Her sneaker-clad feet are poised on what seems to be a leap. The blue jeans are paired in fashionable incongruence with a kurti. The jhumkas are a-swing with the forward momentum. She’s a girl in a hurry, but she takes a moment to cast a friendly smile our way. One hand triumphantly holds a trophy aloft.
This young woman, fittingly named ‘Vidhya,’ was greeted with excited hoots and applause on September 29th, when she was introduced to the campus community.
“She carries a tote bag that says she’s a proud M.O.P.ian,” Meghna Unnikrishnan said at the launch of M.O.P.’s new mascot. Meghna, a student of Visual Communication, designed the mascot, though many students’ ideas have been incorporated, as the students are quick to say. “The trophy she carries signifies that she’s a winner,” Meghna added.
“She’s also a leader – you can see the leadership badge she wears on her ID tag, like most of our student leaders at M.O.P. do. And she’s always on the move – she’s running towards success, on the path of gyaan, with the joy and motive to change the world.”
Students embrace Vidhya
Vidhya has met with widespread approval from the students. Badges, keychains and
journals imprinted with her likeness have flown off the shelves.
The idea for the Vidhya-themed accessories came from Principal Dr. Archna Prasad, says
Sanjana Davey, co-deputy prime minister of M.O.P. Sansad, the student cabinet. “It gives
students a sense of belongingness with Vidhya. In fact, we totally enjoyed having the
faculty participate in picking up the accessories and we had many faculty members also
taking pictures with the mascot at the photo booth during the reveal.” 
The accessories have helped instil the kind of school spirit that is associated with a mascot, says Samhita Anand, co-deputy prime minister of Sansad. “The students’ response has been really positive, to the extent that they have their own suggestions as to what they’d like to see next.
The revenue from the sale of the merchandise would be donated to a social cause, the student leaders say.
“During my visits to a few international campuses I noticed that they all had campus
mascots and that these mascots were representations of the ethos and spirit of those
institutions and their students,” Dr. Archna Prasad says, on the origin of the idea.
“M.O.P. Vidhya is quintessentially an M.O.P.ian – a young girl ready to take on the world
with her winning attitude and go-getter spirit and yet very firmly rooted in the Indian
culture and ethos.”
The M.O.P.ian in Vidhya
Every mascot we’ve seen and enjoyed stands for the image a brand or organisation sees in the mirror, or one that it would like the world to see. Think about it: Mickey Mouse – wholesome, playful. Ronald McDonald – light-hearted and joyful. The Amul girl – lively and looking upon the world’s happenings with a quizzical eye, the way you or I, the common person, would. The Air India Maharaja – regal, yet humble and hospitable. The Pillsbury Doughboy – lovable and… well, doughy.
“I think Vidhya represents every M.O.P.ian ever – the smile, the on-the-go attitude, and not forgetting the ID card no matter what!” says Manaswini, a student of III B.Com. (Finance and Taxation). “I definitely see myself in Vidhya. I see myself as an M.O.P.ian trying to be on my toes all the time, reach greater heights. When I look at Vidhya, she acts as a motivation to me to run towards my goal each day.”
Vidhya’s badge-festooned ID tag certainly strikes a chord. “I see the (leader) badge on her ID card, and one thing that struck me is that at M.O.P., anyone who wants an opportunity to be a leader almost always gets that opportunity in some form or the other,” says Yashaswini of III year B.Com. (Accounting and Finance).
She has an interesting observation about Vidhya’s fashion choices. Pointing out that women have long been conditioned to dress to accommodate the male gaze – either to attract it, or to obey some patriarchal norm – she says, “For many of us at M.O.P., a tote bag and sneakers represent comfort. This mascot tells us to not necessarily abide by what society tells us – to be comfortable in our own skin.”
Run, Vidhya, run!
To the insider, Vidhya’s every attribute seems to convey a multitude of meanings garnered
from M.O.P. life. For instance, why is Vidhya running?
“To get to the canteen first,” says Sashwatha of I B.Sc. Electronic Media
“Maybe she has to submit an assignment and she’s late” – Samhita Anand, III B.B.A.
“To catch the Uber she booked, and she doesn’t want the Anna to cancel!” – Manaswini,
III B.Com. (Finance and Taxation)
“Running to the core cabinet members to get things done, or during events, running to
locate the event in-charges and help everything move smoothly” – Sushmitha Jaishankar,
III B.Com. (Accounting and Finance)
“She’s late… first hour attendance!” – Anon.
But most commonly, students seem to feel what Yashaswini expresses here: “Vidhya is juggling a lot of things and that’s why she’s running from here to there – be it studies, practicals, internships, extracurriculars or events. Vidhya is simultaneously managing them all and how! She is absolutely rocking the space that M.O.P. has to provide and I think that is very appreciable in every M.O.P. student. That is why Vidhya is running – she is happily juggling among a lot of things that she passionately loves doing.”
Samhita provides the long view: “At the stage we’re in, I think all of us are running to do something, to get somewhere. And it’s such an important time in our life that every one of the decisions we take and things we do makes an impact in our life. And Vidhya is so aptly portrayed to show that.”
0 Comments