Mangaluru: The National Student’s Union of India organized a workshop on, “NSUI Students role in Social Media and the Development of the Country”, at St Aloysius College Auditorium, Light house hill road, here on October 17.
NSUI district president, Ashith Pereira welcomed the gathering. The programme was inaugurated by the Media Advisor to the Chief Minister, Dinesh Amin Mattu along with the other dignitaries on the dais.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Health and Family Welfare U T Khader said that politics is not mathematics. “Today, youth are being used by politicians for protests and agitations. You are students, not politicians; it is enough if you do what you need to do. You should never disturb the peace in society. It is easy to provoke or incite students to protest or get them on the streets, but if a case is made against a student due to this, then it is the parents who suffer. Students should keep that in mind; they have a responsibility to their parents and their future should not be endangered for political gains.”
He further said, “Politics is not mathematics. In politics, two plus two does not necessarily have to be four; it could be -2 or 4 or 22. It depends on how you conduct yourself in life. “
Addressing the students, MLC Ivan D’Souza explained the objectives of the NSUI and how it promotes patriotism among the students. He also said that nowadays, anything can be done through social media, but it is mainly being used to mislead people, especially students, on various matters. The workshop will address these issues and discuss the solutions that can be used to reduce the negative aspects of social media, he added.
Dinesh Amin Mattu said, “There was once a time when it was a matter of great pride to say that we are from Mangaluru, Dakshina Kannada district when asked by others. Then, it was known for its intellectualism throughout the state and country. But today, when we say that we are from Mangaluru, people immediately look at us with suspicion and negativity, since now the district has become famous for its immoral policing and communal disharmony. It’s not that the number of intellectuals has gone down, but due to the inaction of the so-called intellectuals of the city. They have feelings like “Why should I be bothered with this?”, “This does not concern me”, etc. This city was built by people of all religions together. Hindus, Muslims and Christians worked hard together to bring this city to this point. They lived in harmony with each other and had no problems in regard to another’s religious beliefs. But today, various elements are trying to break the fabric of unity that was responsible for the development of the city into what it is. Media is being used to fill in wrong ideas in the minds of our youth, further weakening precious bonds. Be it print or electronic, media has great power in today’s society. It should be used to bring people together. The mindset of our youth and students can bring positive changes in our society.”
Minister for Fisheries, Sports and Youth Empowerment Abhayachandra Jain also spoke on the occasion. Ex-mayor Shashidar Hegde, corporator Praveen Chandra Alva, MUDA chairman Ibrahim Kodijal, Youth Congress President Mithun Rai and others were present.