Chapter 9 Vivacious by nature, Sandeep Marwah could never sit idle. “The time had come to launch the International Broadcasting Forum. Harsh Vardhan formulated its aims and goals and helped me go ahead. I gave him the entire responsibility of the unit, and he fits the bill perfectly as an administrative person. I then employed C R Chabra as students-facilitator, coordinator, and attendance.” Sandeep Marwah and Harsh Vardhan continued with their evening sessions with generation of new ideas. “Our daily discussion at 4 p.m. over a cup of tea made us venture out for new avenues. We started the International Children Forum and got into a tie-up with the Children Film Society of India, under the Ministry of I&B. Subsequently, we began the International Women Forum. We even discuss the AAFT Festival which is usually held once in every three months. This film fest reaches out to a larger audience, with a lot of information disseminated in the public domain.” One could attribute intelligence, loyalty, influential, cooperative. selflessness, straightforwardness to Vardhan. “He accompanies me to national events, embassy parties, get-togethers, functions and propagates Marwah studios in his capacity. He always helps me organize press conferences in Agra, Jaipur, and Meerut without any fuss or tantrums. He would call it a day from office only to return in formal attire to come with me to parties. He did not have qualms to stay late in the night in either the office or in diplomatic parties while I drop him back home. He considered the organization as bigger than an individual and to respect it like one’s parents. There are many more who support the organization wholeheartedly and consider it like their own.” To break from monotony, Sandeep Marwah ensures that he takes a break and chill out with his family. "I went to the US with my family on a holiday vacation in 2003. I got a pleasant surprise when I received an email from the newly formed Chattisgarh state. It said that they were about to formulate a new university, and those interested had to contact the aforesaid person mentioned. I got very excited and made a checklist of the requirements and told Harsh Vardhan to prepare the documents. I returned to India within a fortnight and told him to handle the project. I formatted an application with the help of Suresh Jangida and Vinay Kumar and submitted it to Raipur. They assessed our performance from 1993 to 2003 and after four months sent us a letter with instructions to fulfill the list of formalities. I read the list of requirements and got scandalized the applicant needed to have completed 10 years in the education sector, registered 25 acres of land in the society’s name, and deposited two crores in Chattisgarh. We just had a month to buy the land in the name of society and register it. We did it swiftly and created a board. And then I collected money from different quarters to add up to 2 crores. We then successfully submitted our forms within the stipulated time to Raipur.” Meticulous in his work, Harsh Vardhan ensured that he visits his daughter in the US once in every three years. “His daughter and her husband stay there. He takes two to three months off every year from work to enjoy some family time. It once became sheer coincidence that both of us were in the US on a vacation. He drove his car for about two hours to come from one end of New Jersey to another just to greet me. He expressed a desire that I meet his daughter and brother-in-law and I met both. A wonderful gesture from his side which made me very elated!” Vardhan and Sandeep Marwah follow a daily work routine from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. “We got involved in extensive research and re-designed the courses, as the academy would become a university soon. Until then, we only had only shortterm courses of three months or one-year but now we would have three-year courses. We had to change the syllabus, content, faculty, and reference books. The workload increased manifold as we got ready for the launch of the new courses. I became the VC while Vardhan the pro-VC of the new university in 2003. He got rejuvenated with the new post and university status. We needed extra space and so began construction in another part of the studio.” Meanwhile, Vardhan got promoted as Vice President of Marwah studio and he became more of a father figure after he assumed charge. “He became second in command and took pertinent decisions in my absence be it to splurge money or take action. I have high regard for this part-time consultant who made us take serious decisions over a cup of tea.” As an impeccable writer, Harsh Vardhan ventured out with his creative skills and wrote a book on Sandeep Marwah. “It read like a government document and not as a creative piece of work. Then he wrote about my accomplishments and accolades in the form of two brochures. We circulate these 100 pages to the foreign delegation and filmmakers to get an update about the academy. With an attractive cover, it became very popular and saved me the trouble to give an intro. It enhanced my skills and helped me get an entry into international forums. Vardhan then compiled and published the same brochures into a book format with a particular pattern last year, rather a revised version.” With the rapid evolvement of Marwah studio, Vardhan became Pro VC from his earlier post as Director-Academics. “Sadan Malik stopped his visits to the institute while Suresh Jangida took over as Dean. Vardhan had started to age after he resumed work from 1996 and begun to become finicky. He began to differ in his opinion with Suresh Jangida in 2003. Artistic by nature, Jangida used to have files strewn around on his table and students' present in his room even at 7 p.m. though he had his reasons. Vardhan disliked it and wondered why files and students were found in his room after 4 p.m. after the institute shuts down.” Slowly, Harshan Vardhan’s infectious energy began to decline. “His active behavior slowed down while he mellowed down in energy and intellect but never lost his enthusiasm. He became temperamental when the staff were not punctual and picked up squabbles which made them panic which worried me. I advised him to take the much-needed rest and make lesser visits. He began to come once a week and then made it once a fortnight which later reduced to once a month. Till today, he visits us to give some sound advice as he is still abreast of the latest happening in the world of media. At the end of the day, it is his attachment with the place after 24 years of association with Marwah and 40 years of government service. We had given him due recognition at the `Global film festival’ wherein he got felicitated with the `Global Film Award for the Best Media Teacher’. He had always been associated with all the Global Film Festivals and ten other festivals organized by Marwah studios. He had wonderful innings with Marwah Studio and we always hold in him high regard and blessings.” The End
