The evening of 23rd of June, 2022 saw the student council of Kasturba Medical College, Manipal taking their positions as the representatives of the student body for the term 2022-2023 in a beautiful ceremony held in Dr. TMA Pai hall 3. Members of committees and the class representatives from each year attended the ceremony, dressed impeccably in formals, to celebrate the end of a successful term for the previous council and witness the current council take their positions.
The event started with the auspicious lighting of the lamp by the Dean, Dr. Sharath Kumar Rao; Associate Deans, Dr. Krishnananda Prabhu, Dr. Anil K Bhat & Dr. Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay, the previous council president Mr. Gautam Bonny, and the current council president, Ms. Shivani Yadav, followed by a melodious invocation by Ms. Sai Sriya Yadavalli.
Moderated by the literary secretary, Ms. Kirti Gaur, the event was embellished with heartfelt speeches, starting with the Dean, Dr. Sharath Kumar Rao, who commended the previous council for their dedication and tireless efforts that greatly enhanced the student experience in KMC Manipal, including the organisation of Invictus 2022, which saw the participation of maximum number of students in history of the event. He congratulated the current council for earning their place as the bridges between the administration and the student body, instructing them to assist those who may require extra help and to conduct thorough enquiries on any student grievances that may arise.
He was followed by the previous student council president, Mr. Gautham Bonny, who shared his experience in a heartfelt speech, giving a special word of thanks to all who supported him, especially mentioning the ones who made Invictus the roaring success it was: Mr. Varun Suresh, who flawlessly handled the monumental task of inviting colleges; Mr. Shashank Tomer, who did an impeccable job with PR and the brochure; Mr. Ayush Agrawal and Mr. Shreyash Singh who made the accommodation and transport arrangements work like clockwork; all the committee secretaries who worked tirelessly to make the event happen; and Mr. Aditij Dhamija who designed a code that helped make the entering of all the information a manageable task. He also addressed the current student council, congratulating them.
After the conclusion of his speech, there was the ceremonial passing of scroll to the current student council president, Ms. Shivani Yadav and the oath taking ceremony of the council of 2022-2023 with Faculty Advisor Dr. Arvind Pandey, where the new council solemnly pledged to honour the posts they have been trusted with.
The members of the council were honored with badges by the Dean, Dr. Sharath Kumar Rao.
The current student council made speeches expressing their determination to fulfil their duties meticulously, starting with the President, Ms. Shivani Yadav, taking over from Mr. Gautham Bonny, who vowed to initiate the documentation of the code of conduct and to lead the student council with vigour and determination. She ended her speech with a quote by MS Dhoni that resonates with her; “ You don’t have to be boring in life, you have to be naughty, you have to be mischievous, but at the end of the day, know your boundaries and you are always supposed to be within the boundaries.”
She was followed by the Vice President, Mr. Utkarsh Agrawal, taking over from Mr. Shashank Tomer, who started his speech with a word of thanks to all present and announced that he has set up an Event Calendar and Coverage on the corekmc website, which allows students to keep track of the plethora of events that happen each year and not miss out on any of the unique experiences that KMC has to offer. He expressed his gratitude towards KMCs Editorial Board, Cutting Edge and FitVib, crediting them with helping him realise his potential.
The General Secretary, Ms. Amrita Bedi, taking over from Mr. Varun Suresh, mentioned the Class Representatives and the Literary Commitee for their contribution to her experience in KMC Manipal, commending the Class Representatives for their role in making communication with the student council and the administration easier.
The Joint Secretary, Mr. Anirudh Venkatesh, taking over from Mr. Shreyash Singh, vowed to get attendance claims for the students writing USMLE during the week before the examination, to allow them to prepare well without having to worry about falling short on attendance. He thanked the Sports Committee for helping bring out his leadership skills and his determination to do well.
The Judicial Secretary, Mr. Madhav Arora, taking over from Mr. Ayush Agarwal, thanked the cricket team, the Sports Committee, and FitVib, for being an integral part of his experience in KMC so far. He declared his determination to uphold the HR protocol most meticulously. He thanked the previous council for their incredible work, declaring that the council of 2022-2023 has “very big shoes to fill”.
They were followed by committee heads who vowed to lead their committees with enthusiasm and determination.
Cultural Committee Secretary, Ms. Shubhraa Moorthy, taking over from Ms. Ankita Dhanuka, expressed her interest in having more cultural events in Invictus and Verve, as well as increasing participation in outstation competitions.
The Literary Committee Secretary Ms. Kirti Gaur, taking over from Ms. Aastha Agrawal, declared that she will be increasing micromanagement within the committee. She expressed her desire to have more collaborative projects with other committees and have literary-related events in Invictus and Verve as well.
The Sports Committee Secretary, Mr. Chirag Bhojwani, taking over from Mr. Vatsalya Choudhary, pledged to conduct Invictus and Verve on an even larger scale than last year. He expressed his wish to have proper functioning when it comes to participation in outstation events, as well as increasing the sports opportunities to girls, like introducing girls cricket.
Social Welfare Committee Secretary, Ms. Vartika Agarwal, taking over from Ms. Kavya Raghavendra, vowed to increase the volunteering from KMC, to set up a Social Volunteer Club, and to conduct more informal events.
The Editor-In-Chief for Editorial Board, Ms. Shivika Saraogi, taking over from Ms. Vartika Singh; expressed her determination to release a Yearbook and have an exhibition gallery to celebrate the creative talent of the student body. She announced that coverage of events is already being done by the Editorial Board and can be accessed through the corekmc website.
The Finance Committee Secretary, Mr. Kshitij Shahi, taking over from Mr. Athul Aby, vowed to take steps to make the reimbursement process easier and set up a centralized system for the finances of KMC.
Thee Student Research Forum secretary, Mr. Vishnu Bharadwaj, taking over from Mr. Aditij Dhamija, vowed to work towards the revival of KMC STS, to involve more people in research projects, to organize fun events related to scientific research in order to pique the interest of a larger group and to ensure the proper functioning of the SRF website to make it more accessible for both students and teachers.
They concluded their speeches by mentioning all the members of their respective committees.
The evening was concluded by a word of thanks delivered by the Vice President, Mr. Utkarsh Agrawal.
The delicious high tea served to the attendees was the perfect ending to a perfect event.
Credits:-
Written by : Tanvee Walia , The Editorial Board , KMC
Design by : Shivani Yadav , President , KMC Student Council
Photography by : Hasmita Ganesuni , Ayush Rana , Tanishq Yadav , Pranay Jain , The Editorial Board KMC & MAHE Photography Team
Uploaded by : Utkarsh Agrawal , Vice President , KMC Student Council