Acting upon an order from the Parade Commander, the contingents turned to their right and started the march. Majority of the colleges across MAHE had a contingent representing them. The MAHE teaching department, Asare, Home Guards, and Security also took part in the march. The contingents proceeded with much pomp and solemnity.

Republic Day march at KMC Greens.

Following the march,  the participation certificates were distributed and the band was given a felicitation for their wonderful synchronisation and aid to the march. The MAHE teaching department won the best contingent award, followed by Manipal College of Nursing, and Manipal College of Health Professions coming in as the second runner-up. The event was wrapped up with a vote of thanks from a student from Manipal School of Architecture and Planning and concluded with the dispensing of sweets to everyone present.

In the evening, Goonj, the Hindi literary society of MAHE, organised a heartwarming event continuing the celebrations. Several eloquent poets from Goonj raised a toast to the spirit of democracy and 71 years of the Indian Constitution. The event witnessed a huge turnout of MIT students. The chief guests were Subedar Robert Disa, Subedar SK Malya, Junior Warrant Officer Nagesh Wage, Hawaldar Mohan Kumar, and Corporal H Narayan Kamath. The event started with the auspicious lighting of the diya. The dance performance by Showstoppers was an eye-catcher and Music Mania by Chords & Co. kept the audience enchanted. The poems were the star of the event releasing a wave of patriotism in the crowd and compelling them to respond to the slogans with shouts of ‘Jai Hind’.

An event at Student Plaza by Goonj

The celebrations turned nostalgic when students reminisced the days when they dressed in all white and washed uniforms for the flag hoisting and celebrations at school. “Goonj has lived up to my expectations and even exceeded them by a large margin. I couldn’t be any more proud to say that this kind of event of such magnitude is happening in my college,” said Baba, a fourth-year student in the audience who always roots for such events in the campus. The Republic Day celebrations embraced the joy of being a republic state by leaving no stone unturned to induce a fire of patriotism in the students.