Jana Gana Mana…..St Aloysius Institutions celebrate 72nd I-Day in Pride and Fervour
Mangaluru: Indians have celebrated 71 years of independence with much fanfare. The end of the British colonial rule in 1947 marked the creation of two independent states – Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Independence Day, on August 15, is celebrated widely with flags hoisted in schools and colleges, and at government buildings and major landmarks. This 15th August Indian marked its 72nd Independence Day. For all Indians, including Mangaloreans, Independence Day is a day to remember the people who fought the Britishers and gave up their lives to free the country from a foreign ruler. India’s freedom struggle was a hard-fought one and Independence Day is the day to pledge and to protect the unity and integrity of our country. Independence Day is a national holiday and is celebrated with much fervour across the nation. And locally, Mangaluru’s prestigious institutions, St Aloysius Institutions, namely St Aloysius College {Autonomous}; St Aloysius Pre-University College; St Aloysius Industrial Training Institute; St Aloysius BEd College; and St Aloysius College Higher Primary school celebrated Independence Day in Pride and Fervour.
St Aloysius Pre-University College
Flag hoisting was done by Chief Guest Praveen Pinto, a notable advocate in the city, along with Principal of the College Fr Melwyn Mendonca Sj, Fr John Lang Bosco S J, Finance officer SAPUC, Charlotte D’Souza Vice Principal Commerce & Arts, Muralikrishna Vice Principal Science, Deans Dr Ganesh Amin, Dr Pradeep Manjunath and Kiran Shetty- who also graced the cultural programme which was held at the Loyola Hall.
Chief guest Advocate Praveen Pinto in his speech gave a brief comparison of India with rest of the world and also highlighted about the rich values that are deeply rooted in Indians. He further said, “We are so lucky that our forefathers have given us a land of peace and happiness where we can sleep the whole night without fear and enjoy the whole day in our school or home. Our country is developing very fast in the field of technology, education, sports, finance and various other fields which were almost impossible before freedom. India is one of the countries rich in nuclear power. We are going ahead by actively participating in the sports like Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Asian games. We have full rights to chose our government and enjoy the largest democracy in the world. As being responsible citizens of the country, we should be always ready to handle any emergency condition in our country.”
Coordinator of the programme Amitha Shetty welcomed the gathering. Independence day message was given to students by Geetha Nambiar from the department of English followed by a message from Sneha, the student representative. Pradhyumna Rai- President Student Council proposed the vote of thanks. Humanities Association co-ordinated the programme. Everyone took a pledge to be responsible citizens of India and follow the rules and laws. Formal function was followed by the cultural programme in the Loyola Hall.
St Aloysius Industrial Training Institute
“As long as we are divided, we are not truly independent”, said world-renowned botanist and scientist Rev Dr Leo Dsouza SJ. He was addressing the staff and students of St Aloysius Industrial training Institute, Mangaluru. Hoisting the National flag as the Chief Guest during the Independence Day celebration, the former Director of the institution Rev Fr Leo Dsouza said, “As we are celebrating 72nd Independence Day, we need to ask have we really got freedom? We still discriminate among ourselves on the basis of religion, caste, colour, sex, area, etc. In some parts of the country, people belonging to lower caste are not allowed to ride a horse or a motorcycle; women are subjected to sexual harassment every day; states are fighting with each other for water, communal riots are frequent. When our fellow human being is being oppressed, how can we say that we have got freedom? Unless we have a transformation of hearts towards love for the fellow being and unity, we can never say we are independent.”
With the special mention to the students he said, “In this institution, each one is treated equally. All the students belonging to various religions sit together, learn together and grow together. Why is it then once we move out of the institution, we start identifying ourselves on the basis of religion or caste. We need to bring a change in the society. You might think, what a single person can do? Mahatma Gandhiji also started alone and played a pivotal role in getting the freedom to our nation. Every individual can also bring about a change. In your community or workplace, whenever, you see some efforts are being done to discriminate or divide on the basis of religion, caste, etc, oppose firmly and persuade the people towards unity. May one day our nation become truly united and independent.”
The principal of the institution Vincent Mendonsa welcomed the gathering. Junior Training Officer Lolakshi proposed the vote of thanks. Gyaral Milton Lobo, a student compered the programme. The programme concluded with the National Anthem. Sweets were distributed to all.
St Aloysius College Higher Primary School
The 72nd Independence Day was celebrated at St Aloysius College Higher Primary school with much enthusiasm and zeal. Fr Ravi Santhosh Kamath S.J the chief guest hoisted the Indian National flag, along with other dignitaries present for the occasion. The flag hoisting ceremony took place at 9 a.m followed by the cultural programme. The entire programme was staged by the students of std 5. The chief guest in his message said that people of different religion living in harmony itself sparkles patriotic fervour.
The winners of various competitions conducted on this occasion were honoured. The correspondent Fr Eric Mathias S.J, the headmistress Philomena Lewis and the vice president of the P.T.A Rekha Fernandes were present. The programme concluded by singing the National Anthem in salutation to our nation. Sweets were distributed to all.
St Aloysius BEd College
St Aloysius BEd College observed the 72nd Independence Day of the Country. The principal of College, Dr Farita Veigas hoisted the national flag. In her address, she recalled the struggle of the forefathers to attain freedom and invited to develop a secular outlook and uphold the constitutional values in order to live a harmonious life. “Long years ago, great Indian leaders were made a tryst with the destiny to give us a free and peaceful country by sacrificing their comfort of life. Today we are gathered here to celebrate the independence day without any fear and having a happy face just because of our brave forefathers. We cannot imagine how the moment was critical at that time. We have nothing to give our forefathers in return for their precious hard work and sacrifices. We can only remember them and their deeds and make a heartily salute while celebrating the national events. They would always be in our hearts. After the independence India got a new birth with the happy face of all Indian citizens”, added Dr Veigas.
Staff members of the College namely Jerome D’Souza, Delna, Joshna, Furtado, Sandhya, Sarika, Santhosh and Mary joined in the celebration of country’s great freedom.