Dream come true for students

A peek into functioning of President's office

Students got an opportunity to understand the functioning of the Government
Vincent Shantha Kumar, a Bengalurean, pursuing PhD in metallurgical engineering at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Nagpur, had never imagined that he would ever get a chance of being a “royal” guest at iconic Rashtrapati Bhavan. That, too, for a week. But, the 28-year-old had this dream-come-true opportunity thanks to President Pranab Mukherjee, who opened the doors of his official residence by rolling out the first-ever “In-Residence” programme for the “bright students” of the country.

Along with Vincent, 16 other meritorious students from different NITs made it to the Rashtrapati Bhavan and remained the President’s special guests from April 11 to 17 under the scheme. “To me, it was an amazing experience. When I stepped into the Rashtrapati Bhavan along with other students, the first thing that came to my mind was that it cannot be real. I had never imagined that I would ever be there,” Vincent told Deccan Herald.

On the first day, students were familiarised with the President’s Estate. They also visited the famous Mughal Garden, Spiritual Garden and Herbal Garden and enjoyed their ambience. On the following days, they were taken on industry visit. “We were given royal treatment. The hospitality was beyond imagination,” Vincent said. 

During the week-long programme, the young scholars had an exposure to the overall functioning of the President and his office. They also got an opportunity to understand the functioning of the government as they visited various ministries and interacted with country’s top bureaucrats and policy makers. 

Pooja Agrawal, a final year B Tech Civil Engineering student at NIT, Raipur, said the programme was a great learning experience to her. “Since I want to become a civil servant, the programme was really helpful to me,” she said. “I got a chance to interact with many civil servants and understand what exactly they are supposed to do. Some of them even gave me tips on how to prepare for civil services examination. It was a golden opportunity for me,” she added.

Agrawal, who was selected for the programme for her outstanding performance in academics, extracurricular activities and innovative bent of mind, said the week-long programme would remain a great source of inspiration to her in life. “The President is a visionary and quite an inspiring person. He suggested that each NIT should adopt at least five villages and transform them into smart villages. Soon after returning, I discussed it with my institute’s director to find out how the President’s suggestion could be implemented. We are planning to set up a committee for this,” she said.

She said the President asked every student to tell his or her vision about India. “The President was patiently listening to each student and taking interest. I really liked it a lot,” she added.

Mukherjee, who interacted with all 17 students on April 15, was also “very impressed” with the young scholars as they spoke of their dreams for India. He asked the students to make the best use of the skills imparted to them by their institutions and plunge into the task of reshaping the nation.“The week-long programme filled us with a great sense of patriotism, courage and the will to work hard. It was quite motivating,” Vincent said.
President’s Military secretary Maj Gen Anil Khosla left a long-lasting impression on each of the 17 students as they interacted with him. “I had never played golf. At President’s Estate, I learnt to play golf with Maj Gen Anil Khosla. I used to play every day,” Agrawal said.

Mukherjee, who has always held that Rashtrapati Bhavan belongs to the nation and the people at large, had announced “In-Residence” programme for students at the annual conference of the directors of NITs in October last year, with an objective to
encourage their creative and innovative potentials as well as to motivate them to work for society. Before this, the programme was available for writers, artists and grassroots innovators since it was launched by the President in 2013.

The first-ever programme for students was a success as NIT scholars went back “inspired and motivated”, said Assistant Registrar of NIT-Delhi Manisha Singh, who was deployed to take care of the students.

“We have to give back to our society,” said Vincent, who is now determined to take up teaching and research as his career. He even raised the issue of shortage of faculties in technical institutes and pointed out to certain anomalies in faculty recruitment procedures when he, along with other students, got an opportunity to interact with Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani during the programme.

As they returned after the conclusion of the programme, NIT students shared their experience with other students in their respective institutions. “While giving a formal presentation before students, I shared my experience at Rashtrapati Bhavan. I suggested that we should stop complaining and start acting on the problem. In fact, it was something that I learnt from the President during an interaction with him. Giving us mantra for success, the President suggested that we should take up our responsibility and address our problems,” Vincent said.

Since examinations are going on at NIT-Raipur, Agrawal could share her experience with a few students only. “I conveyed the President’s message to them that we should start thinking about society and contribute for its progress. Once examinations are over, I will have to give a presentation before the rest of the students.” 

As the first batch of the NIT students has successfully completed its ‘In Residence’ programme, the Rashtrapati Bhavan is gearing up to host next batch of 18 students from these technical institutes. The event is likely to begin from May 17.