Mangaluru, Jul 18: The ‘Investiture Ceremony’ for the new academic year was held with great solemnity. The chief guest for the occasion was Dr Xavier Savarimuthu SJ, research director, St Joseph’s College, Bengaluru. Fr Melwin Pinto SJ, rector of St Aloysius Institutions presided over the programme. The special occasion was graced by the principal, Fr Clifford Sequeira SJ, campus minister, Fr Sujay Daniel SJ, vice principals, Charlotte D’Souza and Muralikrishna GM, deans, Dr Pradeep M and Kiran Shetty, director, Students’ Council, Amitha Shetty and the student council representatives.
The inaugural ceremony commenced with the lighting of the lamp which signified the removal of darkness and a move towards the path of wisdom and divinity. A meaningful prayer song was rendered by the students, followed by a welcome dance.
The principal, Fr Clifford Sequeira SJ, welcomed the gathering and congratulated the newly elected student council members and said, ‘Leadership is a gift,’ “The student council is the nerve center of our institution. It is active to ensure that, the variant activities offered here, are enjoyed by as plenty students as possible, that everyone feels welcomed. Lead by example; let your actions speak for themselves, bear in mind that this is a post for service and be true to the college principles of compassion and excellence. Introduce new ideas and do not be afraid to come and ask for advice and reassurance. Strengthen the inclusive, try to listen to both the loudest voices and the hesitated ones. You are after all representative peoples. It is said, “People remember people, they will not remember you for the titles you had, they will remember for the trust you earned, the relationships you built, and the interactions you had with your peers. Measure your time and the impact through the little things you do, that change peoples’ lives for the better. May the college motto, ‘Lucet et Ardet’, be your guiding light and continue to shine the path ahead.”
Fr Clifford Sequeira SJ, administered the oath to the president, Harsh Ponnappa C, vice president, Anvi Shetty, secretary, Sanjana Shetty, joint secretary, Ashton D’Souza, cultural secretary, Krish P Chowta, sports secretary, Abhisha Shetty and all the class representatives and association secretaries. Dr Xavier Savarimuthu SJ and Fr Melwin Pinto SJ congratulated and felicitated the newly elected representatives.
The president of the students’ council, Harsh Ponappa, in his speech how leadership is not a rank, leadership is not about positions, leadership is a decision and leadership is a choice. It is not about building material comforts, it’s about getting to your peers, connecting, encouraging them to recognize and develop their inner qualities, allowing and making sure, that not just you, but, they too along with you, achieve and fulfill their truest potential.
The chief guest, Dr Xavier Savarimuthu SJ, stressed on the wonderful gifts in life and said, ‘Our energy has to be synergized in God’s presence and in word. He also said; always develop an attitude of gratitude to your parents’. This was explained by narrating an anecdote emphasizing how God accompanies us every moment in the form of our parents and our teachers. He urged the students to respect elders, consider failure as a stepping stone in their life and to imitate the right role models in their life.
Fr Melwin Pinto SJ, in his presidential address congratulated the student council members and said, ‘Leadership is not all about authority.’ He spoke about the single thought of ‘Leadership being the coordination of your head, your heart and your hands.’ To prove this statement he said, when you see an event, you immediately react to it. Reacting is not good. It is always waiting to give a sudden response to a situation. One of these responses has been that, which we have created now- a Special Center for Social Concern, a Center for Environmental Concern and a Center for Social Harmony. By doing this, you ought to give a message to the world that, yes we are here because we are here to help and serve others and for this we need to have a coordination of the head, heart and hands.
Reena Monteiro, head of fepartment of English, meticulously compared the programme. Amitha Shetty, director of students’ council, proposed the vote of thanks.
