Vice President to attend valedictory of SB College centenary celebrations

The centenary celebrations of St. Berchmans College, Changanassery, will conclude with a function to be attended by C. P. Radhakrishnan, Vice President of India, on February 28.

Mar Thomas Tharayil, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Archeparchy of Changanassery, will deliver the welcome address at the event, which will take place at Archbishop Kavukattu Hall on the college campus. Speeches will also be delivered by Governor Rajendra Arlekar, Minister for Cooperation and Ports V. N. Vasavan, and Mavelikkara MP, Kodikunnil Suresh. Although the college completed its 100th year in 2022, the official closing ceremony had to be postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The Vice President will also inaugurate the Dr. K. M. Abraham Centre for Energy and Environment, a state-of-the-art research facility being established at the college. The centre is being funded with ₹1.5 crore by Dr. K. M. Abraham, a lithium battery scientist and an alumnus of the college.

An official statement said the centre will be equipped with advanced instruments, including an FT-Infrared Spectrometer, Fluorescence Spectrometer, UV/Visible Spectrometer and a Tubular Furnace for high-temperature testing, among others. In addition to research, the centre will offer certificate courses, seminars and awareness programmes. Its primary research areas will include new energy materials, environmental protection, green chemistry, and computational chemistry.

The centre’s activities will be overseen by Tomlal Jose, who will serve as its director.