To explore new horizons in banking and gather ideas for the next phase of growth, MCC Bank organized the Idea Summit 2025 at Hotel Avatar, Attavar, Mangalore on 23rd July 2025

The summit was presided over by Sahakara Ratna Mr Anil Lobo, Chairman of MCC Bank. Distinguished speakers included Mr Micheal Dsouza, renowned NRI entrepreneur and philanthropist; Prof. Dr Aloysius Sequeira, Retired Professor (HAG), NITK Surathkal; CA Maxim M. Fernandes, Partner, RMCR & Co., Mangaluru; Prof. CA Lionel Aranha, Chartered Accountant, Arbitrator, and Visiting Professor, IIM Kozhikode; and Mr Allen C. Pereira, veteran banker and former Chairman & Managing Director of Bank of Maharashtra.
The summit commenced with a prayer song performed by bank staff members Mr Alwyn and his team.
A presentation highlighting MCC Bank’s remarkable growth over the past seven years and upto 105 years was shared with the gathering.

The Summit was inaugurated by Most Rev. Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of Mangalore, and Most Rev. Dr Gerald Isaac Lobo, Bishop of Udupi along with dignitaries present on the dias.

In his opening address, Bishop Gerald Isaac Lobo recalled the Bank’s 113-year journey since its inception and commended the current management for doubling the business achieved over the first 105 years in just seven years, as highlighted in the presentation. He further stated that the momentum gained over the past seven years should continue, and expressed his hope that the Bank will achieve 100% growth in the next decade.

The Bank needs to remember and thank God for the hardships, sacrifices, and achievements of the past 105 years; review the progress and changes made over the last seven years; and look forward with hope and determination to the next ten years in order to achieve its mission. While emphasizing the importance of preparing for greater achievements in the coming decade, he urged the Bank to reflect on its vision and mission and to take appropriate steps for further development.

He expressed his happiness and also wondered to note that the Bank has already embraced transparency and accountability, as demonstrated in the presentation and it bears a greater social responsibility toward the community. He emphasized the need for the Bank to adapt to emerging technologies, particularly AI, and encouraged it to adopt a futuristic approach through this summit. He concluded with a prayer for the summit’s success.

Bishop of Mangalore, Most Rev Dr Peter Paul Saldanha praised the tremendous achievements of the management of the bank for the last 7 years and urged for continuance of quality service with a smile, which will surely attract more and more customers to the Bank. While he lauded the bank for its uniqueness, he called upon the bank to ensure interaction in the preferred and heart touching language of the customer. He thanked the speakers for their inputs and insights and called upon the Bank to reflect and review the suggestions to encourage banking to the students, youth empowerment through MSME loans. It is not enough to have corporate look to the Bank; but, the staff members should also be competitive enough to face the challenges of Banking and they should go to each and every house and villages in their vicinity to introduce the bank to every nuke and corner of region. He also urged the bank to help for the growth of all communities in the region.

Delivering the keynote address, Mr Michael Dsouza shared his perspective on the bank’s future. He underlined the importance of the summit in gathering inputs to help realize the bank’s long-term vision. He expressed gratitude to both the Bishops for their presence, noting it as a sign of their support and commitment to MCC Bank. He praised the Chairman and the Board of Directors for their integrity and perseverance during challenging times. He stressed the importance of delivering quality customer service, increasing deposits, maintaining quality in lending, strengthening the recovery process, and upgrading and expanding branch operations. He emphasised the need for customer reach at all levels to create confidence. He also encouraged the bank to explore business collaborations in areas such as insurance and mutual funds and called on the participants of the Summit to become brand ambassadors for the bank.

In his presidential address, Chairman Sahakara Ratna Mr Anil Lobo expressed heartfelt gratitude to all the dignitaries for their valuable insights and suggestions. He noted that since taking charge, the current Management has successfully implemented its vision, overcome the challenges and reached its envisaged goals. He highlighted the bank’s achievements under the current leadership and its success in turning challenges into opportunities. He thanked all participants for their presence and contributions in making the summit a grand success.

Prof. Dr Aloysius Sequeira reflected on the progress made during previous workshops, especially for formulating the bank’s Vision, Mission, and Core Values. He encouraged the bank to aim high and stay committed to these guiding principles to ensure sustainable growth over the next 10 years.

CA Maxim M. Fernandes, in his address, highlighted the advantages of being an Urban Co-operative Bank: community-focused banking, ease of access, personalized service, membership-based profit sharing, support for local development, and dual control by both the regulators, i.e. RBI and the Co-operative Department. He lauded the bank for its professional image and effective NPA management over the last seven years. He also stressed the need to support young entrepreneurs, particularly in the MSME sector, and called for collective efforts for the betterment of the bank.

Prof. CA Lionel Aranha encouraged the bank to take initiatives to open accounts for all community members and to adapt to changing trends to foster community development. He advised exploring new revenue streams such as insurance services, Demat accounts, contract farming, reverse mortgages, Credit/debit card promotions and Utility payment partnerships (e.g. tie-up with Mangalore City Corporation for cashback offers). He also emphasized the need for well-defined growth strategies. He proposed to classify services of MCC Bank into Consumer & Commercial Banking (vehicles, mortgages, business loans) and Retail Banking (education, gold loans). He called upon the management to ensure that staff are fully knowledgeable about the Bank’s products and emphasized that much more can be done to elevate the Bank.

Mr Allen C. Pereira highlighted the importance of mastering technology as a tool for progress. He advised the bank to recognize the potential of ordinary people and to engage with students and youth as future stakeholders in the nation’s development.

Esteemed customers such as Rev. Fr. Faustine Lobo, Director of Fr. Muller’s Medical College Hospital, Dr. Vincent Alva, and Mr. Pius L. Rodrigues and Mr Alwyn Crasta shared their valuable suggestions to help the bank grow further and assured their continued support for its progress.

The Vice Chairman, Board of Directors, General Manager, Deputy General Manager, Senior Manager, Branch Managers, officers of the bank, heads of institutions, and top depositors were present at the summit. The event was compered by Mr Floyd Dmello.

media seems to be going in a different direction. There is more noise than clarity. There is more emotion than information.

Recent media coverage around Dharmasthala has raised many questions in the minds of the people. What we are witnessing is not just reporting. It seems like a well-planned attack. The tone and language used by some media houses appear to carry an intention to damage the very foundation of a respected system.

We must remember that Dharmasthala is not just a temple. It is a living example of social service, community harmony, and selfless work. The temple has stood firm for decades, helping thousands of people from all backgrounds. Its contributions in the areas of education, healthcare, and rural development are known to all.

Yes, there have been several murders. The people involved may be influential and connected. But does that warrant questioning the integrity of the entire temple? Wrongdoers may hide anywhere. What matters is how the system responds. Over the past ten years, Karnataka has witnessed an estimated 14,000 murder cases, based on official data from the National Crime Records Bureau. On average, the state reports between 1,300 to 1,500 murders every year. These cases arise from various causes such as personal enmity, family disputes, property issues, and occasional instances involving political or organized crime.

This statistic highlights that crime, including serious offences like murder, is a broader social reality and not confined to any one institution or place. Using isolated incidents to target a respected institution like Dharmasthala is both unfair and misleading. What matters is how the system responds, not where the crime occurs.

In Dharmasthala’s case, the Dharmadhikari himself has come forward in support of legal action. He is not running away from the law. He has clearly said that the truth must come out. He has opened the door for investigation. This attitude must be appreciated. It shows faith in the rule of law.

The police and legal system have a duty to act. If they are not doing it properly, then the media should help them. Investigative journalism should focus on finding the truth, not creating noise. Naming and blaming the entire temple and the people working there is not journalism. It is injustice.

A painful example from the past is the 1994 arrest of Mariam Rasheeda, a Maldivian national, which spiraled into the infamous ISRO espionage case. Leading Indian scientists, including Nambi Narayanan, were wrongly accused of leaking space technology to foreign agents. The media amplified the story without evidence, turning respected individuals into targets overnight. Years later, the charges were proven false, and the scientists were exonerated; but only after suffering irreparable damage to their lives and reputations. This case reminds us how media hype, when divorced from facts, can ruin institutions and paralyze national progress.

There have been many such cases in other places across the country. But nowhere was an entire religious institution made the target. Why is it different in the case of Dharmasthala? Is someone trying to create confusion for a bigger reason? Is there a hidden plan to break the faith of people? These are serious questions that must be asked. Let us not forget that our Constitution gives equal space to both religion and justice. They must walk together. The CrPC (Code of Criminal Procedure) allows action against persons, not against places or beliefs. Criminals must be punished. At the same time, temples must be respected.

If any person within Dharmasthala is found guilty, the law must take its course. No one is above the law. But let us not use this as an excuse to paint the whole institution in a bad light. That is not justice. That is vendetta. India is a country built on faith, justice, and balance. When one side becomes too loud, the other side suffers. Today, what Dharmasthala needs is not noise. It needs support for truth. Let us allow the investigation to move ahead. Let the courts decide what is right. The media has a big role to play. Let it not become a tool for division.

Where Are We Heading in Media?

Media was once known as the mirror of society. It reflected truth, conveyed facts, and told the stories of people. It had the power to inform and educate. It shaped opinions and guided public thinking. But today, media seems to be going in a different direction. There is more noise than clarity. There is more emotion than information.

Headlines have become the main attraction. Social media platforms push stories with bold and dramatic titles. Many times, the heading says one thing, and the story says something else. A small incident is made to look big. A regular event is presented as a crisis. This is done to catch attention. It is done to make people click and share.

The situation has changed a lot in the digital age. People spend more time scrolling than reading. In this rush, headlines become more important than the content. Media houses are aware of this trend. So, they focus on what will spread fast, not what is meaningful. The result is a flood of content that is loud but shallow.

Behind all this lies a well-designed system. It is run by artificial intelligence. These AI systems know everything about the viewers. They know their likes, dislikes, habits, and emotions. Based on this, media platforms decide what to show to whom. Every viewer sees a version of media that is tailored to their personal taste.

In this setup, views and likes are no longer organic. They are not the result of public interest alone. They are created through boosting. Boosting is a service offered by media platforms. It allows anyone to pay money and reach a selected number of viewers. Even if the content is ordinary, it can be made to look popular.

This makes the playing field unequal. A small content creator may have something valuable to say. But their message may not reach many people. At the same time, someone who pays for boosting can appear everywhere. It is like running a race where some people are allowed to start at the finish line. This is not a fair game. When the umpire is fixed, what judgement we can expect from for the truth and true journalism?

This affects trust. When people see that views and shares can be bought, they begin to doubt everything. They ask, “Is this really popular, or is it promoted?” This doubt spreads. It creates confusion. It becomes harder to know what is genuine and what is not.

Another issue is speed. In the rush to be first, media sometimes ignores the need to be correct. Stories are posted without full details. Later, corrections are made, but the damage is already done. Once a wrong story spreads, it is hard to take it back. The harm remains.

At the same time, there is a growing demand for emotional content. Stories that touch the heart spread faster than those that touch the mind. This creates pressure on media houses. They begin to focus more on feelings and less on facts. It becomes a game of emotions.

Media also faces competition from many sides. There are influencers, content creators, and opinion leaders. Each one has their own platform and audience. In this crowd, everyone tries to stand out. So, presentation becomes more important than substance. Loud voices get noticed. Quiet truths are lost.

As people, we have a role to play. We can choose what to watch and what to ignore. We can read more and share less. We can ask questions. We can teach the next generation to think before reacting. These small steps can bring a big change.

Media is powerful. It can shape thoughts and build futures. But that power must be used with care. It must be guided by values. It must serve the people. It must tell the truth.

So, the real question is not about media alone. It is about all of us. Where are we heading? Are we moving towards light or into more noise? The next time we see a headline that looks too big to be true, let us pause. Let us ask ourselves, “What is the full story?” That simple question can make us smarter, calmer, and more aware.

Let us bring back depth to media. Let us restore its dignity. Let us use media as a tool for knowledge, not just noise.

Mangalore University Opens Admissions for M.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication, Emphasizing Modern Curriculum and Affordability

Mangalagangothri: Mangalore University’s esteemed Department of Mass Communication and Journalism (MCJ) has officially announced the opening of admissions for its Master of Arts (M.A.) programme in Journalism and Mass Communication for the upcoming academic year. Building on a rich academic legacy spanning over 37 years, the department continues its tradition of nurturing proficient professionals for the evolving media landscape.

The two-year full-time M.A. programme is designed to be inclusive, welcoming graduates from a wide array of disciplines. Students holding any Bachelor’s Degree, including B.A., B.Com., B.Sc., B.E., B.B.A., MBBS, and other equivalent qualifications, are eligible to apply, providing a unique opportunity for individuals from diverse academic backgrounds to pivot into a dynamic career in media and communication.

Since its establishment in 1988, the MCJ Department has been a cornerstone in producing thousands of accomplished professionals who have made significant contributions to journalism, writing, academia, and media entrepreneurship. The curriculum is meticulously crafted to blend foundational traditional journalism principles with cutting-edge contemporary subjects. This includes vital areas such as Artificial Intelligence in Media and Social Media Communication, ensuring students are well-versed with the latest industry trends and technological advancements.

A key highlight of the programme is its strong emphasis on practical training. The department boasts modern media equipment and state-of-the-art lab facilities, providing students with extensive hands-on experience essential to hone their skills and stand out in today’s competitive media environment. This practical approach aims to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and real-world industry demands.

Affordability remains a core priority for Mangalore University. The MCJ Department offers an incredibly affordable fee structure, complemented by the availability of government scholarships for eligible students. This initiative significantly reduces the financial burden, making quality higher education accessible to a broader spectrum of aspiring media professionals.

“Our commitment is to equip the next generation of media leaders with both theoretical knowledge and practical expertise,” stated Mr. M.P. Umesh Chandra, Chairman of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism. “We invite all aspiring students to join our vibrant academic community and leverage our legacy to fulfill their dreams in journalism and media.”

Graduates of this M.A. programme have consistently excelled across various sectors, including news media, content creation, academic research, and digital communication, reflecting the comprehensive and industry-relevant nature of the course.

Prospective students interested in pursuing their higher education in journalism and mass communication are encouraged to apply promptly. For further admission enquiries, candidates may contact:
M.P. Umesh Chandra (Chairman): 98458 48598 | Vishnudharan: 93533 17427 | Manjappa Dyamappa Goni: 91645 32531