Key details
Daniel Jebakumar
PhD Researcher
I'm a Media Academician by profession. I'm currently pursuing PhD at the University of Greenwich. I have been actively involved in practical pedagogy for a majority of my professional career which began in 2010 soon after I completed my undergraduate study in Electronics and Media Technology in India.
My academic and professional background spans both technical and creative disciplines, including filmmaking, audio, photography, electronics, IT, cinematography, and post-production. I have also set up and managed media studios in educational environments, supported student-led projects, and collaborated with media crews.
I have developed substantial experience in film and television production throughout my career, both academically and professionally. As a Studio Manager and Media Lecturer at Bayan College in Oman, I managed the transition of the media studios to a 4K digital workflow, enabling award-winning documentary productions. I also supervised the acoustic treatment of the TV production studio and oversaw the practical aspects of media education at Bayan College.
My freelance work as an audio engineer exposed me to live production scenarios. I have been working as a one-person crew, handling pre-production, filming, and post-production for my ongoing independent documentary film series on ethnic musical instruments.
At Karunya University, I managed “Campus TV”, an intranet-based television channel, providing me with first-hand experience coordinating production workflows.
In addition to teaching, I have contributed to promotional and instructional media projects for previous employers, including scripting, filming, and editing videos.
I enjoy working on practice-based and practice-led research. My first funded project was a documentary titled Media and Coronavirus Pandemic in Oman. AREACORE funded this project, and it has been published on their website. I completed this project with a team of Media and journalism students. The documentary focussed on how the Omani media tackled information and misinformation concerning the Coronavirus pandemic at its peak.
My second funded project was a documentary titled Women's Representation in the Omani Media. AREACORE funded this project, and it has been published on their website. I was tasked with compiling and editing the documentary. I oversaw and advised on the script and filming of the content for the documentary as well.
In addition to working in multiple FE Colleges in London and Essex, I have also been actively volunteering my skills in improving the PA and media system at churches in the UK, Oman and India.
Research / Scholarly interests
My practice-based PhD thesis titled “Songs of the people: A pragmatic study and exposé of musical instruments originating from the indigenous tribes in South India” focuses on the musical practices of indigenous communities in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India through a short documentary series. I spent six months in the field in India, traveling to six different tribal settlements, interacting with their musicians and singers, and documenting their performances and instrument-making methods. This effort aims to build an online archive of their musical forms and practices, preserving them for future generations and supporting researchers interested in ethnomusicology.
I collaborated closely with the Tribal Research Centre in Tamil Nadu, and my findings will be incorporated into their website. This project combines my academic interests with my passion for storytelling and cultural preservation. I aspire to continue working on this research after the completion of my doctoral study as well and extend it into a large-scale research project covering all 36 tribal communities in Tamil Nadu.
I wish to build a more inclusive society through my work in getting marginalised and under-represented communities and their musical traditions the platform and recognition that they deserve.
Recent publications
Presented a paper entitled “Preserving the Musical Heritage of India’s Tribal Communities in the Face of Modernisation” at the National Seminar on Sustainability and Empowerment in Tribal Communities, Tribal Research Centre & Ministry of Tribal Affairs, India — December 2023.