The two-day workshop organized by the NSS for tribal school students from all over Tamil Nadu was, inarguably, an enormously impactful event. Professor Vipin inaugurated the programme with the preface of better preparing students to face the windows of opportunity that modern-day presents. He emphasized the importance of grabbing and endeavoring for every opportunity that presented itself. Quoting Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam as an example of how any man with the itch and willingness to persevere can attain any goal, he urged that the sky was indeed the limit. The students were left enthralled and aflame at the end of this – ready to head right into the action.
This address then gave way to a first aid awareness session conducted by ALERT, an NGO working to ensure ‘Right to Life’ can be made a reality in India. Their core initiative is Golden Hour Care & Emergency Response management. Working towards the goal of training one person in every family in Emergency Response set by renowned former President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, they have, to date, trained over 75000 people across varied walks of life. The session proceeded under the supervision of Mr.Karal Marks, who did a fantastic job in imparting the basics of first aid in a simple and informative manner. Following the session, students went to the astronomic Birla Planetarium to make their day even more informative. They also were allowed to explore the city a little further when visiting prevalent sites like the LIC Building, Beach, Port and Secretariat. The day ended with a spectacle, literally, with a harmonious rendition of songs by Sruthilaya and the impressive dance performance by the university’s much-celebrated dance troupe ‘Twisters’. Citing Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam yet again, “Dream, dream, dream. Dreams transform into thoughts, and thoughts result in action.”, we can safely say that the participants were left dreamy at the end of the day.
On 22nd November, the Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, Dr. R.Velraj, spoke to the students of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) for the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas. The address took place at the Gourmet Basket at 10:15 am. He briefly described various paths the students could opt for after school and urged them to seize any opportunity they get. He inspired the students to work hard and to have big dreams. He finally concluded by saying that he hopes to see many students join Anna University.
Then the students, teachers, and headmasters of EMRS left Anna University and arrived at Raj Bhavan at 11:00 am to celebrate Janjatya Gaurav Divas, also known as Tribal Pride Day. The program commenced at the arrival of The Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, Thiru. R. N. Ravi. The audience rose for the National Anthem and Tamizh Thai Vazhthu. Then the governor paid homage to the tribal freedom fighter, Birsa Munda. The headmasters of the 8 EMRS gave a presentation on the growth of their schools. After this presentation, the Director of the Tribal Welfare Department gave another presentation addressing all the initiatives and schemes the government has put in place to improve the livelihood of these tribes. Finally, the Hon’ble governor addressed the audience. He individually asked every student what their ambitions were and how they were planning to achieve them. He also inquired if the teachers were facing any difficulties, and then the students were allowed to ask the Governor questions. The governor spoke about his childhood, goals, hobbies, tribes, how much he enjoys his stay in Tamil Nadu and the development of India. He made it a point to let them know that even though reservations exist, students must be competent enough to compete with the students of other communities. Once they can reach this objective, the outlook of tribes would change for the better, and they will become role models for the community, state, and nation.
The audience was served lunch and given a tour around the Raj Bhavan. They departed Raj Bhavan at 4:00 pm and gathered at Vivekananda Auditorium for the Vote of Thanks delivered by the NSS Coordinator, Mr. Ramesh.
