Kala Samvad interactive webinar and panel discussion held 

Chandigarh: Kala Samvad an interactive webinar and panel discussion was held by the Kalinga Art and Literature festival 2020. The panel consisted of eminent personalities from the art fraternity.  
The panel comprised of Mr.  Prem Singh, Former Principal, Government College of Art , Chandigarh , Professor Tirthankar Bhattacharya Chairperson Department of Aart History and Visual Arts, Panjab University, Chandigarh  , Pratul Das, Eminent Artist  and Activist, New Delhi and Prof. Ranjan Kumar Mallik, Dean, Chitkara School of Art & Design, Chitkara University, Punjab. The topic of deliberation was " Art Education Pre & Post Covid - 19 Pandemic 2020." The panel of experts deliberated on the urgent need to revamp the teaching pedagogy.  The virtual classroom teaching being a new concept, the teacher student relationship would also go through a metamorphosis.  Fine arts being a practical oriented subject, it becomes even more pertinent to structure the syllabus according to the new normal situation of teaching learning through physical distancing.
Dr. Tirthankar Bhattacharya pointed out that syllabus should be urgently restructured so that the interest elements of the students be retained towards the subject.  He further stressed that the subject needs to sustain its credibility and make the subject relevant for the students specifically for future job prospects.  Mr. Prem singh stressed the need to understand that fine arts is not just theoretical teaching but a way of life and thought.
Mr. Pratul Das emphasized  on the creative side of art education and the need to restructure the education system which was more user friendly and in sync with the online programs.  Prof.  Ranjan moderated the session and opined that as teachers we need to all unite in this time of crisis.  He was pleased to see an optimistic approach of the academic community towards the future. The session ended with a bite of thanks by the organizers with the hope to meet up again to formulate a strategy for future initiatives.