Development work is not a posh profession- Professor Jaishree Jethwani

Professor Jaishree Jethwani in an interaction with students and faculty after the session

Dr Jaishree Jethwani (former Ad-PR head, Indian Institute of Mass Communication) has advised wannabe Development persons not to venture the field, if their preoccupation is only to build a ‘posh career, warning the field is for persons with a grasp of the people’s realities, whose lot they seek to change.

The renowned writer, whose career spans more than three decades had said this in an interactive session with students of Mass Communication and Journalism Department of Tezpur University on Friday 8, 2019.

According to her, in order for one to build a thriving career in the field, there was a need to understand the ecosystem of operations.

“Whatever field you choose; development, mass communication, you will be a communicator. It is very important to understand the whole ecosystem. If you don’t understand the politics, economics, sociology of, the value of the society; you can never be a good communicator…”

“…as development people we need to be very careful. If you do not understand, do not join. If you do not understand the people’s whose lot you want to change, there is no business to be in development…

…It is not a posh profession because a development person has to be a change agent, social mobiliser, an advocate, a communicator; he has to be part of the milieu.” She concluded.

She challenged the soon to- be journalists to critique, and not define truth at face-value.