Mass media play a vital role in our lives. We are witnessing a revolution in communication. With the convergence and integration of communication technologies. With this the demand for training to meet the new challenges and the need for understanding the media, their reach, access and impact have increased manifold. Over the decades, the Indian Institute of Mass Communication has created a niche for itself in the field of mass communication education, research and training. It is playing a pivotal role by organising suitable training courses to meet the new challenges of training and skilled manpower to make the best use of communication resources for national development and growth.

In the past thirty three years, the Indian Institute of Mass Communication has gained recognition from around the world and from UNESCO as a centre of excellence in the field of communication teaching, training and research, providing knowledge and skills to young communicators in a variety of disciplines including print journalism, photo journalism, radio journalism, television journalism, development communication, communication research, advertising and public relations.

The Institute was established in response to a perceived need to evolve a methodology and a mechanism to make efficient and effective use of communication resources as part of the country's overall development strategy. The blueprint for the institute was drawn up by a team of internationally renowned mass communication specialists, representatives of UNESCO and of the media in the country. The team was headed by Dr. Wilbur Schramm, the well known authority on communication. It recommended

'A Centre for Advanced Study in Mass Communication... with responsibilities for consultation, training, and research and development, particularly in the use of mass communication in support of national economic and social development.'

The Indian Institute of Mass Communication made a humble beginning on August 17, 1965, as department of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, with a small staff including two consultants from UNESCO. Later it was registered as an autonomous organisation under the Societies Registration Act (1860) on January 22, 1966.

The principal objectives of the Institute, as set out in its memorandum, are:

• to organise training and research in the use and development of media of mass communication, with special reference to the requirements of socio-economic growth in the country.
• to provide training to the information and publicity personnel of Central and State Governments; to make available facilities for training and research to meet the information and publicity needs of the public and private sector industries.
• to arrange lectures, seminars and symposia on problems connected with mass communication, information and publicity in collaboration with universities, educational andresearch institutions as well as trade and industry.
• to organise refresher courses, summer schools and the like and to invite mass communication experts and research scholars from within the country and abroad for delivering lectures.

In the spirit of these directives, the institute conducts training and teaching programmes, develops a frAamework of research and contributes to the creation of an information infrastructure suitable not only for India but for all developing countries. It provides its expertise and consultancy services to other institutions in the country and collaborates with those abroad.