For a cause: Students of Patna Women’s College form a human chain. Picture by Ashok Sinha

The past week was one for beginnings and conclusion on different campuses in the city. A students’ forum was launched to address human rights issues and an engineer-turned-painter took inspiration from Indian mythology. A skills training workshop came to its close as well.

Free thought

Colleges around the city organised several programmes to mark the International Day for Human Rights on December 10.

Patna College launched a human rights forum with principal N.K. Choudhary as the ex officio president and history faculty member at Patna University Daisy Narayan as the secretary.

On the occasion, Choudhary announced a six-month certificate course in human rights and human development that would start at the institution. It would start from January.

“Nobody should be subjected to inhuman treatment. People should have freedom of thought, religion and expression,” Choudhary said, adding that human rights of underprivileged people in society must be respected.

The same day, Bihar Human Rights Commission chairman Justice Bilal Nazki attended a seminar organised at the College of Commerce.

He said: “Every person should make an effort to stop violation of rights. Violation of rights begins from home. If we don’t fulfil our responsibilities towards our children or parents, that is also a kind of violation of rights. But very few people understand this. People need to be made aware about this.”

Apart from College of Commerce principal Baban Singh, faculty members Manoj Kumar, Anil Kumar Singh and Jainendra attended the seminar.

Students also did their bit to uphold human rights. Patna Women’s College and St Xavier’s College of Management and Technology students formed a human chain outside their campuses on December 10. At the St Xavier’s College, principal Father T. Nishant and social awareness committee members Mudita Sodder and Mala Kumari Upadhyay co-ordinated the programme. At Patna Women’s College, principal Sister Marie Jessie pulled off the event in co-ordination with head of department, political science, Shefali Roy.

Techie colours

College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, hosted a painting exhibition of civil engineer-turned-painter Gopal Krishna on December 9.

Scenes from the Mahabharat and the Ramayan, apart from the life of Gautam Buddha, came alive on Krishna’s canvas. Lord Krishna also showed up in his paintings.

The exhibition concluded on December 9.

On one of the canvas was Lord Krishna saving Draupadi from the disgrace of being disrobed, while another depicted Lord Shiva and Parvati. The life of Vaishali-based royal courtesan Amrapali was also depicted in the paintings.

Industries minister Bhim Singh, who was present at the inauguration of the painting exhibition, said artists are yet to get their due in society. “Material growth is not everything. Artists are sensitive people — this quality sets them apart from everybody else. We all should try to include art in our lives in some manner or other,” he said.

Skill workshop

Students of Cimage College attended an Advanced Tally workshop at the institution for a month since November. The sessions, conducted by the Union ministry of micro small and medium enterprises (MSME), concluded on December 12.

Director of MSME Development Institute, Patna, Pradeep Kumar spoke on various programmes being organised by the ministry to generate jobs.

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