Skills not an option but an imperative

The Department of Catering Science and Hotel Management of CMS College of Science and Commerce conducted a food carnival “Akshaya 2009”. Inaugurated by M.P. Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, CMS Educational and Charitable Trust, the event attracted more than 2,500 visitors. They got to flavour the delicacies from various parts of the country. The carnival also included entertainment in the form of kalari, karakattam, etc.

Gokulashtami was celebrated with religious fervour at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. The celebrations included Uriyadi, pole-climbing, songs and dance performances. Richly decorated floats depicting the various stages of Krishna’s life wound through the campus roads. Competitions in dance, music, skit, quiz, elocution, essay writing, painting and Rangoli on the theme were held for students.

Chandra Honda in association with PSGR Krishnammal College for Women conducted a three-day safe riding programme in the college. The programme was to create awareness among the students on safe riding of two-wheelers. NCC cadets demonstrated the various techniques of safe riding and also imparted training to those riding two-wheelers and also those aspiring to do so.

An inter-collegiate meet “Knockit 2009” was held at Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science. Many sessions on the relevance of Information Technology was held during the meet. Students were made to understand the importance of IT education in the present situation, and the presence of many opportunities in the sector in India and that there was no need to go abroad looking for work.

The Department of Commerce with Computer Applications of Kongunadu Arts and Science College in collaboration with Sankara Eye Centre and New India Charitable Trust conducted a free eye check up at Pasur village. Nearly 75 patients were checked for problems and were referred to Sankara Eye Centre for treatment.

The Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering of Hindusthan College of Engineering and Technology inaugurated a students’ association – Association of Powerful and Elegant Communicators. Nithyanandan Devaraj, Head – Operations, Larsen & Toubro Limited, spoke to the students on the expectations of the industry. He also distributed awards to rank holders.

The Biomedical Engineering Department of Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College entered into a memorandum of understanding with SAI’s Biosciences’ Research Institute (SBRI), Chennai. R. Rangarajan, Principal of the college, and B. Sureshkumar, Director of SBRI, exchanged the MoU, which would include product development and exhibition, human resource development, research consultancy and knowledge support on either side. On the occasion, a seminar on “Image C omputing Applications in Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology” was also held.

Various associations and KITE Students’ Club were inaugurated at KGiSL Institute of Technology. D. Padmanabhan, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Appnomic Systems Private Limited, Bangalore, was the chief guest. He spoke on networking which covered Internet explosion, broadband connectivity, wireless connectivity and highly reliable networks. He also spoke on cloud computing and its various models like grid computing, virtualisation, reliable fast networ ks, data security, etc.

The graduation ceremony of Rathinam College of Arts and Science was held recently. A. Ramasamy, Vice-Chairman, Tamil Nadu State Council for Higher Education, delivered the graduation address. He told students that education was not limited to just one day. Education was a life-long process. Graduation was a formal recognition that students were ready to move a step forward towards acquiring more knowledge. He distributed degree certificates to the graduates.