Aizawl, 30 August 2025: The Department of Mass Communication, Mizoram University, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Social Science Research, North Eastern Regional Centre (ICSSR-NERC), Shillong, successfully organized a three-day workshop on “Media, Garbage, and the Environment: Exploring Garbocratic Entanglements” from 28th to 30th August 2025.
The inaugural session, held on 28th August at the Department of Mass Communication’s Screening Room, commenced with the department anthem “Mass Com Zindabad” sung by students. Prof. V. Ratnamala, Convener and Head of the Department of Mass Communication, delivered the Welcome Address, followed by an address from the Chief Guest, Prof. Pravakar Rath, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Mizoram University.
As part of its strong alumni network initiative, the Department felicitated distinguished alumni for their remarkable contributions: Mr. Andrew Lalchhandama (Indian Information Service), and Mr. Issac Zoramsanga along with Mr. HC Vanlalruata, recipients of the News & Documentary Emmy Award 2025.
Prof. Bhartendu Singh, Dean, School of Economics, Management, and Information Sciences (SEMIS), highlighted Mizoram University’s recognition among India’s top 50 universities with a Media Literacy Hub under the FactShala University Network Programme, funded by Google through DataLEADS. He formally presented the FactShala Plaque to Prof. Pravakar Rath to commemorate the establishment of the Hub at MZU, aimed at fostering digital literacy, critical thinking, and responsible media engagement.
The inaugural address was delivered by Dr. Sayan Dey, Assistant Professor, Bayan College (affiliated with Purdue University Northwest), Oman, who also served as the Workshop Chair. The session concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Dr. Dey, Co-Convener.
Over the three days, participants engaged in intellectually stimulating sessions and practical activities. Highlights included:
Day 1: Introduction to garbocracy, collaborative mapping of waste systems, and reflections on ethics in waste research.
Day 2: The role of media in waste production, writing research on garbocracy, and group exercises analyzing media narratives and ethical reporting.
Day 3: Fieldwork through a public cleaning drive, a role-play debate on waste politics, and concluding feedback presentations.
The workshop explored concepts such as Marco Armiero’s wasteocene and Leanne Betasamosake Simpson’s framework of “waste-ing,” situating waste within broader intersections of caste, class, gender, and colonialism. Activities such as a “disgusting intimacies walk” deepened participant engagement with the lived realities of waste.
The three-day programme was widely appreciated for its academic depth, critical perspectives, and practical relevance in connecting media studies with pressing environmental challenges.
