BECIL Empowers Storytelling from the Skies Through 'India: A Bird’s Eye View Challenge'

Finalists will be felicitated during a grand ceremony, where winners will be honored for their exceptional storytelling and drone cinematography skills.

Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), a distinguished Mini Ratna Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, took a monumental step in promoting India's innovation and diversity by organizing the 'India: A Bird’s Eye View Challenge'. Conceptualized to capture India's beauty, cultural richness, and dynamic progress through aerial cinematography, the challenge aimed to inspire citizens across the nation to portray the country's magnificence through the lens of a drone.

Challenge Categories: Encouraging Diversity and Inclusion

The competition was thoughtfully divided into two distinct categories to ensure broad-based participation:

• Open Category: Open to all Indian citizens, welcoming filmmakers, students, hobbyists, professionals, and drone enthusiasts to showcase their aerial storytelling skills.

• Drone Didi Category: A specially curated category exclusively for women trained under initiatives such as the Namo Drone Didi Scheme. This initiative reflects BECIL’s commitment to empowering women, especially in rural and semi-urban regions, by fostering skills in drone technology and videography.

Strategic Outreach: A Multi-Pronged National Campaign

To ensure maximum participation and visibility, BECIL launched an extensive outreach strategy combining both traditional and digital media efforts:

• Institutional Engagements: BECIL teams conducted live seminars and visits to drone academies, media institutes, and universities across India. These interactions with students and drone trainees significantly boosted grassroots-level awareness.

• Online Portal: A dedicated, user-friendly portal was launched to streamline the registration and video submission process, ensuring ease of access for participants nationwide.

• Targeted Email Campaigns: Personalized email drives reached out to media schools, drone training centers, and civil society organizations, promoting widespread awareness among key communities.

• Social Media Activation: Robust campaigns on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn were executed with tailored content strategies—ranging from teaser videos to testimonials—to sustain public interest throughout the challenge period.

• Offline Promotion: Complementing digital efforts, physical materials such as posters and pamphlets were widely distributed at educational and training centers.

Nationwide Enthusiasm: A Pan-India Showcase

The challenge struck a resonant chord with citizens, recording an impressive 1,324 registrations. Notably, 382 entries were from participants under the Drone Didi category, reflecting the remarkable rise of women drone pilots and cinematographers from rural belts of India.

Participants hailed from every corner of the country—whether it was the snowy valleys of Himachal Pradesh, the culturally vibrant bylanes of Uttar Pradesh, the fertile plains of Bihar, the technological hubs of Gujarat and Karnataka, or the sun-drenched coasts of Tamil Nadu. The challenge truly transformed into a vibrant pan-India celebration of talent, innovation, and creativity.

Rigorous Judging Process: Distinguished Jury Panel

Each entry underwent meticulous scrutiny by a distinguished jury comprising prominent figures in the field of cinematography and filmmaking:

• Mr. Piyush Shah – Esteemed Cinematographer, Producer, Writer, and Sound Designer.

• Mr. R.V. Ramani – Renowned National Award-winning Filmmaker and Documentary Cinematographer.

• Mr. Arun Varma – Acclaimed Cinematographer known for his significant contributions to Indian cinema.

Through a thorough and detailed evaluation process, the jury shortlisted the top five finalists from each category, along with four special entries that stood out for their outstanding Social Representation.

Culmination at WAVES 2025: A Grand Celebration Awaits

The shortlisted entries will be showcased at WAVES 2025, an eminent platform celebrating innovation and creativity. Finalists will be felicitated during a grand ceremony, where winners will be honored for their exceptional storytelling and drone cinematography skills.

This initiative marks yet another significant step by BECIL towards fostering a culture of innovation, creativity, and inclusivity in India, demonstrating how emerging technologies like drones are reshaping the way we document and celebrate our nation.