Beyond Words and Pictures

Vikas Kahol: The Communicator

Specttrum Profiles: Senior journalist Vikas Kahol from Jalandhar, Punjab has comfortably travelled through the paths of words and images. Journalism gave him the discipline of reporting and writing; photography added another language; and more than a decade in university communication has brought these abilities together in the larger world of reputation, brand management and institutional storytelling.

Today, Vikas is Director Public Relations at DAV University, Jalandhar, where he has been leading the communication function since 2013. The role brings together brand strategy, media relations, content creation, digital communication, internal and external engagement, photography and multimedia. It is a natural convergence for someone who has always described himself as a wordsmith, photographer, designer, documentary maker and communication professional.

Journalism formed the foundation of this journey. After an early assignment with The Tribune in Shimla, Vikas joined The Indian Express, beginning an association that lasted more than a decade. Reporting across Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh gave him exposure to politics, environment, agriculture, social issues, courts and administration.

Those years also brought opportunities beyond routine reporting. Vikas launched Bathinda Newsline and managed its editorial operations, working with stringers, contributors and photojournalists. His interest in visual storytelling was already evident. During the same period, he researched and scripted a documentary on the Golden Forest scam and worked on television scripts for Tara Punjabi.

The next major chapter came with Mail Today of the India Today Group in 2007. As Special Correspondent based in Chandigarh, Vikas covered Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh across politics, crime, environment, agriculture and social issues. His biweekly column, Patiala Peg, gave him another space to observe and interpret the political, social and cultural life of the region.

Our association belongs to this period. During the active SpecttrumPR years, particularly between 2008 and 2013, Vikas was among the journalists with whom I interacted regularly. He was supportive of our media activities, and professional interaction gradually grew into friendship. Years have passed and our respective professional roles have changed, but that old connection has remained easy and familiar.

In 2013, Vikas moved from journalism into university communication by joining DAV University, Jalandhar. The transition brought a different challenge. Instead of reporting organisations from outside, communication now required understanding an institution from within and presenting its work consistently to multiple audiences.

Over the years, his role has expanded across brand management and strategic communication. Media relations, press communication, the university website, social media, internal communication and institutional events form part of the canvas. The work also involves coordination with alumni, stakeholders and different departments, along with managing audio-visual and print communication.

Photography fits naturally into this world. For Vikas, the camera has never been merely an accessory to his professional role. It is an independent passion. Anyone who starts a conversation with him about photography should probably keep some extra time available. He can happily travel from lenses and light to composition, equipment and camera adventures, bringing to the subject the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely enjoys the craft.

That visual interest also finds expression in his work at the university. Vikas conducts photography workshops, works with multimedia content and contributes to the development of visual communication. Journalism taught him to look for the story; photography trained the eye to notice what words sometimes miss.

His academic background in Journalism and Mass Communication from Kurukshetra University complements this long practical journey. Yet much of Vikas's professional character has been shaped in newsrooms, on reporting assignments, behind the camera and through years of managing institutional communication.

There is an interesting continuity across these roles. A journalist looks for the essential story. A photographer looks for the defining frame. A communication professional has to understand both and decide how an organisation should speak to the world.

Vikas Kahol has spent his career moving comfortably among these forms of expression. From newspaper reporting and columns to university communication, multimedia and photography, the tools have kept expanding while storytelling has remained at the centre. For Vikas, words and pictures have never been competing languages. Together, they have become different ways of seeing, understanding and communicating a story.

Contact: vikaskahol@gmail.com

 

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