Grand show of Annual Day and Annual Awards 2020
February 20, 2020
Manipal February 20, 2020: Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA), a constituent unit of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal, witnessed the celebration of its 34th Annual Day and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, February 20, 2020 at the lawns of Fortune Inn Valley View, Manipal.
The event was graced by the Chief Guest, Dr. H S Ballal, Pro Chancellor, MAHE. Chef K. Thirugnanasambantham, Principal, WGSHA began with the welcome address and received all the dignitaries and guests for the evening. He presented the Annual Report for the year 2019-2020 based on the four pillars - Excellence in Education, Exemplary Research & Innovation, Expanding Reach & Internationalization and Effective Engagement & Alumni Relations.
Chief Guest of the function, Dr. H S Ballal, in his address, appreciated the students and faculty-members of WGSHA for their grooming standards as also for their prominent level of achievements. He also suggested the students to be responsible to the society and inspired them to work hard in silence and let their success make all the noises. Mrs. Vasanti R. Pai (first lady of Manipal), Dr. P L N G Rao (Pro Vice Chancellor - Quality Assurance), Dr. Narayana Sabhahit (Registrar), Dr. Arun Shanbhag (Chief Innovation Officer, Dr. D. Srikanth Rao (Director, MIT Manipal), Dr Geetha Maiya (Director - Student Affairs) and other senior officials from MAHE including Mr. Sanjay Pant (General Manager, ITC-Fortune Inn Valley View, Manipal) graced the occasion with their precious presence and presented the awards to students, staffs and distinguished alumni.
The Awards Ceremony began with the awards for achieving excellence and accolades in academics. Ms. Neethu Mathews won the best outgoing student from M.Sc. Dietetics and Applied Nutrition. Ms. Bachawad Tanvi Rajesh was awarded with the best outgoing student from M.Sc. Hospitality and Tourism Management. Ms. Tabitha Anna Kurien secured first position based on overall performance in Post Graduate Diploma in Culinary Arts. Ms. Ishika Nandan received the ITC Chairman’s Gold Medal Award for being the University Topper in BA in Culinary Arts (BACA) and Ms. Kairavi Amit Mehta received the ITC Chairman’s Gold Medal Award for being the Best Outgoing Student of BACA. Mr. Amit from Bachelor of Hotel Management (BHM) bagged the Dr. TMA Pai Gold Medal and Ms. Mohini Mohandas received the ITC Chairman’s Gold Medal award for being the Best Outgoing Student of BHM. There were also few special awards, which were conferred to students with exceptional records in the field of Culinary Arts, Hospitality, Sports and co-curricular activities. ‘Mrs. G. Satyavati Award’ for the best outgoing student from BACA was bagged by Ms. Ishika Nandan. ‘Ricky Victor D’Souza Award’ for overall excellence in Food and Beverage Production was bagged by Mr. Mihir Yasaswi Jayanti. ‘Prof. Trevor Dewas Award’ for the best scorer in entrepreneurship management was won by Mr. Amit. The best sports person Male was bagged by Mr. Akash Shetty while the best sports person Female was won by Ms. Liu Fung San. Ms. Ishika Nandan again received the ‘Chef Vikas Khanna Rolling Trophy’ for the best all-round chef student.
The event’s spirit was further boosted by the presence of the alumni. The prestigious 'Distinguished Alumni Award and ITC Chairman’s Award were conferred to Mr. Sunil Tarneja (alumnus of BHM 5th Course; Regional Manager IRCTC, Jaipur) and Ms. Divya Prabhakar (alumna of BHM 7th Course; Co-Founder, Bengaluru Oota Company) for their contribution to the Hospitality Industry and Society. Both the alumni, while addressing, suggested the students to follow their passion and always aim high for the stars. The awards were not only confined to students, but faculty and staff members also bagged a few for their tireless and exceptional contribution. The Good Teacher Award was presented to Chef Dayananda Prabhu and the Academic Staff Excellence Awards were conferred to Mrs. Leelavathi (WGSHA), Mr. Prakash Poojary (BACA) and Mr. Ravindra R. (BACA). Chef Kaliappan, Mr. Keith, Chef Manoj Belwal and Chef Anthuvan were the special mentions among faculty-members based on the feedback score from students.
The cultural extravaganza had drama and dance performances based on a murder mystery, in a setting where a dance crew visits the Karnataka museum. During the visit, one of the crew member gets murdered, making other crew members the major suspects. The detective in an interesting twist falls in love with the dancer and is in a dilemma. WGSHA unravelled their tale with glimpses of love, hate and everything in between through dance and drama. The students and the faculty members came together with a remarkable performance that mesmerised everyone. After watching some wonderful performances, it was time for culinary delights depicting the Royal Dynasties of Karnataka, which were developed by students and faculty-members based on various eras of Karnataka history. It was a delightful and memorable evening for all.