‘UTKARSH 2023’-the Annual Sports Day of AMIT, (Aloysius Institute of Management and Information Technology) St Aloysius College held
Mangaluru: It is said, “Talent Wins Games, but Teamwork and Intelligence Wins Championships”, and in that spirit, the students of AMIT-St Aloysius College (Autonomous) – Mangaluru, all attired in theirT-shirts/polo shirts with different logos, and carrying placards with various awareness messages on issues that haunt the society, participated in the March Past to mark the Annual Sports Day, ‘ UTKARSH 2023’ which was held on the AMIT Sports ground in Beeri, in the outskirts of Mangaluru. The Management, staff, teachers and students gathered with great ardour and enthusiasm to witness the Annual Sports Event, under the early morning scorching heat.
The students splendidly marched with pride and elegance in their colourful shirts to mark the opening ceremony, where the chief guest Tukaram M-Chief Officer, Kotekar Town Panchayat, presided over by Rev Dr Praveen Martis SJ -Principal, St Aloysius College, Mangaluru and guests of honour Dr Alwyn D’Sa- Registrar and Controller Of Examinations, St Aloysius College; and Ahmad Ishaq GI- Counsellor, Ward No 8, Kotekar Town Panchayat, among others graced the sports event. The colourful march past by six teams from the College, namely Phoenix, Titans, Spartans, Royals, Knights and Warriors, marked the inauguration of the sports day. Four students – Divya NP, Poovamma AS, Samoditha HG and Niveditha – who had performed exceedingly well at state and national levels were the torchbearers while sports secretary Jeevith Sequeira led the march past teams.
The sports event began with invoking God’s blessings through a prayer song by the College choir, followed by a welcome address by Fr Melwyn Pinto-Director of AMIT. The crowd took a moment to recognize and show their deep compassion and respect for the college flag, which stands as a symbol of our unity, pride, and shared aspirations. With hearts filled with reverence, everyone honoured the college flag, representing the collective spirit and unwavering commitment of the entire college community. The college flag bearers Rynal, Chaitanya, Ms Bhoomika and Ms Shamitha handed over the flag to Rev Dr Praveen Martis SJ.
The chief guest of the day was Tukaram M, chief officer, of Kotekar Town Panchayat. In his message, he wished all success to the students. President of the function Dr (Fr) Praveen Martis SJ, Principal, SAC, recounted the example of the great US champion Wilma Rudolph, who despite a deformity, worked hard to become one of the greatest champions of the world. “Persons like her can be your inspiration in sports and life,” he added.
Fr Martis further said, “Sports begins with Determination, Desire and Dedication- and I believe that you have all three qualities. By organizing Sports Day, we encourage our youth to be the future sportsmen of the district, state or nation. At St Aloysius Institutions we are doing our best that apart from academics, we will also inculcate co-curricular activities, including sports in our students. The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before. Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better. Win If You Can, Lose If You Must, But NEVER QUIT!”.
Guest of honour, Dr Alwyn D’Sa, registrar and controller of examination, SAC also wished the students well. “Whether you have won a medal or not, you are all winners. In the long run, your active and continued participation in sports and athletics would pay you rich dividends in terms of fitness, well-being, and happiness. Sports, particularly team sports engender purposeful and meaningful social relationships. Man is a social animal; we need to socially connect with others. These social interactions with your friends and workmates provide you with highly desirable security, belongingness, and ultimately happiness. Therefore, winning or losing in sports or athletics is not at all important, but the happiness originating from the participation in sports or athletics is a highly cherished trophy”.
During the day, various track and field events such as 100, 200, 1500 and 3000 metres races, relay, discus, shot put and javelin throw and tug of war were held. Students took part enthusiastically. Ashneel Rodrigues and Divya NP of I year MBA emerged as male and female champions respectively in Utkarsh 2023. Team Phoenix won the overall championship.
The sports day was coordinated by Roshan Suvaris from the IT department and Ravi Kudtarkar and Dr Nagendra from the MBA department. Sports Secretary Jeevith Sequeira led the student coordinating committee. Arun D’Souza, physical director of SAC, helped in conducting the sports events throughout the day. Winners were given medals and certificates. Deryl Dsa of First Year MBA delivered the vote of thanks, expressing our gratitude to everyone who has made this day a memorable one, and the inaugural programme was compered by Ms Ashwathi N-I MBA student.
In conclusion, Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement. The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning. If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win. Do you know what your favourite part of the sport is? The opportunity to participate. Gold medals aren’t made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. And for that matter, AMIT St Aloysius College had taken a keen interest in making the students participate in this Sports event. Credit should go to the management, teachers and staff of the School for making their UTKARSH-the Annual Sports Day successful.
