Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Media release
Mangaluru, Dec 30: ‘Expert Day’, the annual event commemorating the inception of Expert Group of Institutions on 29 December 1986, was held at Expert P U College, Valachil with jubilation and fanfare.
Justice N Santhosh Hegde – Retired Honourable Supreme Court Judge, Former Solicitor General of India and Ex-Lokayukta for Karnataka was the Chief Guest. Vilas Nayak Pangala, CEO and Managing Director, Hanuman Group of Concerns, Udupi was the Guest of Honour.
Justice Santhosh Hegde began his address by remarking that the superlative performance of Expert in academics was not surprising, considering the superb infrastructure and superior teaching in place at Expert. An untiring crusader against the systemic evils that obfuscate the vision of our forefathers about India, he shared his experiences as the Lokayukta with the students, to provide them a new perspective on the purpose of education. Lamenting the steady decline of values in India, he blamed the society for ignoring two important values, viz. contentment and humanism. In his moving speech, illustrated with equally poignant case studies and facts, he demonstrated that none of the four pillars of democracy are free from corruption. At the same time he saw a ray of hope in people like Harish Nanjappa who pleaded with people to harvest his organs, even when his body was severed into two. He concluded his talk by citing the famous lines of Kannada poet Siddayya Puranik and urged the students to change the society for the better, by discarding dishonesty. Such was the impact of his soul-searching oration that the entire audience gave him a thundering standing ovation at the end of his speech.
Vilas Nayak Pangala appreciated the quality of education offered at Expert and confessed that he missed such excellent teaching facility during his student days. Inspired by Justice Hegde’s stirring speech, he too recited a Kannada verse highlighting the general apathy and malaise in the Indian society. He regretted that our educational institutions have not only failed in instilling values in students but have also rendered them incapable of soliciting basic requirements like right to information. Advising students to work for the uplift of their hometowns, even while seeking greener pastures abroad, he cautioned them that their places of birth could turn into old age shelters otherwise.
Prof Narendra L Nayak, Chairman of Expert Group of Institutions, in his Presidential address, took a retrospective look at the thirty years of Expert’s journey and attributed the success to the good team of teachers and equally gifted students. Admitting that there are a lot of things to be achieved yet, he observed that Expert’s success has given enough him confidence to set eyes on new enterprises. Expert, according to him, trains students to become successful professionals as well as good human beings. In this regard, he invited Justice Hegde to conduct an interactive session with the students.
Ushaprabha N Nayak, Vice-Chairperson of Expert Group of Institutions, in awe of Justice Hegde’s words, likened him to a soldier, as he continues to fight against corruption unlike others who pay lip service to honesty. She felt that the future of India lay in the hands of young women and men and expressed the hope that students can usher in the winds of change by not falling prey to corruption. She concluded her address by reciting a motivational shayari, suggesting that a lot needs to be done in our lives for us to feel complacent and insouciant.
Ankush N. Nayak, Alumnus of Expert P U College recollected his two years of study at Expert and recounted how he learnt the importance of perseverance, determination and single-minded pursuit at his alma mater. In response to Justice Hegde’s speech, he avowed that all young Indians shall revive the great nation with utmost adherence to integrity and by replicating the time-tested values of our ancestors. Quoting the famous words of Carl Sagan, “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known”, he urged the students to develop an inquisitive mind to quench their thirst for better knowledge and better life.
S S Nayak, Advisor; Trustees Ustad Rafique Khan, Adv. Amrith Kini, B Manjunath Kamath and Suresh Pai; Jaganath Kamath, Auditor; Prof Ramachandra Bhat, Principal, Expert P U College, Kodialbail; Nishanth Bhat, President of Expert Alumni Association and Navin Mallya, Secretary of Expert Alumni association were present on the dais.
The formal programme began with the college anthem and the lighting of the ceremonial lamp.
Dr N K Vijayan, Principal presented the Annual Report of the college for the year 2016-17.
40 odd Rank holders of 2015-16 and 31 Proficiency prize winners of 2016-17 were felicitated.
Edwin Castelino, General Manager at Manipal County and Head Operations F&B ‘Chef On Wheels’ and C R Chandra Shekar, Head, Marketing at TUV NORD India Pvt Ltd, a German based leading food testing laboratory, officially unveiled the ISO Certificate won by “Chef on Wheels’ the food service partner of Expert P. U. College. They handed the over treasured document to Prof Narendra L Nayak and Ushaprabha N. Nayak.
Prof Narendra L Nayak, Chairman and Ushaprabha N Nayak presented mementos to Justice Santhosh Hegde and Vilas Nayak Pangala, respectively.
Subramanya Udupa, Maths Faculty and Programme Director, Expert Day - 2016 welcomed the audience while Sharana Kariappa, President of Expert Student Parliament proposed the vote of thanks.
Master T. Ronish (I PUC, H-1 Batch and hailing from Mysore) and Sarayu Janath (I PUC, M-1 Batch and hailing from Madikeri compered the formal programme.
The formal programme was followed by 90 minutes of Cultural Extravaganza comprising of 11 items viz. Welcome Dance, Western Dance, Drama, Action Dance, Bollywood Dance, Mime, Music (Band), U V Dance, Skit, Fusion Dance and Theme Song.
The cultural programme was followed by a sumptuous and delectable dinner served by ‘Chef On Wheels’.
‘Expert Day’ celebration was declared open, earlier in the day, by Ushaprabha N Nayak, during the special assembly conducted in the morning. In her brief speech, she acknowledged the contribution of teachers and students towards the growth of Expert and motivated the students to live in the present and enjoy every moment of Expert Day. Prof Narendra L Nayak, Ankush N. Nayak, Alumnus unfurled the flag of Expert P. U. College, Kodialbail while Ushaprabha N Nayak and Tejas K Shetkar, ‘Expert Super Star 2016’ of Expert P. U. College, Valachil unfurled the flag of Expert P. U. College, Valachil. Dr N K Vijayan, Principal and N Gurudutt, Vice Principal were present on the occasion.
Later,10 competitions viz. Group Song, Debate (Kannada & English), Painting (Water Colour), Paper Bag Making, Biochrome, Poetry Writing (Kannada, Hindi & English), Mad ads, Fancy Dress, Selling the Product and Quiz were held. The winners of these competitions were felicitated by Prof Narendra L Nayak and Ankush N. Nayak, Alumnus and Prof. Vidyasagar, Chemistry Professor from Hyderabad. Prizes to the winners of ‘Deepavali Goodudeepa’ contest and ‘Deepavali Dandiya’ contest were also awarded. ‘Overall Sports Champion (Girls)award was bestowed upon Spandana Suresh of L-2 Batch.