69th Republic Day

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IIT Goa celebrated the nation's 69th Republic Day with great zeal and enthusiasm. The ceremony began at 9 am with the Director of IIT Goa, Prof. B.K. Mishra, unfurling the flag along with Dr. B.B. Appaji, the Senior Sports Officer of IIT Goa and Prof. Rodney. A. Fernandes, Dean of Academic Affairs. The students and staff members then proceeded to proudly sing the National Anthem which was led by a choir of students. The host Mr. Vishal Jha requested the Director to address the crowd and impart his insights on the special occasion.

The event commenced on a beautiful note with poems and speeches by Mr. Ashish Kumar, Mr. Pallav Mathur and Mr. Shivam Kumar. This was followed by a patriotic song by Mr. Shivam Pandey and his band. Their song filled everyone with a sense of pride and love for our nation. The Dramatics Club put up a spectacular play which made us all realize that we have not yet achieved what our freedom fighters dreamt for – a united India – where everybody lives in peace and harmony. This play, written by Mr. Ashish Kumar and directed by Mr. Abhay Kajaniya inspired us all to work together to make India a better place. The Dance club members, led by Ms. Avya Bansal put up an amazing classical performance which further enhanced the spirit of the occasion.

This day was made even more special by the launch of the YourDost collaboration. Yourdost is an organization that provides 24x7 online counselling services. In today's stressful world, such an initiative will be very helpful for the students. The program concluded with Dr. Rishikesh Narayan giving the vote of thanks.

Although we are all proud Indians, the Republic Day for most of us is reduced to organizing a small function filled with cultural programs without actually realizing the importance of this day for India and its formation as an independent republic. Therefore, let's take a pledge this year to not only celebrate these events, but to also work together to make our country a better place and carry forward the legacy which our forefathers bestowed upon us.