St Agnes College (Autonomous), Mangaluru, holds Annual Sports Day
Mangaluru: The Annual Sports Day of St Agnes College (Autonomous), Mangaluru, was held on January 29, 2024, at the NRSC grounds of the college. The Chief Guest of the Day was Ms Shreema Priyadarshini, an international athlete and Mangalore’s “golden girl,” who was escorted to the grounds with fanfare. Prerna, the sports secretary, received the flag from the principal and returned to lead the college teams in March. The marching teams wore innovative costumes based on the colours allotted to each team in a spirited display of the theme of Sports Day 2024, “Colours of Unity.” The chief guest received the salute from the marching teams.
Sr Dr Venissa AC welcomed the gathering and introduced the chief guest, whom she called a luminary in the field of sports. Shreema Priyadarshini is a recipient of several awards for her national and international achievements in the field of sports, including the Kannada Rajyotsava Award, the Independence Day Award, and the Abbakka Award 2019. In her address to the college students, she urged them to keep the fire alive and not to lose heart even if they failed multiple times, giving her own example of competing at the national level only after failing several times before.
The games torch was passed on by the leading sports students of St Agnes College and lit by the Sports Secretary. The Chief Guest declared the meet open and thereafter released a bunch of colourful balloons to mark the blue skies with the theme of the sports day. The Vote of Thanks was delivered by Ms Nimitha, Dean of Commerce. Sr Maria Roopa AC, Joint Secretary of the Agnes Institutions; PTA President Mr Ravi Bhat; Sr Carmel Rita AC, Administrator; Sr Dr Vinora AC, PG Coordinator; and Sr Clara AC, Vice Principal, were present on the dais. The March Past was judged by Ms Sushma, Mr Narayan, and Ms Babitha, physical instructors at different educational institutions. The programme was ably compered by Pratheeksha Prabhu, IIMA English and Derisha of IIBCom. Mr Vijay Oliver led the college band.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by sports events. Boys and girls participated in various group and individual events with verve and vigour. The finals of the relay events were conducted just before the start of the valedictory program. The Valedictory Programme of Sports Day 2023–24 began with a prayer followed by a welcome by Prerna, the sports secretary. The Chief Guest of the Programme was Dr Vishala BK, Selection Grade Librarian at St Agnes College. Dr Vishala is the recipient of several awards, including the Best Librarian Award’ by the Karnataka State Mahavidhyalaya Shikshaka Sangha, Bangalore, in 2023, the prestigious KALA National Award, and the State Level Best Librarian Award. She has rich professional experience spanning more than three decades. She has, to her credit, many national and international publications and presentations.
In her address, Dr Vishala recalled her entry into the portals of St Agnes College and her participation in sports as a student when she won several laurels for the same. Sports had helped her in many ways and paved the way for her becoming the chief librarian at St Agnes College. She expressed a need for students to imbibe two values, particularly one: to win prizes and keep the certificates for the future, and to dream big and work tirelessly to fulfil that dream. Dr Vishala was then invited to distribute the prizes won for the various events of the day.
The individual championship for UG boys was won by Suraj of I BA, and the individual championship for UG girls was won by Trisha Shetty, IIBA. Among the PG students, Prajwal of II MBA won the individual championship for boys, and Rithika of II MCom won among the girls. The coveted March Past prize was won by the MCom and MA English teams among the PG students, and I BBA, II BCom A, and III BSc won it at the UG level. The overall championship was won by I BBA at the UG level and II MCA at the PG level. The lowering of the college flag brought the annual sports day to a close, and the physical director of the college, Ms Vasudha, proposed the vote of thanks. The National Anthem was sung at the end of the programme.
