VAKKOM MOULAVI
FOUNDATION TRUST

Centre for Society, Culture &
Development

150th BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

Vakkom Moulavi (1873 – 1932)

Recent Events
  • The screening of the acclaimed documentary, “A Pestering Journey” followed by a riveting talk and discussion with the director, K.R. Manoj, at VMFT stirred many uncomfortable questions about modern society and its claims of economic and social progress. Moderated by Dr. Fathima Nizaruddin, the discussion covered the themes of the documentary, the motivations of the Director, the ethics of documentary film making, as well as his creative journey. The event was organized on 26 August 2023 at the VMFT hall.

    The documentary captivated the audience with its powerful storytelling, showcasing the struggles, triumphs, and resilience of the individuals it featured. The film’s cinematography and narrative structure received special praise, highlighting Manoj’s skill as a filmmaker. A Pestering Journey is an attempt to interrogate the legitimate forms and technologies of killing available in a culture. Taking a pestering turn, the journey blurs the boundaries of nature and culture, of self and other, of life and death, and many other comfortable binaries we inhabit. It tries to ask how much regard for life a culture should have and to ponder over the question, what is a pest.

    The film unravels the many interwoven layers of culture and agriculture and foregrounds the logic of green revolution. In an atypical move, it challenges and changes the idioms of pesticide and genocide and reveals the claims over knowledge and expertise which pushes a pesticide like Endosulfan to a dubious position between poison and medicine.

    Director Manoj shared his motivations in making the documentary, including the need to address the challenges faced by a marginalised community and the responsibility of a filmmaker to bring such stories to the forefront. Participants engaged in a lively exchange of ideas, discussing the ethical dilemmas faced by documentary filmmakers when dealing with sensitive subjects, the impact the had on the community it portrayed and the role of documentaries in shaping public opinion. Manoj responded to one of the queries concerning ethics in filmmaking by saying: “When I was travelling by train for the shooting of the pestering journey across Punjab, we encountered a woman vomiting; she was a cancer patient undergoing chemo treatment. We wanted to film the footage, but we were unsure whether it was proper to shoot at that time.”

    (more…)
  • People from teens to 60s are now ready to make their own documentaries.

    Visuals have always had a greater capacity to inspire, influence, inform, and motivate people than most other media. How do you document a video in the best way to tell a story? In the 3-day documentary workshop conducted by Swadeshabhimani Media Study Centre under the Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust, the participants learned the art and technique of documentary filmmaking and all necessary skills for shooting quality video on mobile phones, including composition, light, movement, editing sound, and much more.

    The workshop started on July 22nd, 2023, at 9.30 a.m. In the opening session, Anu Antony (Programme Coordinator, SMSC) invited all to the workshop. Followed by the welcome speech, The VMFT chairperson, Shri. A. Suhair explained the importance of such workshops and the aims of the organisation in conducting them. Around 20 people participated in the workshop including students, professionals and retirees.

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  • “Media study does not replace text. It broadens and deepens our understanding of texts.” Philip M. Anderson.

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    In this digital age, where news and information are omnipresent, there is a need for media literacy. Swadeshabhimani Media Study Centre, VMFT, held half-day workshops at G.G.H.S.S. Nedumangad and G.V.H.S.S. Mancha on July 12 and 13, 2023. Both workshops were held in the afternoon session. Swadeshabhimani Media Study Centre, under the Vakkom Moulvi Foundation Trust, started an initiative to conduct a workshop series for high school students on media literacy in the academic year 2022-2023. The series for high school students completed its 7th workshop at G. V. H. S. S. Mancha. This series aims to make the students more mindful of the digital era and their role as consumers of information. The workshop was designed to teach students how to use media responsibly as both consumers and content creators. Anu Antony (SMSC, Programme Coordinator) served as the facilitator. 

    (more…)
Announcements
21Oct

FILMING PERSONAL STORIES

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Recent Events
  • The screening of the acclaimed documentary, “A Pestering Journey” followed by a riveting talk and discussion with the director, K.R. Manoj, at VMFT stirred many uncomfortable questions about modern society and its claims of economic and social progress. Moderated by Dr. Fathima Nizaruddin, the discussion covered the themes of the documentary, the motivations of the Director, the ethics of documentary film making, as well as his creative journey. The event was organized on 26 August 2023 at the VMFT hall. The documentary captivated the audience with its powerful storytelling, showcasing the struggles, triumphs, and resilience of the individuals it featured....
    Read More
  • People from teens to 60s are now ready to make their own documentaries. Visuals have always had a greater capacity to inspire, influence, inform, and motivate people than most other media. How do you document a video in the best way to tell a story? In the 3-day documentary workshop conducted by Swadeshabhimani Media Study Centre under the Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust, the participants learned the art and technique of documentary filmmaking and all necessary skills for shooting quality video on mobile phones, including composition, light, movement, editing sound, and much more. The workshop started on July 22nd, 2023, at...
    Read More
  • “Media study does not replace text. It broadens and deepens our understanding of texts.” Philip M. Anderson.
    Read More

2023: Celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Vakkom Moulavi

Join our commemoration meetings and activities

VMFT invites you to join the state-wide celebrations of the life and work of Vakkom Moulavi (1873-1932), a towering figure of the Kerala renaissance of the early 20th century, who contributed to the making of modern Kerala.

Throughout 2023, with international seminars, public meetings, workshops, competitions, and programs for all ages and social groups, we will explore the contributions of Vakkom Moulavi, as a journalist, public intellectual, educationist and ardent social reformer. It is the occasion to remember his tireless fight for the rights of people, for Muslim educational and social reform, including the promotion of modern education amongst Muslim women.

Explore the historical newspaper, The Svadesabhimani

The Svadesabhimani was the first newspaper started by Vakkom Moulavi in 1905, who was its owner, publisher and managing editor. The newspaper was a trailblazer in independent and fearless Malayalam journalism. It was suppressed by the Travancore government in 1910, the editor Ramakrishna Pillai was exiled and the press was confiscated.

For the first time, this celebrated newspaper is available to the wider public through the digitization of the available Malayalam issues of the paper. The articles are also being translated into English. Read about its analysis of governance and legislative reforms, education policy, social reforms, media, the national movement and international developments.

Education Research Seminar Series

Shaping A Future with Social Justice: Perspectives for School Education in Kerala

Our school education system needs new curricula, teaching methods and assessment methods to prepare young people for the future. High quality education research is required to support this transformation.

The seminar series will focus on education research in three areas:

  1. Climate resilience and environmental sustainability
  2. Language, culture and identity
  3. Future of work and the future of education.

Jointly organized by VMFT, CDS and TISS

 

  • Developing a research agenda for education: Climate resilience and environmental sustainability
  • December 6-7, 2023
  • Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram
  • To register, contact
    vmft.tvpm@gmail.com

PROGRAM SCHEDULE
to be uploaded soon!

School Outreach Programs

In order to explore innovative teaching methodologies and effective assessment practices Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust organized a thought-provoking workshop on “Pedagogy and Assessment ” on 5th August 2023 that contributed to a deeper understanding of concepts among students.

The event was conducted at the Trust Hall. Around 15 enthusiastic participants, including educators, teacher educators, and researchers attended the workshop designed by Dr. Sajitha Bashir ( Vice Chairperson, VMFT, Dr. Anu Joy, School of Educational studies  at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Hyderabad, Dr. N.Suresh Kumar (Rtd. SCERT and DIET Faculty member) and Ms. Jabeena (Rtd Headmistress). These  highly accomplished educators with diverse backgrounds enriched the workshop, offering various perspectives on pedagogy and assessment, ensuring a holistic approach to the topic. The workshop came out to be an engaging and enlightening experience for all attendees who shared their experiences and problems faced by them .Er. A. Suhair, Chairperson, VMFT, gave introductory remarks to the workshop.

Swadeshabhimani Media Studies Centre
Join our workshops, training programs and research study program !

 

The Centre conducts an array of programs to develop the capacity and skills of young people in understanding, using and creating media content of different varieties. It also provides a platform for amplifying the voice of youth to address their needs, interests and perspectives and to put forward solutions to urgent social issues. Named after the trailblazing newspaper The Svadesabhimani, the Centre is dedicated to fostering independent journalism and media.

 

Currently, the Centre organizes workshops on films and cinema, media literacy workshops and research studies on the media. If you are interested in participating or organizing events in your college, school or local community, contact vmft.tvpm@gmail.com

R P Amudhan leads a documentary film workshop
R P Amudhan leads a documentary film workshop