B-School students rally for a cause

“Your vote your right, Your vote your might,” was one of the slogans shouted out with great zeal and enthusiasm by the students of Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology (AIMIT) during a motor rally conducted to create awareness on the importance of voting as well as to promote Insignia-2014, an annual national-level business fest with the theme being “Systems Thinking Approach through Designful Thinking.

”This ‘cause’ rally, as most of the faculty and students called it, was flagged off near Pumpwell and took a route around the city and culminated at St Aloysius College (Autonomous), Mangalore.The procession was flagged off by AIMIT Chairman Rev Dr Oswald Mascarenhas, Entrepreneur and Ouola.com Founder Nithin Raj and team member Sathya Shankar. 

Giving his message to the students of PG as well as UG, at the St Aloysius Collge campus, Fr Oswald spoke on the importance of voting. “If there is anytime we should exercise our franchise, it is today. We need a good management in our country and the youth can certainly make it happen by exercising their right to vote,” he said as he proudly waved off the flag in promotion of the fest and their message.

The recent communal disturbances in the Ullal area did pose somewhat of a problem. “Initially we did not recieve permission for the rally because it would pose some harm to the students, but luckily we were able to peacefully carry out this rally that we’ve been preparing for,” said Student Body President Aleric Fernandes who lead the rally.

“The students of AIMIT implemented the idea and took the initiative to organise the motor cavalcade from the motivational business ethics and corporate governance (BECG) course. This course stresses on ethics consisting of moral values and principles that need to be followed in today’s society.

“Our country today needs leaders who are ethical and share emotions of fairness, mutual well-being, and harmony. They must be able to have a servant oriented leadership wherein he/she is a servant first, followed by conscious choices that bring one to aspire to lead,” said Student Media Convenor Sheldon D’Sa adding that this awareness will be carried out for the next few days which will mark the grand finale Insignia-2014 on February 24 and 25. 

Patriotic, proud

“We the youth, are cynical about everything but the fact is that we do not introspect. This rally which is our flagship event, serves the purpose of educating people about the voting franchise,” said Management Secretary Saifuddin as he addressed his fellow students.

As more than 300 students of the MBA department partcipated in this awareness rally, the students and faculty welcomed students from various colleges as well. Students from St Xavier’s College Jaipur who are in Mangalore for a Student Development Programme were one of the participating colleges. 

“We’re extremely happy to have been a part of such an event. It makes feel really good about ourselves, being in this awareness campaign. The students of AIMIT have been incredibly friendly and we’re definitely taking home happy memories about the college and Mangalore,” said Student Niyathi Rao.

Students from AIMIT did not hold back in expressing their opinions on the rally and it’s cause. “Every youth must vote. It is not merely a right conferred on us but our responsibility. I’m proud to be a student of AIMIT because I have played atleast a small role in creating awareness about the importance of elections and the youth voting,” said a final year MBA student Aneesha Mendonca, speaking to Deccan Herald.