Mangaluru: Nitte Institute of Communication hosted the first day of the two-day national level media fest, Beacons 2018 at Deralakatte.

The fifth edition of the fest, themed 'Dissent is Necessary' was inaugurated by Prakash Belawadi, renowned actor, theatre artist, journalist, activist and media personality.

Dr C S Shastry, Principal, Nitte Gulabi Shetty Memorial Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences presided over the inaugural ceremony.

In his keynote address, Belawadi spoke of the necessity of dissent in democracy. Recollecting his days of journalism with The Indian Express, he said that regardless of the cynicism, it is a very noble profession. “Democracy without the right to dissent is no good, because dissent is the essence of democracy,” he said.

He urged students to question authority, think and find their own answers. “Protest has been made very convenient and we do not see the importance of dissent. 74% of India's population is below the age of 35. It is all up to the youngsters now,” he said.

Belawadi also spoke about the importance of theatre. He said that it was an easy as well as a much more effective medium to approach the audience with a direct message as compared to any other medium.

Head of Nitte Institute of Communication, Prof Raviraj Kini, faculty coordinator of Beacons 2018, Wilma Serrao, student coordinators Pavan Kumar and Prabhat Shetty and student council president and Likhit Shanker were present.

The first day of the fest received a good response with fifteen colleges from around Mangaluru as well as colleges from different parts of Karnataka, participating. Preliminary rounds of competitions like Just A Minute, Quiz and Photography took place, along with Short film making, Theme Dance, RJ Hunt and Movie Spoof.

The evening ended with a cultural program presented by the students of Nitte Institute of Communication.