This year SRM AP celebrates Republic Day in the most unconventional way that has enabled the females of the district to come together and rejoice the occasion. Words went out a week ago to the women hailing from the adjoining villages-Nidamarru, Kurugallu, Neerukonda, Pedhaparimi that SRM AP will be hosting Republic Day themed Rangoli competition on 25th January, 2020 which will be open to all the women living in the district, students, faculty, and staff.

On 25th January, registration for the competition began early in the morning and was closed by 8 a.m. Close to 60 contestants participated, and each were given 5*5 feet of space in the atrium area to make rangoli. Cheered by ample spectators including students and inhabitants of the nearby villages, the participants transformed the floor of the atrium into picturesque blocks of art.

Close to dusk, the winners were declared and Ms. Manimanjari from Ravella village bagged the 1st prize by making a rangoli that pledges to save the environment and the society this republic day. Mrs. Bharati and Ms. Malleswari from Mangalagiri received the prize money for being the runner up and 1st runner up respectively.

Students, faculty, and staff of SRM AP gathered early on the morning of 26th January 2020 to celebrate the 71st Republic Day of independent India. The event began with Pro VC, Prof. D Narayana Rao hoisting the national flag of India.

The patriotic mood was heightened by Prof. Rao’s speech where he expressed his reverence towards our freedom fighters who gifted us the freedom of speech, expression, etc. Saluting their sacrifices, he emphasized that independence enabled our nation to prosper and become one of the fastest-growing economies today; the nation that was battling famines 70 years back is one of the largest food exporters of the recent times. He further adds that our enriched education system has presented to the world Satya Nadella-head of Microsoft, Sundar Pichai- head of Google, among many others, who have their roots attached to India, and that SRM AP purposes to impart knowledge and values to the students who would in the future contribute towards making India proud in international spheres.

Thereafter, the students portrayed their sense of patriotism through phenomenal singing and dancing performances.

Trailed by the performance, Prof. D Narayana Rao (Pro VC), Dr. D Gunasekaran (Registrar), and Dr. B Sivakumar (Dy Registrar) gave away prizes to the winners of the Rangoli competition that was held on 25th January 2020 (https://srmap.edu.in/events/colour-filled-republic-day-celebration-neighbours/), where the neighbours expressed their contentment of being associated with SRM AP.

The celebrations at the campus made everyone contemplate their responsibilities towards upholding the ideologies of our national heroes and building a nation that would be admired by all.

SRM AP hosted exhibitions piloted by the Photography Society and the Creative Arts Club on the 71^st Republic Day that gave us a deeper insight into the diverse culture and incredibility of India. The photography club declared the competition a week ago keeping the theme “India through my Lens”. The participation of faculty, staff, students including the club members ensured its massive success with 44 and 10 entries respectively for the photography and painting exhibition, which depicted the unimaginable beauty of our country.

After the flag hoisting ceremony, the exhibition was inaugurated at 10 a.m. at the Grand Staircase. Prof. D Narayana Rao (Pro VC), Dr. D Gunasekaran (Registrar), Dr. B Sivakumar (Dy Registrar), directors, deans, faculty, staff, and students gathered to witness the creative aptitude of the participants that was showcased through this exhibition

Video game is believed to profoundly stimulate the young minds along with refining their reflexes that develop their ability to critically analyze situations. 2nd-year students, A Sohith Chowdary, Bharat Mocherla, Narendra Gudivada, Syed Moinuddin, Dinesh Thotakura, and Gopi Teja N Sampara launched the e-sports club “Unity” last year. The club organized “Night League” on 29th January 2020 in collaboration with Gaming Isle, a company from Vijayawada, which provided equipment including Play Stations for the gaming competition.

In the evening, the students gathered around the grand staircase to register for the e-gaming competitions. The competition turned out to be a gamer’s paradise with 250 participants registering for the mobile-based game – Call of Duty, and FIFA 20 and WWE having 30 and 33 entrants respectively. The motion sensor game, Kinect was open to all willing players who delved into the world of Virtual Reality and mesmerized themselves.

Mr. Rithvik, Managing Director of Gaming Isle invited 40 students to visit their office in Vijayawada and play CS GO. In the future, the winners of the gaming competitions desire to participate in state-level e-sports tournaments and showcase their gaming acumen.