140th Annual Athletic Meet

The 140th annual athletic meet of St Aloysius College (Autonomous), Mangaluru was held on 12th December, 2019 in the centenary ground. The sports meet was organized by the Department of Physical Education headed by Dr. Prakash Kamath, Mr Donnet D'Souza and their team.

Mr. Mohammed Rumaiz received the flag and handed it over to the 6 flag bearers. This was followed by the march past where each class marched to promote a specific theme; ‘Say no to plastic’, ‘Celebrating life’, ‘Breaking the stigma associated with the LGBTQ community’, ‘Freedom of press and media’, ‘Freedom of tigers’ etc to name a few.

This was followed by a beautiful rendition of the prayer song by the college choir. Rev Dr Praveen Martis SJ, Principal, St Aloysius College (Autonomous), Mangaluru then delivered the welcome address. The occasion was graced by the Chief Guest Mr. Isaac Vaz, the newly elected President of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industries and alumnus of St Aloysius College. Rev Fr Dionysius Vas SJ, Rector, St Aloysius Institutions, Dr Prakash Kamath, coordinator of the meet, Rev Fr Vincent Pinto, finance officer, Dr A M Narahari, Registrar, Dr Alwyn D’sa, Controller of Examinations, the directors of various blocks and all the staff and students were also present.

The dignitaries were escorted by Mr Donnet D’Souza to inspect the teams after which Mr Isaac Vas hoisted the college flag. To mark the significance of this day, captains of various sports teams carried the torch around the college and Fr Vincent Pinto blessed the renovated centenary ground.

In his brief inaugural address, Mr. Vas emphasized on how the importance of sports is underestimated; a sport teaches us to set goals and ensures discipline in our lives.

On this occasion, the dignitaries unveiled the drone as an innovative start to the annual athletic meet. Sports persons who have excelled in different fields were honoured by the chief guest.

Rev Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ, Rector of St Aloysius Institutions, in his presidential remarks thanked Mr Michael D'Souza for sponsoring 40% of the expenses of renovating the centenary ground. He thanked Fr. Vincent Paul and Mr Donnet D'Souza for organizing the entire meet. He blessed all the students with his encouraging words following which the students took part in the oath taking ceremony.

The meet ended with the vote of thanks proposed by Mr. Prakash Kamath, coordinator of the meet. He thanked the dignitaries, the staff and the students and concluded by saying "Participation is more important than winning; all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy".

The valedictory ceremony commenced at 4.30 pm with a welcome address by Mr. Donnet D'Souza. The chief guest Dr. AM Narahari, Registrar, St Aloysius College (Autonomous) spoke of the nostalgia that days like these bring with them; the fun, frolic and the memories that students make are immeasurably precious. Various issues like food and nutrition, lifestyle, lack of facilities for sportspersons, fitness etc were touched upon. One need to have an action plan to go about it was the prominent idea that was promoted by the guest.

In the presidential address, the principal remarked that the spirit of St Aloysius prevails above all and how sports build one's character. He advised everyone to love their closest friend; the body.

Mr. Arun D’Souza, Assistant Director, Physical Education proposed the vote of thanks.  This was followed by the prize distribution ceremony. 3rd BCom ‘D’ bagged the overall championship for the third time in a row.

The annual athletic meet is the only time during the year where the entire college of 6000 students and all the staff meet at the centenary ground. This year, the centenary ground was renovated to commemorate the 140th annual sports meet.