Young cadets of the NCC Air Squadron, Bhubaneswar after their valedictory function. (Below) A seminar in progress at the Institute of Higher Secondary Education, Bhubaneswar. Telegraph pictures

Matter of mind

The valedictory function of the 1 Air Squadron (NCC), Bhubaneswar — the only Air Wing unit in the state — was held on May 15. The chief guest for the occasion was former India hockey captain, Dilip Tirkey. Certificates were awarded for the ‘Certificate’ exams held at the school and college levels. Scholarships sponsored by Sahara India Group and Cadet Welfare Society were also given away. The cadets were awarded in various categories such as best all-rounder, first in the order of merit and best in academics. In the ‘C’ certificate exams (the highest exam a cadet can appear for), the pass percentage stood at 80 per cent. For the ‘B’ and ‘A’ certificate exams, it was 85 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively, which was a record in itself. The topper for the ‘C’ certificate exams was Tazeen Qureshy of BJB (Autonomous) College while the best in academics award went to Swagatika Mohanty of College of Basic Science, Bhubaneswar. Prizes for the best all-rounders were given away to Yashobanta Panda of Maharishi College (Bhubaneswar) and Litali Mahapatra of College of Basic Science. The function was presided over by commanding officer of the unit, wing commander Bikash Kanungo. The other guests were Bhubaneswar DCP, Himanshu Lal and higher education director, Bimal Prasad Nanda. The event ended with a cultural show by the cadets.

Summer camp

A 10-day long summer camp for school children has been organised under the aegis of the art and craft college — Kala Kshetra in Balasore. Around 120 students of kindergarten to Class X are taking part in the camp. The participants are being given training in dance, music, watercolour, glass, leaf and pencil painting, terracotta and toy making, principal of the college, Nikunja Bihari Das said. Each participant has to pay a fee of Rs 100. Nine teachers of college have been roped in as resource persons. The college authorities are providing the students with the materials for various activities and daily snacks. “The objective is to promote art and craft among the children besides identifying their hidden talent. At the end of session we would be issuing them certificates,” said Das. This is the third year that the institution, situated near ITI square, has arranged a summer camp for school children.

Children participate in a summer camp organised by Balasore Art and Crafts College. Telegraph pictures

Career building

A workshop on career counselling on “Role of Soft Skill” and “Importance of Plus Two Science in Building a Professional Career” was organised at the Institute of Higher Secondary Education (IHSE), Bhubaneswar, on May 11. About 180 students, who are preparing for various competitive examinations, attended the workshop where experts conducted special sessions at the soft skills training laboratory of the Institute of Technical Education and Research (ITER), Bhubaneswar. IHSE director, R.N. Panda, and ITER additional dean (placements), R.K. Hota, spoke about the importance of English language and their career prospects in corporate conglomerates, respectively. Professors in English at ITER, J. Khuntia and Monalisha Mishra explained the importance of communicative skills, which help in securing placement in corporate sectors. Mishra emphasised on improving pronunciation, spelling and grammar. Panda also said the students of IHSE were being trained to do better in the state Plus Two board exams and engineering entrance exams through regular tests.

Engineering test

A record number of 58,112 students appeared for the Diploma Engineering Entrance Test (DET) on May 15 conducted at 138 centres all over the state and seven centres outside the state to compete for government and private polytechnics. Last year, 40,402 students had taken this test for admissions into the institutes while another 9,113 appeared for lateral entry. The corresponding figure for this year was recorded at 44,619 and 13,493 who competed for 32,600 seats in 13 government engineering and 77 private diploma engineering schools. The secretary of Orissa Private Engineering Schools’ Association, Saroj Kumar Sahoo, said the DET was monitored by the principal secretary of the Industries department and director of technical education and training in the state.

Nursing seminar

A two-day national seminar on ‘Research Methodologies in Nursing’ was organised at the Sum Nursing College under the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University, Bhubaneswar, on May 13. Vice-chancellor of the university, S.C. Mishra, inaugurated the event. The dean of the college highlighted the aims, objectives and importance of the topic being dealt with at the seminar. Guest lecturer for this occasion was Lakshmi Rana, principal of Vinayak Mission Annapurna Nursing College in Tamil Nadu, who gave a vivid idea regarding the need for developing research in the field of nursing. Mishra, on the other hand, expressed concern about the lack of guides and motivated the students to take up research work in this field. P.K. Panda from the Institute of Technical Education and Research, Bhubaneswar, also spoke elaborately on this subject. Other professors including Niyati Das, Gitarani Nayak, Prabhat Tripathy and principal, Prashant Kumar Brahma, also presented their views.

Job meet

A national seminar on “Employee Engagement and HR Initiatives” was held at the personnel management and industrial relations (PMIR) department, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar on May 14. It was inaugurated by the new vice-chancellor, P.K. Sahoo, who shed light on the various aspects of employee engagement and leadership qualities. The other speakers included S.C. Padhi of Mahanadi Coalfields, R.N. Mishra of Tata Steel and guest of honour, prof. V. Balmohan Das. Padhi discussed about interpersonal relations and career development perspectives while Mishra deliberated on HR issues and strategies, and Das emphasised on theoretical perspectives and practices in this regard. Over 100 delegates from top-notch industries and prominent B-schools participated here. Thirty-two papers were presented during the technical session, presided over by the department professors, G.C. Patro and S.C. Sahoo. Besides department head, B.N. Mishra, students and PG council chairman, Samson Moharana, Bijoy Sahoo of Reliance attended the seminar.

Ravenshaw lecture

A two-day lecture series and colloquium on ‘Connecting contemporary Orissa: Structure, Agency and Disclosure’ was held at Ravenshaw University on May 17 and 18. Eminent personalities from different fields debated on issues pertaining to economic liberalisation, political decentralisation and resource redistribution. Vice-chancellor of Calcutta University, Suranjan Das, gave an insight on the challenges that the country faces in the 21st century on the inaugural day. Making a distinction between ‘shining india’ and ‘dark india’, he spoke about economic disparity among various strata of the society. Delivering the Biswa Mohan Mishra lecture, Das said that India has the fastest growing economy in the world with its GDP pegged at 8.5 per cent. Be it IT, BPO or overseas investments and exports, all have registered a growth and this has pushed the country into the trillion dollar club. A panel discussion and round table conference were also held. Director, group HR and CEO, Carbon Business Aditya Birla Group chaired the round table discussion. “We are contemplating for a centre for contemporary history at the university,” said head of department of history, professor Chandi Prasad Nanda. Historian professor, Bhairabi Prasad Sahu of Delhi University, and Prof. Salil Mishra also participated in the seminar.

Shilpi Sampad, Sibdas Kundu and Vikash Sharma