Central University of South Bihar remembered Mahatma Gandhi and late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on their birth anniversary, October 2, in a week-long celebration of their life and contribution.

Students, faculty and staff members attended the events that concluded on Saturday. S.N. Singh, dean, School of Social Sciences and Policy, had inaugurated the series of programme in the presence of proctor and dean, School of Education, Kaushal Kishore.

Later, Alok Kumar Gupta, faculty of political science & international relations, spoke on 'Hind Swaraj' and threw light on Gandhi's thoughts on self-governance focused towards establishing a peaceful and prosperous nation.

The students remembered the greats with competitions on poster-making, rangoli, essay writing and debate.

Animesh Prakash, one of the participating students, said: 'The week-long programme was enriching as. Mahatma Gandhi's tools of non-violence - Satyagraha - is inspirational and important for the present generation.'

Priya Ranjan, faculty in sociological studies, co-ordinated the programme.

Power of youths

Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna, with charitable trust Shraddha, organised an international workshop on 'Youth engagement in public policy process' on October 6 at the campus. The theme of discussion was prevention of violence and extremism, and building sustainable peace.

United Nations Alliance of Civilisations supported the workshop in which 60 youths from different regions of Bihar took part. CIMP director V. Mukunda Das in his keynote address said participation of youngsters in the economic, political and cultural life was fundamental, now and in future, for the progress of the nation.

'Youth participation and collaboration, especially via digital media technologies, offer a real opportunity to the generation's participation in government and community decision making,' he said.

Vanessa Suen, programme management specialist, youth and innovation, United Nations Alliance of Civilisations, spoke on efforts in inspiring and engaging youngsters the world over in preventing violence and extremism.

Sujitav representing Shraddha presented a research report on the status of youth participation in the public policy process in India, Nepal and Bhutan and various possibilities for sustainable peace, including the involvement of media and the role of women.

India-Africa link

The academic committee of Central University of South Bihar conducted a talk on 'Emerging dynamics of India-Africa relations' on Thursday. Pro-vice-chancellor Om Prakash Rai, who presided over the programme, emphasised on similarities in culture and civilisation between India and Africa from a historical perspective. He urged the teachers and students to conduct further studies on the topic so that the findings could be communicated to the Centre.

Pranav Kumar from the university's School of Social Sciences was the main speaker. He said although there is a long history to India-Africa relations, certain elements of change have been at work in the post-Independence period. 'In the Nehru period, the relationship was grounded on more idealistic and moralistic foundations. Indira Gandhi gave it a more realistic touch. But, since Rajiv Gandhi it has acquired a more balanced outlook,' he said. 'The major shift in India's foreign policy was noticeable during the (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee period when the policy started to be framed keeping national interest on centre stage.'

He also elaborated the various facets of the relation in the 21st century, including institutional development, energy cooperation, maritime security, and pluralistic efforts to reform international organisations. In the backdrop of the 3rd India Africa Forum Summit in October 2015, Pranav said, the relations have undergone a quantum jump.

Dean, Social Sciences and Policy, S.N. Singh, chief proctor Kaushal Kishore, dean, students' welfare, Sanat Kumar Sharma, faculty members and students attended the talk.

Blood camp

Patna University's National Service Scheme (NSS) organised a blood donation camp at Darbhanga House on Thursday and Friday.

Sunita Rai, the head of personnel management and industrial relations, said: 'University students, especially those from the department, took part in the blood donation camp.'

NSS convener Atul Aditya Pandey said: 'An orientation programme was held on Thursday where the students were told about the various activities and how they can join the NSS.'

Anil Kumar, a student from the personnel management and industrial relations department, said: 'Students develop a sense of discipline and cooperation by participating in these blood donation camps.'

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