The students of Centurion University of Technology and Management co-ordinated a two-day Chandrabhaga poetry festival on January 9 and 10 on their campus.
Linguist Debi Prasanna Pattanayak told the students that poetry is a journey from words to a meaningful expression of emotions, feelings and ideas in a powerful manner. Sukrita Paulkumar, professor at Delhi University’s English department, talked about Indian poetry and journey into poetic creations.
Poetry reading sessions were conducted by eminent writers such as Jayanta Mahapatra and Sudeep Sen. A number of poets from China, France and the US also read out poetry on themes such as feminism, freedom, resistance and peace.
A special session was held to pay tribute to poets Samarendra Nayak and Pankaj Singh.
A poetry session for children was also held.
Sen’s book, Ero Text, was also released on the occasion.
Adventure trip
Around 600 rangers and rovers from various colleges across the state gathered at the state training centre in Khurda for a five-day festival that concluded earlier this month. During the fest, youngsters took part in activities and competitions, apart from going on adventurous trips. The students proved their mettle in events such as drama, group songs, face painting, folk dances, band displays, and solo acts.
An integration march was also organised on the inaugural day to spread the message of progress and protection.
Every evening the participants sat by a campfire and enjoyed folk dances as well as patriotic songs. A major highlight of the event was a trekking trip to the Barunei Hills where the youngsters and forest officials, under the guidance of expert mountaineers, took part in hiking and rock climbing.
On the valedictory day, the students conducted an exhibition, where they displayed products made by them at the fest. The purpose of the event was to develop the inherent potential of the college students by engaging them in a number of activities. The aim was to make them physically, mentally, socially, spiritually and emotionally strong and useful citizens.
NSS programme
The students of Sri Ram Chandra Sanskrit College, Balasore, participated in a week-long National Service Scheme (NSS) programme at Narharipur village in Remuna block that concluded earlier this month. Around 50 students took part in the camp and launched a cleanliness and plantation drive. The students also conducted yoga sessions for the children. They generated awareness about the rights of the citizens and educated the villagers about the need for hygiene in their day-to-day activities.
Chittaranjan Sahu, a senior citizen, interacted with the students and shared his many experiences of facing various problems related to education and health in the village. Discussions on several issues including Right to Information Act, history of India and freedom fighters and the Indian Constitution were also conducted. It was an opportunity for the students of the institution to understand the challenges faced by rural citizens on an every day basis.
Lecturers’ meet
The All-Odisha Lecturers’ Meet was held at the Astha School of Management last week. A seminar, titled Shaping future — I am the change, was followed by an interactive session with participants, both from the academia and industry.
The teachers and aspiring teachers from the institute were given tips on the role and responsibilities of a teacher in shaping the future of the present generation. More than 200 lecturers from 100 colleges participated at the event and shared their views on issues related to management.
Induction ceremony
A seminar on art was organised at the College of Art and Crafts, Balasore, during a three-day art installation programme last week. It was inaugurated by the tourism and culture minister Ashok Panda. Several speakers, including renowned artists, participated in the event and talked to the students on the various trends in the field of art. The common syllabus prepared by Lalit Kala Akademi was unveiled during the event. At present, there are around 130 art schools in the state. Most of the speakers were of the view that every artistic creation should convey a message. The students presented cultural shows at the event.
College reunion
The annual alumni meet of the College of Engineering and Technology (CET), Bhubaneswar, was held recently. The meeting witnessed coming together of over 100 alumni from across the 35 batches of the institute and commemoration of the recent accomplishments and the infrastructure expansion of the college. The alumni also discussed various problems faced by the college and the lack of industry interface, research and project opportunities, proper infrastructure, backing of the newer departments, blunt course structure, discrepancies in the examination calendar, result declaration and delay in certificate validations. The last Sunday of every year was decided to be the open forum for the alumni meeting.
Athletics event
The 73rd annual sports meet of Gangadhar Meher Junior College was organised recently. Hundreds of students of the institution took part in several athletic events such as sprinting, long jump, high jump, shot-put, discus and javelin. Students of under-graduate and post-graduate programmes took part at the meet. While Akash Mirdha emerged as champion in the boys’ category, Deepanjali Mirdha was declared champion in the girls’ category. The annual sports meet was inaugurated by the regional director of higher education, Prashanta Mohapatra. Eminent athlete Sundermani Barik attended the closing ceremony as chief guest and handed over prizes to the students.
