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DISMISSAL SERVICE 2010
Dismissal Service, Stephanians do not need to be
told, is one of the two landmark events in the annual calendar of
the College; Founder’s Day being the other. It is an event imbued
with emotional intensity situated in the penumbra of nostalgia for
the outgoing students in particular. Also for all Senior Members of
the College; for it is no small matter that we spend three years
with young men and women in a crucial stage of their educational and
vocational formation.
The Chief Guest at Dismissal Service 2010 was,
befittingly, Shri. Kapil Sibal, distinguished alumnus of the College
and the Union Minister for Human Resource Development.
Conforming to a well-settled format, the Dismissal
Service commenced with the Principal’s Report which, running into
some 26 closely typed A4 sheets, had to be, for good reasons,
delivered in a drastically shortened form so as to allow maximum
time for Mr. Sibal to address the students. The decision turned out
to be wise.
Speaking extempore and straight from the heart, Mr.
Sibal held the audience spell bound for close to three quarters of
an hour. In words awash with nostalgia he reminisced his days in
College and did not fail to include the familiar refrain, “We
learned more outside the classroom than inside of it.” He talked
about the greatness of the institution, the uniqueness of its spirit
and traditions and the laudable role it has played in forming the
outlook and wholesome personality of generations of students. He
went on to express three major concerns.
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(a) |
St. Stephen’s has been stagnating over the
years. In the last half a century we have not taken any
significant steps forward. “Change,” underlined Mr. Sibal,
“is the only constant in life”. We need to engage this
unchanging principle of life and nature. It is high time we
thought of becoming a post-graduate institution so as to
contribute to the national intellectual, cultural stock by
way of new insights and concepts through research and
publication. |
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(b) |
We need to plug the loopholes of media leaks
that are tarnishing the image of the institution. St.
Stephen’s is far too invaluable an institution to be made a
victim of such a process of self-attrition.
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(c) |
We need to use minority rights with a sense
of accountability to the nation. “The right to administer,”
which the Constitution (Article 30: 1) confers on the
minorities, the minister emphasized, “does not include the
right to mal administer. The right to establish and
administer institutions should not degenerate into the right
to destroy institutions.” Minority rights must be understood
and exercised in a way that coheres with the secular and
democratic architecture of our Constitution, which enshrines
Minority rights. Minority rights cannot exist outside of
this framework.” |
Striking a moving personal cord, Shri. Sibal went on
to read two of his poems both of which were lustily cheered by the
audience. Addressing, then, the outgoing students in particular, the
Chief Guest, exhorted them to “invest in invisible assets” at a time
when the rat-race is for garnering visible assets in the form of
material acquisitions. Only these invisible assets endured. “In the
evening of your life,” said Shri. Sibal, “as you look back, all that
will remain will only be what you have put back into the society.”
He also exhorted the young men and women to (i) to follow the true
grain of their individuality in terms of the field of work they
would choose and not to be swayed either by social norms or by
pressures of parental ambition and (ii) to develop a spirit of
appreciation and gratitude. The small things of life matter! A word
of appreciation, a deed of kindness, a gesture of courtesy: these
add value and lustre to life.
Marking a change from the past, the Chief Guest’s
address was followed by a three minutes reply by Karan Nagpal (IIIrd
Year Eco. Hons). Karan expressed the gratitude and appreciation that
he and the graduating batch of Junior Members feel for the College
and acknowledged the formative role the College has played in their
life.
A large number of academic prizes were then given
away by the Chief Guest. The most emotional moments pertained to the
recognition of Rijul Kochar (III rd Year History. Hons) and Nipun
Malhotra (IIIrd Year Eco. Hons): both physically challenged, but
have made a lasting impression on College. Shri. Sibal, overwhelmed
by the spirit of the moment, virtually bounded down the podium to
embrace both of them and to share words of appreciation and
encouragement.
The traditional liturgy of the Dismissal Service
followed thereafter, with the Bishop of Delhi and the Chairman of
the Governing Body, Bishop Sunil Kumar Singh reading out the prayers
and praying, especially, for the outgoing students.
By common consent Dismissal Service 2010 is one of
the best attended and most memorable events in recent years.
I wish to place on record my special gratitude to
Shri. Kapil Sibal for finding the time, in the midst of all that he
is doing (!) to spend close to three hours with us in College. He
has, incidentally, also consented to be on our Collegium of Visiting
Professors. Others who have consented to come onboard are (i) Dr.
Shashi Tharoor (ii) Shri. Sivshankar Menon (NSA). I propose to have
an honorary faculty of 15 to 20 outstanding alumni who would donate
two days per year to enriching life in College by addressing and
interacting with Junior and Senior Members.
Rev. Dr. Valson Thampu
Principal
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