THE CARMEL BEAT
A Conversation with the Unions of the Future and the Past
By, Aditi Shekar, Shivani Daga & Sabah Batul
Pictures by Harshitha V
With the new academic year bringing a new set of possibilities and unseen circumstances in the way of students, the leaders are the ones they look upto. The student governments of the period 2020-2021 and the upcoming year are facing these challenges head on supported by a diverse student body. While the graduating union had their set of critical situations to work in, the new elected student body has different problems to solve.
However, one thing in common for both these groups is the perseverance and determination to make it an easier period of learning for the students. The newer body learns patience and rules from their seniors while the seniors leave behind trails on a novel path of ideas. The skills and reactions of the groups might be different, but the goal remains the same.
The two student governments were asked questions about this goal by The Carmel Beat and here’s what they had to say.
When asked, what are your goals and plans as the President?
The new President, Ms.Sreshtha Biswas from 2nd BBA B said,
"As the President, my primary role is to represent the college with my teammates. Aside from that my duties pertain to student welfare, managing the Union and taking decisions that require the involvement of the Union. I'm basically the mother in the Union.
My main goal is to change the perception that people have about our college. We're more than just people that seem to be obsessed with fashion and instead, we're a goldmine of talent waiting to be explored. We're a college of diversity and rich culture. I want to move beyond MCC just being material for bad jokes and show people who we really are. Secondly, I want to be able to provide a safety net to every student that will allow them to explore all their opportunities, knowing that we have their back. Our college ensures that students are provided with ample opportunities to blossom into well rounded people, and making sure that continues is my goal. We want students to think of us as their own people. They don't owe us anything but we owe them everything."
Ruthu M from 3rd B.Com ended her term as the President and had a graceful reply,
“We were elected much before the pandemic hit the world, so naturally our initial goals were very different from the ones we have now. Planning for Culah starts soon after you’re elected and our Union had grand plans to put up a brilliant and memorable show. However, with the pandemic all our plans flipped and we were forced to start from scratch. Everything had to be rerouted to the virtual mode. The goals that we had and what we’ve accomplished are very different, but everything that we’ve done feels much better because of the work that went into it.”
To understand how the Union felt about responsibility, we asked them, how does it feel to be in a position of authority? Do you like the responsibility?
Mridula, Raghunandan, the new General Secretary from 2nd B.A. PyES, ecstatically answered,
“I love the responsibility. It feels like after two years of being in college, we’re doing something really important and I still can’t believe it sometimes. We do ‘everyday-work’, not realising that it is ‘union work’ and then it suddenly hits you and wows you.”
Spurthi, the passing out General Secretary from 3rd Year PyEJ had similar thoughts,
"Authority is too heavy a word, I wouldn't call it authority. We really don't have authority over anyone. It's more so a responsibility to do fundamental things for the college and ensure the welfare of students. Every single time. All we do is stay afloat, without expecting things to naturally fall in place. We simply work hard, hope for the best and somehow, things always work out."
She also shared a cherish memory that will stay with her as she begins a new chapter in life,
“This whole year has been so close to my heart because I've managed to do so many things that I never thought I could. The first time we went on stage as a team on Ethnic Day is something I hold dear. Aside from that, the lessons and takeaways from all of our meetings have helped shape me as a person. At the start of the year our texts read something like 'what culah lol' and here we are now, after having pulled off the first cultural fest in India after almost a year of being in the pandemic."
We were also curious to know, how was it working with the Union, especially in the pandemic?
Anjali Ancy, the passing out Treasurer gave us a humorous analogy,
“At the risk of sounding like a parent from the ‘80s, technology has bridged all the gaps for us. Everyday, we’d get on a call around 12 and start work. We weren’t all very close to begin with, but technology has facilitated friendships and communication like no other. The fact that we didn’t want to succumb to the circumstances and wanted to make this work has been a uniting factor. When you have a common goal and are willing to see eye to eye, life becomes so much easier.”
The new Treasurer, Sannidhi N from 1st Bsc. EMS, was asked, through the pandemic, have there been things you have learnt that can be applied to your role as the Treasurer?
She had a beautiful answer to a rather tough question,
“One common struggle that several families faced during the lockdown was financial instability. It has been a rocky year for everyone, myself included. This Pandemic helped me realise the importance of finances within my own family and close social struggles. The lockdown forced us to move from Pune to Bangalore, and the rising Covid cases and their consequent financial devastation has been an eye opener for me. I want to be able to use my numerical skills and computational abilities to help people as much as I can. I worked with several small businesses as well, where they would handle production and the payment bit would be left to me.”
The Pandemic added a virtual nature to our lives, so we were interested in knowing, were there any takeaways from the pandemic situation, which you will apply in your role as Asst. Cultural Secretary?
Shradha, the new Assistant Cultural Secretary from 1st Year PEJ said,
"Everyday in the pandemic feels excruciatingly long and comes with a lesson, but the one thing I've learnt is patience. Patience has never come easy to me and I'm always a little restless and seek to get things done quickly. However, this post calls for patience and lots of it."
The passing out Assistant Cultural Secretary, Aiman Choudhury, who dealt with the pandemic last year, added,
“The one thing that the pandemic taught us, as a Union was to never stop and give up, even in the face of adversity. We never imagined that we would be able to pull off such a grand show at Culah 2021. The fact that we did not give up on our dream, despite not knowing what the future had in store for any of us was something I’m proud of. Everything deserves your best shot without thinking of the outcome.”
To understand the unions workings during the pandemic better we asked, if the pandemic continues, how do you intend to work in the virtual mode and build on it like the previous union did?
Vernica Garg from 1st BBA (Business Analytics), the new Vice President admirably said,
“We’ve seen the previous Union work relentlessly to make the virtual mode fun and accessible in the past year. But with Culah and working offline in the last two weeks, we’ve had a taste of both online and the offline mode. We hope to translate the fervour of the offline mode into the online world. If the online saga continues, let it. Our emotions are what bind us, while being physically present is just an added bonus. The convenience of virtual communication has built my confidence. It opens out opportunities to people who wouldn’t even attempt to communicate otherwise.”
She also added a hopeful message for the first years,
What can you expect from the Union?
“For me, I felt terribly sad about having missed my first year of college. The New Union however, wants to work doubly hard to ensure that the incoming first Years have a memorable first year and an overall worthwhile college experience. We don’t want the Final Year students to end their degree life on Microsoft Teams either. As a team, we just hope that things go back to normal because we want to have events as they are intended to be had - in person in an atmosphere of cheer and joy. We want to afford students with as many opportunities as possible and ensure the college works as a cohesive family where everyone works together. “
We also asked, Aishwarya Sharon, the passing out Cultural Secretary from 3rd Year B.Sc (PCM), if she had a Message for the Students, she said,
“There wasn’t enough time to interact with the Students like other unions would have. The students haven’t seen me working for them, nor have I seen them enjoy events as they are intended. The year has been a rough one for all of us, but we have really made it through. I’m really proud of the student community and thankful for every little contribution they’ve made in making this year better. Even the little things you do like sharing a sanitary pad with someone you’ve never talked to, are all things I’m proud of you for doing. We’ve made it through a pandemic and I’m really happy for us.”
We were starting to understand why these remarkable women represent our college. To take a lighter note, we spoke to the passing out Sports secretary,
Rashmika Rajan from 3rd B.Com ‘D’ . We asked her, What was the highlight of your term? She said with a feeling of pride,
“Starting FitWeek has been the highlight of my term and watching several colleges across Bangalore quickly pick it up and make it their own was amusing to say the least. Watching them understand the idea and the motive behind it was very important to me. Fit Week 2.0 (January 2021) was opened up to several associations within college itself. About 11 associations participated and had events that focused on both physical and mental health. A few events were made inter-collegiate, which gave us a larger audience and helped more people get involved.”
The exciting nature of the job is still surpassed by the toil it takes on the students. So we asked a question that has rattled all of us, how are you going to strike a balance between classes and Union work?
Sannidhi N from 1st Bsc. EMS, the new Treasurer said,
“Culah 2021 has been a test run for what the next year is going to look like for the Union. However, I have realised that most of my classmates are dependable and enthusiastic to help. At present, I’ve established a system that entails 6 of my classmates sending me PDFs of classwork every couple of days. I study using those PDFs and put my questions on the class whatsapp group where my class comes through with answers and explanations. The election has shown me how helpful my class is with campaigning and their constant encouragement, and I hope to get through with their support.”
As the interview was coming to an end, we realised we were more curious than before. We did although enjoy getting to know our office holders and their work.
We thought it was best to end the interview with the question, how has it been working with the Union and your peers?
“Everyday I am thankful for how much my Union has inspired me. Each one of them has their own distinct ways of working, their strengths and organisation techniques which I’ve managed to incorporate into my own life. It is beautiful to watch six strangers come together and work as a team or a family rather. Their dedication to making online communication work and their commitment to the job and the Carmelites is incredible”, said Ruthu.
“The Unions in the past have done a great job year after year and we aim to carry on that legacy. However, we want to work harder in the areas of Fests and our participation in them by producing stronger teams that are talent-oriented. Aside from that, we will try not to be so caught up with work so as to ensure that we spend more 1-on-1 understanding student needs through secretaries of various associations and if possible, the students themselves.” said Shrestha. She also gleefully added a message from the new Union to Carmelites.
"Women are incredible and powerful creatures, and our college has always encouraged us to embrace our inner queens. This is all the Union wants for you and hopes to be there for you every step of the way."
The Union, an extension of Mount Carmel, has been a safe haven for Carmelites for many years and will continue to be one moving forward. Having a conversation with them and conveying their messages to you, reader, has been a pleasure for The Carmel Beat. We do hope that the Union and college supports you in all your endeavours, and you, a Carmelite always carry a bit of MCC with you as a happy memory.