“The 2nd Friday of August, quite close to the Indian Independence Day, and a time when the number of International Students on Campus is the highest, is the best time to celebrate this diversity that we have in our campus, and hence Kairos was born,” remarked Dr. Raghu Radhakrishnan in his welcome address echoing the thoughts of everyone present.
The Office of International Affairs and Collaborations, MAHE organized the International Day on the 9th August 2019 spread across 2 venues. At MARENA and the Idea Cafe, a Carnival was organized with favourites such as Bingo, World Cafe and Jive being held by the Student Organizers. International Students also put up stalls showcasing their culture and traditions back home. The Carnival was inaugurated by Dr Raghu Radhakrishnan, Director, International Collaborations with all Faculty Coordinators and Student Representatives of the International Office present.
The evening was one for celebration and rejoicing. A procession of foreign nationals 58 different countries took place with each of them carrying a flag of their home nation and etching them in the World Map symbolic of Manipal’s long strides towards Internationalization.
The Pro-Chancellor of MAHE, Dr HS Ballal, Vice-Chancellor, Dr H Vinod Bhat congratulated all the students and accompanied them for a Group Photograph. A presentation of all the International Exchanges and Internships hosted at Manipal was shown by Dr Raghu followed by one of the highlight reels of the evening, “Sharing the Spotlight with the Vice-Chancellor” where International Students asked various questions on Internationalization and Manipal’s journey in being a Globally recognized University.
“Manipal today, is the most successful Indian University in terms of Internationalization and Student Exchange and has seen tremendous growth over the last few years in this regard. We have instituted many international and Intercultural programs through our Centres such as Centre for Intercultural Communication, Department of Languages and Centre for European Studies to make our students truly global citizens,” he remarked.
MAESTRO – Manipal Academic Exchange and Student Traineeship for Research Outreach, a comprehensive portal outlining all the internships and projects International Students could pursue while in Manipal was launched by the Pro-Chancellor. Developed by the Centre for Software Development at MAHE along with the students, this is sure to prove to be a boon for all incoming students in the future. Move On, another acquisition of OIAC for effective management of its work was launched by the Vice-Chancellor. Aula Magna, a quarterly newsletter published from the International office detailing all the International Agreements and news was formally launched.
This year saw the Malaysian Students Association of India – Manipal chapter join the merry band of student organizers in pulling off this event along with the IPSF – MAPS, AIESEC in MAHE, IAESTE India LC Manipal and the Campus Ambassadors MAHE, the OIAC and the Faculty Representatives from all colleges of MAHE.
The formal event hosted by Dr Smitha Nayak, Professor, Manipal Institute of Management drew to a close and the cultural extravaganza followed. Students from different ethnicities showcased their culture by means of dance, song, fashion show and other performances. The Bollywood Dance, a mainstay of every International Day had the audience erupting with cheers. The culturals were followed by a banquet dinner and multiple informal photo sessions to draw a close to the 4th edition of Kairos!
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