Puttur: Students of St Philomena College (Autonomous), Puttur, reflected on the impact of social media and excessive mobile phone use on mental well-being at a Hindi elocution competition organised as part of National Library Week.
The competition was jointly organised by the Department of Hindi, the College Library and Information Centre, and the Performing Arts Association at the Postgraduate Seminar Hall of the college recently. The participants spoke on contemporary issues through topics such as “Social Media: A Platform for Expression or a Cause of Mental Stress?” and “Are We Holding the Mobile Phone or Is the Mobile Phone Holding Us?”
Inaugurating the programme, Principal Rev. Dr Antony Prakash Monteiro said that although technology and social media had emerged as powerful tools of expression, the distinction between their constructive use and addiction was increasingly becoming blurred.
“We need to ask ourselves whether we are controlling digital devices or whether they are controlling us. In the digital age, true literacy does not merely mean knowing how to use a smartphone; it also means knowing when to put it aside and focus on our mental peace and growth in the real world,” he said.
Retired Associate Professor of Hindi at Govinda Dasa College, Surathkal, Marcel Louis Mascarenhas, and Dr B. Latha, Hindi lecturer at St Philomena Pre-University College, Puttur, served as judges and evaluated the presentations of the participants.
Manish P.H. of III B.Com. won the first prize, while Farhat Mushreen of II B.Com. secured the second prize. Sheetal Rai of II BCA (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) won the third prize.
Performing Arts Association Coordinator Prashanth Rai welcomed the gathering and coordinated the programme. Head of the Department of Hindi Dr Dimple Jennifer Fernandes proposed the vote of thanks. Students Aparna and Sannidhi led the prayer.
Librarian Abdul Rahman G., Manohar S.G. and Assistant Professor of Hindi Dimple Michelle Tauro extended their cooperation in organising the programme.