News Broadcasting
Indiantelevision Dot Com’s Qalam to commence from 21 June
MUMBAI: Good news for all those aspiring writers who couldn’t apply for Indiantelevision Dot Com’s scriptwriting course Qalam, which was supposed to commence from 14 June.
Interested candidates can still join the course as the date of the commencement of the course has been extended till 21 June. The entrance for aspirants will be held on 19 June.
Qalam has already received an overwhelming response from wannabe script writers. Keeping this in mind, the date for the course has been extended.
Qalam is a full fledged, well-structured, four month comprehensive Television Scriptwriting Course guided by a governing board comprising Nimbus Communications CEO Akash Khurana, ex-Siddhant Cinevision creative director Vinod Ranganath, Indian Television Dot Com CEO Anil Wanvari, film maker Aditya Seth and writer-director Vijay ‘Victor’ Acharya.
In its second year, the course will be co-ordinated by Seth and boasts of an acclaimed faculty which includes television luminaries like noted scriptwriters and directors BM Vyas, Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, Ashwini Dhir and Vivek Agnihotri, among others.
The questionnaire for the examination has already been put up on this website along with eligibility criteria, course content and other details.
Qalam’s earlier batch has produced students who are currently working with serials like Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi, Kitty Party and Yeh Meri Life Hain amongst others.
The course fee is set at Rs 12,000. For further information call Abhishek at 022-2673 0986/659.
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
