Mangaluru: The inaugural function of Manasa Manthana 2020- A National Level Paper Presentation and Business Plan Contest on Sustainable Rural Development organized by the AIMIT Business School of St Aloysius College (Autonomous), was held on 25th February 2020.
The inaugural function began with a prayer song by the college choir followed by the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries and the unveiling of the trophies. Ms. Jenifer D’Sa introduced the guests and welcomed the gathering. The dignitaries present on the dais were Rev. Fr. Denzil Lobo, S.J., the Director of AIMIT, who presided over the function, Mrs. Pratibha Shetty, the Chief Guest, Dr. Rowena Wright the Dean of MBA department, and MsSumithaAchar the Staff convener of Manasa Manthana 2020, Ms. Jenifer D’Sa and Mr. Len Fernandes the student coordinators of the same.
The keynote address was delivered by the Chief Guest Mrs. Pratibha Shetty, Director, Pulincha Chit Fund Private Ltd., Mangalore. Mrs. Shetty an alumnus of AIMIT, spoke of “Ram Rajya” eulogized by Mahatma Gandhiji. She explained the same saying Ram is the inner voice in each one of us and Rajya is the society outside us. She also talked about Sustainable Rural Development which is the theme of Manasa Manthana 2020. She ended her keynote address equating our life with a pilot guiding an airplane. There is taking off and landing and there are different moods and conditions for a pilot to guide it through before he takes the plane to its destination safely. He has to make the right decisions while piloting the plane. So also in our lives, we have many situations and moods between our birth and death. The choices are ours to make the right decisions for a better future for ourselves and the development of the nation.
In his presidential address Rev. Fr. Denzil Lobo, S.J. stressed upon the importance of rural development not excluding the sustainability aspect of it. He talked about the masses living in rural areas of Karnataka and the country who require viable models of sustainable development. He cited the example of the Sehgal Foundation which extended its support to develop the rural areas of Haryana. Drawing inspiration from Sehgal foundation, Fr. Denzil listed four aspects for sustainable development namely Community based Development, Conscientisation of people, developing critical masses within the rural population and the Good Governance Now (GGN) model. He concluded his address by inviting the students to be part of the churning of minds here and contribute to the development of the nation.
Ms. Sumitha Achar gave a bird’s- eye view of the contest stressing upon the requirement of active participation in the churning of minds. Mr. Len Fernandes proposed the vote of thanks.
The inaugural function ended with the college anthem.
