Khurshid gives awards to young filmmakers as MEA's digital platform completes two years

'India Is', the digital initiative platform of Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs, successfully completed two years.

On the occasion, five short films produced by noted filmmaker Arurag Kashyap and his team were launched on social media to gauge the influence of India and its growing soft power on the lives on a global audience.

Indian External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, who was present at the occasion, awarded the young producers for contributing to "India Is".

Khurshid said: "We have found a new voice. Not only we have found content, but we also found new voice and new method of communicating things that we want to say and indeed things that we would like to hear. We now have two way communication network that allow us to do this without own people, with the rest of the world, with many of you who had traditional form of communication, but that certainly exploded into million different ways of reaching out. I think every little moment of surfing on the internet gives you a new communicating impulse and a new outreach."

Khurshid said the photographs and videos contributed by amateur contestants were a celebration of the youth of the country who comprise more than half the population.

He said keeping India's demography in mind, it is extremely important to harness the energy of the youth.

"It's a story that we have, it's a story that has to be told, and it must to told in a way that's enchanting and that attracts people's attention. The creativity that has gone into this idea is remarkable. It appropriately reflects the sense, the feel that we have about our position today in the world, in global market place. I am glad that we are doing this is a creative manner occupying the space that somebody else might have taken and we will compete with that space on a regular basis enrich, colour it and hope to convince people that we are the best," he added.

A short film, "Hidden Cricket", by filmmaker Anurag Kashyap was screened on the occasion.

Kashyap said the platform had helped some promising young filmmakers showcase their talent.

"Everybody has its own India in them and as long as everybody goes back and does their own things and makes their own film and expresses themselves. We are expressing five filmmakers. I want to thank everybody for giving us this opportunity. I want to thank external affairs ministry for initiating this. Google has come up thinking of us and actually pitching out five more film makers out there in the world," he said.

On YouTube, 'India Is' has 245 videos made from entries from 40 countries.

A short grab of the prize winning videos was also shown at the event.

The PDD has tied up with Skarma, a communications and consultancy firm, to host the site.

The other partners include Google India, YouTube, Incredible India and Conde Nast Traveller India.