A classical musical extravaganza was hosted by the  Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (Spic Macay) chapter of the Xavier University on February 29. 

Santoor maestro Tarun Bhattacharya performed at the event. The musical evening started with Hindustani classical music presented by the artiste, who was accompanied by Jyotirmoy Roy Chowdhury on the tabla. Young classical music enthusiasts interacted with the musicians about the various trends in the field. The Xavier School of Commerce also hosted a national conference on “Commerce in 21st Century: Innovations, Trends and Practices” on February 20. The conference was a forum of communication for academics, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in the areas of accounting and 
finance.

Felicitation

An eminent alumnus of the BJB (Autonomous) College, Bhubaneswar, Hrushikesh Senapaty, who is presently the director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) was felicitated by the institute on February 29. Senapaty is the first Odia to hold the position. Addressing the students, he said commitment, sincerity, and dedication are the three important factors by which one can bring change. He said the educational system of the country needs a thorough transformation, not just in theory but in practice. Heads of various departments of the college along with students also took part in an interactive session. The event was organised by the department of education at the institute. Earlier, the inaugural function of the students' union of the college was held on the campus on February 18.

Focus on justice

A lecture in the field of social sciences was organised by the Central University of Odisha on the main campus of the varsity at Sunabeda on February 29. The topic of discussion was “Importance of Justice in the Indian Republic.” Bichitra Nanda Ray, senior professor at KIIT University and former professor of political science at Delhi University shared his vast experience of teaching with the students and informed them about the concept of social justice given by many great thinkers. He said justice could at times be an illusion and moves in a zigzag manner. His opinions also included that justice was eternal and comes before liberty, equality and fraternity in the Indian constitution.

Tabla beats

A three-day national seminar on the top trends in tabla was organised at the Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya from February 24 to 26. A number of prominent tabla players from the state performed at the event and briefed the students about the various intricacies in percussion. The various aspects that were discussed during the event were evolution of the musical terminologies in tabla and its application, effect of the sounds of tabla in the psychological development of children, origin and evolution of the various gharanas in the state and the history of the instrument and its various 
applications.

Fests & fun

The annual tech fest and culture fests titled Zazen and Zephyr, was organised by the Odisha Engineering College, Bhubaneswar, from February 24 to 26. As part of the events, a number of competitions such as cyber gaming, robotics and sports events were conducted. A ramp show was also hosted where students walked the stage with attires designed by themselves. Singer Ami Mishra performed at the event and enthralled the audience with his versatile singing. He crooned a number of popular Bollywood songs to which the students danced and matched steps. A DJ night was also hosted apart from performances by rock bands. A design-thinking workshop was also hosted by Google Business Group, Bhubaneswar. 

Blood donation

A mega blood donation camp was organised by the students of the Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, on March 1. Hundreds of students of the premier institute donated blood at the camp, which was inaugurated by the vice chancellor of the university, E. Saibaba Reddy. The donors went through a series of extensive medical check-ups such as blood pressure and haemoglobin tests before donating blood. The objective of the blood donation camp was to spread the idea that every drop of blood counts. Doctors, technicians, attendants and other staff members of the Red Cross Blood Bank of Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Burla, were present at the camp.

Training camp

A zonal level study-cum-training camp was conducted by the Youth Red Cross at Rama Devi Women's University from February 19 to 22. The event came up with ways to involve the young Red Cross volunteers in alleviating sufferings of underprivileged people. 

Governor S.C. Jamir, who is the president of the Indian Red Cross Society, Odisha, while attending the event said concrete steps should be taken to initiate Red Cross units in all higher education institutions in the state. The camp provided training to students on disaster preparedness and management, blood donation, HIV/AIDS, global warming, first aid skills, road safety as well as maintaining  traffic rules. Student volunteers of different colleges from six districts of the state took part in the event with great enthusiasm.

Writers & actors

The 17th annual function of the Gangadhar Meher Junior College, Sambalpur, was organised last week. Three plays — Rakat daan mahat kaam, Raam naam satya hai and Lolypop — were staged. The plays were directed and written by the students of the college. 

Padma Shri Haldhar Nag, a popular Kosli poet, was the chief speaker. He interacted with the students about the future of regional literature and how students with a flare for writing can take it up as a career. Eminent playwright, director and actor Atal Bihari Panda was the guest of honour. The 85-year-old known for hit films such as Adim vichar and Sala budha charmed the students with his witty talks.