The second edition of the coveted T Prasad Memorial Print Competition for the current students at Northern Regional Institute of Printing Technology (NRIPT) was organized on 10-12 May 2023. This print competition is named after a teacher who has served this Institution for more than 33 years.
Besides being a quality teacher since 1960, he also remained the Principal of NRIPT from 1982 to 1993. His contribution to the modernization of print education in India is well recognized. Mr. T Prasad also contributed to the modernization of several printing presses of the central and state governments and some of the university printing presses. He was visiting faculty at Motilal Nehru Regional Engineering College, (now MNIT), Allahabad. His contributions to the printing sector, especially print teaching, are exemplary.
The annual print competition was conducted by the Offset Printers’ Association (OPA), speaking on the occasion Kamal Mohan Chopra, general secretary of OPA said “Besides giving tributes and due recognition to Hon’ble T Prasad ji, the main purpose of this competition is to encourage the students to look beyond the books and to be abreast with latest developments and innovations in the field of printing. All the students currently studying for Diploma in Printing at the NRIPT were eligible to participate in this print competition for the selection of the Best Student of 2023.”
The competition started with preliminary written tests on 10 May, where the students were invited to answer a set of multiple-choice questions (MCQ) at the given time in the presence of eminent Judges. The personalities of the five-member Jury for this were Diptendu Chowdhury, former Principal RIT Kolkata, Anubhava Shiksharthi, print consultant from Nagpur, Sunil Kumar Joshi, print technologist from New Delhi, Nafish from Prayag Raj, and Rakesh Tiwari HOD Printing at NRIPT.
During the preliminary MCQ test Anjali Rao, Kajol, Kamal Ojha, all from the final year, Khushi, and Nabeel Hamza, both from the second year were declared eligible by the judges for taking part in the final oral round of competition.
The finale of the T Prasad Memorial Print Competition to got the ‘Best Printing Student of the Year 2023’ was organized at the Seminar Hall of the NRIPT on 12 May, in the presence of B K Srivastava, the principal, other faculty members, and students of NRIPT.
A list of fifty topics was given to the participating students, and all five judges were given ten different topics each out of the above fifty topics. On the day of the competition, the judges were asked to give one topic each out of the list of ten given to them to the first participating student. These five topics selected by different judges were made available to the participating student five minutes before the start of his/her speech.
The students had a choice to speak on any one of these five topics for at least five minutes and not more than seven minutes. The winner is decided based on the quality and reliability of the contents of the presentation, style of presentation and confidence level and Q&A session, and lastly the audience poll.
After the completion and amalgamation of the marks given by the judges, Anjali Rao, a final-year student was declared as the winner to receive a gold medal and Rs. 25,000.
Congratulating Anjali Rao, Chowdhury said, “Visiting NRIPT has given him a bundle of joy amidst the greenery of a lovely campus, vibrant students, and incredible hospitality.”
Chowdhury further adds, “For many years after serving as a lecturer and then as the principal of RIPT I was overwhelmed to receive the warmth with which the students greeted me, cheered me. It reminded me of my most fond days in RIPT with my students. I realized from the core of my heart that the eternal bond between a teacher and a student never dies. I shall also cherish in my memory the warm welcome and a loving atmosphere all through with some beautiful people around and look forward to having such opportunities again and again.”
Srivastava, while thanking the judges and congratulating Anjali said, “I have not witnessed such alumni devoted to a cause with a deep love for their teachers. The students must take a lesson from them, and I wish such bounding will continue forever. I know OPA and especially Kamal Mohan Chopra alumnus of NRIPT who is working tirelessly for the cause of the Printing and Packaging Industry. It is a matter of greatest enjoyment for me that the Offset Printers Association is working for the cause of Print Education and are motivating the students of Print in India.”
