Sri Sarada Math-Rasik Bhita recently organized a 3-day workshop and book exhibition at Vivek Library, 490, Dumdum Park, to explore the unraveled beauty of the mind and pay homage to the unforgettable occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s 125 years of the Chicago address. 22nd to 24th of February 2019 witnessed some thought-provoking sessions on career, ethics, presentation skills steering the mind towards the right ways of leading life. The beginning of the 3-day event was marked by Vedic chanting and garlanding of Swami Vivekananda’s cut-out by the Honourable MLA, Mr. Sujit Bose, Minister of Fire, West Bengal. Students from various colleges participated in the workshop and the hall was packed with approximately 70 to 80 students each day.
Mr. Dipankar Ghosh, Assistant Manager, Human Resource, Tata Consultancy Services held the first session where he spoke about the BPO industry. This was followed by a session on Hospitality management by Smt. Malabika Banerjee, Business Development Head, IIHM. Post lunch, the students were rejuvenated by an engaging presentation on the heritage of India by Pravrajika Nirvedaprana. The second session witnessed an interactive session with Mr. Prasun Roychowdhury from Ujjivan Small Finance Bank on the essentials of banking as a career opportunity. The day ended with the soothing strings of the sitar by Satavisa Pati.
The participating strength on the second day had shot up to almost 80 and the hall was packed with enthusiastic young faces. The morning session was conducted by Smt. Sonali Bhattacharya, Consultant Trainer and Content Developer at Oxford University Press and The British Council. The students learned the techniques of CV planning and drafting a formal letter or Email. The second session was on Presentation skills by Smt. Sreemayee Chakraborty, Assistant General Manager, Talent Development Team, Tata Consultancy Services. The culmination of the second day was marked with melodious Rabindrasangeet by Dr. Monisha Chakraborty.
The third day was planned differently. After the two-day brainstorming sessions, the final day was planned to do some toning of the mind. Aligning with the brilliant book exhibition on the ground floor, the students were addressed by Smt. Indrani Bhattacharya, Former Head Librarian, British Council who spoke on books, the concept of a library, the transition of physical library to the modern digital library and the importance of reading.
The students were enriched with the talk. This was followed by a thoroughly interesting quiz and JAM (Just A Minute) session conducted By Smt. Ratna Halder, where the students not only participated but won prizes which doubled their enthusiasm. Just before lunch, the participants were shown a movie on Sister Nivedita and a short quiz was then conducted based on the movie. The post-lunch session on the third day was conducted by Dr. Sarmila Banerjee Mullick, Former Head of the Department, Economics, University of Calcutta and this was conceived and tailored exclusively for the students. The presentation was named, ‘Value-Oriented Life Skills and Self-Growth’. Dr. Banerjee had structured the course in a unique way relating values with our everyday life. The post-lunch session was enriched by the presence of Pravrajika Atandrapranaji, Assistant Secretary, Sri Sarada Math and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission where she spoke to the students about the simple ways of life and the rich Indian heritage. The culmination of the final day was marked by a classical vocal recital by Papri Chakraborty, a student of the legendary vocalist, Gaana Saraswati Kishori Amonkar. The final vote of thanks was given by Pravrajika Nityamuktaprana where she capsuled the 3-day event with a strong message asking students to focus on the real takeaway from the workshop.
The books of Vivek Library were seamlessly displayed exhibiting the entire range of books. The visitors enjoyed going through them, showing interest in the library. Inside the library, a book sale counter was set up where students and other visitors were able to purchase books of their choice. On the first and the second day, there were 2 sessions conducted by the Computer Department of Rasik Bhita on the various computer courses and their relevance as well as an interesting presentation on Multimedia and Designing. Both the sessions were thoroughly interactive.
The workshop, ‘Mind Gym for the Young Minds’ rendered impeccable impressions on the minds of the young participants and the smiling face of each girl was perhaps the biggest takeaway for everyone.