Bengaluru, KARNATAKA :
Bengaluru:
Dr Syed Amjed Ahmed, a pioneering communication scholar and educator who shaped generations of journalists, media professionals, and educators, passed away in Bengaluru at the age of 76. Known for his deep patience, open-minded teaching, and visionary contributions to educational broadcasting, Dr Amjed’s passing marks the end of an era in Indian media education.
Throughout his career, Dr Amjed transformed the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at the University of Calicut into a nationally recognised centre of excellence. His students today occupy senior positions in journalism, advertising, public relations, technical communication, and academia across India and abroad. A true academic innovator, he was among the first to identify technical writing as a viable career for communication graduates, long before the digital revolution took hold.
A man of science and sensitivity, Dr Amjed earned a Master’s in Geology and an MS in Communication from Bangalore University before dedicating his life to teaching in Kerala.
As the founding director of the Audio Visual Research Centre (AVRC) at Calicut University, he led the institution to national acclaim by producing award-winning educational documentaries for the University Grants Commission. One such production, which featured real visuals of an open-heart surgery from the Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute in Trivandrum, became a landmark in educational media and inspired other AVRCs to embrace creative and visual storytelling.
Colleagues recall that he navigated multiple bureaucratic and institutional hurdles with quiet resilience. His leadership combined administrative acumen with human warmth, ensuring that the AVRC became both technologically forward and academically rigorous.
As a teacher, Dr Amjed believed in dialogue over dictation. His classroom was a space of debate, reflection, and dissent. He encouraged students to think critically, question conventions, and link theory to experience. If a student disagreed or even displayed anger, he would listen calmly and respond with logic and empathy. He believed that listening was central to education and that disagreement was an essential ingredient of learning.
His contributions extended beyond pedagogy. He introduced round-the-clock PTI teleprinter services for journalism training, built a best-in-class media library, and installed one of the earliest Apple Macintosh DTP systems for hands-on experience in editing and design. His work ethic inspired students and colleagues alike, while his humility kept him grounded despite his many accomplishments.
Those who knew him describe him as a rare educator who never used authority to impose discipline, but empathy to earn respect. Even as a department head, he supported student activism and believed that education must nurture conviction alongside competence.
For his students and peers, Dr Amjed was not just a teacher but a lifelong mentor, guide, and friend. His influence on media education in India endures through the thousands he taught and inspired to think independently, act ethically, and communicate truthfully.
source: http://www.radiancenews.com / Radiance News / Home> Latest News> Markers of Excellence> Obituary> Report / by Radiance News Bureau / October 17th, 2025