A match between Trident Academy of Technology, Bhubaneswar, and Sikkim Manipal University in progress at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University stadium. (Below) Students perform at Convergence 2011 in Bhubaneswar. Telegraph pictures

Busy with work and play

A cricket tournament called SoA Premier League (SPL) was inaugurated at the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SoA) university’s stadium on March 13. Former India Test cricketer Debasish Mohanty inaugurated the tournament in which 12 universities and institutions from within and outside the state are participating. “I hope somebody from one of the teams here will go on to represent the country one day,” Mohanty said in his brief speech. An exhibition match between hosts SoA and Andhra University was played after the inauguration. Matches of the SPL commenced from March 14. The final is supposed to be played under lights on March 19. Besides SoA University, the other participating teams are Utkal University, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, Andhra University, Gitam University, Visakhapatnam, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Vir Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, Sikkim Manipal University, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack, International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Bhubaneswar, Trident Academy of Technology, Bhubaneswar and Biju Patnaik University of Technology.

Victorious girls

Girl students of Ravenshaw University swept the first, second and third prizes at the 35th edition of the Borasambar-Senapati annual English debate competition on March 11 at the Heritage Hall. Around 15 students from various streams participated in the debate. The topic of the debate was “Cyber connectivity has actually made us alien to one another”. Swayamshree Mishra, a final year BA (sociology) student, Swayamshrestha Kar, a first year BA (English) student, and Devmitra Sen, a second year MSc. (mathematics) student, bagged the first, second and third prizes and cash prizes of Rs 5,000, Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,000, respectively.The judges for this year were IAS officer Vivekananda Pattanaik, IPS officer Binoy Kumar Behera and associate professor, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, John Cussen. “It was decided that the winner of the Borasambar Debate would also be awarded the Chancellor’s Cup and no separate debate would be held for the chancellor’s prizes,” said vice-chancellor of Ravenshaw University, Devdas Chhotray, who had himself won the Borasambar-Senapati debate competition back in 1963 when he was a student.

Swayamshree Mishra and (below) Swayamshrestha Kar bagged first and second prize at the 35th edition of the Borasambar-Senapati annual English debate competition organised by Ravenshaw University in Cuttack. Telegraph pictures

Geography seminar

The Geography department of BJB (Autonmous) College hosted an international seminar on March 6. The theme of the seminar was “Geographical Basis of Rural Development”. R.L. Jamuda, principal secretary of the state rural development department, inaugurated the seminar and highlighted the activities, plans and programmes of his department. The seminar was marked by discussions on the rural development issues focusing on local, state, national and international arenas. Scholars from 14 foreign universities in the US, France, Germany, Japan, Turkey and South Africa contributed their research articles. A Geographic Information System was launched in the department, which is a pioneering effort and the first-of-its-kind in the state. Principal Dusmanta Sahu and head of the Geography department Basudev Satpathy were also present at the event.

Annual function

”Convergence 2011”, the two-day annual function of the Institute of Business and Computer Studies (IBCS), the school of management under the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SoA) University, concluded with a colourful programme on its premises on March 12. The event was inaugurated the previous day by chancellor Khageswar Pradhan and president of Orissa Productivity Council Ajit Mohapatra. Addressing the students, Mohapatra said after bureaucrats held sway for decades in the country, the concept of the manager had taken root in recent times. “The difference was that while the bureaucrat went by the rule book, managers were expected to deliver and show results,” he said. “The manager should have confidence, courage, commitment, consideration, courtesy and compassion to succeed. Even effective communication skills are a must,” he added. Vice-chancellor S.C. Mishra, dean of IBCS Jyotirmoy Mohapatra, Amit Burman and Prabir Paiccha of Kotak Securities and Robin Singh, HR head (CDMA Network) of Tata Teleservices, were the guests at the valedictory function where the students presented a cultural programme that included folk and modern dance, drama, comedy and a fashion show.

Role of women

On the eve of International Women’s Day, Raghunath Jew School of Management Studies (RJSMS) in Balasore, organised a seminar on “The role of women in building the nation”. Kasturi Choudhary, technical officer, Proof and Experimental Establishment (PXE) of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Chandipur, inaugurated the seminar and discussed the history of the celebration of Women’s Day and suggested that students follow the secret of the success of women achievers. Manorama Bhuiyan, deputy district collector, Sujata Das, chairperson of Balasore Municipality, Mamata Mohapatra, editor of a local magazine, Sudeshna Mohapatra, scientist, and Susma Rani Patra, technical officer, PXE, DRDO, Chandipur, also shared their views. A short film called The journey of women from past to present was presented by two final-year students, Triveni Dalbehra and S. Katyayani, while classmates Prateek Parekh and S. Katyayani hosted the programme, which was followed by a plantation activity by students, faculty and guests.

National workshop

A national workshop titled “Reflection of Research in Sociology” was organised by the sociology department of Ravenshaw University on March 12. During the workshop, a detailed review discussion on the 36th All-India Sociological Conference held last December at the university took place. Members of the Indian Sociological Society (ISS) such as J.J. Kattakayam, Partha Nath Mukherji and Tulsi Kumar offered their views on the workshop topic. Students of the department and Ravenshaw College conveners presented their respective papers. The first day ended with a stimulating group discussion while the second day saw an intense review session. A special lecture on “Teaching and Research in Sociology in India” was arranged in collaboration with Orissa Sociological Society (OSS). Sahu and OSS president Rita Ray, who is also a sociology professor of Utkal University, put forth their views. Vice-chancellor Devdas Chhotray and head of department D.R. Sahu were also present.

Human rights, values

Pipili College conducted a state-level seminar “Promotion of Values and Ethics in Human Rights Education” at a hotel in Bhubaneswar on March 13. The chief guest on this occasion was former secretary of state human rights commission, Biswajeet Mishra. He stressed on the need of spreading awareness among masses regarding their rights. He also said human rights should be made a compulsory subject in schools and colleges of the state. Mishra pointed out that the human rights campaign gained momentum in the 1980s and emphasised the role of mass media in protecting human rights from being violated. Principal Bichitrananda Patnaik, BMC deputy commissioner Dilip Routray and a few faculty members also presented their views.

Striving for excellence

The School of Hotel Management (SHM) under the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SoA) University observed its annual function, Rendezvous 11, on March 4 and 5. The chancellor of the university, Khageswar Pradhan, urged the students to excel in their profession. “Try to excel in whatever you do. The hospitality industry is growing fast and offers many opportunities,” he said. Pradhan was the chief guest at the function, which was presided over by the dean of SHM, P.K. Swain. Deputy chairman B. K. Sarap and vice-chancellor S.C. Mishra also spoke on the occasion. Cultural activities such as dance and music marked the second day of the celebrations.