The Hindu : Kerala News : Get into mainstream, Mohini Giri tells minorities

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Get into mainstream, Mohini Giri tells minorities

Staff Reporter

Regional workshop for Pathways members begins

Seeking action: Dr.V. Mohini Giri, former Chairperson of the National Women’s Commission, making a special lecture on ‘inclusivity’ at the inaugural of a week-long southern regional workshop for Pathways members at MES Mampad College near Nilambur on Sunday.

NILAMBUR: Former Chairperson of the National Women’s Commission V. Mohini Giri has called upon minorities and other backward sections of people to get into the mainstream of education and development.

“Getting into mainstream is very important today,” she said while delivering a special lecture on ‘inclusivity’ at the inaugural of a week-long southern regional workshop for members of the Pathways programme organised by the Foundation for Academic Excellence and Access (FAEA) at MES Mampad College, near here, on Sunday.

Even when she congratulated the college authorities and Muslim Educational Society (MES) founder Dr. Abdul Gafoor’s vision on educating the backward Muslim community, Dr. Giri said that what the community achieved was not enough. “We need more colleges across the breadth of the country to educate and uplift the backward sections,” she said.

The FAEA, a Delhi-based body offering scholarships and special training to the marginalised sections as part of addressing the imbalance in higher education through its prestigious Pathways programme, organised the workshop on ‘strengthening skills for empowerment’ for the 60-odd select students from the southern States.

Areas like computer knowledge, English language competence, interpersonal dynamics, human rights and other soft skills needed for better placement were dealt with. MES Mampad College is the only partner college of FAEA from Kerala. FAEA is funded, among others, by the Ford Foundation and the Tatas.

Path of virtue

Inaugurating the workshop, V.R. Mehta, member secretary of FAEA and former Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University, urged the students to shed anything that could potentially destroy the bond between human beings. “Even if the entire world is on one side and you on the other, stick to your stand if you are convinced that you are on the path of virtue,” he said.

Prof. Mehta warned the students that they were living in the best of times as well as in the worst of times. Even when the country was making advances in technology, various institutions, including the church, the mosque and the temple, were failing the communities, he said.

National ethos

Dr. Abid Hussain, former Indian Ambassador to the U.S. and member of the Constitution Commission, while delivering the keynote address, reminded the students that their country and its ethos were more important than personal things. “If your country is not great, and if you don’t strive to make the country greater, you will not go anywhere in life,” he said.

Dr. Hussain exhorted the students to share their fortunes with others and to respect other faiths. “A man who cannot give will never get more,” he said. However, he cautioned them to be selective about their friends. “Keeping company of good people is very important,” he said.

P.O.J. Lebba, Syndicate member and Dean of Engineering at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), presided over the function. O.P. Abdurahman, college Principal, welcomed the gathering.

E.P. Moyinkutty, chairman of MES central college committee, released a special journal, Media FOC, on the occasion. V. Mamukoya, former Principal of the college, offered felicitations. Mementos were given away to NCC cadets from the college who excelled at the national level. Ismail Zakariya, coordinator of FAEA Pathways programme, proposed a vote of thanks.

A cultural programme followed the inaugural session. Students from various colleges in the southern States are attending the week-long programme, which will conclude on October 18.

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