JOIN USKristu Jayanti College is one of the very few colleges in the City that hosts various activities in an effort to give maximum exposure to the students.
And Vichaarmanthan, is one such interactive event, that provides students an opportunity to come face to face with the top bureaucrats, businessmen and industrialists from across the country.
“Vichaarmanthan literally means churning out ideas. The idea of hosting such a programme is to maintain regular interactions with industries as well as academia. The students also get a chance to discuss upcoming trends in various disciplines,” explains Fr Sebastian T A, principal of Kristu Jayanti College.
He adds, “The programme has been structured in such a way that it is thought-provoking, interactive and challenging for both the speaker and the students.”
Earlier, the programme had global leaders and visionaries such as Dr APJ Abdul Kalam; C Rangarajan, chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister; Madhavan Nair, former chairman, ISRO; Anand, former director, IIT; Kris Gopalakrishnan, executive co-chairman, Infosys; K C Chakrabarty, Deputy Governor, RBI; Ashok Soota, founder chairman, Mind Tree Ltd and chairman and MD, Happiest Minds.
Fr Augustine George, HOD, computer science and director, international affairs, who has initiated the programme says, “We don’t have specified dates as to when we hold the programme. We block the date as and when the people we approach confirm their visit. We hope to rope in Ratan Tata in the forthcoming session. We want to give the students the best exposure we can give during their stay in our college.”
Recalling some of the interactions, the students say that the sessions truly inspire and motivate them. They say that they have read about these people and watched them on television but coming face to face with them is a different experience.
“Abdul Kalam’s presence in our college was overwhelming,” recollects Cibi, a student and adds, “Watching him in person is an inspiration. Although he was there only for a few minutes, he really lifted our spirits.” Another man that fascinated the students was Pawan Agrawal, CEO, Mumbai Dabbawala Association.
He spoke about how important it is to set a goal and go any length to achieve that goal. Geetha, a first-year MBA student says, “It is Pawan’s hard work and determination to be someone and reach somewhere that was really touching. He narrated stories about his struggle to realise his dream. I think we have a lesson for all of us in there.”