GOVERNMENT DEGREE COLLEGE, KATRA (GDC KATRA)

GOVERNMENT DEGREE COLLEGE, KATRA (GDC KATRA)

The emblem of Government Degree College, Katra (GDC Katra) features a circle housing a motif of Trikuta Hills with temple towers supported by a pen combination, a radiating traditional lamp, an open book and diagram of an atom with a test tube and the numerals’2019’ and the motto of the college in Sanskrit ‘ॐ असतो मा सद्गमय। तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय।’  (Yajnavalkya, 1.3.28, Pavamana Mantra, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad), which translates to ‘From Unreal Lead Me to the Real. From Darkness Lead Me to Light.’ The circle is ensconced by a blue circular border inscribed with the name and place of the college. The seal is placed on a shield supported by a pair of golden laurels and crested by five stars. The motto of the college ‘In Pursuit of Excellence’ is written on a golden banner in Old English typeface placed at the bottom. The Trikuta Hills symbolise the local terrain where the college campus is situated; the temples refer to the Katra's identity as the base camp for the holy shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi; the book represent foundational learning, continuous scholarship and the dissemination of knowledge; the lamp signifies enlightenment, wisdom and the elimination of ignorance through education; the atomic structure and the test tube represent scientific inquiry, modernity, progress, and advancements in STEM fields; and the pen represents arts, writing, literature, creative expression and intellectual pursuit. The shield denotes protection, courage, heritage, authority and bravery; the laurels represent victory, academic achievement, peace and institutional honour; and the stars signify the high standards of merit, aspiration and the target of achieving topmost quality in higher education.