E A Bucchianeri once said,” Life has a cruel way of reminding one and all it stops for no one and simply marches on,  dragging everyone with it”. It has been 54 days since India has entered a “lockdown”. At a time when social distancing and working from home are becoming the new “normal”, the students of CHRIST( Deemed to be University) are learning to continue to march on.  On 18 May 2020, the students and professors began interacting through online platforms to continue learning.

The Department of International Studies, Political Science and History organised an Orientation session for the students of 5HEP on 18 May 2020 through Google Meet. The faculty of  Political Science, Public Administration and International Relations provided a brief introduction to the course. Dr Anurag Tripathi introduced the faculty and moderated the session. Dr Manoharan N urged us to look within, and find the purpose of our life. He appreciated everyone’s resilience in the time of such a crisis. He motivated us to find our purpose and work towards our goal. As final year undergraduate students, many challenges await us. Dr Manoharan’s short stories and interaction through Mentimeter gave us the strength to march on towards our goals.

Dr Madhumati Deshpande emphasised on the need for online teaching and interaction in education during this crisis. Dr Madhumati highlighted the advantages of teaching through an online platform and inspired us to transform this crisis into an opportunity to learn and reflect. She also instructed us on “netiquettes” or how the students are expected to behave during an online class.

Dr Vineeth Thomas educated us on career opportunities in the discipline of Political Science. The notion that political science is the discipline for political activists only, was discouraged. A career as a Policy Analyst, Bureaucrat, Diplomat, Research Fellow in a think tank, Academician, Lawyer, Social Activist and Political Activist are among the many career opportunities a student of Political science has. Dr Vineeth listed out the best universities to pursue Masters in the discipline.

This informative orientation was absolutely inspiring. This orientation helped to shine a light on the path we are continuing our journey on.