This article is part of a series of manifesto reviews of the elected representatives of the elected and nominated members of the Department Council
Our incumbent Department Secretary, K. J. Ananthan, declared that his vision for the year was to “promote greater solidarity among the department student body and provide immersive platforms for students of the department to meet, learn, bond and express themselves to their fullest extents.” He has made several striding steps to achieve his goals, but the journey has not been smooth. In his manifesto, he stated that the department must reconstruct the way it approaches and conducts events. To that end, he proposed the formation of temporary subcommittees for every function to ensure better and more efficient work. They were to be composed of volunteers under the leadership of a member of the Secretary’s Council. Anathan’s promises were carried out as mentioned above, with the football tournament and the Freshie Night being notable successes under this new system.
The manifesto insisted that event coverage by Article 19 could improve, especially with regards to covering cultural activities. Considering the tumultuous year that we have had, this point remains unfulfilled. The Department Secretary also proposed a partnership with the informal forums within the department such as the Dead Poet’s Society and called for a revamp of the Film Club. One new initiative his manifesto envisioned was a Film Week and a Department Poet’s Day. Still, again, the events of the year have resulted in a failure to accomplish these points. The office met with technical difficulties and the search for original film prints proved unsuccessful.
On the other hand, efforts taken by Ananthan to facilitate an increase in Alumni interaction this year have been highly fruitful. The Alumni Cell has had a rather active year, and has conducted a total of 3 Alumni talks so far. The organisation of an Alumni Meet in Bangalore is also being discussed and planned, in order to facilitate a more dynamic network.
A Department Night was scheduled to happen at the end of the odd semester, but unforeseen circumstances necessitated postponing the event. Although the Department Secretary has stuck mainly to his proposed timeline, the current pandemic and subsequent shutdown mean activities such as the Bhargavi Memorial Word Games Tournament and the Farewell have also been postponed. While coming to the topic of the Budget, Anathan has managed to stay within the budget while giving us memorable events. His efforts in this regard must certainly be appreciated.
All in all, our current Department Secretary’s manifesto showed potential, but the year has been one where several of his points met obstruction. His efforts to promote department unity has been successful, especially in improving Alumni Relations. Hopefully, if the department reconvenes, he will accomplish what he has not yet been able to.
Article by Kiran A
Poster by Sanjana Acharya
Article 19 