Ace of clubs

Updated on: Monday, November 14, 2011

Affiliation to the right activity club in college can open up a world of possibilities, discovers Adil Marawala

There is more to college life than poring over books in the library or an idyllic time-pass in the canteen. Campuses throb with activityclubs that offer a chance to seek creative pursuits, explore new hobbies, or indulge for the sheer pleasure of it. Activity clubs are the best ways to make friends with those who share a common wavelength. And if chosen carefully, the activity club experience can prove more valuable than a college degree, in shaping one's career.

A TO Z

'Pandemonium' is a dynamic platform where students from the department of English at Shivaji College, New Delhi, meet to exercise their creativity, talent, and literary knowledge. Pandemonium also organises an annual two-day literary festival called 'Litiopia.' The 'Literary Society,' promoted by the department of English at MS University, Baroda, dedicates each weekend to explore the functionality and derive fun from the world of alphabets. It organises spelling-bee competitions, extempore speeches, screenplay sessions, recreating scenes from popular classics, etc, besides hosting an English play every year, which has become a calendar event in the cultural circles of Baroda. Rani Dharkar, author and dramatist, says, "The club acts as an ice-breaker for freshmen and an eye-opener to the hidden talents of students." 'RusLan,' the cultural club at the department of Russian at MS University, exposes club members to aspects of Russian culture as it celebrates Russian festivals, explores Indo-Russian ties, samples Russian cuisine, stages plays by Russian dramatists, etc. Debhal Dasgupta, head of department, says, "The addition of choicebased credit system allows students to earn academic incentives for participating in such activity clubs, which can be quantified and presented as part of their work portfolio in specific courses at international universities." D Ganesh, a student acting in plays staged by the Literary Society, was thrilled to find roles in ad-films , and even shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan in the movie Teen Patti. Another student, Om Prakash, who booked his berth in the National School of Drama after sharing his portfolio of plays done with RusLan and is now a regular face in Ram Gopal Verma's movies, says, "Activity clubs help one to constructively plan out one's time in college and also helps one to hone casual hobbies into serious professional pursuits."

SUPPORT SERVICE

Many youth clubs embark on social action and awareness initiatives to make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged. Faculty of Social Work at the MS University has constituted a voluntary service club wherein students and teachers counsel children on a wide range of matters ranging from career choices to exam stress, depression, parental conflict, suicidal tendencies, etc. Their pilot project was applauded by local authorities and transformed into a fullfledged child-line support service. Heena Munjal, a participating student, says, "We dedicate time to listen and counsel those who dial 10-9-8 and have even formed guardianship to act as virtual siblings to children who require physical presence." The Charotar Institute of Science and Technology (Charusat), near Baroda, has a social outreach club wherein students pursuing civil engineering visit nearby villages and help perform basic civil work, mapping farmlands, contour design and land assessment services for local farmers at no cost. Dilip Gosai of Charusat says, "While farmers save money, students gain valuable experience - a winwin situation." At Jai Hind College, Mumbai, students participate in the Psychology Association club's activities, contributing to community development while becoming sensitised to and acquiring skills in handling special people like the visually impaired, children with language or muscular control problems and street children, among others. In addition, managing the events of the association enables students to acquire event management skills. Activities like test administration and interpretation, editing journals and magazines, getting sponsorships, and working in teams and groups, gives students a wide range of skills that they can use in their future careers.

GREEN TALK

Joining a nature club in college allows students to break out from the urban confines. Students of various colleges in the town of Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat, queue up for membership to Vidyanagar Nature Club (VNC) operated by Dhaval Patel, Forest Officer and green activist. Patel says, "Youth get a chance to be green crusaders as we organise green awareness walks, garbage collection, etc. This creates a sense of respect towards Nature as well as a sense of ownership for the green heritage." The Eco-Club at Shivaji College, New Delhi, functions in co-ordination with the Department of Environment, Government of NCT, New Delhi, and is actively engaged in environmental education by adopting a multi-dimensional approach for the promotion, conservation, and preservation of the environment. 'Roots-n-Genes ,' the bio-club of Jai Hind College, Mumbai, imparts botanical knowledge by conducting fruit and vegetable carving sessions, workshop on terrarium, designing biojewellery and learning western, Indian and Japanese floral displays.

FUTURE TECH

Robotics and auto design clubs are becoming popular among engineering colleges with national competitions held regularly. Jagadguru Sri Shivarathreeshwara Academy of Technical Education, Noida, has a 'Yantra Shilp' club for mechanical engineering students. Also, the College of Engineering (CoEP), Pune, has an active 'Astronomy Club' where students engage in sky observation, building telescopes, etc.

PROFESSIONAL EDGE

Affiliation to an activity club accounts for a good weighting when applying for higher studies in universities across the world. Karan Parikh, a member of the Mensa Club says, "My high quizzing abilities and Mensa IQ factored in when I was seeking admission to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ." The HR Club of the MBA department at Dayanand Sagar College of Engineering, Bangalore, conducts corporate quizzes, management games, group discussions, ad-mad shows, etc, where participating students are spotted by corporate headhunters . 'Empressario,' the Entrepreneur Cell of CoEP sparks innovative ideas among members and focuses on skills like marketing, brand selling, revenue generation, etc, which can only be learned through experience.

Times of India

Ace of clubs

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