Karim City College on Thursday. (Bhola Prasad)

Karim City College, an affiliated unit of Kolhan University, flagged off Communal Harmony Campaign Week on Thursday to celebrate a secular, strong and inclusive India.

The day started with a fundraiser by college staff and students, collections of which will be sent to National Foundation for Communal Harmony, New Delhi, an autonomous outfit under Union home ministry. The foundation will spend the sum to rehabilitate child victims of communal, caste, ethnic or terrorist violence.

Under the foundation, the communal harmony week lasts between November 19 and 25, 2012. The college started celebrations three days later as it reopened after Chhath.

“We want students to adopt secular practices in their living reality,” said principal Mohammad Zakaria.

“We are celebrating communal harmony week since 2006. Leaders of tomorrow need to go beyond academics,” said Aquil Ahmad, NSS coordinator at Karim City College.

Last year, the college had collected Rs 17,500 and sent it to the New Delhi foundation headquarters. This year the target is higher. Students, non-teaching staff and faculty members contribute Rs 10, Rs 25 and Rs 50 each, respectively.

On November 24, an interfaith dialogue on peace will be the campus cynosure. Representatives from Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism and Christianity will take part in the panel discussion. A slogan-writing contest and a rally flagged off by Subodh Kumar, SDO (Dhalbhum) are also scheduled on the same day. The closing ceremony on November 27 will have a patriotic song contest.