Christites in Action

"I'm someone who had studied in the same institute for 13 years. So when I got into Christ it was a change of pace in every sense. However, on my first day I was looking forward to it. It was weird walking in and not having any teachers to guide you and inform you as to what you should be doing and where you should go. The fact that I didn’t know anyone forced me to start approaching people and introduce myself. Although the day was short, by the end of it, I had a feeling that I could possibly do something meaningful here" says Naveen Cano who graduated from Christ with a triple major degree in Communication and Media, English and Psychology.

He played for the University basketball team. " For the first 2 years, it was the only reason I would come to college. Although I eventually moved on to other things, it was the practices and the rush of tournaments that I wish I could experience again. There are not many things in life that allow me to forget about my responsibilities and focus on having a good time with my friends".

"I have had my share of complaints during my time there. Regardless, if there was anything that it did right it would be the fact that it gave me a chance to interact with people from different parts of India. Spending time with people with vastly different experiences and mindsets pushed me towards approaching things with a broad mind. Disagreement did not mean we could not co-exist".

Ironically for Naveen his best memories are from the times he spent with fellow christites outside the institute. " The out of station tournaments would lead to many retirement stories and the endless video shoots have created many moments which were never documented on camera".

I remember visiting the campus with my father for the entrance exam and interview. At the time, I was still deciding whether to do Science in Christ or Fine Arts elsewhere, but a big part of the decision was made after seeing Christ. The campus was so beautiful and vast that I could already picture myself walking down that road every single day for the next three years.

I work as a Graphic Designer and Illustrator for JSW Sports and most of my work is for Bengaluru FC. SWO played a major role in my Christ journey. Heading the creative team helped me learn new skills from other artists, and helped me manage and teach a large number of volunteers to get work done while having fun and making new friends. All the competitions led me to the Christ University Cultural Team where I got the opportunity to go to various colleges and represent our University in many events and fests. These experiences helped me grow my team-building skills and evolve as a versatile artist. Being a make-up artist for my theatre group - Dhamani made me build a skill I never thought I had. I am very thankful to Christ for helping me grow holistically and to be a better person, artist, and leader, which is not just paying off in my job but also in every other aspect of my life.

All my above points show the love and gratitude I have for my University. Father Thomas C Mathew is a role model to many and has always inspired me to grow and be better. I am also very blessed to have met many of my mentors and friends here who have taken their valuable time teaching and guiding me along and just spending time with me. The list of names is very long but to say a few names, Bhaskar Sir (Student Welfare Officer), my seniors Anupam Singh Rajput, Ronit Bhowmick, and my classmate Pooja R D are a few people I will always and always be thankful for. As we all have heard, “Once a Christite, always a Christite”, I stand by that line and take forward everything I learned there. Christ University is a home, experience, journey, and emotion altogether, says
•
•

"My first day in college was in March, 2021. It was very exciting to be in campus after long months of online class and our yearning to actually experience college life. It felt amazing to come to a different city and actually be able to meet our friends in person".

Stuti loves the greenery and small corners in college where we can just sit on the red benches and enjoy the weather and the nature. " It is exciting to see activities happening all around in campus all the time whether it be street plays or flashmobs and the stalls with new and creative ideas for different events by different departments in front of the central block".

Christ has taught her many things and has given her a lot of memories to cherish. "Even though it has been pretty hectic sometimes, I enjoy being involved in so many activities as it helps in bringing out the best of me".

For Shashank Patil, Christ University gave him an opportunity to meet and interact with a lot of people that helped him form networks and grow into a better person."I was a silent kid back at school and did not get much exposure to the outside world. Christ made me talk to different people and grow my networking. It’s made me a better person by showing me better people!". Shashank is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in Communication and Media, English and Psychology.

Shashank was elated to be back in campus after one and a half years of online classes. "My first day in campus was in fact a brilliant new start after the online classes and the pandemic! It was amazing to be back with fresh social batteries. I couldn’t wait to meet all friends in my circle!".

The beautiful campus with it's trees and animals, the formal attire that all the students have to wear that makes everyone look sharp and the amazing food in the college canteen are Shashank's favourite things about Christ.

"My experience in Christ over the past few years have been wonderful. I've met some amazing people over the days who’ve helped me grow critically as a person. I will always be thankful for this college".

"My first day on campus was during the pandemic, i.e. the first set of offline college. The strict precautions taken curbed the original hype of getting back to college. But the original first day at college was in October and I got to meet all my classmates for the first time and experience the college life " says Tejal Menezes who is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics.

Christ has helped Tejal grow both as a leader and a team player. "Being a player of the university hockey team I have learnt how to cope and to grow in a team and as a leader I have evolved through the likes of productions, namely Nuts and Bolts".

"The campus life, the liveliness of the campus that urges me to go back everyday, my friends and the food in the canteen are the best things about Christ".

Tejal considers Christ to be an extremely wholesome place that has helped him in many ways. "Christ helped me make new friends and learn how to cope with stress and to be a leader. The crowd of students at the university are also very motivating and I regret missing even a day at college."

" My first day in campus was a blur. It took me a while to find my way to the classroom, and apparently when I did everyone thought that I was the faculty. Hahaha. I was quite studious for the first semester and started making friends in the second semester" says Dhruv Singh who graduated from Christ with a triple major degree in Communication and Media, English and Psychology.

Dhruv misses the evenings he spent in college. Dhruv was a part of the University Basketball Team and they would practice almost everyday from 4:30 to 7 PM.
"I miss the evenings the most at Christ University. I miss the Nandini milk parlour. I miss Freshtaria. The guys knew what I was going to have before I even told them. I even had a special drink made of chocolate and peanut butter. I miss that part of college a lot! ".

When Dhruv moved to Christ it was the first time he was away from home and hence had to learn to do a lot of things on his own.
"From waking up to finishing assignments on time, I was responsible. The strict and annoying timetable, was sort of helpful because you slogged your butt of during the weekdays, which made the weekends more enjoyable. I also learnt that some friendships will stay for life, and they are effortless".

Dhruv's best memories from Christ would be during the summers.
"The basketball court looks beautiful under the pink bougainville flowers. I remember the time when we won Chrispo, it was absolute chaos. I remember the time when the professors would let me sleep because they knew I was tired. My classmates taking care of my attendance, knowing how much I hated sitting indoors. Me going to the library to actually study when folks back home wouldn't believe that at all. I had a great time at Christ University ".

"My first day was exciting, to say the least. Being away from home, and stepping into a new environment where I met countless new faces honestly was a little nerve racking, but being on campus after attending online college for so long honestly trumped everything" says Ananya Prasad who is currently pursuing her triple major degree in Communication and Media, English and Psychology.

"Christ has helped me a lot with my social anxiety! I remember thinking that after not interacting with people for so long I would have lost my social skills but Christ had so much going on all the time, I kind of caught up with that whirlwind! ".

She says that the fests are the most exciting part about Christ "They’re fun and I’ve participated in all of them and given them my all. I always look forward to them".

She considers her experience in Christ to be thrilling and helpful. "I feel these are the years I’m gonna cherish".

“Football and dance has improved me as person more than anything. They've taught me team work, hard work, fighting spirit and a lot of things. These two have built my personality to sum it up.” Says Bharath Rajan. He is a second year CEP Student studying in Christ (Deemed to be University). He is a professional dancer and a Footballer.

“The experience in Christ has been really good. From the people to the atmosphere and vibe you get from that place is just amazing. Christ does not only focus on the academic part of an individual but also helps them grow in other fields such as sports and co-curricular activities, It helps me with a holistic development. Christ has most definitely helped me enhance my skills. There are many events in college for both dance and football that I've taken part in till now and the amount of practice and hardwork that goes in these events are immense. All the practice put in itself has helped me become better what I do.”

“One thing that I believe in is, ‘if there's a will there's a way’. So I guess it's just that. No matter how tiring and exhausting i feel at the end of the day my love for dance and football just helps me manage both together. College work is something I manage by having some sleepless nights and putting a little extra effort. But it's all worth it in the end.”

You can find him at: https://instagram.com/bharath17rajan?utm_medium=copy_link

“Never Hesitate’ exclaims Tegpreet Chawla, co-founder of the favorurite student brand ‘Campus Binge’; who in his busy schedule accepted our invite to answer our questions on the inception of Campus-Binge and his time at Christ University. ‘In 10 years, I see Campus Binge as a one stop shop for all college needs’ Teg who co-found Campus Binge recalls his dream of starting a student community as “After 12th, i was looking for a footing, or an elder sibling role to guide me, direct me and answer all my queries regarding ocurses, college, accomodation’. Campus Binge that has been a strong voice for student needs and queries set to widen their scope and reach within the year 2026. “We are currently looking at cities like Delhi, and places up north to widen our assitance to students completely free-off cost’. Campus Binge has been awarded by the Uttar Pradesh Government for their organuzation of student lead leadership programs and other assitacne to the stduent community. “I’ve always wanted an organic student only student lead forum, when i jooined NCC, CAPS and SWO I realized the networks I had, but leading to Campus Binge was a result of a lot off thought and deliberation.

‘Christ University and Bangalore to be precise have been extremely supporting, I remember back home I would be trashed with 100’s of questions about my venture and ethics, but the crowd here have provided me 100s of reasons to keep going forward no matter what’ Campus Binge actively recruits student volunteers and trains the same to lead them to a successful happy college experience. “We’ve so far trained 200 school and college students, given them training in leadership, networking and several necessary platforms’.

Jay Desai is a second year BBA student in Christ (Deemed To Be University), Bangalore. Jay is a professional cricketer who wishes to reach the highest format of the game and is also talented in others sports and co-curricular activities such as football, basketball and dance. "I started playing the sport when I was 11 years old and my love for the game has always been high. It did not only help me become a better cricketer, but also made me a better human being. It has the perfect mix of all aspects of sports and requires a great amount of mental strength as well" Jay has taken part in the intra state tournament in Karnataka and represented Karnataka for 1 game in 2018. He was also the winning captain of the Under 19 Club State Championship. When asked how high does he wish to reach with the sport, he answered," I wish to reach the Highest level possible. That's all I can say." This is the kind of mentality that makes him the Christite he is.
You can find him at: https://instagram.com/jay_desai_09?utm_medium=copy_link

After a month of online classes, Christ University has decided to reopen and offline classes are beginning from the 7th of February. The students and teachers are excited and looking forward to be in campus.

Photo credits: Maria Laj

"It was new , scary and exciting. Everyone was excited and nervous! All of us wanted to put our best foot forward ! There was an excitement of what’s new and what we must learn " says Tapan Alexander Menezes.
Tapan first started his journey in Christ by pursuing a triple major degree in Communication and media, English and Psychology after which he went on to pursue his Bachelor of Education from Christ itself. He is currently pursuing his MA Leadership in Education from the University of Warwick, London.
"Christ helped me develop holistically ! I
became more brave , and got out of my comfort zone. The multi cultural and social interactions are abundant . You have friends from everywhere . It’s a very wholesome experience. I miss seeing new faces everyday and also the classroom spaces ! The canteens and ofcourse our watchmen .I wouldn’t have done a second course if the first wasn’t great ! Christ has a great environment! One may talk about it’s strictness ! Little do they know what the real world holds for them and Christ preps them for it. Christ is also the place where I made friends for life" is what Tapan says when asked about his journey of five years in Christ.