Virasat 2016

Message

Human kind has always regarded writing as a nuanced way

of expressing thoughts, emotions and ideas. Cultures all over

the world consider writing as a skill as well as an art. It rep-

resents the identity of a civilization and hence as a medium

to understand the inner world of a community that includes

its systems, actions and philosophies. So it is appropriate

that undergraduate students of History are bringing out a

newsletter that will sharpen their analytical skill, linguistic

sensibilities and facilitate in presenting perspectives. I con-

gratulate them for their hard work and sustained interest and

wish a fruitful engagement

Dr. Vagishwari SP

At the outset let me congratulate the editorial team for the

effort they have put into the publication or making of the

newsletter Virasat. This newsletter showcases the various

activities that the students take part in the department. The

newsletter Virasat reflects the overflowing of ideas and in-

novative activities reaching your homes

and it is our way of connecting with your

parents and our well wishers. The last

semester was an activity packed one.

Hence I am sure everyone will enjoy

reading about the work done by our UG

students and an opportunity for all to

reflect on them Dr. Venugopal .B. Menon

Editorial Team

Dr. Vagishwari SP

Dr. Venugopal .B. Menon

Shrividya. S, 6HEP

Jubeda Ali, 6 HEP

Irfan Nazeer, 4 HEP

Virasat 2016

T he Department of International Studies and History, Christ University organized a

one-day programme on June 03, 2016 at Knowledge Centre, 6th Floor, Central

Block for the students of third year BA HEP. Father Jose took the initiative of

guiding the students on the right usage of online databases, to name a few:

ProQuest, Jstor and magazine section Magzter. The programme was presided by Mr.

Sreekumar Nair, MLIS, librarian of Knowledge Center. Students downloaded the articles

and magazines and having read and reviewed them understood its prime importance of arti-

cles and journals while pursuing their research studies and academics.

T he Department of International Studies and History conducted an orientation pro-

gramme for the BA HEP freshers on 7th June, 2016 in Assembly Hall, Christ Uni-

versity. The programme started at 8:30 a.m. The programme highlighted the Em-

ployability assets. The next day, the students were taken to 1st year HEP class-

room where KSA or Knowledge, Skills and Attitude programme was conducted for elabo-

rating on good communication skills, socio-economic, political and historical aspects. The

emphasis was laid on knowledge. Knowledge does not simply mean general knowledge,

core subjects and current affairs but it also means emotional intelligence, hobbies and self-

realization which can be achieved by IT, debates, presentations etc.

The session preceded with Employability and its three facets or C’s namely Competence,

Conduct and Character. Competence involves applying theoretical knowledge into practical,

critical thinking and problem solving capacity. Conduct does not just mean appropriate

dressing sense but also involves time management, team efforts and being firm, polite and

enthusiastic in everything one does. Character is having faith, trust and integrity

New career prospects and approaches in Political Science were also brought forth like

sociological, economical and psychological approaches. The session wrapped up with the

agenda of the semester discussed.

Virasat 2016

The Department of International Studies, History and Political Science, Christ University

held the inauguration of Vrittanta, an association for International Studies and History on

18th June, 2016 in Kuriakose Elias Auditorium, Block 4, Christ University. ‘Reaching the

Zenith’ started off at 12 noon.

The master of the ceremony was Miss. Bhavya and

Miss Merilyn Sunny of 1st HEP. Beginning the pro-

gramme with a prayer by the students of 2nd EPS, the

dignitaries on stage were Dr. Venugopal Menon,

HOD, Political Science, Dr. John Joseph Kennedy,

Dean, Humanities and Social Sciences, Dr. Vagish-

wari, HOD, History and Dr. Fr. Jose CC, Assoc. Pro-

fessor, Department of History.

The lighting of the lamp was succeeded by Dr.

Venugopal addressing the gathering with a wel-

come speech. Dr. Vagishwari SP addressed the

gathering. The upcoming events were discussed

like that of the inter-class sports meet, cultural

events, oral history and quiz, articulations, mock

parliament. There would also be annual fest

exhibition and the newsletter.

A power point presentation of the mission, vision,

objectives and the courses offered were projected to the students after which the dean gave

a Presidential address on the holistic devel-

opment. Welcoming the fresher’s, Amu Tan-

gam Mathew, the class rep of 2nd EPS began

the cultural events. The cultural events started

with a dance programme by 2nd HEP. Next,

was a choir called ‘The Nightingales’ by 3rd

HEP singing for the audience a variety of

songs.

Lightening the stage up was a dance

performance by the International students calling themselves, ‘The International Beats’ be-

longing to 2nd HEP and 2nd EPS. 2nd HEP students choir named ‘Junoon’ sang for the

crowd up next. The piece after this was a power dance performance by the students of 3rd

HEP and 3rd EPS. The cultural events ended with the students of 3rd HEP choir called

‘Melody Tunes’ playing the guitar and singing. Vote of Thanks was provided by Prem Sai

of 3rd HEP.

Virasat 2016

T he Department of History and International Studies, Political Science, Vrittanta

conducted an interclass quiz competition on 24th June 2016 at 12 p.m. in I HEP,

2nd Floor, Block I, Christ University. A total of 13 teams participated and are

qualified for the upcoming rounds that will finalize a total of 6 teams. It was

conducted to classes I, II, III HEP and EPS. Venugopal, HOD of International Studies was

the quiz master while the quiz questions were prepared by Anurag Tripathi, class teacher of

I HEP. The topic was ‘History and Politics of the world since 1945. A total of 20 questions

were thrown upon the students and 15 minutes were given to finish all of them. It was a

written round. The session was truly mind-lightening and it provided to participants a

platform to broaden their knowledge skills.

T he association Vrittanta organized a cultural programme for the freshers of classes of I

HEP and I EPS attended by classes 1,2,3 HEP and 1,2,3 EPS on 1st July, 2016 in Mini

Auditorium, Block 1, Christ University from 12 to 1 p.m. The dignitaries were Reverend

Father Jose, Dr. Vagishwari S.P, Priyanka Bhowmik of the Department of History, Anurag

Tripathi, Venugopal. B. Menon, Priyanka Mallick and Joshy Paul from the department of

Political Science.

A keynote address by Dr. Vagishwari S.P who said that the programme was to man manage,

imbibe common skills and a demonstration of how the association Vrittanta intends to work

on as a community, cultivating creative skills, the event proceeded to include the keywords

spoken by Father Jose. Father addressed the gathering by highlighting the intention of

improving performances in various areas by Vrittanta.

There was a dance performance by I HEP, group ‘Black Illusions’. It was followed by I EPS

dance group. ‘Glam N’ Groove’ of class I HEP performed next. There were group song

performances by alternate classes and a skit that was touching played. The skit focused on

the support for LGBT and received standing ovations. Shreema Upadhyaya of class I HEP

performed an outstanding Kathak dance sequence followed by group ‘Dance Gudiyaan’ of I

HEP.

Aishwarya of III HEP briefed about the events that Vrittanta was yet to perform starting

from the 7th of July to 13th of July which included debates, Current affairs sessions, quizzes,

Arts events, Short-story writing, ‘Best of the waste’ and article writing competitions. Look-

ing forward to a new and a refreshed year, the vote of thanks was delivered. The emcee of

the day was Arushi Ganguly and Aditya S.A of class I HEP. The programme concluded with

the national anthem.

Virasat 2016

T he Department of History and Political Science, Vrittanta association organized a

debate competition on 8th July 2016 at class I HEP in Block I, Christ University. It

started off at 12 noon and ended at 1:30 pm.

A total of 3 teams from I HEP and 4 teams from I EPS participated I the competi-

tion. It was a talent search programme to bring out the debating skills in the participants.

Two in a team, the team was given a total of 3 mins plus 1 for the speakers and 2 mins for

the rebuttle.

The participants debated for and against the mushrooming issue today, ‘The exit of Britain

from the European Union’. The consuls for the competition were Joanna George, Sundaram

V and Ayush from class III HEP.

A total of four best speakers were chosen who did very well as the result of the competition.

The event was monitored by the debate leader, Jugaad Bhatia, President and Secretary of

Vrittanta, Uzair and Moksha and the timed by Maria Raju of

III HEP.

V rittanta organized an orientation programme on Mock Parliament in Mini Audi-

torium, Block I, Christ University at 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. on July 20, 2016 for the

students of I, II, III HEP and EPS.

Professor Venugopal of the department of Political Science gave the welcome

address. The session was also attended by Professor Vagishwari S.P, HOD of the Depart-

ment of History and International Studies. Professor Sanjay, faculty of School of Law gave

the keynote address which highlighted the key concepts addressed in the Parliament and the

happenings in Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, the money

bill, the motion of thanks and budgeting, oath tak-

ing etc. Students raised questions about the minutes

of the meeting and other related ones. The pro-

gramme concluded with a vote of thanks by Jugaad

Bhatia from III HEP

Virasat 2016

A talk on US Electoral Processes with special reference to 2016 Presidential

Elections on August 2nd, Tuesday was organised for the students of I, II, IIII

HEP and EPS and I and II MA International Studies and students from the

School of Law. It was held at the Kuriakose Elias Auditorium, Block IV from

10 to 12 noon. The keynote speaker was Dr. Craig L Dicker, Minister Counsellor, Public

Affairs, US Embassy, New Delhi.

The emcee for the event was Shivangi. The

dignitaries were Dr Craig, Dr. Venugopal Menon,

Dr. Vagishwari SP, Fr Jose, Fr Benny. The

welcome address was given by Dr. Venugopal

Menon, who gave a brief introduction on Dr.

Craig. He was then traditionally welcomed

through the presentation of a shawl by Dr.

Vagishwari SP. His keynote address was focused

on the recent trends and patterns of the US

elections, the role of money in the elections, the internet and campaigning; electoral

college; Checks and balances of the President

and the bureaucracy.

This was followed by an interactive question

and answer session and the inauguration of MA

International Studies blog by Dr.Craig and

Chitresh, a student of I MAIS. Fr Benny

presented a memo to Dr. Craig and the event

was concluded by the vote of thanks being

given by Mandara BM.

Virasat 2016

T he Department of International Relations and History organised a half day

seminar for undergraduate students (HEP &EPS – I, II, III) on the topic India and

the European Union on Aug 3, 2016 at Campus View, Central Block, Christ

University. The programme was Inaugurated by Prof. Vagishwari followed by

two session: India and the European Union: Economic Relations, chaired by Dr. Anurag

Tripathi and India and the European Union: Socio-Political Relations, chaired by Dr.

Priyanka Mallik. Prof Venugopal B. Menon delivered the vote of thanks for the seminar.

In the inaugural speech Prof. Vagishwari said that conducting such kind of seminar is a

good learning process for under graduate students especially to generate some sort of

critical thinking while doing under graduate programme. She also explained that the exit of

Britain is a new development in the context of understanding European Union as

single regional entity and how both the other members and India is going to cope with it.

In the first session, there were six papers presented on the economic impact of the Brexit

and how it will affect India.

H aving completed 69 years of independence, the students remain indifferent

towards such an important milestone in our history. With a motive of

spreading awareness and probing others to glance back to our past days, 64

students from HEP, EPS, PSEng, PSEco, JPEng and CEP came together for

the first time for this event. Under the guidance of Fr. Jose and the training of Prabin Sir

and Sooraj Sir, the students practiced regularly for the event. The dance event took

place on 16th August since 15th was a public holiday. All students gathered in front of

the Central Block by 12.55pm on the same day. The event started at 1pm and had a du-

ration of almost 10 minutes. The dancers performed for two songs and was successful

in bringing out the true colour of India, that of unity and diversity, through their dance.

Virasat 2016

I ndependence Day celebrations mark-

ing commemoration of 70 years of

Indian independence. It was held on

19th August 2016 at Kuriakose Elias

Hall, Block IV, from 12 pm. The

emcees for the event were Anusha and

Shivangi from 1HEP.

The welcome address was given by Uzair of

5HEP. Dr Vagishwari SP, HOD of the

department gave a short talk on the

significance of Independence Day. Then the

office bearers for the current semester of

Vrittanta were announced. This was

followed by the prize distribution for events

held, for example, Carpe Diem, Student Seminar etc. Father Jose then addressed the

gathering and congratulated the winners and the leaders of Vrittanta. The Centre for

Academic and Professional Support (CAPS) gave a short presentation. Shrividya and

Jubeda Ali of the publications team gave a presentation of the upcoming newsletter and

Articulations. This was followed by a cultural programme. 3HEP put up a dance showcas-

ing the different parts and culture of India, and 1 EPS performed a song and dance

sequence. 1 HEP too, put up a song and dance sequence. Then the students of 5 HEP and

EPS performed a dance which was followed by a mime. The vote of thanks was given by

Apoorvi Mishra.

Virasat 2016

T he teacher’s day celebration was organised by the students of I, II, and III HEP on

the 8th of September in sky view. It was a surprise for the teachers and a gesture

of gratefulness by the students towards their teachers. There were a series of

dance and songs performed by every class. During these performances, the

teachers were called onto the stage to express their experience with the students.The

teachers were each given a rose as a token of love and gratitude. The programme ended

with the cutting of cake by all the teachers.

Virasat 2016

The Department of International Studies and History, Christ University had organized an

exhibition titled ‘A Wonder That Is India’ by the students of BA HEP on 10thSeptember

2016. It was held on the Campus Walkway be-

tween 10am and 1pm. Each class was given as spe-

cific sub-topic:

I HEP-Modern Indian Identities

II HEP- India and the Neighbourhood

III HEP- India and its Glory: Ancient and Medieval

Period

The classes were divided into groups of five, and under

these topics had to represents periods through:

Writing/ Model

Maps

Photographs

Audio/ Video

Sketches/ Drawings/ Caricatures

In each class, the groups competed. There were three judges present. Professor Arjita was a

judge for the first years. Dr Malvika Binny and Dr Abhaya judged the second and third

years respectively. It was a part of the students CIA III as well. The exhibition garnered

many visitors, students and faculty alike.

Virasat 2016

D r. Mike Stefancic, Assistant director for student support, Service-learning pro-

gramme, Boise state university, USA has given a lecture on Gandhi and India;

American Perspective on 2 August 2016. He spoke extensively on Gandhi and

his ideas how his principles influence American society. He viewed that in In-

dia people know more about Gandhi, and I often hear is he is astonishingly good at helping

to win Indian independence. Mr Mike also spoke about Gandhian principals like

Satyagraha and non-violence how those two principles influenced the mind set of

Americans.

D epartment of International Relations and History organised a half day semi-

nar for undergraduate students (HEP &EPS – I, II, III) on the topic India

and the European Union on Aug 3, 2016 at Campus View, Central Block,

Christ.

The programe was Inaugurated by Prof. Vagishwari followed by two session: India

and the European Union: Economic Relations, chaired by Dr. Anurag Tripathi and India

and the European Union: Socio-Political Relations, chaired by Dr. Priyanka Mallik.

Prof Venugopal B. Menon delivered the vote of thanks for the seminar

In the inaugural speech Prof. Vagishwari said that conducting such kind of seminar is a

good learning process for under graduate students especially to generate some sort of criti-

cal thinking while doing under graduate programme. She also explained that the exit of

Britain is a new development in the context of understanding European Union as single re-

gional entity and how both the other members and India is going to cope with it.

In the first session, there were six papers presented on the economic impact of the Brexit

and how it will affect India. Since large number of Indian business community uses Britain

as a launching pad to do business with other member countries it is a major challenge for

them.

The second session dealt with political and cultural

nature of the relationship between India and EU

and six papers were presented in this session. The

session assessed that Indian culture, especially cine-

ma has a huge audience in the European Union.

The Indian origin community still follows Indian

tradition and culture while being assimilated into

European society. The session discussed following

major points;

India and EU, as long standing strategic partners,

are committed to working together with a balanced

and result-oriented approach.

Virasat 2016

Photos

Department of International Studies and History,

Christ University

Reports

Department of International Studies and History,

Christ University

Design

Chitresh Shrivastva

Special Thanks to

Dr. Fr. Jose CC

Dr. Venugopal B. Menon

Dr. Vagishwari S.P

Contact us

Christ University

Hosur Road

Bangalore 29

Phone - +918040129100

Fax - +918040129000

Our Website: www.chr istuniversity.in