Students of Srusti Academy of Management, Bhubaneswar, on a study trip to the XLRI School of Business and Human Resource, Jamshedpur. Telegraph picture

Members of Prince Dance Group perform at the annual programme of the Sambalpur University students’ union. (Above) Students of Sum Nursing College, Bhubaneswar, take the customary oath to serve people with dedication and sincerity. Telegraph picture

Week full of work & play

Utkal University students are out to show the world their creative side this season. After a unique annual day show by the MBA department with Halloween as the theme, students of personnel management and industrial relations (PMIR) enjoyed themselves hugely at their yearly bash “Horizon”, held on May 12 and 13.

It featured quite a few exclusive programmes. The event, which started with a seminar on “Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Management”, ended on a gala note with students uncorking their creativity on stage.

The show had it all — from belly dance and hip-hop to folk dance from around the country and special medleys dedicated to Bollywood stars Madhuri Dixit and Salman Khan.

High-octane performances on a fusion of popular Telugu songs and romantic duets earned loud applause from the audience.

But it was comedian Pappu Pom Pom who took the cake with his endless series of rib-tickling, improvised one-liners. His rather crude sense of humour had the students and teachers of the department in splits.

Playback singer Debasish Priyadarshi weaved magic with his soulful voice.

In work mode

A five-day programme titled “Project Campus” was launched at the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), Bhubaneswar, by software major Wipro Technologies on May 14 to help new recruits achieve a successful transition from campus life to a corporate environment. The company had recruited 149 students who had passed BTech, MCA and MTech.

“Students face challenges while moving from an individual to a team-based mode and this programme exposes them to a structured learning process,” a senior Wipro official said.

Project Campus, also known as “Jumpstart”, was designed to bridge this gap with a two-fold objective — to augment recruits with specific skills required for becoming work-ready IT professionals and equip them with knowledge in computer science and IT topics directly relevant to the industry, he said.

Education reforms

A state-level seminar on “Reform of Technical Education System in Odisha: Vision-2015” was organised by the Dhaneswar Rath Institute of Engineering and Management Studies (Driems) at Tangi, Cuttack, on May 21.

Nearly 200 faculty members from different institutes took part in the event and expressed their views on the present technical educational scenario in the state.

Secretary of Odisha Private Engineering College Association (Opeca), Binod Dash said loopholes in the Professional Education Act-2007 needed to be rectified to address problems such as vacant seats and to allow private colleges independence in conducting their own admissions.

The seminar was jointly hosted by Driems and the Indian Society for Technical Education-Odisha.

Media talks

The soon-to-be-launched Academy for Media Learning in Bhubaneswar organised a daylong workshop on “Professional Media Culture” for mass communication students and media aspirants of the state last week. Radio jockey Rajiv Nair and television anchor Itishree Nayak spoke about career opportunities in their respective fields.

Former director-general of police and writer Bipin Bihari Mishra, who was also a speaker at the event, talked about communication skills and leadership in media. In the concluding session — Media Learning Star Performer — the students took part in music, dance, anchoring, mimicry and acting competitions and the best performers won a trophy each.

Dance treat

Prince Dance Group, the popular Berhampur-based dance troupe, regaled hundreds of students at the Biju Patnaik auditorium of Sambalpur University during the annual programme of the varsity’s students’ union on May 6.

Winners of a talent reality show on national television, the troupe consists of young men hailing from disadvantaged sections, two of whom are physically challenged. The talented dancers held the audience’s attention with a dance piece on Lord Krishna and his various avatars.

The university students were also treated to several other cultural programmes. Sangeet Sadhana, a cultural organisation of Luisingha in Deogarh, presented the Sambalpuri folk dance and popular faces from the Odia album industry also kept the audience grooving to their music and dance performances.

Member of Parliament Bhakta Charan Das was the chief guest at the annual event. Das stressed intellectual development of the students.

Sports stars

TempleCity Institute of Technology and Engineering (Tite), Bhubaneswar, won the second inter-college volleyball tournament class- 2012 by defeating Nalanda Engineering College 3-1. Aditya Kumar Singh from the winning side was adjudged man of the match. Volleyball coach Sudarshan Patnaik handed over the trophy and awards to the players.

Study tour

A team of 15 final-year MBA students from Srusti Academy of Management, Bhubaneswar, visited XLRI School of Business and Human Resource, Jamshedpur, for an interactive session with the institute’s professors. Starting with a presentation on the expectations of the corporate sector from management graduates, the students were advised on various management principles and techniques of unbiased market research. XLRI dean Sanjay Patro, professors Pranabesh Ray and Tony Uvary addressed the student group during the session.

Service to mankind

Students of Sum Nursing College, Bhubaneswar, embarked on a lifelong obligation to the profession of nursing at an oath-taking and lamp-lighting ceremony on May 9. The young women lit candles before the portrait of Florence Nightingale and pledged to serve mankind with sincerity, diligence and compassion.

These students belong to the eighth batch of BSc (nursing) and third batch of general nursing and midwifery at the college. Director of the Regional Medical Research Centre of ICMR-Bhubaneswar Shantanu Kumar Kar said that though nurses were competent in their work, many lacked the skill of interacting with patients, which was crucial for their recovery.