Mega Gathering of JNU Alumni

Winter slowly settled in Delhi.  But the Jawaharlal Nehru University Alumni Association had altered the intellectual and cultural weather by bringing its members together over discussions, music, felicitation and food.  From 5 November the alumni association of JNU brought former students from different walks of life and ensured a free discussion on several national and global issues.  Challenges of higher education occupied the centre stage with scholars from different universities debated over the current scenario in the education system.  Whether the independent media needs to be controlled by the government or it should be allowed to run without any control was another major issue in the alumni organized debate.  With the meltdown economy hitting the headlines, the star alumni who are in the power panels of the government and in industry gave the insider account of the crucial sector of the society.  Political situation and future ramifications were spelled out by the prominent public figures that passed from JNU.  Foreign policy and culture were not lagging behind in the core discussions.  In the final count these events turned out to be highly productive both in terms of knowledge and coming together of former students.

Parkash Karat, Sitaram Yechury, Digvijay Singh, D. P. Tripathi, Sukhadeo Thorat, bureaucrats, academicians, scientists, journalists, theatre personalities and other leasing stars from different walks of life have participated in the four days festival.  These intellectuals' events stirred the grey matters of both the speakers and audience.  From the challenges of education to media to economy to politics to foreign policy to culture, all the core issues were debated threadbare.  All of them have unanimously agreed upon the remarkable role of JNU in their career advancements.  It was common to hear that the university played an important role in their thoughts and deeds.  It was JNU that changed the lives of these men and women for better.

Madan Gopal Singh the famous Hindustani singer opened the evening with his enchanting numbers.  B. R. Muthu Kumar the former Ambassador to Afghanistan tuned his guitar, Manoj Pant, the International Economist, Rocked the stage with his western band, K. P. Vijayalakshmi, the American Studies expert, brought her singing talents on stage, Amit Cowshish, the bureaucrat, showcased his musical talents, Sabaree Mitra, the Chinese Language Scholar, impressed the audience with her Bangla numbers and Manjushree Chauhan, Japanese Language expert thrilled the audience with her songs.

Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat, chairperson of UGC, Prof. Syed Hasnain, Vice-Chancellor of Hyderabad Central University and Prof. Amitabh Matoo the prominent alumni of JNU were felicitated on the occasion for being hnouredwith Padma awards.  Over 500 former students gathered for the grand finale of the four day festival and cheered their peers for the national honours received.  They came with family and friends to share their.

A website to connect the JNJUites across the world was unveiled.  This will help them to share their thoughts with the university and benefit mutually.  Prof. Rajendra Prasad made a visual presentation about the journey traveled by the university in the last four decades.

With extensive greenery and natural rocky surroundings the ambience was really charged up.  One who had the ear to tap the JNU bites was totally engrossed on 8th evening and got the real feel of the campus.

Multimedia Sketching/Painting event for children at
Sanskrit Centre on Children's Day

On the occasion of Children's Day (14 November), the DIT-Sanskrit project under the directorship of Dr. Girish Nath Jha at Special Centre for Sanskrit Studies organized a multimedia Panchatantra sketching/painting workshop for JNU kids.  Approximately 50 kids from the JNU faculty staff and students turned up for the event.  At the start of the event, Dr. Ramnath Jha explained to the kids the importance of Panchatantra and Indian heritage.  This was followed by the sketching/painting one of the themes from Panchatantra/Hitopadesha.  Thereafter Dr. Girish Nath Jha demonstrated Sanskrit e-learning and Panchatantra animation software developed under the project for children.  This was followed by sketching workshop for kids by Ms. Swadha (research student from SSS) and Ms. Prachi Sinha (research student from CP/SSS a linguist in this project).  Dr. D. K. Lobiyal, Associate Professor from School of Computer & System Sciences delivered the closing remarks and gave away prizes to every participating child.  The event ended with refreshments and tea.

This event has led to awareness among young children of JNU about what Sanskrit heritage has for them, and also the potential that technology has for popularizing this among younger generation.  A sizeable collection of sketches form Panchatantra/Hitopadesha also resulted from this event.  Some of these can be used for the multimedia animation and e-learning project at the centre.

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