Governor to release stamp to mark 125 years of faith and toil

It is an honour for SJC as the Government of India has recognised the services of the College in the field of education. To mark the 125 years of service, the Postal Department of India has will release a stamp, an information brochure and an album. The stamp will be officially released on August 1 by His Excellency Hans Raj Bharathwaj, the Governor of Karnataka. Sri Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, will be the Guest of Honour.

The Principal Fr (Dr) Ambrose Pinto, said that the stamp release was a matter of history and a tribute to all those who were connected with this institution, which will become the heritage of SJC. “St Joseph’s is one of the top institutions of the country and it is the first private college to have a stamp released in its name. This institution is well known across South-East Asia and presently 17 nationals are studying in this institution,” Fr Pinto said.
When asked about the dignitaries he said, “Governor Hans Raj Bharathwaj is a symbol of the State and Sri Sachin Pilot is an expression of the youngsters and one who can relate with students.”
What does he feel as regards the stamp being released in his tenure? “I feel rather small, but at the same time it’s a matter of pride for the recognition of the College’s services. This institution is known for its commitment and dedication,” he added.
The core committee members have put their heart and soul to make this event a successful one. One of the core committee members Dr Etienne Rassendren said, “It is said that the development of the city is closely associated with the development of this institution. Most of the faculty members who work here are Josephites themselves and they feel elated and privileged. The alumni is also very supportive to make this event a success.”
- Vinoo Fabian and Komal I MS Com

Rector inaugurates staff seminar hall

The College witnessed the grand opening of the staff seminar hall in the main block on Wednesday, July 22. The hall was inaugurated by Rector, Fr Terrence Farias. Over 30 faculty members attended the ceremony.The inauguration began with a prayer song by the College choir. Fr Rector then cut the ribbon and formally inaugurated the hall, leading the faculty members into the hall for prayer. The hall was blessed by the Rector through a prayer service.

In his welcome note, Fr Rector emphasised that the hall was dedicated specifically for the faculty so that the process of imparting knowledge may grow and become successful.The designer of the hall, Mr James was felicitated by the Rector.
Earlier, Principal, Fr Ambrose Pinto welcomed the gathering and thanked all those who were responsible for the successful completion of the seminar hall.
- Komal & Toshi I MS Com
Pics by Balaji II MS Com

Be proud of your heritage, NE-Tibetan forum told

“Unity comes from diversity and not uniformity. This country belongs to all of us. Feel proud that you have a heritage that is rich, communicative and helps you look at one another as individuals,” said Principal, Fr Ambrose Pinto.

He was addressing students at the inauguration of the North Eastern (NE) Tibetan Forum here on Friday. He said, “We are very proud to have such a large number of students coming from the North East with specific cultures of their own. We are all a part of one student family. We must look at one another and learn.
Nicholas, one of co-ordinators of the forum said, “The forum was primarily formed to help the north-eastern and Tibetan students get acquainted and be comfortable with one another.” He encouraged the students to interact among themselves and take active part in festivals and other co-curricular activities. He added that the forum also hoped to raise funds for festivals and charity.
Vito, a post graduate student of SJC who also studied at the UG level said, “Most of us are from north eastern states like Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura and such others. Once we start interacting and working together, we would know more about each others’ cultures.”
Priyanka Chettri, a first year student from Kalimpong, Darjeeling who was at the gathering said: “The forum was good and encouraging. It helped in making the atmosphere more comfortable.”
The co-ordinators from the NE-Tibetan forum are hopeful that the forum will see active participation from students.

- Tanmay and Shvetha I MS Com
Pic by Parandeep Singh II MS Com

Microcosm

Microcosm, the association of Microbiology saw its inauguration on July 23 with new insights and energy. A video by Salma, Johnson, Terrina and Aruna.

II MEC football champs; defeat III BCA

Second year MEC defeated III BCA in the finals to lift the inter-class football tournament here on Wednesday. The winners took the honours with a margin of 2-1 goals.
Lokesh Babu of II M.E.C scored the first goal by converting a penalty kick in his favour, about five minutes into the match. A few minutes later, Sandeep of the III B.C. A kicked the equaliser. The remaining first half consisted of many commendable attempts at scoring, but the goal keepers managed to hold their ground. The first half ended with a draw and a lot of anxiety on both sides.
Approximately ten minutes into the second half, Kolou Immanuel Xavier scored the second goal much to the relief of the MEC fans. The remaining twenty minutes saw spectacular saves especially from MEC’s goal keeper and captain, Hari Krishna, which kept the spectators on their toes. BCA tried their best to get back into the game with many good passes and kicks but failed to equalise.

- Siddarth I MS Com

The Centre for Social Concern of St Joseph's College held a blood donation camp on the campus on July 21. It was a record of sorts, with over 180 students donating their blood for a worthy cause. In fact, there were more number students desiring to donate, but could not due to several medical reasons. A video by Aishwarya and Parandeep Singh of II MS Com.

NSS holds blood donation camp

CAMPUS: The National Service Scheme (NSS) association of SJC organised a blood donation camp on Wednesday in the multi-purpose hall. The camp was inaugurated by Principal, Fr Ambrose Pinto.

The main objective of this camp was to collect the blood and donate it freely to Victoria Hospital, according to Veera Nagappa, senior medical lab technologist of Victoria hospital. The camp saw active participation of many students, not only in donating the blood but also enthusiastically volunteering for the event. This is the fourth year in a row that the College is hosting the blood donation camp.

“We are organising this camp mainly because there is scarcity of blood in many hospitals. We also gather the donors contact number and the hospitals can directly get in touch with the individuals when a specific blood group is required,” said Geetha of II PCM.

Each donor at the camp donated a maximum of one unit of blood as advised by the physicians. Around five female and three male nurses were stationed at the camp for a smoother functioning of the medical procedures.

Mr Nagappa, said, “I have been involved in this for the past four years. The students are extremely generous and co-operative, thereby contributing to our success and fulfilling our purpose. The blood is freely donated to destitutes as well as patients who are suffering from debilitating diseases like Thalessemia and Haemophilia. This gives me a sense of self- satisfaction, that I played a major role in saving life.”

Shilpa, of I PCM, who was waiting for her turn to donate blood for the first time said, “It’s a kind of service that I do to people in desperate circumstances. My blood group is B+ve which is quite rare. This motivates me to do this noble act.”

This year a total of 186 units of blood were collected, which has exceeded last year’s tally of 130.

- Smitha I MS Com

Another world is possible: Selvaraj

The new Social Work Association which was inaugurated on Monday is a welcome addition to the array of associations that the College is known for. The association, named REACH, was inaugurated in the Xavier Hall by the chief guest, Mr David Selvaraj, director of Visthar, an NGO. Pricnipal, Fr Ambrose Pinto was also present.

The chief guest Mr David Selvaraj spoke posing a question, “Why are things the way they are?” which should be acknowledged by everyone. “Even though everything around us is going down-hill, if we believe that another world is possible we can make a commitment and a difference,” Mr Selvaraj said.

He called upon students to have prophetic spirit, like a prophet who “denounces, analyses and announces that another world is possible.”

Fr Ambrose Pinto, expressed his firm hope that this association would become a link with the larger concerns of society and not only an association that concerns the College. “The association should be an agent of change and look beyond College activities,” he added.

Earlier, the preparation of the drafted action plan for the year 2009-10 was presented by Beulah. B. Eden, the student convener.

The members presented a few dances as part of the cultural programme that followed.

- Lakshmi I MS Com