An impressive passing out parade!

CHENNAI: An impressive passing out parade earned the 10th batch of marine engineering graduates at the Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering (SVCE), Sriperumbudur, the appreciation of all those present on Saturday. Shri KS Padmanabhan, Head of Operations, M/s Elegant Services Pvt Ltd, took the guard of honour. The institute, SVCE,  which has Dr AC Muthiah as the Chairman of its governing council, is in its 26th year. The college was one of the first institutes in the state to have a BE degree course in marine engineering. Also, the strength of SVCE is remarkable. It has 3,898 students, 98 per cent of whom are recruited during campus placements.The chief guest, KS Padmanabhan, said, “Mariners graduating from SVCE are sought after for their loyalty and intelligence. A college degree is only a stepping stone to success, the rest of it depends on the sailor’s attitude and hard work. Things are much different these days unlike olden days, when shipping used to be much easier. Young officers should be alert and aware of the changing norms in an international marine community. A marine engineer’s first priority should be safety and safety alone. They should be concerned about their safety, their passengers’s safety and the safety of their vessel. Also, they should be loyal to the firms they work for   and not shift jobs for a few dollars more,” he added.Twenty two graduates were awarded certificates. A Ravindar won the Vasant J Sheth Gold Medal while  Kavin Raj, Ananthan and S George Vimal grabbed cash prizes. M Arunachalam, who was one of the first to establish the course and also the department head, in his speech recalled the efforts made by the management — spearheaded by AC Muthiah in getting the curriculum together. Principal, R Ramachandran said several firms had enrolled 312 students who have graduated from the marine engineering department in the last decade.