of elephants in a temple festival, the more accolades the organising committee commands. A jumbo can fetch between RS 2500 to RS 25,000( Indian Rupees-approximately 52 to 520 US dollars) per day.

Improper management of pachyderms, torture and adverse
climatic conditions provoke the animals to go wild opined veterinary experts. They stress that elephants should be confined to a place during the months of January and February when the pachyderms are in ‘musth’. A natural phenomenon in which the elephants have a secretion from the area just in between the eye and the ear. The period demands total rest, cooling down and proper food for the elephants.
?eMusth’ is characterized by aggressive behavior and heightened sexual activity. Elephants are often chained and prevented from having sex during the period. Ill treatment and torture of elephants by mahouts also contribute to the animals turning wild and uncontrollable as most of the mahouts are drunkards and fail miserably in handling the animal. Majority of the mahouts hail from very poor families and are forced into the job out of poverty. They start as trainees to senior mahouts and in a matter of years step into the shoes of the seniors.

December2,2002. ‘Narayanan’ a mahout is killed by his mahout while taking part in a temple procession near kochin.
December2,2003. Ravipuram Govindan a temple elephant kill his mahout ‘gopalakrishnan’ 50 after the elephant suddenly attacked him in the heart of kochin city. The elephant and mahout was on their way to a nearby temple to attend a festival. The reason for the attack was again attributed to ‘musth’ symptoms and the elephant was made to walk for kilometers on a terribly hot day. For hours the elephant swung his mahout like a toy. Finally a vet swung into action and tranquilized him.

10days later on Feb 2,2003 the same vet had to subdue another irate elephant called ‘mohanan’ but the pachyderm had in the mele killed second keeper’ thankachan’ who was
shaken off the elephant stamped and dangled around until he was rescued by some brave onlookers but he too succumbed
to injuries. The elephant here had no ‘musth’ symptoms but was hit by a speeding vehicle and injured but he also had a history of being wild and had already killed his first keeper one year back.

The elephant lovers association has come down heavily upon the administration, the wild life department and police for their inaction when it comes to curbing the torture meted out to elephants and illegal trade and transport of tusks. What happened in the city was the result of callous negligence on the part of authorities as proper guidelines were not followed, they alleged. The elephant welfare association-EWA- affiliated to the animal welfare board of India has also expressed deep concern over the merciless treatment being meted out to the elephants in musth by the mahouts and has also pointed an accusing finger at the vets who handle the situation. The tuskers come under the schedule1 of the wildlife protection act of 1972.Domesticated elephants come under the perview of the prevention of cruelty to animals act of 1960.
An official who refused to speak points at the alarming sex ration in the state where as per the elephants census there is only one male left per hundred females.

With allegations flying back and forth the pachyderms are still being paraded for festivals and made to walk on hot Sunday afternoons.
Prepared by EVS

Institutions Offering Courses on Journalism and Photography in India

· Amity School of Journalism & Communication, Saket, New Delhi-110024.

- Light and Life academy- OOTY- Tamilnadu
(many members of the photojournalists forum
had been trained here)

· Amrit College, Railway Colony, Poojappura, Trivandrum-695012.

· Asian College of Journalism, Kasturi Centre, 2-Anna Salai, Chennai-2.

· Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan units at Trivandrum, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kochi, Kozhikode and other cities of India.

· Bhavan's Institute of Communi cation & Management, Andheri West, Mumbai-400058

· Bhavan's PDN, College of Communication and Manage ment, Somani College, Chowpatty, Mumbai - 400007

· Biju Patnaik Film & Television Institute, Bhubaneswar. Centre for Convergence Media Studies (Kerala University), Senate House ' campus, Trivandrum-695034.

· Centre for Development of Imaging Technology, Chitranjali Studio Complex, Thiruvallom, Trivandrum-695027.

· DCSMAT Media School, Kinfra Film and Video Park, Kazhakkoottam, Trivandrum.

· Film & Television Institute of India, Pune.

· Garware Institute of Career Education & Develop-ment, Vidyanagri, Kalina Campus, Santa Cruz (East) Mumbai-400098

· HLM Film & Media School, 3 institutional area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

· Indian Centre for Media and Communication, Agrasen Campus, S. No. 239/2, Yera-wada, Pune-411 006.

· Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, JNU Campus, New Delhi-110067.

· Indian Television Training Institute, C-41 Gulmohar Park, New Delhi 110049.

· Institute for Integrated Learning in Management, Lodhi Institu tional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003

· Jaipuria Institute, Lucknow and Noida.

· Manipal Institute of Communi cation, Old Tile Factory Road, Press Corner, Manipal-576104.

· Mother Teresa Institute of Communication and E-journalism, TC 16/138 EVRA-29, Cotton Hill, Trivandrum-695014

· Pioneer Media School, 6, Toder Mai lane, Bengali Market, New Delhi-110001.

· Ranade Institute, Fergusson College Road, Pune-411004

· School of Convergence, 208 A, Savitri Nagar, New Delhi-110017.

· Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute, EM Bypass Road, Kolkata

· The Manorama School of Communication, P. B. No. 229, Kottayam-686001.

· Rai Media Lab, B-ll/58, MCIE, Mathura Road, New Delhi- 110044.

· School of Broadcasting and Communication, 108, Building, 4, Kamdhenu Center, Lokhand- wala Complex, Andheri (West), Mumbai-400053.

· School of Communication and Management Studies, Management House, South Kalamassery, Kochi-682033.

· Sri Aurobindo Institute of Mass Communication, Sri Aurobindo Marg, Near NT, New
Delhi-110016.

· St Xavier's Institute of Communication, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai-400001.

· Times Centre for Media Studies, 10-Daryaganj, New Delhi-110023.

· National Institute of Social Communications, Research and Training, A-2, Sector-1,
Vaishali, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh-201012.

· Symbiosis Institute of Communication, Pune-411004

· YMCA, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi.

KV Thomas- Central Minister for fisheries signs the visitors book.

Wife of late Jayakrishnan in whose name the photography award has been named speaks to the convener at the gallery

Veteran Journalist NN satyavrithanan signs the visitors gallery

As of today thousands of enthusiasts have visited the Durbar Hall Art gallery to watch the Portfolio 2010 news photo exhition. We have received very positive response from the public. VVIPs who visited the gallery during the days are actor Manoj K Jayan, Central Minister KV Thomas,District Collector M Beena, Lakme Model Rajeev Pillai, VHP leader Kummanan Rajashekaran, Two esteemed Judges from the Kerala and Karnataka High Courts.

Portfolio 2010 was inaugurated today(27Dec,2009) at Durbar Hall Art gallery by the Honorable Union Minister for Overseas affairs Vayalar Ravi at a grand function . Navy queen 2009 Dilruba Pandy, K Babu MLA, Ernakulam Press club President Sudhakaran and
Veteran Journalist N N Satyavrithanan attended the opening ceremony.
Hundreds of people attended the inaugural function and there was a large crowd to watch the exhibition at the hall.
Heavy rains prevented the slide show.
The exhibition is open from Dec 27 till January 2010.

High point of 'Portfolio 2010' Photo exhibition was the Honoring function of Veteran Journalist NN Satyavrithanan. He was Honored by the Forum for his outstanding service to journalism in the state of kerala.

The venue of the 2010 Portfolio photo exhibition. Durbar Hall in the heart of Kochi has always been the venue for the forums exhibitions all through the years.

CK JAYAKRISHNAN AWARD

MERIT AWARD

CERTIFICATE

LATE SHRI CK JAYAKRISHNAN

FIRST PRIZE -
SASHIKUMAR PATTUVAM
FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
KANNUR DISTRICT IN KERALA-