CIVIL ASPIRANT

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

(2017-2018)

Title:

CIVIL ASPIRANT

Principal Investigator

Dr.Annie Sunil

St.Pious X Degree and PG College for Women.

Snehapuri colony, Nacharam, Hyderabad.

Foreword

The following project is a report on Civil Aspirants Camp by AIACHE , which was assigned under the guidance of Dr.Annie Sunil Madam, HOD, Dept. Of English, done by Ms.Sheila Keziah(Lecturer in English) &  Catherine Chelsea(IIIBA PPML). The report is about Leaders For Tomorrow camp and how the students with the help of the college , St.Pious X Degree and PG college for Women were trained and guided for being a Civil servant, it helped instilling a sense of social responsibility in the minds of the students along with proper leadership skills.

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”            

John F. Kennedy

INTRODUCTION

St. Pious X Degree & P.G College aims at empowering women to be competent to lead extraordinary lives and set high standards in professional expertise. The college collaborated with AIACHE i.e., All India Association for Christian Higher Education which is a professional association founded in 1967 a voluntary organization. It aims at promoting value-orientation and social relevance of Indian higher education to achieve the goal of national integration. It also undertakes projects related to Women Empowerment. Thus, it brings together colleges related to the Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Churches in an inter-state, trans-denominational forum, with a view to maximizing their effectiveness and service to the national community. Therefore, the management of our college selected civil aspirant students and sent them for a three days camp, "LEADERS FOR TOMORROW - AS CIVIL SERVANTS", at Gurukul Theological Seminary, Chennai. 

OBJECTIVES:

·         To impart training for students to emerge as committed civil servants in the institutions of higher learning

·         To impart training to student leaders on ethics and careers in civil service

·         To motivate students to become credible civil servants

·         To understand the concept of motivation and creativity for leaders in civil service

·         To develop appropriate stewardship values to become committed leaders in civil service

·         To understand the concept of self-sacrifice to serve the country

·         To participate in nation building by being a committed civil servant

·         To understand the need for financial transparency in being a committed civil servant

The detailed session of the training programme consisted of :

·         New strategies for future leadership

·         Challenges and opportunities of one's choice

·         Effective communication/interpersonal communication skills

·         Building leadership and networking

·         Motivation

·         Goal setting

·         Time management

·         Leader and values

·         Group work

·         Individuals' vision

·         Contribution of individuals in nation building

Leadership Team:

The leadership team consisted of

·         Professionals in a specialized field

·         Experts in Leadership Training

·         Experienced professors

·         Civil servants

·         Committed religious leaders

·         Flourishing business people with ethical human values

·         Politicians of high repute

·         Committed social workers

·         Administrators

Selection of students:

The students were selected based on their merit and their passion to become an IAS officer. Two students each were selected from II & III B.A and four from I B.A, so overall 8 students were selected.

The students selected for LEADERS FOR TOMORROW:

1. Catherine Chelsea III B.A PPML

2. Tabu Sougabdhika (III B.A PPML)

3. Sowmya (II B.A EPP)

4. Akhila (II B.A PPML)

5. Gangothri (I B.A EPP)

6. Anushka (I B.A EPP)

7. Spoorthy Victory (I B.A EPP)

8. Spoorthy (I B.A EPP)

Travel and Accommodation:

 We were escorted by Mrs. Sheila Kezia (Lecturer, Department of English).

The instructions of do's and don'ts were given to us before leaving the camp. The principal wished all of us and prayed for our trip. We along with Mrs. Sheila left to Chennai on 18th October 2017 at 4:00 pm from Secunderabad Station and reached Chennai the next day i.e.; on 19th October 2017 at 5:45 am and the campus at 7:00 am. The campus was not far from the main road. It looked spick and span and had all the basic amenities required within the campus it also had a Church, two conference hall, dining room, garden, play area and a cafeteria. The students and the escort were accommodated within the campus dormitory. The dining hall was sophisticated and served homely and hygienic food. 

DAY 1- 19 October 2017

(Thursday)

We started the day with Breakfast and later we were directed to the Seminar hall and we had a time of prayer and worship which was led by Rev. Dr. A. G. Augustine Jayakumar. The Devotion time was followed by Inaugural and Keynote Address by Mr. P. W. C. Davidar, IAS. Our first session was MOTIVATION by Dr. Shirmila Stanley she made known to us few important aspects of motivation:

·         Motivate yourself first and then motivate others.

·         If you want to help someone first look into their need.

She quoted a statement by Horace Mann "Be ashamed to die if you have not contributed to the Human Kind"

The first session was followed with a tea break and it was during this break that we interacted with other students along with a cup of tea and a piece of cake. The Second Session was Motivational FACTORS AND STRATEGIES TO CRACK THE CIVIL SERVICES EXAMS by Dr. Prateep V. Phillip, IPS. His session was brief and informative; throughout the session there were few points which motivated me the most:

·         CIVIL SERVICES-  a career, a calling and an honor

·         Be at it – Beat it!

·         Think Globally act locally

·         Any civil servant should be a

·         Friend of poor 

·         Friend of principles

·         Friend of progress

·         If you want to break a record keep a record.

The lunch break was from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. At 2:00 PM the third session started and it was PROBLEM-SOLVING AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT by Dr. Celestine Paulraj. This session was the most liked one not just by me but by everyone. He was positive, creative and most importantly interactive.

·         Look at the conflict in a positive way.

·         Find the root cause of a conflict.

·         Support collaborating than competing.

·         The connecting tool between senses and behavior is called ‘MIND'

After the session, there was time given for discussion and later was another tea break followed by the final session- Outline to the Indian Administrative Service by Dr. Venkataramanujan. He spoke to us mainly about the preparation. Important material for preparation:

·         Newspapers

·         Magazines- Frontlines, India Today, etc.

·         NCERT textbooks

 DAY 2- 20 October 2017 (Friday)

The second day also started with breakfast and later followed by devotion and then we had the fifth session MY ROLE IN NATION BUILDING by Dr. G. Sundaram, IAS. He is a senior officer, well experienced and grounded. One of the key points that he quoted was -"Never lose your values for the sake of favor or promotion."  We had 15 minutes of discussion and we broke for tea and continued with our next session, SESSION VI PEACE BUILDING by Dr. Sandra Joseph. "If you want peace work for JUSTICE" was her introductory statement. She was bold and warm. After the session, we broke for lunch and we were back by 1:30 and SESSION VII was CHRISTIAN ETHICS AND HUMAN VALUES by Dr. Alfred Devaprasad. Few highlights from what he spoke:

·         Start by doing your bed.

·         Little things in life matter.

·         If you don't love your neighbor you don't love God.

The final session for that day was EFFECTS OF SKILLS- WRITING SKILLS by Dr. Winfred Chelliah. He was a  lead choir member and a professionalized speaker.

DAY 3- 21ST October 2017(Saturday)

The final day we had two sessions and we were given tips upon how to prepare for civil service examination by Dr. Susan Paul and later we were taught about GOAL SETTING AND TIME MANAGEMENT by Mrs. A. Christian Nancy. Few of the important points to be noted:

·         Break your long-term goal into short-term ones.

·         S  - Specific

            M - Measurable

            A - Achievable

            R - Realistic

            T- Time

After both, the sessions we were also given few tips regarding effective communication by Dr. Samuel Rufus then was the time for participants' feedback and also we all were certified for attending the camp.

SITE SEEING:

On 20th Oct 2017, the session ended at 4:45 pm. We went on site seeing and visited St. Thomas Basilica a church which is built on the tomb of St. Thomas one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, we chose to travel by bus to explore more of the city. The following day we went to express avenue the biggest shopping mall at the heart of the city of Chennai. The highlight of the mall was that it had an inbuilt robot called EVA attending the people helping them with their direction within the mall. We also went to Marina which is said to be a natural urban beach in the city of Chennai along the Bay of Bengal; it is one world's longest beach ranking with one. We reached the Marina at 6:30 pm and had fun in the seashore, making castle etc and shopped before leaving to the camp and the best view was the lighthouse near the beach.

HOW WAS IT BENEFICIAL TO THE STUDENTS:

1. Encouragement to the young civil aspirants.

2. It helped us in making a wise plan.

3. Meeting different students with one common goal from all over the country gave us a good

    exposure.

4. Travelling and site seeing was a fun break from the regular life.

FEEDBACK FROM THE STUDENTS:

1). CATHERINE CHELSEA:

This camp adding to my leadership skills made me a more positive person and it really helped to know where I'm standing especially in my preparation for civil service examination and also to plan wise and site seeing and traveling with my mates was fun.

2). GANGOTRI:

From my perspective, this workshop was really helpful for me as a civil service aspirant. In fact, to be more specific it was an obliging one for every one irrespective of the field that they aim. The schedule of this forum was a felicitous feature. For it was a concatenation. It was also helpful in developing one's character and to understand the concept of integrity. Overall it was fruitful attending this workshop and I’m looking forward to attending many such workshops.

3). ANUSHKA:

The three-day leadership programme held in Chennai has cultivated traits such as self-reliance, and courage within me. Having being attended this session, I see myself as a more passionate, committed and optimistic individual. This trip along with my fellow mates helped me in exploring myself to the fullest.

PHOTOS:

“Prayer is a strong wall and fortress of the church; it is a goodly Christian weapon”.

                                                                                                                               – Martin Luther

St. Thomas Church, Chennai

“I like to challenge myself. I like to learn - so I like to try new things and try to keep growing.”

                                                                                                    - David Schwimmer      

Piousians along with Dr. Sandra Joseph

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Civil aspirants with Mr. P. W. C Davidar, IAS

Express Avenue  Mall

                                    

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born”.

Girls from Christian Women’s College, Chennai.

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RESEARCH  COMMITTEE COORDINATOR        PRINCIPAL

Institutional Social Responsibility: Support the Slum

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

(2017-2018)

Title

Institutional Social Responsibility: Support the Slum

Principal Investigator

Dr.Annie Sunil

St.Pious X Degree and PG College for Women.

Snehapuri colony, Nacharam, Hyderabad.

INTRODUCTION

The following report is a project on institutional social responsibility and the extension activity of visiting the slum in Nacharam which was given and guided by Dr.Annie Sunil , and is done by Anagha Joy (Lecturer, Dept. Of English) and the students of B.A ML. The main aim of this project is to make the students effectively competent, socially committed and to instill a sense of responsibility in their minds and also to prepare the students to lead a life of truth and to follow ethical behaviour and care for others and to achieve integrity through excellence in teaching and learning. It was an activity to involve students in community service and effective communication.

FOREWORD

The following project is a report on ISR Institutional Social Responsibility , which was assigned under the guidance of Dr.Annie Sunil Madam, HOD, Dept. Of English. The report is about ISR and how the students with the help of the college , St.Pious X Degree and PG college for Women raised a fund and extended its hand to support the slum “Murukula basti” and also, it helped instilling a sense of social responsibility in the minds of the students.

1.MEANING:

ISR is a community based development initiative which plays an active role in social change. The commitment of social responsibility by the college is achieved through adopting and supporting the slum.

2. IN CONNECTION WITH THE COLLEGE:

 As an institutional social responsibility, St. Pious X Degree College for Women has adopted a nearby slum which is located in Nacharam known as "MurukulaBasti". In this slum there are about 160 families and our institution will working for its betterment.

3.AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF ISR:

i) ISR helps to promote and develop college-neighbourhood network and student engagement.

ii) Community service could inculcate the spirit of student participation.

iii) To reinforce ethical and social responsibility.

iv) It creates a kind of awareness involving many social activities in the minds of the people.

v) It takes up the initiative to support the less privileged people in our society.

vi) To provide support to people who, for whatever reason are not able to fulfil their basic and secondary needs and to participate fully in social life.

4.INITIATIVE TAKEN BY OUR COLLEGE:

I) HOW: An announcement was made on the college intercom to all the classes by the student council president, Ms. Catherine Chelsea on the significance of this extension activity. 

II)WHERE: The collection of funds were done in the college itself. The students used the carton boxes and painted them with the theme written on top. "BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE TODAY".

III) There were four boxes placed near different places in the college campus and the students and faculty were free to donate what they wanted.

5.HOW WAS OUR COLLEGE HELPING THE SOCIETY BY SUPPORTING THE SLUM AS AN EXTENSION ACTIVITY:

i) By encouraging the children

ii) Giving them a hope by providing basic necessities.

iii) Instilling a sense of responsibility in the students towards the society.

iv) By providing stationery to the children, they were motivated to concentrate more on their education and EDUCATION is a very important part of a society because, EDUCATION is the backbone of the society.

v) the college, through their commitment brought about a kind of positive social change and helping the individuals especially the children to lead a proper and fulfilling life they deserve. 

vi) "Encouraging Education" was the key motive and this can help the society to instill the values of cooperation, fairness and justice into the hearts of the students.

6.PLANNING AND EXECUTION:

 The ISR of St.Pious X Degree and PG college for women is supporting and extending our hands and helping. The Department of English has taken the initiative to sponsor the stationery required for the schooling of the slum children.

                                   The students from B.A(ML) final year, collected an amount of Rs.4,698 by raising a fund from both students and Faculty. The students estimated a particular theme, "BE A BLESSING TO SOMEONE TODAY" and the students- TabuSoungandhika, Beryl, Stella, Rohini Edward, Catherine Chelsea and Rachel Roach, decided to place four carton boxes, painted them with the theme written on top. The boxes were placed respectively, one near the principal's office, one near the Library, one near the canteen and one in front of the auditorium, basically covering all the places where the students and Faculty usually gather the most. We encouraged the Piousians with the theme and collected the amount.

I) PLANNING OF PURCHASING THE STATIONERY:

Three students(Catherine, Rohini and Manasa) from BA(ML) final year were sent to buy the stationery from Begum Bazar. As Begum Bazar is a wholesale market and more quantity with good quality is given for the lesser price. The amount spent was Rs.4094.

II) IMPLEMENTATION:

 On 15th August 2017, after the independence day celebration in our college, we then decided to visit the slum, "MurukulaBasti" , and celebrate the day with the slum children, The whole pf English Department and Second Languages Department along with the Student Council, Executive Members and IQAC Members of the college left to the slum on bikes and few hired an auto. There were also students form II and III B.A who came along. It was a 20-25 minute distance ride from our college to the MurukulaBasti. Finally we reached there and carried on the activities that we had planned for them. The activities included:

1) We began the celebration by singing the National Anthem.

2) Sang and taught them songs

3) Spoke about moral values on: Patriotism, Cleanliness, Obeying the elders and Essence of Prayer.

4) Focused mainly on the need for education.

5) Finally, at the end of the program, we distributed the stationery that we brought for them by the collected fund.

                  The students interacted with the children in the slum for three hours on the whole. 160 families were living there and most of them are illiterates and they work on daily wages.

7. WHAT IS THE DECISION OR ACTION TAKEN BY THE MANAGEMENT, HODs, IQAC etc.,?

i) They had a meeting to help and give support.

ii) They encouraged the children especially the dropouts.

iii) And also encouraged and motivated them to go ahead with their learning.

8. THE STATIONERY THAT WAS GIVEN:

 The amount that was collected by the fund that was raised by the students and Faculty was Rs.4,698.This amount was used to purchase the stationery for the slum children. The stationery included:

1) 5 STYLO compass boxes.

2) 30 note books

3) 30 Flair pens

4) 80 Pencil boxes

5) 40 Crayon sets

6) 40 Color pencil sets

7) 80 Erasers

8) 80 Short rulers

9) 100 Sharpeners

10) 100 Pencils

     Excluding these we also bought few goodies, 2 boxes of wafers and two boxes of chocolates.

9.INDEPENDENCE DAY AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE:

 As we all know, Independence Day is the most important and auspicious day for all of us in India, the significance of this day is to celebrate the independence from British rule and to pay our gratitude to the struggles and sacrifices made by our freedom day.

                        Being the most remarkable day in the history of India, we decided to choose this auspicious day to celebrate with the children who are in need of basic necessities especially, Education. On this day we went to the slum Murukulabasti and celebrated with them by singing songs, encouraging them to study and at last distributed the stationery among them. It was the best time because we got to see their smiling faces and we Piousians were happy and content with our fulfilled motives.

10. UPCOMING ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BE TAKEN UP BY VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS OF OUR COLLEGE REGARDING THIS PURPOSE ARE AS FOLLOWS:

 i) II part of ISR was taken up by Arts Department:

 The Arts Department along with few students from BA(PPML) decided to provide some type of relief to the slum area that is MurukulaBasti because that area was affected with floods.

                             So, the students placed carton boxes yet again in the college and encouraged the staff and students to donate what they could and this time the motive was to collect basic necessities like clothes, groceries etc. 

             And the end result was tremendous as there was plenty of clothes, biscuits, soaps, shampoos, toothbrushes, toothpastes and hair oil bottles.

 The students along with the Arts Department went to the slum on bikes and autos and even there, we sang songs and later distributed the items, this time it was nit only confined to children but also to the elders of the slum.

ii) UPCOMING ACTION WILL BE TAKEN UP BY:

1)MICROBIOLOGY DEPARTMENT: They will be conducting a medical camp in the slum.

2)LIFE SCIENCES DEPARTMENT: They will be conducting a hygiene and vaccination camp in the slum.

3)PHYSICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT: Adult education.

11.Proposal by the college was given that, they need toilets, water facilities etc to the collector.

12.FEEDBACK OF STAFF AND STUDENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

1) Catherine Chelsea (President of the Student Council, Final year B.A): 

   "It was a great exposure to us all being a part of their little world. We shared love and happiness and experienced the joy of giving."

2) Rachel Roach (Executive Member of the Student Council, Final year B.A):

   "Going to a slum and fulfilling the social responsibility was a great honor and the best experience for me. Being there and seeing the innocence of the children, there was one thing that I learned from them and got a wonderful message that, Happiness is the key to life."

3) V Maanasa (Final year B.A MPML):

    "It was a nice experience with children. The dance performance that I gave was kind of funny and the children enjoyed my performance. Spending time with those children was a great memorable day in my life."

4). Anagha Joy (Lecturer, Dept of English):

If you want to ask one question, ask yourself, what you are giving to the universe, when you start giving you give a warm smile, your attention, your time and your love. Giving is bliss and a blessing. This experience made the students as well as lecturer feel an immense love towards our fellow being in sharing- love, happiness, positive vibes and kindness.

5). Sheila Keziah (Lecturer, Dept of English):

It was a wonderful experience with the slum children and was awestruck with their curiosity to learn good habits, to answer the questions and to participate in various games conducted by the council members and volunteers. The children were well disciplined throughout the programme and were excited. They were very happy to receive gifts and chocolates at the end of the programme.

13.Names of the students who came to Support the Slum:

1.     Catherine Chelsea

2.     Rachel Roach

3.     Rohini Edward

4.     Bhavya

5.     Adelina Amasi

6.     Selah

7.     Evita Tina Fernández

8.     Supriya

9.     V. Maanasa

10.                        Nayonica

11.                        Omama

12.                        Kalyani

13.                        Cherisha

PHOTOS:

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”~ Mother Teresa

Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile.

‘Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give’.

 

                              ‘Love only grows by sharing.’

‘Your own self realization is the greatest service you can render the world.’

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RESEARCH  COMMITTEE COORDINATOR        PRINCIPAL