2nd day of Global Alumni Meet 2019 organized by PUAA commences with tree plantation ceremony

Chandigarh, November 29, 2019; The second day of Global Alumni Meet 2019 being organized by Panjab University Alumni Association (PUAA), commenced with the tree plantation ceremony at Alumni House, Panjab University, Chandigarh. The ceremony began with Prof. Satyavrat Shastri, the oldest awardee planting a tree in which other Alumni members also participated. A total of twenty-two trees were planted. There was a special session dedicated to Guru Nanak Dev Ji to commemorate 550 years of his influence which was a joint venture of PUAA and University Institute of Fashion & Technology & Vocational Development. Sardar Tarlochan Singh, Ex-Member of Parliament and PU Fellow talked on Guru Nanak’s life and teachings. He talked about how the philosophy of Guru Nanak Dev Ji is being rediscovered worldwide. The second eminent speaker S Bir Devinder Singh, Ex-Deputy Speaker, Punjab Legislative Assembly spoke on “Reminiscing Versatile Guru Nanak”. Later, Prof. Anil Monga and Prof. Bhupinder Singh Bhoop, University Institute of Pharmaceutics Science, PU honoured Mr. Lalit Sharma, CEO Mantrin Advertising Agency and his production team for their 11 minutes video film on Panjab University. The video was screened during the event, celebrating 100 years of the Honors School. After that, a monograph was launched by PUAA entitled Attributes of God in the Verses of Guru Nanak which was presented to all the dignitaries present there. Prof. Deepti Gupta, Dean Alumni Relations and Dr. Prabhdeep Brar, Chairperson, (UIFT), presented a token of appreciation to the Guests of Honour: Prof. Karamjeet Singh, Registrar PU, Dr. Parvinder Singh, Controller of Examination, PU, Prof. Bhupinder Bhoop, UIPS, Prof. Jagbir Singh, Former Head Dept. of Punjabi, University of Delhi and Dean University Instructions (DUI) Prof. Shankarji Jha, along with the two speakers of the session. PU Alumni with extraordinary achievements in their respective professional fields were awarded by Prof. Shankarji Jha, DUI, PU. Those awarded included Prof. R.C. Sobti, former VC for his remarkable guidance to the University and his contribution in the field of Higher Education and Cell Biology, Prof. Om Narain Bhargava for his teller contribution in the field of Geology, Prof. Satyavrat Shastri, for research in the field of Sanskrit, Dr. Pawan K. Singhal for his contribution in Health Sciences, Prof. Veena Tandon in Zoology, Prof. Sudesh Kaur Khanduja in field of Education as a Scientist and Mathematician, Padam Shri Gulshan Rai for his contribution to Governance & Administration, Prof. Lokesh Chandra for his immense work in the field of Language, Prof. Manjit Kaur in the field of Physics, Prof. P.K. Khosla in the field of Forestry and Prof. Akshay Anand in the field of Neuroscience. The first session concluded with Prof. Jagbir Singh sharing the wisdom of Guru Nanak Dev Ji with the audience. There was a panel discussion on ‘My Vision of P.U. 2025’, which was moderated by Prof. Ramanjit K. Johal, Department of Public Administration, PU. The penalists included Dr. Suman Bala Beri, Dr. Neelam Man Singh, Dr. B.S.Brar, Prof. I.B.S.Bassi, Dr.K.K.Bhasin and Dr. Kamlesh Mohan. Among the vision points shared by the participants and many of the alumni in the audience were that the University must be very proactive about reaching out across the country and indeed the globe for quality faculty and student recruitment. Interdisciplinary approach must be institutionalized and the University must build all rounded leaders with a societal vision. Financial crunch has to be faced with innovation ideas like public-private partnerships, Industry- Institute partnerships, and alumni connections. An inclusive vision giving opportunity to the marginalized, creating a conducive and safe environment and supportive eco-system for female students, teacher and leadership is the need of the day it was averred. The marginalisation of social sciences was discussed. The critical factor of the development of a positive, growth oriented and collaborative mindset for effective teaching, research and administration found many mentions too. The meet came to an end with a visit to the Exhibition at Gandhi Bhawan, Fine Arts Museum and a cultural event.