The inauguration of the Students’ Bodies of the College was held on the 30th July 2018 in the G.D. Hall at 11:30 am. The Chief Guest was Dr. Saba Da Silva, Principal of G.R. Kare College of Law. The other dignitaries for the inaugural programme were our Principal Dr. Prita Mallya; Vice-Principal Dr. Sanjay Dessai; Students’ Council Convenor Dr. Edwin Barreto; Cultural Council Convenor Dr. Sheetal Arondekar; and Director of Sports Council Mr. Ajinkya Kudtarkar. This also included Students’ Council General Secretary Mr. Bonrich Noronha; Students’ Council Lady Representative Ms. Christene De Souza; Cultural Council General Secretary Mr. Deepak Biradal; Cultural Council Lady Representative Ms. Lisa D’souza and Sports Council General Secretary Mr. Habib Shaikh.
The inaugural programme started with the invocation song by students. This was followed by the lighting of the traditional lamp by all dignitaries and the members of the Students’ bodies. Principal Dr Prita Mallya welcomed all the members to the decision-making body of Damodar College and urged them to become good leaders and to take part in various extracurricular activities which will help them in shaping their personality. She also stated that as members of the students’ bodies, all will develop leadership skills, learn the importance of teamwork and should participate in all activities.
Students’ Council Convenor Dr Edwin Barreto introduced the members of the Students’ Council. He highlighted all the achievements of each member of the Students’ Council which included the General Secretary, Lady Representatives, Class Representatives and Division Representatives. He encouraged them to shine in their life by following the ideals of leadership.
Cultural Council Convenor, Dr. Sheetal Arondekar introduced the members of the Cultural Council. She presented all the accomplishments of each member focusing on their strengths and talents. She introduced the Cultural Council General Secretary, Lady Representative, Class Representatives and Division Representatives. She also introduced the Gender Champions of the College.
Sports Council Director Mr. Ajinkya Kudtarkar introduced the Sports Council members viz. the Sports Council General Secretary and the various Captains or secretaries for sports like badminton, handball, cricket, taekwondo, judo, athletics, baseball, table tennis, volleyball, football, chess and tennikoit. He concluded by stating that leadership is about taking responsibility to get things done.
This was followed by the speech of Students’ Council General Secretary Mr. Bonrich Noronha. In his speech, Mr. Bonrich thanked everyone for giving him this opportunity, congratulated other members and motivated others to work as a team and bring good leaders for the future. He presented a report of the various activities to be held this year in the college which includes Fun Week, Teachers Day Celebration, Tour to Bhutan, Damodar Festival and Farewell for Third Year students.
The Cultural Council General Secretary Mr. Deepak Biradar thanked everyone for giving him this opportunity and welcomed all council members. He introduced his plan of activities for the academic year which includes onstage and offstage events during the Fun Week, Damodar Festival, Ghumat Aarti, Patriotic Singing Competition and many other cultural competitions.
The Sports Council General Secretary Mr. Habib Shaikh presented a list of sports activities for the year which included badminton tournament; inter class cross country, tug of war, cricket tournament, annual sports day and participation in all sports activities of Goa University. He thanked former Sports Director, Mr. SudhakarNaik for all his contribution to sports in our College.
The Chief Guest Dr. Saba stated that students are talented and their contribution should be to make Damodar College their dream college. He congratulated the Students’ Bodies and encouraged them to carry college activities and develop peer teamwork among themselves to carry out various activities. He appreciated the new members for their courage and enthusiasm to take up new challenges. He professed that as members of the students’ bodies, it is the responsibility to serve others and not a rank of order. Further, he stated that the College needs to transform students into pearls to become better citizens which will then give birth to great people in the future even politicians. Dr. Saba gave a number of suggestions to the council members to become positive leaders of the college which included good character and being more visible than other students by following all the rules and regulations of the College. He suggested a number of duties to be fulfilled by the council members which includes listening to views, opinions and ideas of all the students of the college, addressing the various views and concerns forward to the management and teachers in a diplomatic manner, contributing towards developing policies in running the college, being a vital communication channel by giving students feedback to the management, making the best of educational opportunities, improving student teacher relationship and improving the facilities of the college. He advised the students to manifest best leadership skills and to discharge all their duties with confidence and commitment.
The oath taking ceremony was administered by Asst. Prof. Cinola Vaz. The Council members promised to work diligently to the best of their ability and to support the ideas, activities and constitution of the students’ bodies. They promised to serve as a positive role model, leader and voice of the student population and to act in the best interests of the college.
The vote of thanks was proposed by Students’ Council Lady Representative Ms. Christene De Souza. The programme was compered by Ms. Liselle Jacques of M.Com-II. The inaugural programme concluded with the singing of the National Anthem and thereafter a photo session of the Students’ Bodies with the dignitaries.
