Leading from the front: Students council presidents

Young, dynamic, energetic and, above all, the urge to make a difference... This sums up basic characteristics of student council presidents.
From organizing cultural events to being academically brilliant, they make a good example as leaders. Council presidents agree their role can be daunting at times but gives them immense satisfaction.
Genevieve D'Souza, final-year BA student of Mount Carmel College and council president, said striking a balance between organizing activities and managing class attendance is a challenge."There are many clubs which need my attention. Also, we are a via-media between students and college managements,'' she said.
Jino Joy, president of St John's Medical College Student Council, points out, "There's some tension involved in getting things organized. For instance, for two decades, St John's would organize a fest called `Autumn News' usually in November. It stopped in 2006 after examinations were advanced to October/ November. There are requests from alumni and students to restart it."
Other areas which are challenging for this third-year undergrad is meeting everyones' expectations and that he cannot miss clinics.
While some are elected, others are chosen by managements. In an interesting incident, Ajar Rab of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) contested for the elections though he was then in Germany. As luck would have it, he won 189 votes of 330. Besides making sure that all activities in the different clubs go on smoothly, this 5th-year student has to ensure that students don't have any problems with respect to infrastructure, internet access and examinations. He organizes lectures and manages a helpline offering free legal aid.
Sneha Shivakumar, 3rd year student of CMR Law College, has a series of activities lined up. Be it the moot court competition or mock Parliament session, the college organizes them every year. "Legal awareness camps and a national seminar on law and women rights are also organized for public," she added.
Besides student-related activities, these leaders take up environment and social activities too. For instance, at MCC, waste is segregated every day. Dustbins of different colours are placed on the campus so that food, plastics and paper are disposed of separately.
At St John's, the council is gearing up for a rock show by Parikrama and Avial on August 14. "At this fund-raising programme, money collected from sale of tickets will be given to Unit of Hope, a department in the hospital which conducts free reconstructive surgery,'' said Jino Joy.
Protecting the environment and providing basic amenities for students are important for S M Nagendra, BBM final year student of Reva College. He focuses on making sure students are aware of basic fire-fighting measures, organizes seminar on entrepreneurship and e-assignments. "We're trying to maintain an eco-friendly campus and contact NGOs to take up social issues,'' he added.
Though their time is limited, this young brigade is all set to keep their institutions' flag flying high.