by Prabhavathy, I B.A. English
INDEPENDENCE DAY
Stella Maris celebrated India’s 73rd Independence Day, as well as its 73rd birthday, on 15 August. Honourable Nawabzada Mohammed Asif Ali graced the occasion as the chief guest for the event.
The NCC conducted a march-past with exceptional synergy and vigour. Following a melodious delivery by the choir students, the National Flag was hoisted. A welcome speech was delivered by the Union, after which the chief guest addressed the audience.
As a part of the cultural programme, various clubs performed and delighted the audience with a visual and auditory treat.
The Independence Day celebrations were followed by the traditional event of cutting a cake in honour of the college’s founding—a tradition that always gives members of the Stella family cheer.
As part of the celebration, to enhance appreciation of different Indian cultures and to add an element of competition, different departments were assigned various states of India, and asked to exhibit the diverse cultures intrinsic to their state. This contest ‘Parampara’ was won by the department of Zoology, representing the state of West Bengal.
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
UNICEF celebrity advocate and Indian film actor Trisha Krishnan interacted with the students of Stella Maris College on 28 August as a part of the UNICEF #ENDviolence Youth talks.
Alarmed at the sudden peak in violence against children, she stressed the importance of raising awareness, recognition of victims and adjudication of predators. She reminded the audience that 90% of such predators are usually known to the victim and called for the destruction of archaic beliefs that led to sexual abuse of children.
The role of social media and cinema in shaping the public eye was also discussed and the actor talked about the importance of taking up roles that contributed to the growth of the society. Students shared their contributions and experiences on the topic with the audience and received chocolates as small tokens of recognition.
Overall, the event managed to increase awareness on this pressing topic, and the actor's popularity and large fan base helped in doing so by amplifying the voices of victimised children.