The faculty and the students’ community in Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) Deemed to be University paid tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on the occasion of his 126th birth anniversary. The founder of KISS & KIIT, Dr Achyuta Samanta, garlanded the statue of Netaji as students, teachers and other staff got together to commemorate the Parakram Diwas on 23rd January 2023.
The students of KISS-DU paid homeage to the great son of India for his seminal contribution to country’s freedom from the foreign rule. The topic of Netaji and the fearless approach he adopted to liberate his motherland from alien rule struck a deep chord with the KISSians as the day was observed with a new-found interest. The message of Netaji came out loud and clear in a national webinar on Life and Times of Netaji, organised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in a blended-mode. Both faculty members and research scholars from KISS-DU took part in the webinar.
The influence of Vivekananda on Netaji when he was growing up stoked a deeper interest among the scholars and teachers who also evinced a particular interest in the debate that took place over Netaji’s death that still remains shrouded in mystery even after more than 7 decades. The fact that like many other young school students in the country, Netaji too was deeply touched by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and modelled his life’s philosophy after him held a lot of relevance for the KISS students because they can probably identify with the values for which Netaji fought relentlessly. Values like love for one’s motherland and willingness to make sacrifices for the sake of your country can have a profound influence on future generations. The day gave rise to some kind of nostalgia about Netaji and his eventful public life. Netaji’s connection with Cuttack, his birthplace, and his role model Benimadab Das who happened to be the headmaster of Netaji’s school were a matter of special interest to students and scholars hailing from Odisha.
Professors, faculty members and research scholars from School of Tribal Culture, Philosophy and Eco-spiritualism of KISS-DU attended the webinar. The idea was to get across the messages of Netaji to the young and vibrant minds so that they can develop a strong awareness about higher values like patriotism, valour and selflessness. The natural meeting point between the saga of Netaji and the unique story of KISS came to the fore on this occasion since both are deeply value-driven. Going by the enthusiasm that was witnessed on the occasion of Netaji Jayanti on the KISS-DU campus, one can safely vouch for the fact that despite the long passage of time the legacy of Netaji lives on.
