Professor (Dr.) Vartika Nanda: Academic Record: 2025-26
Nanda, V.(2025). Speaker in the session “Social Media and Literature” during Unmesha –
Festival of Expression organised by Sahitya Akademi at Samrat Ashoka Convention
Centre, Patna, Bihar on 26 September 2025.
2. Chapters In Edited Books
Nanda,V., Anderson, H. & Boxall, H. (2025). The role of prison radio and
storytelling in generative criminology. In D. Antojado, D. Darley and M.
Maycock (Eds.), Beyond Autoethnography: Lived Experience Criminology (pp.201–222). Routledge.
3. Talks/Speaker Session
Nanda, V.(2025). Speaker at the inaugural session of the National Conference on Enhancing Quality of Life of Inmates: Ensuring Dignity, Well-Being and Human Rights Behind Bars, organised by the National Human Rights Commission on its 32nd Foundation Day in New Delhi, October 2025.
Nanda, V. (2026). Delivered a talk on “Hindi Patrakarita: Chunautiyaan aur Avsar” at Indian Institute of Management Indore, 6 September 2026
4. Faculty Serving as Member:
Nanda, V.(2026). Appointed as Member, Hindi Academy, Ministry of Art and Culture,Government of NCT of Delhi, 15 January 2026.
Nanda, V.(2026). Participated as Special Invitee in the first meeting of the Executive Committee of the State Child Protection Society, Government of Delhi, 22 January 2026.
5. Honours/Distinctions/Awards- Add to the blog
Kissa Khaki Ka, Vartika Nanda’s podcast series with Delhi Police completed 4 years in January 2026 and entered its second season. Vartika Nanda is the voice of Delhi Police and is the official storyteller for this podcast series which is the only such series by any police department in India.
completed twenty years in 2026. The blog was Initiated in 2006 during her tenure at Lok Sabha Television as the first Executive Producer of the channel. After joining the Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College in 2009,
An exclusive documentary featuring Prof. Vartika Nanda, titled Real Stories of Betrayal and Survival Inside Delhi’s GB Road, was released by Brut India in December 2025.
Dainik Tribune carried a full-page feature titled Tinka Tinka Muhim se Jailon mein Badhe Badlav on Prof. Vartika Nanda’s prison reform work, 28 December, 2025.
NDTV carried a podcast with Prof. Vartika Nanda on 2nd October 2025 on the Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case (1996) which she covered as the head of crime beat in NDTV in those years.
DD Urdu broadcast an exclusive 30-minute interview with Prof. Vartika Nanda on journalism and prison reforms on 28 August 2025.
Rangoli Sharma conducted an exclusive interview with Prof. Vartika Nanda for Speaking Tree, The Times of India, 13 October 2025.
Prof. Vartika Nanda was featured in a special series on Sahitya Aaj Tak based on her literary and journalistic journey, 12 November 2025.
Professor (Dr.) Vartika Nanda: Academic Record: 2024-25
Brief Profile in Hindi: प्रोफेसर (डॉ.) वर्तिका नन्दा भारत की स्थापित जेल
सुधारक, मीडिया शिक्षक और लेखिका हैं। वे अपराध और जेल पर नए
प्रयोगों के लिए जानी जाती हैं। उनकी स्थापित तिनका तिनका फाउंडेशन
ने देश की जेलों पर इकलौते पॉडकास्ट-तिनका तिनका जेल रेडियो की शुरुआत की।
जिला जेल, आगरा (उत्तर प्रदेश) जिला
जेल, देहरादून (उत्तराखंड ) और हरियाणा की जेलों में रेडियो लाने
का श्रेय उन्हीं को जाता है। उन्होंने
भारत की जेलों में तिनका जेल पत्रकारिता की नींव रखी है। तिनका तिनका बंदियों को सकारात्मक पत्रकारिता के गुर सिखाता है। 2014
में भारत के राष्ट्रपति से स्त्री शक्ति
पुरस्कार से सम्मानित। यह सम्मान उन्हें मीडिया औऱ साहित्य में उनके योगदान
के लिए दिया गया। 2018 में सुप्रीम कोर्ट की एक बेंच ने
जेलों पर उनकी सलाहें शामिल कीं। जेलों
का उनका काम दो बार लिम्का बुक ऑफ़ रिकॉर्ड्स में शामिल हुआ।
जेलों पर किताबें: जेलों पर लिखी उनकी चार किताबें- तिनका तिनका तिहाड़ (2013 और 2023), तिनका
तिनका डासना (2016 और 2020) और तिनका तिनका मध्य प्रदेश (2018)- जेल-जीवन पर प्रामाणिक दस्तावेज मानी
जाती हैं। रेडियो इन प्रिजन (2024) का
प्रकाशन नेशनल बुक ट्रस्ट ने किया है।
पॉडकास्ट: वर्तिका नन्दा दिल्ली पुलिस की आवाज हैं। दिल्ली पुलिस के पॉडकास्ट -किस्सा खाकी का- की आधिकारिक किस्सागो। उनका तिनका तिनका जेल रेडियो देश की जेलों पर इकलौता पॉडकास्ट है।
वर्तमान में दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय के लेडी श्रीराम कॉलेज के पत्रकारिता विभाग की प्रमुख।
पृष्ठभूमि: वर्तिका नन्दा जालंधर दूरदर्शन में एशिया की सबसे छोटी उम्र की एंकर बनीं। वे जी टीवी, एनडीटीवी, भारतीय जनसंचार संस्थान और लोकसभा टीवी से जुड़ी रहीं। वे लोकसभा टीवी की पहली एक्जीक्यूटिव प्रोड्यूसर बनीं। वे भारतीय टेलीविजन की उन गिनी-चुनी महिला पत्रकारों में से हैं जो अपराध पत्रकारिता से जुड़ीं और इस बीट की प्रमुख भी बनीं। बलात्कार की प्रिंट मीडिया में रिपोर्टिंग पर पीएचडी।
ई-मेलः tinkatinkaorg@gmail.com वेबसाइट: tinkatinka.org
Professor (Dr.) Vartika Nanda is media educator and India’s leading prison reformer. Her domain expertise lies in journalism – its teaching, training and practice. With a doctorate in journalism and coverage of rape cases by print media, she has over two decades of experience in electronic and print media. Earlier, she worked as Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. She has worked both with the public service broadcaster and also the private media, including Zee News, NDTV, Lok Sabha TV and Sahara India. She started early, as the youngest among the very few women reporters in India who ventured into crime reporting and rose to become the head of crime beat in NDTV in the early years of private media. She was the first woman reporter in electronic media to head the crime beat. She was the first Executive Producer of Lok Sabha TV and played a pivotal role in the conception, setting up and running of the channel. She was the youngest child anchor in Asia in the early eighties on Doordarshan.
Recent Research :
2019-20: Her research on the “Study of the condition of women inmates and their children in Indian Prisons and their communication needs with special reference to Uttar Pradesh” (ICSSR 2019-20) was evaluated as OUTSTANDING and is recommended for publication.
Research Papers :
. Jail Radio ke zariye Haryana kee Karnal jail mein shiksha ka prasar/ Gyan Garima Sindhu: 2024
. Tihar jail kee bandiniyan. Sahitya Amrit: 2024
. Corona, jail aur samvaad ke saadhan ke taur per telephone:Gagananchal: Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India: 2021
. Jail main sangeet, samvaad aur media: Gagananchal: Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India: 2021
. Tinka jail patrakarita ka ek academic prayog: Tihar jail main lekhan aur aatm-abhivyakti: Samvad Path: Ministry of Education, Government of India: 2020
. Radio ke zariye jail main patrakarita: Samvad Path: Ministry of Education, Government of India: 2020
Innovative Pedagogy :
The blog www.vartikananda.blogspot.com holds a rich documentation of teacher-student learning. The blog was started by Dr. Vartika Nanda in 2006 when she was the Executive Producer of Lok Sabha TV. After joining the Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College for Women in 2009, the blog shifted its primary focus to four things – media education, classroom teaching, academic documentation and prison reforms. This blog worked as a live classroom, especially during Covid-19. The blog has 16 sections , including those related to the Department of Journalism, Lady Shri Ram College and syllabi-related readings of BA(Hons) in Journalism, prescribed by Delhi University.
Prison Reformer: Vartika Nanda is the founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation, a public charitable trust dedicated to introducing positive change in the lives of inmates. She has introduced prison radios in Haryana and in the District Jails of Agra (Uttar Pradesh) and Dehradun (Uttarakhand). She has initiated two awards exclusively for inmates – Tinka Tinka India Awards and Tinka Tinka Bandini Awards. These awards are aimed at encouraging inmates towards creative writing and work on art and literature. Her 4 books on jails are considered to be the authentic versions of prison life.
Storytelling through Podcasts: Vartika Nanda’s Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcasts are the only podcasts in India that are solely dedicated to the cause of prison reforms. She has also conceptualised Kissa Khaki Ka, an exclusive weekly podcast series by Delhi Police. She is the host and narrator of these podcasts and thus identified widely as the”Voice of Delhi Police”. This is the first podcast by any police department in India. This work is undertaken by her on an honorary basis.
Prison Radio :
2021: Introduced, conceptualised and executed prison radio in the state of Haryana. First prison radio was inaugurated in District Jail, Panipat in 2021 by Shri Ranjit Singh, Jail Minister, Shri Rajeev Arora (IAS), ACS, Home & Health and Shri K. Selvaraj, DG, Prisons.
2021: Introduced prison radio in the state of Uttarakhand.
2019: Introduced, trained and executed prison radio in District Jail, Agra. This is the oldest prison building in India.
2018: Action oriented research on prisons and communication was taken cognizance by the Supreme Court of India in 2018. Her suggestions on the issues of women inmates’ and children’s rights and concerns were appreciated and included in the proceedings. She participated in the Supreme Court of India’s proceedings conducted on March 27 and May 8, 2018 in the matter of “Re-Inhuman conditions in 1382 prisons.”
Creation of ICT mediated Teaching Learning pedagogy :
Presented more than 20 lectures at CEC, UGC and other platforms. Some of these are available at Lectures – Vartika Nanda
2020: Wrote a chapter on “Writing for Different Media (Print, Radio, Television, Digital)” for PG level students of Journalism & Mass Communication, School of Journalism & New Media Studies, Open & Distance Learning (ODL) mode for Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi.
2017: Wrote a chapter on “Freedom of Press & Regulations: Debates & Contests’ under section News & Society for Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Books on Journalism & Mass Communication :
. Nanda, V. (2018). Media Laws and Ethics, Kanishka Publishers
. Nanda, V. (2018). Media aur Bazar, Samayik Publishers
. Nanda, V. (2017). Radio Journalism in India, Kanishka Publishers
. Nanda, V. (2010). Television aur Crime Reporting. Rajkamal Prakashan
. Nanda, V. (2005). Television aur Apraadh Patrakarita Crime Reporting, Indian Institute of Mass Communication
Poetry Collections :
. Nanda, V. (2015). Raniyan Sab Janti Hain. Delhi: Vani Prakashan. (selected amongst TOP 5 books by Femina)
. Nanda, V. (2012). Thee. Hoon..Rahungi… Delhi: Rajkamal Prakashan
Books on Prisons :
. Nanda, V. (2024). Radio in Prison (English). National Book Trust, India
. Nanda, V. (2018). Tinka Tinka Madhya Pradesh (Hindi), Tinka Tinka Foundation
. Nanda, V. (2016). Tinka Tinka Dasna (Hindi), Tinka Tinka Foundation: ( First ever reporting from the jail)
. Nanda, V. (2016) Tinka Tinka Dasna (English), Tinka Tinka Foundation: (This book has been translated by Dr. Nupur Talwar from the prison)
. Nanda, V & Mehra, V. (Eds.) (2013). Tinka Tinka Tihar, Rajkamal Prakashan ( Included in the Limca Book of Records)
International Conferences :
2019: Presented paper on the “Role of radio in community communication in prisons in India” at international conference of IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communication Research) held in Madrid, Spain: 7-11 July.
2018: Presented paper on “Jailein, Media aur Samvaad kee Seemaayein”at the 11th Vishwa Hindi Sammelan in Port Louis, Mauritius: 2018: 18-20 August.
2017: 25 March: Presented paper on “Industry academia linkage: Who drives the agenda” at the national seminar on Communication Education 3.O: Synergizing Technology and Development organised by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Tezpur University, Assam: 25-26 March
National Conferences :
2024: Nanda, V., (2024. Delivered a lecture on ‘Implementation of rights of female prisoners and issues relating to the children of female prisoners’ in the one week residential training programme for prison officers organised by National Human Rights Commission in New Delhi. 18-22 March, 2024 (National Conference)
2021: Keynote speaker at the 7th National Conference of Heads of Prisons, organised by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), conducted on 7 – 8 October 2021 in New Delhi.
2019: Delivered a lecture at the national level course on the “Rights of Women Prisoners in India and the role of media” on 25th March, 2019 at the National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science, MHA..Delhi: 25-27 March.
2019: Delivered a lecture at the 6th National Conference of Heads of Prisons of States / UTs on “Mechanism for Productive Engagement of Under Trial Prisoners and the Role of Media” organised by BPR&D, MHA, Government of India and Madhya Pradesh Prisons & Correctional Services Department: Bhopal. 26th and 27th February.
2019: Presented paper on “Media ke badalte parivesh main samudayik radio” at Miranda College, Delhi University: 7 February.
Honours & Awards :
2025: An exclusive interview with Dr. Vartika Nanda was released by BRUT India in March, 2025 tracing her journey from her early years as the youngest television anchor in Asia to dedicating her life to the cause of prison reforms and addressing communication needs of prison inmates through Tinka Jail Radio.
2023: Felicitated by Shri Sanjay Arora (IPS), Commissioner of Police, Delhi for conceiving the podcast series Kissa Khaki Ka and for being the official storyteller.
2014: President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Stree Shakti Puraskar on her in Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2014. This award was given in recognition for her contribution in creating awareness on women’s issues through media and literature. This is the highest civilian honour for women empowerment in India.
2024: First Rajkumar Keswani Award for extraordinary contribution to journalism and prison reforms.
2022: Dr. Vartika Nanda was featured in an exclusive documentary by BRUT, titled ‘Sound of Reform in Panipat Jail’. This documentary is based on her work in bringing radio in the jails of Haryana.
2022: Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity in the Web Podcast (Hindi) category by Population First for Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcast, episode 11, titled- Holi and Karnal Jail Radio, conceived and produced by Tinka Tinka Foundation. Hyderabad: 2 November
2018: Conferred with Madhav Rao Sapre Journalism Award for the year 2018 by Madhav Rao Sapre Smriti Sa-machar Patra Sanghrahaly aur Shodh Sansthan, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
2017: Vartika Nanda’s song, Tinka Tinka Tihar,entered into the Limca Book of Records for its uniqueness. This is the second record set by her in the field of prison reforms.
2015: Included in the Limca Book of Records, 2015, her book, Tinka Tinka Tihar (Co authored with Vimla Mehra, IPS, DG, Delhi Prisons) is the first book of a collection of poems written by selected women inmates of Tihar Jail.
2015: Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for the year 2013-14 for the public service film – Nanakpura Kuch Nahi Bhoolta. This film was selected as the best issue based Documentary in Hindi for the Northern Region.
2007: Received the Bhartendu Harish Chandra Award by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry for her book- Television aur Apradh Patrakarita.
Relevant Links:
Google Link:Vartika Nanda – Google Search
Brut International:2022 Brut Panipat Jail Radio Revolution – YouTube
YouTube: Vartika Nanda
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Dr. Vartika Nanda: Academic Year: 2023-24
Dr. Vartika Nanda is media educator and India’s leading prison reformer. Her domain expertise lies in journalism - its teaching, training and practice. She is an academic by profession, a journalist by vocation and a prison reformer by passion. With a doctorate in journalism and coverage of rape cases by print media, she has over two decades of experience in electronic and print media. Her domain expertise lies in journalism - its teaching, practice and training. She possesses the diverse experience of all the important facets of mass communication, having worked with the industry and academia.
Earlier, she worked as Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. She has worked both with the public service broadcaster and also the private media, including Zee News, NDTV, Lok Sabha TV and Sahara India. She started early, as the youngest among the very few women reporters in India who ventured into crime reporting and rose to become the head of crime beat in NDTV in the early years of private media. She was the first woman reporter in electronic media to head the crime beat. She was the first Executive Producer of Lok Sabha TV and played a pivotal role in the conception, setting up and running of the channel. She was the youngest child anchor in Asia in the early eighties on Doordarshan.
Vartika Nanda was conferred with the Stree Shakti Puraskar by the President of India in 2014 for her seminal contribution to women empowerment through media and literature. Her name has appeared in the Limca Book of Records twice, for her unique contribution to prison reforms, which was also taken due cognizance by the Supreme Court of India in 2018.
Recent Research :
2019-20: Her research on the “Study of the condition of women inmates and their children in Indian Prisons and their communication needs with special reference to Uttar Pradesh” (ICSSR 2019-20) has been evaluated as OUTSTANDING and recommended for publication. This was released by Shri Manoj Kumar Singh (IAS), Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh and Shri P. V. Ramasastry (IPS), DG Prisons, Uttar Pradesh in 2024.
Books on Journalism & Mass Communication:
. Nanda, V. (2024). Radio in Prison, National Book Trust
. Nanda, V. (2018). Media Laws and Ethics, Kanishka Publishers
. Nanda, V. (2018). Media aur Bazar, Samayik Publishers
. Nanda, V. (2017). Radio Journalism in India, Kanishka Publishers
. Nanda, V. (2010). Television aur Crime Reporting. Rajkamal Prakashan
. Nanda, V. (2005). Television aur Apraadh Patrakarita Crime Reporting, Indian Institute of Mass Communication
Poetry Collections:
. Nanda, V. (2015) Raniyan Sab Janti Hain. Delhi: Vani Prakashan. (selected amongst TOP 5 books by Femina)
. Nanda, V. (2012). Thee. Hoon..Rahungi… Delhi: Rajkamal Prakashan
Books on Prisons :
. Nanda, V. (2018) Tinka Tinka Madhya Pradesh (Hindi), Tinka Tinka Foundation
. Nanda, V. (2016). Tinka Tinka Dasna (Hindi), Tinka Tinka Foundation: ( First ever reporting from the jail)
. Nanda, V. (2016) Tinka Tinka Dasna (English), Tinka Tinka Foundation: (This book has been translated by Dr. Nupur Talwar from the prison)
. Nanda, V & Mehra, V. (Eds.) (2013). Tinka Tinka Tihar, Rajkamal Prakashan ( Included in the Limca Book of Records)
Recent Research Papers:
2024: तिहाड़ जेल की बंदिनियां (रिपोर्ताज): साहित्य अमृत (मासिक): नवंबर,
2024: पेज- 92- 95: ISSN: 2455-1171: UGC CARE List
2022: करनाल जेल रेडियो: तिनका रेडियो का बंदियों पर प्रभाव और उनकी पसंद के गाने: Gyan Garima Sindhu: July-September, 2022:, अंक 75, पेज 6- 12 ISSN: 2321-0443: UGC Care List Journal
2021:जेल में संगीत, संवाद और मीडिया: गगनांचल, वर्ष 44, अंक 1, जनवरी-फरवरी 2021, पेज 13-14, 33-34 ISSN: 0971 1430 UGC Care List: 41051
2021: कोरोना, जेल और संवाद के साधन के तौर पर टेलीफोन: गगनांचल: , वर्ष 44, अंक 4, July- August 2021: पेज 31-34: ISSN: 0971 14
2020:रेडियो के जरिए जेल में पत्रकारिता: संवाद पथ, अंक- जुलाई -सितंबर 2020, पेज 74- 80, खंड 3, अंक 2, ISSN: 2581 7353 UGC Care List: 290 (S-26)
2020: तिनका जेल पत्रकारिता का एक अकादमिक प्रयोग- तिहाड़ जेल में लेखन और आत्म-अभिव्यक्ति, संवाद पथ, अंक- अक्तूबर-दिसंबर 2020, खंड 3, अंक 3, पेज 123-129
Storytelling through Podcasts:
Vartika Nanda’s Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcasts are the only podcasts in India that are solely dedicated to the cause of prison reforms. She has also conceptualised Kissa Khaki Ka, an exclusive weekly podcast series by Delhi Police. She is the host and narrator of these podcasts and thus identified widely as the”Voice of Delhi Police”. This is the first podcast by any police department in India. This work is undertaken by her on an honorary basis. Her podcast THEE..HOON..RAHUNGI…deals with stories of hope and courage.
Prison Reforms:
Vartika Nanda is the founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation, a public charitable trust dedicated to introducing positive change in the lives of inmates. She has introduced prison radios in Haryana and in the District Jails of Agra (Uttar Pradesh) and Dehradun (Uttarakhand). She has initiated two awards exclusively for inmates – Tinka Tinka India Awards and Tinka Tinka Bandini Awards. These awards are aimed at encouraging inmates towards creative writing and work on art and literature. Her 3 books on jails are considered to be the authentic versions of prison life. She has used the best practices of journalism and academia for studying and contributing to prison reforms. she has tirelessly worked for improving the conditions in India’s prisons)
Prison Radio:
2021: Introduced, conceptualised and executed prison radio in the state of Haryana. First prison radio was inaugurated in District Jail, Panipat in 2021 by Shri Ranjit Singh, Jail Minister, Shri Rajeev Arora (IAS), ACS, Home & Health and Shri K. Selvaraj, DG, Prisons.
2021: Introduced prison radio in the state of Uttarakhand.
2019: Introduced, trained and executed prison radio in District Jail, Agra. This is the oldest prison building in India.
2018: Action oriented research on prisons and communication was taken cognizance by the Supreme Court of India in 2018. Her suggestions on the issues of women inmates’ and children’s rights and concerns were appreciated and included in the proceedings. She participated in the Supreme Court of India’s proceedings conducted on March 27 and May 8, 2018 in the matter of “Re-Inhuman conditions in 1382 prisons.”
Honours & Awards:
2014: President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee conferred the Stree Shakti Puraskar on her in Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2014. This award was given in recognition for her contribution in creating awareness on women’s issues through media and literature. This is the highest civilian honour for women empowerment in India.
2023: Felicitated by Shri Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of Police, Delhi for Kissa Khaki Ka in January, 2023. Kissa Khaki Ka is the first and the only podcast in India which is being run by any police department. Vartika Nanda has conceived these podcasts and is the official storyteller of Delhi Police.
2023: Received Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity (13th edition) in October, 2023 for her Tinka Jail Radio podcast titled- Ambala jail radio and women inmates.
2023: Received First Rajkumar Keswani Award in November, 2023 for introducing and executing Tinka Jail Radios and Tinka Jail Journalism, empowering jail inmates in India.
2023: Received the Women Achievers Award in 2023 by Aalekh Foundation & Gunjan Foundation for her work on prison reforms and Tinka Jail Radio.
2022: Dr. Vartika Nanda was featured in an exclusive documentary by BRUT, titled 'Sound of Reform in Panipat Jail'. This documentary is based on her work in bringing radio in the jails of Haryana.
2022: Laadli Media & Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity in the Web Podcast (Hindi) category by Population First for Tinka Tinka Jail Radio Podcast, episode 11, titled- Holi and Karnal Jail Radio, conceived and produced by Tinka Tinka Foundation. Hyderabad: 2 November
2018: Conferred with Madhav Rao Sapre Journalism Award for the year 2018 by Madhav Rao Sapre Smriti Sa-machar Patra Sanghrahaly aur Shodh Sansthan, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
2017: Vartika Nanda’s song, Tinka Tinka Tihar, entered into the Limca Book of Records for its uniqueness. This is the second record set by her in the field of prison reforms.
2015: Included in the Limca Book of Records, 2015, her book, Tinka Tinka Tihar (Co authored with Vimla Mehra, IPS, DG, Delhi Prisons) is the first book of a collection of poems written by selected women inmates of Tihar Jail.
2015: Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for the year 2013-14 for the public service film – Nanakpura Kuch Nahi Bhoolta. This film was selected as the Best issue based Documentary in Hindi for the Northern Region.
2007: Received the Bhartendu Harish Chandra Award by the Information & Broadcasting Ministry for her book- Television aur Apradh Patrakarita.
Recent International Conferences:
2023: International Representation: Barcelona, Spain. Tinka Tinka Foundation represented India at the 7th ECREA Radio and Sound Conference, held from September 6th to 8th, 2023, in Barcelona, Spain. Theme of the Conference for this year was 'Radio and Sound Ecosystems in the Platform Age.' Dr. Vartika Nanda, founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation, delivered a detailed presentation on "Music on Prison Radio: Impact of Tinka Jail Radio on Inmates in Sonipat Prison, Haryana, India", in the panel on "Incarcerated sounds: Making radio within the prison ecosystem." The conference was hosted by the Catalan Radio Observatory (GRISS-UAB) and the Department of Audio-visual Communication and Advertising of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain) at the Casa de la Convalescència.
2022: International Representation: Oslo, Norway: Tinka Tinka Foundation represented India at the first international prison radio conference in Norway in 2022. Dr. Vartika Nanda presented a detailed research paper on “Prison Radio in India with reference to Tinka Jail Radio.” This conference was organised by Prison Radio International.
2023: "Music on Prison Radio: Impact of Tinka Jail Radio on Inmates in Sonipat Prison, Haryana, India", in the panel on "Incarcerated sounds: Making radio within the prison ecosystem." at the 7th ECREA Radio and Sound Conference, held from September 6th to 8th, 2023, in Barcelona, Spain. The conference was hosted by the Catalan Radio Observatory (GRISS-UAB) and the Department of Audio-visual Communication and Advertising of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain) at the Casa de la Convalescència. (International Conference).·
2019: Presented paper on the “Role of radio in community communication in prisons in India” at international conference of IAMCR (International Association for Media and Communication Research) held in Madrid, Spain: 7-11 July.
2018: Presented paper on “Jailein, Media aur Samvaad kee Seemaayein” at the 11th Vishwa Hindi Sammelan in Port Louis, Mauritius: 2018: 18-20 August.
2017: 25 March: Presented paper on “Industry academia linkage: Who drives the agenda” at the national seminar on Communication Education 3.O: Synergizing Technology and Development organised by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Tezpur University, Assam: 25-26 March.
Recent National Conferences:
2021: Keynote speaker at the 7th National Conference of Heads of Prisons, organised by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), conducted on 7 – 8 October 2021 in New Delhi.
2019: Delivered a lecture at the national level course on the “Rights of Women Prisoners in India and the role of media” on 25th March, 2019 at the National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science, MHA, Delhi: 25-27 March.
2019: Delivered a lecture at the 6th National Conference of Heads of Prisons of States / UTs on “Mechanism for Productive Engagement of Under Trial Prisoners and the Role of Media” organised by BPR&D, MHA, Government of India and Madhya Pradesh Prisons & Correctional Services Department: Bhopal. 26th and 27th February.
2019: Presented paper on “Media ke badalte parivesh main samudayik radio” at Miranda College, Delhi University: 7 February.
Innovative Pedagogy:
Her educational blog www.vartikananda.blogspot.com holds a rich documentation of teacher-student learning. The blog was started by Dr. Vartika Nanda in 2006 when she was the Executive Producer of Lok Sabha TV. After joining the Department of Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College for Women in 2009, the blog shifted its primary focus to four things - media education, classroom teaching, academic documentation and prison reforms. This blog worked as a live classroom, especially during Covid-19. The blog has 16 sections , including those related to the Department of Journalism, Lady Shri Ram College and syllabi-related readings of BA(Hons) in Journalism, prescribed by Delhi University.
Creation of ICT mediated Teaching Learning pedagogy:
Presented more than 20 lectures at CEC, UGC and other platforms. Some of these are available at Lectures – Vartika Nanda
2020: Wrote a chapter on “Writing for Different Media (Print, Radio, Television, Digital)” for PG level students of Journalism & Mass Communication, School of Journalism & New Media Studies, Open & Distance Learning (ODL) mode for Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi.
2017: Wrote a chapter on “Freedom of Press & Regulations: Debates & Contests' under section News & Society for Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Relevant Links:
1. Google Link: Vartika Nanda - Google Search
2. Brut International: 2022 Brut Panipat Jail Radio Revolution - YouTube
3. Websites: www.vartikananda.com / www.tinkatinka.org
4. LSR: Dr. Vartika Nanda – Lady Shri Ram College (lsr.edu.in)
Academic Year: 2022-23
Brief Profile: Vartika Nanda is an academic by profession, a journalist by vocation and a prison reformer by passion. She is a media educator and India’s leading prison reformer. Her domain expertise lies in journalism – its teaching, training, and practice. She has used the best practices of journalism and academia for studying and contributing to prison reforms.
With a doctorate in journalism and coverage of rape cases by print media, she has over two decades of experience in electronic and print media. Earlier, she worked as an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. She has worked with the public service broadcaster and private media, including Zee News, NDTV, Lok Sabha TV, and Sahara India. She started early, as the youngest among the very few women reporters in India who ventured into crime reporting and rose to become the head of crime beat in NDTV in the early years of private media. She was the first woman reporter in electronic media to head the crime beat. She was the first Executive Producer of Lok Sabha TV and played a pivotal role in the channel's conception, setting up and running. She was the youngest child anchor in Asia in the early eighties on Doordarshan.
As the founder of Tinka Tinka Foundation, she has tirelessly worked for improving the conditions in India’s prisons, such as introduction of prison radio in District Jail, Agra (Uttar Pradesh), District Jail, Dehradun (Uttarakhand) and the jails of Haryana.
She has authored three books on prisons. Her TINKA TINKA JAIL RADIO podcasts are exclusive podcasts dedicated to Indian prisons. Her podcast THEE..HOON..RAHUNGI…deals with stories of hope and courage. She is called the VOICE OF DELHI POLICE for her regular podcasts with Delhi Police titled KISSA KHAKI KA.
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