“I wish to see many ‘disrupter’ entrepreneurs from LPU.” – Mr. Jaitley
Honorable Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Mr. Arun Jaitley came to Lovely Professional University on 18 September 2016, for the celebration of International Day of Peace and the inauguration of the LPU Startup School.
Addressing the students and staff members, Minister Jaitley talked about the startup environment and said, “I wish to see many ‘disrupter’ entrepreneurs from LPU.” He also urged LPU students to take up startups as this is the right age for them to possibly lead the world. The LPU StartUp School will help students launch startups by incubating their projects, arranging finances, and providing them the technical know-how of launching successful ventures.
Many other high-profile guests, including Minister of State for Social Justice, Shri. Vijay Sampla; M.P. Rajya Sabha, Shri Shweth Malik; Editor-in-Chief Ajit Group of Publications, Dr. Barjinder Singh Hamdard; MLA Shri. Som Prakash; Lovely Group Chairman Mr. Ramesh Mittal; Vice Chairman Mr. Naresh Mittal; LPU Chancellor Mr. Ashok Mittal; Pro Chancellor Mrs. Rashmi Mittal; and the General Secretary Mr. M.P Singh, also graced the occasion.
Welcoming the Union Finance Minister and all other elite guests to the campus, LPU Chancellor Mr. Ashok Mittal lauded Mr. Jaitley on the smooth passing of the popular GST Bill, a groundbreaking step in the reform of indirect taxation in India.
Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, Mr. V. P. Singh Badnore, who presided over the event commended LPU for celebrating peace in the midst of continuous violence all around us. He complimented the University as “an example to others in the field of education” and urged that subjects like Conflict Resolution be added to current curriculi to meet the growing need for trained resources in said field.
The events for the day commenced with a two-minute silence, observed to pay homage to the soldiers killed early that morning in a terrorist attack at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir. The inaugural activities were as beautiful in spirit as they were visually delightful. Students dressed in the traditional attires of their states and countries to convey the their solidarity across diversity, a powerful message of world peace. Nagara beats accompanied the Girls Folk Orchestra and Peace Plaque performances. Pigeons were released by the dignitaries as the symbols of Peace.
Students performed traditional Nagaland welcoming dances called War Ball and Caterpillar Dance. Other dances like the ball-dance, dances from South India, African- Burundi, and Tibetan folk with Yaks, were also showcased. The song ‘Jai Ho’ resounded in the university when a large group sung it to lend the proceedings a patriotic flavor.
The guest dignitaries flagged off the Peace rally, escorted by NSS students and the NSS clap. Balloons were released after the ribbon cutting ceremony. 500 students participated in the rally, carrying large posters and placards, with peace painted on their faces.
The exuberance of the celebrations was life affirming in the face of the ultimate sacrifice made by the 17 soldiers in Uri. The message of Peace needed to be sounded loud and clear in the face of such a horrible instance of violence. LPU lent its voice to the cause, clearly, and with conviction.
Inputs: Jyotsna Bansriyar, Kunal Mahajan, Shikhar Thakur
Photo (bottom centre) : Love Kumar, Shashikant Dubey
