Forum
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BUDGET 2019 (The proposed amendments to be made in the Income Tax Act for individuals for Assessment Year 20-21)
The topic for this month’s Monthly Forum- a platform for dialogue and deliberations, held on 26th February 2019 was "HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BUDGET 2019" conducted by Miss Mansi Hinduja (CA-IPCC, Faculty of ACCA at Times and Trends Academy, Koregaon Park). The highlights of the discussions were:-
- The Budget-making process in India.
- Increased deduction u/s 16(i) to Salaried employees 50,000 shall be allowed as a deduction from salary income instead of 40,000.
- In the case of House Property, TWO house properties shall be considered to be Self-Occupied and 3rd property onwards shall be considered as Deemed To Be Let Out (currently only One House Property can be considered as Self Occupied).
- Sec 54 of the Income Tax Act allows exemption from Capital Gains tax only if the amount of Capital Gains has been invested in one house property. Now it has been proposed that exemption shall be granted if the amount is invested in Two House Properties on the condition that the amount of Capital Gains is less than or equal to 2 crores. This option can be used only once in the lifetime of the individual.
- The TDS limits have been increased from 1,80,000 to 2,40,000 in the case of rent and from 10,000 to 40,000 in the case of interest from the post office and savings account.
- Rebate u/s 87A has been proposed to be modified. The proposal is to give a rebate of 12,500 or the actual amount of tax, whichever is lower, to individuals and HUF if their income does not exceed 5,00,000. This means that the tax has not been waived off. Only a rebate is given i.e. a concession is to be given to people with lower income. Since the income exceeds the basic exemption limit, tax returns need to be filed even though no tax is payable (Note: as per the income tax act, an individual or a HUF compulsorily need to file returns if their income exceeds the basic exemption limit. Even though rebate is given, the income exceeds the basic exemption limit and hence returns need to be filed.)
Law Club
Department of Accountancy – River Walk
The Department of Accountancy under its Law Club organized a River Walk on 12th March 2019, in coordination with Jeevitnadi – Living River Foundation, with an aim to sensitize the students on the issue of Corporate Sustainability through Corporate Social Responsibility.
The special invitee for the event was Sri Dnyaneshwar Molak, Joint Municipal Commissioner and Head Department of Solid Waste Management, Pune Municipal Corporation. On this occasion, Shri. Molak inspired our students to be responsible citizens in the "Clean City" and "Environment Protection" initiative. Directors of Jeevitnadi - Living River Foundation who led the river walk comprised of Mr. Manish Ghorpade, Ms. Shailaja Deshpande, Mr. Niranjan Upasani, Aditi Deodhar and Uma Khare.
A total of 110 students of the SYBCOM class participated in this venture. They were divided into groups of 15-20 guided by a leader from Jeevitnadi Foundation. The river walk commenced from Riddheshwar-Siddheshwar ghats and ended on the Balgandharva Bridge, with questions addressed to the students like - How old is the Muthai river? Since how long are human beings residing on its bank? How was the landscape of this river before the arrival of humans? How did this river shape the Pune city as we see it today? This was followed by stories related to the river Muthai and its surrounding areas with a historical background. The reasons behind the current state of the river were also brought to the fore, emphasizing the need for and importance of following toxic free lifestyles and being responsible consumers.
This activity was organized by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh and Dr. Dimple Buche.
Department of Accountancy – Inauguration of the Law Club
Genesis of the Law Club:
Compulsory subjects like Corporate Law, Mercantile Law, Income Tax Law and others are observed to be demanding for the students of Commerce. Further students of Arts and Science stream are secluded from this subject. However business and general laws are significant for every individual. For instance a Science student who invents a process or product, undoubtedly needs to understand the Intellectual Property Law to safeguard his well-merited invention. This becomes crucial as per the law principle, “ignorantia legis neminem excusat” - “Ignorance of law excuses no one”. Thus alliance of theory with practice is crucial not only to develop an interest in the subject but also to understand the relevance of different laws in different contexts.
This led to the constitution and origination of the Law Club in the college, (an initiative of the Department of Accountancy) on 6th February 2019 at the hands of CS Gaurav Nashikkar, Vice Chairman, ICSI, Pune Chapter. The other dignitaries present for the inaugural comprised of - CS Pawan Chandak (Secretary, Western India Region Council, ICSI); CS Hrishikesh Wagh (Member, Western India Regional Council, ICSI); CS Gaurav Pingle (Managing Committee Member, Pune Chapter, ICSI), CS Vinay Desarda, proprietor Vinay Desarda and Associates and CA Jitesh Telisara, partner Jitesh Telisara and Asociates LLP. The occasion was graced by our Vice-Principal Dr. Mrs. Shalini Iyer and BBA, BBA(CA) and Science stream co-ordinator Mrs. Stella Ambrose.
The ceremony commenced with welcoming of the guests and presenting of the genesis of the Law Club by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh. This was followed by an address of the Chief Guest, CS Gaurav Nashikkar. He applauded the college for introducing a novel concept of a Law Club – the one of a kind in a Commerce College. He opined that this endeavour of the college will expose students to Corporate Laws, Intellectual Property Law, Constitutional Law, Taxation Laws and the like, thereby opening up to them diverse career avenues in the field of law. Expressing gratitude to the college for giving an opportunity to inaugurate the Law Club, he assured assistance for varied endeavours of the Law Club from the Pune Chapter of ICSI.
Department of Accountancy Law Club Activity – Guest Lecture on Corporate Governance
The maiden event of the Law Club was a guest lecture on “Corporate Governance” by CS Gaurav Pingle (Managing Committee Member, Pune Chapter, ICSI), on February 11, 2019 for the students of Corporate Law at the SYBCOM.
CS Gaurav Pingle outlined the rationale behind the introduction of Corporate Governance in the India and the alignment of the various provisions of the New Companies Act, 2013 like independent director, resident director, women representation on the Board and many other issues. The intricate nuances of Corporate Governance with its various components were inter-woven in a lucid style with various hypothetical situations as well as real life cases.
Department of Accountancy Law Club Activity - Orientation-cum-demo Moot Court Presentation
The Law Club organized an “Orientation-cum-Demo Moot Court presentation” by the BALLB students of ILS Law College – Mr. Varad Kolhe and Mr. Tarun Srikanth on February 12, 2019.
The presentation commenced with the explication of the concept of a Moot Court along with its significance for the students of Law. Essentials for gaining success in a moot competition were highlighted: technical and subject-related aspects that include a thorough reading to enhance an understanding of the case, significance of research, data mining, its analysis and interpretation, seeking precedents from previous cases, coupled with soft skills for preparing a background to effectively present the oral argument by the mooters.
The distinction between debates and moot courts were also brought to the fore. Essentials of a sound memorial (written submissions) like the simplicity of the language coupled with review of the microscopic details of the case were highlighted. The presentation concluded with a question-answer session which included an explanation of concepts related to law like the “clean hands doctrine”; areas of legal practice like commercial law, corporate law, criminal law, aviation law, arbitration law and a base for choosing a career in the field of Law depending on one’s SWOT analysis essential to create a niche for oneself.
State
SPPU Sponsered State-Level Seminar Reconstructing Perceptions of Womanhood : Myth, Body and Taboo
Held on 15th and 16th February, 2019
The scope of the seminar was to examine past perceptions towards the woman’s body particularly with respect to the natural phenomenon of menstruation, the taboos associated with the woman and how these perceptions have changed due to corporate, social, religious and cultural interventions and thereafter manifested themselves in myth, cinema and advertising.
The idea behind this students’ seminar was to encourage a mentor/mentee relationship for advanced learners and to introduce students to the world of research and paper writing. Eleven students present their paper based on data they gathered working in the field. These papers were published as part of the conference proceedings.
The key objectives of the seminar were: To bring about awareness of myths and taboos particularly with respect to menstrual hygiene in the social spheres; To understand feminist engagement with the woman’s body; To ensure exposure to work done by the non-profit sector and NGOs in the area of women’s health and menstrual hygiene; To map power structures and cultural influences in the areas of the woman’s body; To chart out the various revolutionary movements to free women from being trapped by their body; To understand how the body has been translated; To share the work done by students of St Mira’s as part of a yearlong project on menstrual hygiene and physically challenged women and translating myths associated with it in various social sectors.
Since the English department is part of the arts, performance and text cannot be separated. Auresha from the FYBAperformedAigiri Nandini. This song describes goddess Durga (Mahishasura Mardini) who is the daughter of the mountain and makes the whole earth happy. Her body is well formed due to which all demons also intended to exploit her or use her for their own pleasure. She protects herself and the earth from exploitation and destruction caused by these demons. In the next dance 36 girls came together, practiced hard to celebrate being beautiful and bold. They were instructed by Swapniel Desai from Mumbai.
This was followed by the more academic part of the seminar which includes lectures by our remarkable resource persons. Prof Malavika Karlekar (Editor and Archivist, New Delhi)spoke on “Visual Histories”, Dr Chandrani Chatterjee (Dept. of Eng., SPPU) on “Gender in Translation: Cultural Texts and the Politics of Alterity”, Dr Sneha Gole (Women’s Studies Centre, SPPU) on “Bodies in Struggle/ of Struggle: Rethinking Femininity in the Movement”, Dr Manisha Bandishti on “Healthy Bodies” and Dr Ujjwal Nene (KEM Hospital) on “Bodily Perceptions Taboos and Myth”. Eleven students presented their papers on various topics like body image, mythology, semiotics and religion which have been published in the proceedings.
The aim was to examine whether womanhood has really been reconsidered and in what ways. Thus the seminar attempts to shed some light on the process of reconstructing these various perceptions of womanhood.
Publication of Papers Presented at the State-Level Seminar
Helpers day celebration
The Student Council 2018-19 observed Helpers’ Day on January 21, 2019, under the able leadership of Council members, Ms. Pramanjali Singh and Ms. Mili Jain.
The Days’ events began in the morning in the sanctuary hall at 8.30 in the morning, with the Vice-Principal Dr. Shalini Iyer, faculty members and students. Ms. Mili Jain Student council 2018-19 delivered the inauguration speech, followed by a special speech addressing all the sevaks and sevikas of the College by Ms. Ritika Bansal. An audio-visual presentation was presented by Ms. Pramanjali Singh. A token of appreciation, specially made Ms. Ritika Bansal, Ms. Punita Patil and Ms. Shrutika Patil, was given to all the sevakas and sevikas at the hands of the Vice-Principal. A special video, produced by Ms. Pramanjali Singh, was screened that displayed the moments shared with the sevaks and sevikas. The programme ended with the poem written by Ms. Chitra Verma and recited together by all the student council members.
The Student Council members arranged for a lunch for all the sevaks and sevikas; the Vice-Principal Dr. Shalini Iyer and Registrar Mrs. Gauri Mhalgi joined the helpers for the lunch. The sevaks and sevikas, appreciated and recognized the loving gesture of the Student Council members with a chocolates as a return gesture.Besides the sevaks and sevikas, the council members also took the opportunity to feed underprivileged street children.
Besides the celebrations and festivities of the Helpers’ Day, the attempt and effort is a way of expressing gratitude and sensitizing the students to respect all types of work.
Internships
Dept of Politics and Public Administration
Internship with Borderless World Foundation (2018-19)
Zahra Shetranjiwala (FY BA) and Neha Kadali (SY BA) (Dept of Politics and Public Administration) under the guidance of Prof. Veena Kenchi volunteered to intern with the Kashmir based NGO- Borderless World Foundation (BWF).
The summer internship (2018) included staying in the state of Jammu and Kashmir and creating psychological profiles of orphans in the BWF Homes of Jammu, Srinagar, Kupwara, Anantnag and Beerwa. The students also conducted a comparative study of orphans of the Jammu and Srinagar homes.
The internship helped in sensitizing students towards the problems of girls in conflict –prone regions. Interactions with the orphans of BWF have immensely helped the students understand the theoretical concepts of conflict, trauma, human rights violations, gender specific issues in conflict –prone areas.
Borderless World Foundation (BWF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization started by Mr. Adhik Kadam working in Jammu and Kashmir, along the conflict-driven border region in between India, Pakistan & China, BWF has rescued hundreds of girls orphaned in the conflict along the India-Pakistan border. BWF strives toward a vision of "One Great Human Family" through a variety of activities, including disaster relief and emergency medical support for the community and rescuing hundreds of children left orphaned by the ongoing conflict and providing love, support, health care and education to help them grow into a generation of peacemakers.
Faculty Achievements
Department of Accountancy
2nd March 2019, Dr Dimple Buche, Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy was invited as a resource person for a Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights- Law of Patents and Trademarks at Ness Wadia College of Commerce. The workshop was organized by Department of Business Laws and sponsored by Board of Students Development, Savitribai Phule Pune University.
Department of BBA
Ms. Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi, Assistant Professor, BBA Departmentparticipated in the capacity of TPO for the maiden college-level HR Meet organized by Garware College of Commerce, Pune on February 16, 2019. The Chief Guest for the inaugural session was Mr Sunil Sutawne, General Manager,Garware Polyster, Aurangabad. The objective of the HR Meet was to act as a robust platform for the exchange of views, opinions and openings on different aspects of recruitment policies and talent pool. It was also to create awareness about the recent trends in the corporate and academic field and to bring together with HR officials and Training and Placement Officers (TPOs). The colleges present were Modern College, MIT College and BMCCollege besides St. Mira’s College for Girls and the Host- Garware College of Commerce. Senior HR and other officials from companies such as Neilsoft Technologies, TUV Austria, TCS, ACS Global, ICICI Prudential were present.
NSE Investor Fair Pune 2019 – Intercollegiate Competition
The grand event – The NSE Investor Fair Pune 2019 was organised by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) this year in Pune at the MIT World Peace University on 23rd February 2019. It aimed at felicitating the heads of different educational institutions and their coordinating faculty for providing unstinted support towards promoting financial literacy and education in the country by organising a pre-activity event in the form of a quiz and essay competition for their students in their respective colleges.
Our Principal, Dr Gulshan Gidwani was felicitated on this occasion with a memento.
Department of Business Economics and Banking
Ms. Meenakshi Wagh, Assistant Professor, Department of Business Economics and Banking, has been appointed Coordinator of the Committee for designing a Faculty Development Programme (FDP) for College teachers on “Financial Literacy” (under Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Training), UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, Savitribai Phule Pune University.
On 21st February 2019, a meeting was organised in this context by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh at the Faculty Development Centre.
Department of Accountancy
On Feb 16, 2019, Ms. Meenakshi Wagh, Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy was invited as a guest speaker for a session on “Financial Planning” organised by St. Vincent’s College for its students under an initiative of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) of spreading awareness about financial planning.
Reinforcing the importance of financial discipline at a young age, Ms. Wagh began with the objective and importance of financial planning. She elaborated on the concept of a smart financial goal, its significance and steps to achieve the same. Emphasis was laid on certain components of a personal financial plan significant from the perspective of young students like budgeting and saving products. A comparative analysis of the various investment avenues was also presented at the session.
Department of Computer Science
Ms. Swatee Sarwate, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science was invited to judge an intercollegiate elocution competition on the topic - "Gandhiji - Nayee Talim". The Competition was organized on 23/1/2019 for B.ED students and saw participation from across many colleges in Pune. All participants wonderfully presented a new understanding of Gandhiji's Nayee Talim.
B.B.A. Department
Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi was invited as session chair to judge a paper presentation competition for students on 19-01-2019, the theme of which was “Digital Trends and Practices in Business” The program was hosted by ICFAI Business School and was attended by a good number of students (both UG and PG) from in and around Pune. The judges were felicitated and a certificate of appreciation was also presented to them. Each track consisted of 10 papers and had 2 judges, one academician and one from the corporate world. Mr Parag Sane the CEO and founder of Graffiti was the co-judge. Some of the topics like Crypto Currency, Artificial Intelligence, and Over the Top Media were presented meticulously.
Department of Accountancy
On 1st December 2018 an Orientation programme was organised by the ICAI, Pune Branch for the TYBCom students who had enlisted for the internship programme with Chartered Accountancy firms in Pune. A significant part of the programme was the felicitation of Ms. Elizabeth Kanade, HoD — Department of Accountancy and Ms. Meenakshi Wagh, Co-ordinator, Internships and Placements. The felicitation recognised the efforts of the duo in initiating a Certificate course in Accountancy and Taxation that enables students to take up internships with Chartered Accountancy firms in Pune, thus ensuring future employability.
Internships
Department of Accountancy
Internship Programme
In order to achieve the objective of employability, the Department of Accountancy deliberated upon the idea of internship for the students of TYBCom. Accordingly, a student survey was conducted to understand their views on and interests in internships. The survey results indicated a 70% response in favour of internships basically with Chartered Accountancy firms. This led to the formulation of the syllabus on a Certificate course in Accountancy and Taxation by the in-house faculty of the department, which would further culminate into internships with Chartered Accountancy firms in Pune. The syllabus of the course was further updated with professional inputs from CA Akshay Oke and CA Aishwarya Gundecha.
CA Akshay Oke floated this scheme of internships based on the Certificate Course in Accountancy and Taxation to CA Ruta Chitale, Vice Chairperson, ICAI, Pune Branch. In a meeting scheduled on 20th November 2018, attended by CA Ruta Chitale, CA Akshay Oke, Ms. Elizabeth Kanade (HoD, Department of Accountancy) and Ms. Meenakshi Wagh (Co-ordinator, Internships and Placements), CA Ruta Chitale highly appreciated the syllabus of the Certificate course in Accountancy and Taxation. She welcomed our initiative and proposed internships for our current TYBCom students to be commenced immediately from December 2018. As a part of this initiative, an Orientation programme was organised and conducted by CA Ruta Chitale in the ICAI Bhawan, Pune on 01st December 2018 for the students who had enlisted their names for internships. In this programme, the efforts of Ms. Elizabeth Kanade and Ms. Meenakshi Wagh in introducing such an innovative stride, especially in commerce curriculum was commended, by felicitating them.
The duo CA Ruta Chitale and CA Akshay Oke explicated the concept of “internship with Chartered Accountancy firms” to the TYBCom students. CA Akshay Oke also addressed the queries of the students and gave them guidelines which would enable the students in becoming successful interns.
Department Of Psychology
As a part of the social outreach activity students of Department of Psychology volunteer for Connecting NGO.The students undergo Mentorship Programs and Listening Skills Training and work for creating awareness regarding various reasons and risk factors for committing suicide, protective factors and help with Connecting helpline and workshops.
As a part of the social outreach activity students of Department of Psychology intern with Centre for Mental Health Services- School Counselling Remediation (CMHS-SCR) in collaboration with Teach for India whichprovides training and internship programs to students to train them in the field of school counselling and remediation. Post their intensive training the students are placed in one of the low-income schools identified by Teach for India where they counsel and mentor the students about various emotional and behavioural issues.
As a part of the social outreach activity students of Department of Psychology volunteer for Zensar Technologies that aims at running transformational programs like community mobilization and development with the help of SALT Technique (an acronym for Support / Appreciate / Listen / Team) strategy. The students help in developing resilience and motivation within communities so that they can be empowered for change.
As a part of the social outreach activity students of Department of Psychology lunteer for Nayi Disha Resource Centre which is an online information resource platform that supports families of persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). The students volunteered to generate the lead data and conduct surveys for creating the directory in Pune city.
Competition
Moot Court Competition at BMCC, Pune
On 16th February 2019,two teams from TYBCOM participated in the Vijay Chavan Memorial Moot Court Competition held at Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce, Pune. Ms. Ananya won the Best Advocate prize at the competition for which she received a Trophy and a Cash prize of 2000/-
Kaun Banega Accounting Wizard! - 2019
Department of Accountancy organised an intra-collegiate competition titled - Kaun Banega Accounting Wizard 2019 - from 4th February to 7th February 2019. The event was sponsored by the St. Mira’s Alumni Association. Our Alumni Deepa Naidu (2011) and Pratishtha Sharma(2013)conducted the quiz on 4th February. Students from B Com, BBA, BBA(CA) actively participated in all the events. On 5th February was the event Let’s Debate! on the topic ‘Pros and Cons of family owned and run businesses’. This event was judged by CSVinay Desardaand CA Jitesh TelisareOn 7th February, the two events held were Bake and Eat it Too and Out of the Box Thinking.
Students had to prepare any (one) chapter of their choice and yes, they were all guessing as towhat they had to bake? It was a million dollar question for them. They had to formulate a problem and solve it too. It was indeed a challenge, as they had only solved Accountancy, Taxation and Costing problems in classrooms and never created one. This was a unique opportunity for them to draft a problem and solve it too. Out of the Box Thinking gave them an opportunity to write a poem, tell a story with the help of Accounting Vocabulary, tobe creative and draw up cartoons depicting the subject.
Indeed to be a Wizard you have to know your basics well, formulate your opinion based on research and present it effectively through good communication skills, be innovative, collaborate, think differently and build upon your analytical and critical thinking skills. This activity made teaching and learning Accountancy fun.
Moot Court Competition
Two teams from TY BCom participated in a ‘MOOT COURT’ competition at the Inter-College Fest ‘TROIKA’ held at BMCC from 16th to 18th January 2019.
Moot Court Competition is a technical competition requiring research on various legislations, formal legal writing of cases and their effective presentations in “Court”.
Sudipta Das, Rakhi Puri and Ananya were adjudged runners up and awarded a trophy.
Aditi Singh and Manasi Sail were adjudged winners for ‘Best Memorial’ and awarded a plaque, cash prize of rupees two thousand and gift vouchers.
The students were guided, motivated and mentored by Dr. Dimple Buche from the Department of Commerce- Department of Accountancy
Ideation Competition - Final Round
With increased enthusiasm and competitive spirit, the shortlisted students of the final round of the ideation contest made interesting and innovative presentations of their business ideas.
This round focused on taking their business ideas to the next level, by exploring the practical aspects of setting up business ventures. The students were required research extensively the various nuances of setting up a business viz. costing, marketing, branding, competition, advertisement, pricing etc.
Mrs. Aparna Thadani, Chartered Accountant turned entrepreneur, and Ms. Vanita N, the founder of the Make Magic events, were the esteemed judges for the competition.
The wide range of business plans put forth by the students not only focussed on a vested motive of making money but also had a certain consciousness towards the environment which is the need of the hour!
All the presentations were equally good, and we wish each and every team good luck to make their business plan a reality.
Teklogica
Teklogica 2018-19
The annual inter-collegiate event Teklogica was organized by the Department of Computer Science on 10th and 11th December 2018. Students from different colleges in Pune participated in the competitions with zest and enthusiasm
Students’ participation in various events was overwhelming. The C code warrior contest comprised of three rounds of programming. In the HTML web designing contest students used their skills to design a webpage. The knowledge of JAVA programming tested with two rounds of programming.
Students used innovative approaches in the software project competition, for e.g. - Teacher Assistance Management – Android Application; Website for Animal shelter home-PHP; Milk diary inventory management - VB; Algorithm on insertion and deletion on link list using binary search tree concept.
On 10th December, the Electronics project competition was held in the Electronics Lab. The judge for the event was Prof. Rajendra Lele, HOD Computer Science, T. J. College Khadki. The working models displayed included Streetlight Automation, Obstacle Detector using Robotics, Wireless Transmitter/Receiver, Water Level Controller, Path Detecting Robot and IOT based Home Automation. Indira College, Wakad won the first prize for Home Automation in IoT, St. Mira’s College won the second prize for Wireless Transmitter/Receiver and Poona College won the third prize for Water Level Controller.
On 11th December, the Electronics poster competition was held in the Electronics lab. The judge for the event was Mrs. Sarojini Joshi, Program Manager, ACI Payment System. Posters were prepared for the topics COBOT, Sensors used in automobile industry and Block Chain technology in the gaming industry. The first prize was won by St. Mira’s College, second prize by Abeda Inamdar College and the third prize again by St. Mira’s College.
To test knowledge on Mathematics - Kaun Banega Mathematician a quiz competition based on interesting mathematical problems was conducted on 10th December 2018. On the same note, an intercollegiate mathematical aptitude test was conducted on 11th December 2018. PPT on Applications of Data Mining in IT, Applications of Big Data in Social Networking was also conducted. The winners were from MIT College, Pune.
To add more fun to the event, games such as Snap hunt, Marketing and Moviemaking contest were also organized. This event enriched our students with technical skills as well as management skills in organizing events.
Teklogica 2017-18
Like every year the Department of Computer Science organized an intercollegiate competition, “TEKLOGICA”. Students of different colleges participated in an Electronics Project, Poster-making Competition, C Code Warrior, Statistics-Poster presentation, Math Aptitude Test, and other fun games.
FDPs
"Faculty Development Program on “Student Teacher Connect”
The College conducted a Faculty Development Program on “Student Teacher Connect” which is the need of the hour. It was conducted by Dr. Narsing Rao who is a full-time management educator for the last 12 years. He has also worked as Dean and Chief Mentor - Siva Sivani Institute of Management, Dean - IBS, Hyderabad and Chief Executive- Institute of Management and Global Education. In addition, he was visiting faculty at SCMHRD, IMT (Nagpur), Wadia Institute of Management, Faculty of Management (Andhra University) etc.
The FDP program covered:
- Student-Teacher Connect: Why is it required?
- How to create this connect and strengthen it subsequently?
- Case Studies on Student-Teacher Connect.
- Arriving at a sustainable action plan to maintain and improve on the Student-Teacher Connect.
At the end of the session, it was very clear that:
- If students don’t like the teacher, they will not like the subject.
- Engagement with students is a much higher responsibility than just teaching.
- compassion and putting yourself in student’s shoes were also a very important takeaway.
National
St. Mira's College for Girls, Pune National Interdisciplinary Seminar "Karl Marx and Mahatma Gandhi: Revisiting Ideas and Thoughts in the Contemporary World" February8-9, 2019
The Departments of Politics and Public Administration, along with the Departments of Economics and Department of History organised a two-day Interdisciplinary National Seminar on 8-9 February 2019.The objective of the Seminar was to commemorate the 200th and 150th birth anniversary of Karl Marx and Mahatma Gandhi, to explore Marxian and Gandhian ideology and analyze its relevance to current issues and problems in the modern society.
Inauguration and Keynote Address:
The Seminar was inaugurated by Mr.A.K.Roy (Dunu Roy- Director, Hazards Center, New Delhi) and delivered the Keynote address.Dunu Roy opined that the world is passing through grim times, and there is a need to think ‘right’ before one thinks of how to ‘put things right’. Through Mr. Roy’s actual experience, he shared how to use dialectics to one’s advantage. He stated that while Marx didn’t go beyond Capital, Gandhian thought moves beyond it. Mahatma Gandhi was so right in his times that Mother Nature has enough for everyone’s need and not for everyone’s greed. He claimed that Gandhian ideology offers a different perspective on how harmonious relations between individuals and between groups can possibly offer solutions to deal with our emotions and vulnerabilities. Mr. Roy elaborated the understanding of the same by citing examples related to present day gender issues as well as environment and climate change.To conclude, Mr. Roy reiterated the need to go beyond Marxian and Gandhian thoughts and connect to other social thinkers like Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and their thoughts.
National Interdisciplinary Seminar "Karl Marx and Mahatma Gandhi: Revisiting Ideas and Thoughts in the Contemporary World”. February 8-9, 2019
Session I:Trends in Marxism and Contemporary Relevance of Marxism
The speakers were Dr.RadhikaSeshan (Professor, Head, Dept. of History, Savitribai Phule Pune University) and Dr.SanjyotApte (Vice-Principal, and HoD, Dept of Politics, S.P.College, Pune). Dr. Seshan, beginning with the basics on Marxism, explained how idealism is a human condition and how the exploited masses themselves do not understand their exploitation. She said exploitation is systemized and therefore to change the form of exploitation, there is a need to change the system itself. For Marx, the means to change this system was Revolution while Mahatma Gandhi stressed on Non-violence.
Dr.Apteexclaimed that Neo-Marxism helps us in understanding the trends in Marxism, especially in the third world. Since global politics is all about global economics, she stated that struggles between countries should be seen in the economic context rather than territorial. She said that Marxism has brought issues of development to the third world countries. She concluded by saying theories are not merely given to understand the world but to change the world.
Session II - Marxism and Mass Movement
The speaker at the session was Mr.AjitAbhyankar (Secretary, CPI(M), Maharashtra) Mr.Abhyankar stressed that Marxism has is a philosophy or a theory as well as practice. He opined that Marxism is an applied philosophy; it is a philosophy of action and movements and therefore people do get attracted to this ideology.Mr.Abhyabnkar said that he believes in Marxism as a spiral advancement of a society. He stressed on three relations in one’s life that make man, one, Man and Nature, second. Man and Man and the third, Man with his own self and that is the most confusing relation of the three.Marx believed in labour as the creativity of man, hence Marx wanted to overthrow the system to bring back the creative life and establish a human society for all based on cooperation.
National Interdisciplinary Seminar "Karl Marx and Mahatma Gandhi: Revisiting Ideas and Thoughts in the Contemporary World" February 8-9, 2019
Day 2- Session I - Ideas and Thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi
The speakers were Mr.MilindBokil, Sociologist and Writer, and Dr.ChaitraRedkar, Associate Professor, Dept. of Politics, SNDT University, Mumbai, who shared their thoughts on Mahatma Gandhi.
Mr.Bokilelaborated on the concept of Ahimsa as practised by Mahatma Gandhi at six different levels. In today’s times, he opined that Ahimsa is a key to understand Mahatma Gandhi and Mahatma Gandhi is the key to understand ahimsa.
Dr Redkarspoke on the liberal democratic criticismsas seen in the writing of Mahatma Gandhi. She said that Gandhiji was a supporter of participative democracy and at the same time, how Gandhiji stressedupon sustainable local economics. Dr.Redkar said that there is a need to put the teaching and the writing of Mahatma Gandhi in contemporary context without undermining the real meaning of the concepts.
Valedictory Address:
The Valedictory Session was delivered by Dr. RohiniSahni, Professor (Retd.), Dept. of Economics, SPPU. As we all are products of our times, Dr.Sahnistated that Mahatma Gandhi was a product of the Indian Independence Movement while Karl Marx was a product of the atrocities of Capitalism. In the light of the two great thinkers, Dr.Sahni stated that in the light of the problems India is facing, we need conceive, explain and discuss the ideas of Gandhi and Marx to adopt and adapt them in our daily lives in different contexts and situations. She concluded by saying that as one is actually experimenting with different models in the modern times, there is a need to work on models and ideas of human survival and sustainable happiness.
The National Seminar received research papers on Mahatma Gandhi and Karl Marx, exploring various ideas of Marx and Gandhi in the light of challenges to human society, rural development, economic globalisation, cleanliness as well as on the Indian Independence movement. The research papers will be published in a UGC-approved journal. The seminar was well attended by students, academicians and researchers.
On behalf of St. Mira’s College for Girls and Principal, Dr.GulshanGidwani, the Departments of Politics and Public Administration, along with the Departments of Economics and Department of History would like to thank the parent university, Savitribai Phule Pune University for sponsoring the seminar. The Departments also takes the opportunity to thank all the speakers, academicians, researchers, participants and students for their academic and intelligent contribution to the Seminar.
Workshop on ‘Searching EBSCO Databases’
Workshop for students on ‘Searching EBSCO Databases’ (2018-19)
The College Library organised a workshop for students on ‘Searching the EBSCO Databases’ on 8th February, 2019.The aim of this workshop was to equip the users with skills to access the databases to find the required information in minimum time. The professional trainer Mr Chandrakant Ganvir from EBSCO Inf. Services India Pvt. Ltd imparted the training. Academic Search Elite, Literary Reference Center and Master File Elite were the databases which were demonstrated for searching purposes. Remote access by creating accounts, search from Mobile Phones, management of personal searches, sharing the articles, fine tuning search results were among the other skills taught in the workshop. Students learned various referencing styles and strategies to find images that can be used in their assignments and project works. Apart from normal textual data students were made aware of the presence of charts, videos and interviews along with the articles.
Workshop on ‘Searching EBSCO Databases’
The College Library organised a workshop for the faculty on ‘Searching the EBSCO Databases’ on 22nd December 2018. The aim of this workshop was to equip the users with skills to access the databases to find the required information in minimum time. The professional trainer, Mr Chandrakant Ganvir, from EBSCO Inf. Services India Pvt. Ltd imparted the training. Academic Search Elite, Literary Reference Centre and Master File Elite were the databases which were demonstrated for searching purposes. Remote access by creating accounts, search from mobile phones, management of personal searches, sharing the articles, fine-tuning search results were among the other skills taught in the workshop. Faculty members found remote accessing and the mobile app facility very useful. They interacted with the trainers for ways of application of information in their teaching and learning.
Celebrations
"The Journey to Hogwarts" Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Film Screening
The magical journey of Hogwarts Express departed from platform 9 ¾ (Library) on 28th January 2019 at 1:00 PM. Excited potterheads were given Letters of Acceptance and were welcomed to the potterhead family. The students were surprised and overjoyed as none of them expected to receive the exact replica of the letter just as in the fiction.
The entrance path was enlightened by the floating candles. An atmosphere of the Great Hall was imitated by assembling long wooden tables, segregating houses through house flags- Gryffindor, Slytherin, Rravenclaw, Hufflepuff, balloons with owl painting on them perceived the presence of Hedwig and also refreshments were packed according to house colours to maintain the essence of Hogwarts throughout the party. Pumpkin lanterns emitted light through their spooky faces.
Teachers too got a chance to board in and enjoy the experience; they enjoyed each prop at the selfie booth created as per theme of the fiction which included, Luna’s glasses, Sorting Hat, Witch’s Hat, Wands, Harry’s specs and the significant Lightening Scar that was drawn on each potterhead, completed the picture frame.
Just like ‘first years’, participants were sorted into their houses by the Sorting Hat by Prof. McGonagall, Prof. Snape and the Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. During the movie you could hear giggles at Ron- Hermione’s arguments, cheers for Harry’s punch lines, hoots when Harry wins his first ever Quidditch match. The film screening was followed by the game charades which was based on the elements of the movie like mandrakes, Diagon Alley, Death Eaters, etc. To Prof. Snape’s happiness Slytherin turned out to be the winner.
All this ended on a happy note as students of Junior College, undergraduates and postgraduates from streams - BBA, Computer Sc., Arts, and Commerce joined into the fun filled activity and got to learn so much about each other. As said by Dumbledore, “Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”
Activity Organizers : Zoha Saboon- Prof. Snape (BBA), Sushmita Sawant- Prof. McGonagall(BBA) and the Librarian- Headmaster Dumbledore
Swami Vivekananda Birth Anniversary Celebrations 2018-19
The Library displayed books from 7th to 18th January 2019.It included titles likeComplete Works of Swami Vivekananda Vol. 1 to Vol. 8, Reminiscences of Swami Vivekananda, What Religion is in the Words of Swami Vivekananda, Selections from Swami Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda Yanche Charitra etc.An article from Employment News, a write-up and quotes by Swami Vivekananda were also part of the display. Staff, students and guests Prof. Dr. Mahalaxmi Morale (S.B.B alias Appasaheb Jedhe College)and Journalist- Supriya Shelar visited the book exhibition.
PEN (Poets Essayists and Novelists) International at St Mira’s
28th September 2018 was a historic day not just for St Mira’s but Pune. PEN International held a four-day conference at the International Center, SPPU starting on the 25th of September 2018. 100 writers from 80 different countries converged in Pune to participate in various events including a Bashwari which involved various groups singing the abhangas of Sant Dyaneshwar, Namdev and Tukaram as they walked from the University to Bal Gandharva.
PEN is a remarkable organization that strives to give voice to the voiceless and speaks out against injustice. On the 28th of September 2018, four of the writers came to St Mira’s to discuss their work with the students and faculty. Marjan Strojan, the current president of "Writers for Peace Committee" based in Slovenia read out his poems and in the question and answer session talked about the World War, the Bosnian crisis and concluded on a poignant note that of all the human rights nothing can be singularly more important than the right to life.
Milagros Socroo a journalist from Venezuela discussed the dangers of a narco-government and the crisis in her country. Eduardo Blandon a journalist from Guatemala brought out the importance of education. Thangi Changthe a linguist currently placed in Shillong elaborated on her research in Tibeto-Burman languages. She said there are four root languages in India being the Indo Aryan, Dravidian, Bangla and Tibeto-Burman. She also talked about the marginalization of the North East.
The students actively engaged in the question and answer session and the entire exchange was most rewarding.
EXODUS
EXODUS 2018
‘Exodus' is St. Mira’s intercollegiate fest, that provides a platform for today's youth to perform, showcase and reward their talent. The fest recognizes talent in Dancing, Music, Arts, Communication skills, Creativity and so on. Following the path of our leader, Sadhu T.L.Vaswani, the fest aims at encouraging, nurturing and empowering students through participation & experience.
Exodus 2018 with its mantra “Break Free” aimed for students to break free from their day to day routine, celebrate & exhibit their talent in front of some of Pune’s biggest influencers. The two-day fest covered various events like Hop Till You Drop (Dancing), The Voice Off (Singing), Fandom Cosplay (Themed fashion show), How Mad Is Your Ad, Management games, It’s Slam time, I.T. quiz, Face painting and Snapped. All the events were inclusive of diverse talent and creative expression of ideas in different fields.
The highlights of the event included having Mrs. Aziza Degwekar (Dance master & founder of Stepz studio), Ms. Himani Sahani & Ms. Tanvi Kharote (Pune’s top models) appearing as judges for the events. Band performance by a youth band added to the enthusiasm and energy of the event.
Event details were as follows:
How Mad is your Ad? Showcasing the marketing skills to sell almost about anything! Judges - Ms. Sharmin Palsetia & Ms. Mihika Bhanot.
Management Games Tasks to inculcate and induce management skills. Judges - Dr. Rama Venkatchalam & Ms. Rajni Singh.
The Voice Off Singing competition welcoming all singing styles, genres and languages. Judges - Mr. Allen Barnabas & Mr. Mayur Tomar.
I.T. Quiz Testing the coding and operating skills! Judges -Ms. Smita Borkar.
The Face Art Expression of colours and paint through face painting. Judges - Ms. Maria Kapadia.
Snapped Photography based creativity & innovative thinking challenge. Judges -Ms. Deepanjali Mazumder.
Fandom Cosplay Bringing favourite characters on stage. Judges -Ms. Himani Sahani & Ms. Tanvi Kharote.
It’s Slam Time Poetry & recitation contest. Judges - Ms. Neena Dutta & Ms. Komal Tujare.
Hop till you Drop Dance competition acknowledging all styles and forms. Judges - Ms. Aziza Degwekar, Ms. Sandhya Shengde & Mr. Hitesh Auji.
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EXODUS – Dept of BBA and BBA (CA)
Exodus is an annual festival and intercollegiate event that is hosted by the BBA and the BCA departments. The word Exodus formally means "the mass departure of people". This year, we have connected this meaning to it being a 'way out'.
A way out in its original and typical sense means something that is extremely unconventional and unique - which is what we promise are the perfect words that characterise our fest. A way out is also for all the students to leave their hectic study and routine schedules for a few hours of fun where they participate, learn, teach, encourage, motivate, build confidence, win, lose, get certificates and even network and get to know more people. Exodus is intended to give every participant a platform to show their talents, be fearless and expand their horizons.
It generally ranges from 2 to 3 days and consists of various events, competitions, games, and attractions over these two days. Held towards the end of the year, just when winter strikes the city, the events hosted are cultural and academic; they cover a wide range of fields such as fashion, music, dance, sports, business, management, IT, Science, Commerce, Arts and even Communication.
Study Tour
Public Lecture
Storytelling by Chetan Shetty
Chetan Shetty is the Chief Operating Officer of Extensia an Indo-German global technology company that deals with consulting and innovation for mobile, cloud and design but his passion is literature and storytelling. The Department of English was thrilled to have him conducted a special session for St. Mira’s students.
On Thursday, 26th July 2018 at 12 pm in the A.V Room, he enthralled students with the story 'Ram Khilawan' by Manto, followed by a discussion thereafter.
The story is about a young man’s life journey in which his Dhobi plays a central role including inadvertently saving his life when he is almost attacked by a mob. It is a post-partition narrative when India was rocked by communal riots.
Different girls talked about their personal partition stories, memories that were part of their family history. Others talked about how the rich exploit the poor using them to fight their battles.
Chetan also talked about Extensia and internship opportunities with them. He emphasized how important it was for young women to be self-reliant and financially independent. In addition, he spoke about corporate culture and work ethics.
The talk was attended by over 150 students and was a huge success.
Whabiz Merchant Memorial Lecture VIth Edition - 20th January 2018
Prof Merchant introduced the Whabiz Merchant Memorial Lecture with a beautiful poem he had dedicated to his sister who was no more. The series consisted of 10 lectures all over the country where the first five were male speakers and the next five would be women. Thus, St Mira’s kicked off the second leg of the series.
Suniti Namjoshi a renowned writer from the UK is an ex IAS officer who did her Ph.D. on Ezra Pound. She read several of her stories and poems which were delightful, humorous and yet profound. She talked about how the myths mutated over time and focussed on the feminist reworking of some ancient myths like those from the Panchatantra, Aesop Fables, and some ancient Greek myths.
SVM Activities
Prashna Manch
Every year on the occasion of our revered master, Sadhu T.L. Vaswani’s Mahayagna, a Prashna Manch is organised by the college as a commemoration of the values and principles advocated by Sadhu Vaswani. The event also aims at instilling in the students these values which are highly essential in this modern era to give a purpose to their lives and direct their behaviours in the right course.
This year on the occasion of the 53rd Mahayagna, the Prashna Manch was organised on 14th January 2019 and was based on the life and teachings of Sadhu Vaswani during the pre-renunciation period. The Prashna Manch comprised of rounds on quick facts based on the childhood and youth of Sadhu Vaswani and on identifying the relationships of different people with the master. It also included rounds on identifying and narrating incidents from the life of Sadhu Vaswani based on visual clues and keywords. The narration of each incident was followed by a message given by Sadhu Vaswani like abstaining from food of violence, service of the poor, the miraculous power of prayer, the pursuit of true education, truthfulness and honesty.
The event saw participation from students of our college, and those from Sadhu Vaswani Institute of Management Studies and Sadhu Vaswani College of Nursing. The occasion was graced by Principal Dr. G.H. Gidwani, Vice-Principal Dr. Shalini Iyer and BBA, BBA(CA) and Science stream co-ordinator, Mrs. Stella Ambrose.
Peace Rally 2018
On Thursday, 22nd November 2018, the girls of St Mira’s danced their heart out at the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, to the delightful rendition of the popular song "Bum Bum Bole" from the movie Taare Zameen Par. However our version had a twist - using the popular characters Chota Bheem, Chutki and Tun Tun Maasi along with some foot stomping dancing the girls inspired an audience full of school children to eat fruits and vegetables, be healthy and strong and simultaneously be compassionate to animals and stop all killing.
Social Service
Social Service- ‘Mauli Krupa Gyandan Anayadan Sanstha’
On 1st March 2019, as a part of Social Service initiative, the M. Com class along with their teacher Asst. Prof. Rajni Singh visited ‘Mauli Krupa Gyandan Anayadan Sanstha’, Alandi- an orphanage for small boys. The class contributed whole-heartedly both in cash and kind. As required by the orphanage items of grains, edible oil, grocery and chocolates were donated. Considering both cash and kind, the donation amounted to ₨.3442/-. The class along with the class teacher, Asst. Prof. Rajni Singh reached at the institution around 1.00 p.m. The class celebrated kids’ birthday with cake cutting and played games with them. It was a very enriching and satisfying experience to interact and spend quality time with them.
Social Service at DeepGriha Society
On 25th February 2019, the students of TY BCOM Division A, B and C undertook their social service at DeepGriha Society, Tadiwala Road, Pune. The students jointly donated toys and 2 durries for the crèche children. They also collected old toys for the inmates. Stationery items like pens, pencils, colour pencils and protractors were also donated. Groceries like Oil packets, Rawa and Sugar 5 kg each were donated. The most noteworthy part of the social service was the preparation and serving of breakfast and lunch for the 100 children of the Crèche at DeepGriha! The staff of DeepGriha Society applauded our students for their effort and involvement in the community service. Dr. Dimple Buche, Ms. Elizabeth Kanade and Mrs. Deepanjali Mujumdar, the class teachers of TY BCOM A, B and C actively participated in the social service along with Ms. Meenakshi Wagh of Department of Accountancy.
Social Service Visit to the “Bhartiya Samaj Seva Kendra”
Third Year B.B.A. students along with their class teacher Mrs. Kajal Jaisinghani visited the “Bhartiya Samaj Seva Kendra” (BSSK) in Koregaon Park on 15th January 2019 on the occasion of the “Mahayagna” of Sadhu T.L. Vaswani.
“Bhartiya Samaj Seva Kendra” is a non-profit organization that caters to children from 0-6 years of age. The BSSK’s facilities include – a Child Care Centre, Foster Family Care, Adoption and a Community Centre which supports children for Educational Sponsorship activities.
The offerings by the St. Mira’s girls were doormats, stationery and chocolates. Visiting the Bhartiya Samaj Seva Kendra was a humbling experience which made them realise the value of parents and they resolved to give them lots of love, respect and time in all circumstances. They were also touched to see the dedication of the organization towards destitute children in offering them a home and providing for education and other necessities. This visit made them aware of things around them and helped develop a sense of gratitude for what they all have.
The students were very thankful to the College and the Principal for providing such opportunities and are aspiring for more such visits.
Social Service by SYBBA (CA)
The SYBBA(CA) students visited the Aydhogik Kanya Shala, a school for visually impaired students on the 14th of January 2019 for the annual social service program. Stationery items like pens, pencil and notebooks were distributed. The girls of SYBBA(CA) got an opportunity tomeet and interact with visually impaired students and learned how the children of Kanya Shala school discharged their regular duties despite obstacles.
Social Service Visit
On January 16, 2019, Mrs. Amrita Basu, along with the students of SYBBA, visited Isha-Prema Niketan - a home that cares for the elderly, destitute and abandoned women, the physically challenged as well as orphaned children. The girls of SYBBA donated toilet items and grocery to the NGO.
The students were very happy to meet the children and the old women and learnt that despite hardship a person can remain contented.
Social Activity- Student Council Initiative
The members of the Student Council 2018-19, visited the Sandhya old age home situated in Camp, Pune on 1st December 2018, to celebrate the birthday of Balasaheb Uncle, as he turned 81 years old. The old age home has around 20 resident senior citizens.
With the intent to spread joy and happiness, the student council members took some snacks and cakes for the celebration. The inmates were very happy to meet and interact with the girls. This activity helped the members understand the true meaning of giving as our beloved Bade Dada has always practiced and preached. It was a very humbling experience for the council members.
Students of F.Y.B.Sc. (CS) visited to “ Niwant Andh Mukt Vikasalaya” 2017 - 18
Students of F.Y.B.Sc. (CS) along with class teacher Anjali Kale visited to “ Niwant Andh Mukt Vikasalaya” as a part of social service program. They donated A4 size papers and pencil boxes to the students.
Students of S.Y.B.Sc. (CS) visited to “HOPE” 2017 - 18
Students of S.Y.B.Sc. (CS) along with class teacher Swatee Sarwate visited to “HOPE” – Human organization pioneering in Education as a part of social service program. They donated daily needs to the students.
Plays/ Musicals
Romeo and Juliet
A Musical Adaptation: Romeo and Juliet
22nd Dec 2017
The students in the TYBA optional English class study the famous tragedy by Shakespeare called Romeo and Juliet. This inspired an ambitious plan that involved a hundred students from the college across all streams. They helped script the play, design tickets, market and sell them so as to have two shows both running to full houses. They then designed backdrops which they painted and scanned onto giant LED screen. Another team did the makeup for the performers, others sold snacks at the beginning and end of the play , ushered about nine hundred people to their seats to ensure that the show went off smoothly. They handled the sound, lights in addition to those that danced, acted and sang in a modern day adaptation of the play that was truly an extravaganza. Two shows were performed to a full house and it truly was a memorable experience. The video was uploaded on youtube for all to see.
The experience was more than any classroom teaching could afford. Apart from time management, responsibility, team work, confidence building and creativity a hundred students from all walks of life got a taste of what it feels like to be a star and no experience compares with that.
Performance of Chouboli by The Storytellers
‘The Storytellers’ are a passionate group of performers who through the enactment of stories give voice to the voiceless and comment on current social problems.
On Thursday 20th September 2018 at 12 noon, 6 of their group told the story Chouboli written by Vijaydan Detha. The story is in the style of folklore and tells of a Thakur who plagues his poor wife everyday by shooting 108 arrows through the loop of her nose ring to flaunt his prowess with absolutely no concern for the stress and trauma he is putting her through. A sequence of events leads to his imprisonment. He is taught a lesson by his youngest wife who wins him the hand of the beautiful and wise Chouboli by getting her to break her vow of silence. The latter feels no regret for she is overthrown by a fellow sister (disguised as a man) and her brilliant stories. Together the two women rule the kingdom and live happily ever after.
The session was concluded by passionate discussions on the sense of disappointment that the foolish Rana gets two beautiful wives, others talked about the power of stories, some commented on the importance of a sisterhood and one forgave the Rana for at least he was a man of action who seized the day. It was an entertaining, stimulating session that brought about a great deal of awareness through showing rather than telling.
Festivals
Report on Christmas Celebrations
Students and faculty of the Degree College were part of the joyful Christmas Celebrations on 21st December, 2018 in the Sanctuary organized by the students under the guidance of Asst. Prof. Shanthi Fernandes. A Christmas Play, Carrol Singing along with a Christmas Message was presented followed by the arrival of Santa Claus.
Competition
Department of Economics & Business Economics & Banking- Article Review Competition
The Departments of Economics and Business Economics& Banking organised an Article Review Competition on 31st January 2019 to develop critical reading, to interpret,to convey as well as communicate on various topics in their own words. The article inEnglish was titled ‘India Climate Smart’ while the article in Marathi was on “Mismatch between Jobs and Skills’. 25 students participated in the Endlish article review while 12 students for the Marathi article review. The prize winners are as follows:
Marathi Article Review
First Prize- Ms. Sonam Gaikwad, FYBA(Certificate and cash prize of RS. 500)
Second Prize- Ms. Dipti Potawale, SYBA (Certificate and cash prize of RS. 300
English Article Review
First Prize- Ms.Kumari Poonam, M.Com.(Certificate and cash prize of RS. 500)
Second Prize-Ms.Nisha Chauhan, FYBA(Certificate and cash prize of RS. 300)
Department of Economics & Business Economics & Banking- Article Review Competition
The Departments of Economics and Business Economics & Banking organised a Poster competition on 30th January 2019. The competition commemorated the 150th Birth Aniversary of Mahatma Gandhi with‘Gandhian Ideology’ as the theme for the competition. 12 students participated and presented their creative side with meaningful messages and colourful pictorial images of Gandhiji and his Ideology. The prize winners are as follows:
First Prize- Ms.Namrata Datta, FYBA (certificate and cash prize of Rs. 500)
Second Prize- Ms.Kumari Suman, M.COM (certificate and cash prize of Rs. 300)
Department of Accountancy - (Pre-event) - NSE Investor Fair, Pune 2019
As a part of the NSE Investor Fair, Pune 2019, a pre-event was organised by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in different colleges in Pune comprising of a presentation on Financial Planning, along with a quiz and an essay writing competition.
On Feb 18, 2019, the Pre-event at St. Mira’s College was organized by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh, Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy, as the Co-ordinator. A total of 135 students across all the streams participated in the quiz competition comprising of questions related to the money market, the capital market, mutual funds and the banking system.
In the first round, ten participants were selected, who were then divided into two groups of five each. From these two groups, two participants were shortlisted as semi-finalists. Ms. Ummesalama Karu, a student of FYBA was declared winner of the quiz contest.
89 students participated in the essay writing competition on the topic “Demonetisation – Benefits for the Economy”. Ms. Akshata Jagdale, a student of TYBCOM was declared the winner. Both the winners were felicitated at the “NSE Investor Fair 2019” held at MIT-World Peace University, Pune on February 23, 2019. The other participants received a participation certificate.
Kosufest- An Intercollege Cosplay Competition
The Department of English hosted its first ever fest- Kosufest: A Cosplay Competition on the 21st of December 2018. The event was preceded by a workshop on minimalistic cosplay by Mrs. FarhatChagla and Mr. Shyam Krishna. They were then invited to judge the main event which saw 30 participants from all over the city dressed in a myriad of costumes ranging from Bellatrix L’estrange to Oda Nobunaga. MJ Bandya from 95 Big FM participated in the competition and dressed as Yamrajto raise awareness on road safety and the importance of wearing helmets. 95 Big FM graciously distributed free helmets and exciting gift vouchers to some of the audience. The fest also witnessed some jaw-dropping performances by the rap artists' group called StreetBeats, Youtubedancers called My Space, singer Namrata Kale, and a group of Korean singers led by Grace Yun. A group of young performers from St. Mira's School presented a traditional Korean Fan Dance while a group of students from St. Mira's College showcased their dancing skills in a very dynamic Bollywood number. Every act on stage brought the audience to their feet and the entire auditorium echoed with their lively cheers. In addition to the festivities inside the auditorium, there were stalls outside with food, snacks, jewellery and trinkets. All visitors, as well as college students, enjoyed lip-smacking delicacies at the stalls and shopped for affordable accessories among many other things. The fest concluded with a Fandom Quiz that was at once challenging and fun.
Stock MIND Seminar
A seminar, StockMIND — Season 7, was conducted for SYBBA and TYBBA students on the 28th November 2018. Stock MIND is an annual, nationwide virtual stock market competition for college students, which is in its 7th season. Students from each college compete for 7 market days and the topper forming student represents his/her college at the national level.Several prizes are awarded and all participants receive a participation certificate. StockMINDis an interesting & fun event to learn about the stock market and investing skills.
The speaker, Mr. Nihal Khan, Senior Regional Manager – ICICI Securities Ltd.,taught the students about the stock market, the different stock exchanges and the two main stock exchanges of India namely National Stock Exchange and Bombay Stock Exchange. The students were also given an insight into the different types of sectors of the economy and how the different seasons and festivals affect the stocks of different sectors.
The most interesting part of the seminar was the demonstration of trading in equities. He also explained various aspects like why the starting bell of the market floor is very important and how even a paisa matters to trader while buying or selling his equity. He told the students about the different options for trading i.e. Cash Buy, Cash Sale,Margin Buy, Margin Sale.
It was an extremely practical seminar where the students learnt something new. It received a good response from the students where they learned the basics of investing and that investing in equities is not only for the presenty but for future generations too.
Intercollegiate Psychology Exhibition
The students of SYBA psychology participated in an Intercollegiate Psychology Exhibition "Psy-Spectrum" 2018 at Poona College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune on 17th September 2018 and won the following prizes- Most Unique Poster - Ashna Amlani and Zahra Shetranjiwala
1st prize - Jefiya Babu, Anushka Wilson and Preeti Sharma on the topic of Resilience
2nd prize - Anthea Cardoza and Ayushree Nair Participatory Certificates- Disha Dhankani and Susmita Yadav
Poster Competition on "How Social Media Affects Youth Lifestyle?"
A poster competition was organized by the BBA (CA) Department on 23rd August 2018. The purpose of this event was to showcase self-explanatory posters on the topic, "How Social Media Affects Youth Lifestyle" Students from all the disciplines of the college actively participated in the event. The posters were evaluated by the judges, Mrs. Pallavi Hivarkar and Mrs. Ashwini Kulkarni. The event was a successful one, due to the good work put in by the final year students who showed great enthusiasm in organizing the exhibition.
Intercollegiate Competition Winners/Achievers
Guest Lectures
Guest Lecture on Investment Avenues and Trends in Financial Market
A Guest Lecture on ‘Investment Avenues and Trends in Financial Market’ was organised on 30th March 2019 for 92 M. Com students. The resource persons Mr. Sachin Katake, Regional Sales Manager at Aditya Birla Finance Ltd. and Mr. Duncan Halstead, an Investment Banker and Director at DNA Pvt. Wealth started the session by presenting a short film named “One Idiot” which was based on Financial Literacy followed by a discussion.
Mr. Sachin Katake shared in-depth knowledge on Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), various forms of Mutual Funds and other forms of investment avenues available in the Financial Market. He also informed the students about various examinations through which the students can look for career opportunities in the financial sector.
Mr. Duncan Halstead shared the power and knowledge of compounding. In an interactive session, Mr. Duncan taught the students how to prepare a Life Worksheet through an exercise and made the students realize the importance of savings and investments. The guest lecture organised by Asst. Prof. Shanthi Fernandes, Department of Business Studies concluded by a vote of thanks and feedback given by a few students.
Department Of Accountancy -Creating Awareness on International Woman's Day!
St. Mira's College for Girls celebrated Women’s Day in a different manner. The Department of Accountancy organized a Panel Discussion on "POSH" on 9th March, 2019, of Sexual Harassment) on 9th March, 2019. The panelists invited were Dr. Geeta Bora, Founder- Spherule Foundation (NGO), Ms. Asha Panicker, Presiding Officer, ICC, AgroStar and Ms. Heena Yeole, Assisstant Manager, Legal, BridgeStone India Pvt. Ltd. The discussion was initiated by the members of the Department, Dr. Dimple Buche and Ms. Minakshi Wagh.
Each of the experts provided practical insights into POSH compliance in order to create awareness in students. The purpose of the panel discussion was to make the students corporate ready. The students were made aware of the powers/provisons under the Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 they can exercise in case such a situation arises; at the same time, the panelists also drew attention to the misuse of the powers.
Guest lecture on Business Etiquette
On 22nd February 2019, a guest lecture was organized for SY BCOM students by the Business Administration & Business Communication Department under the umbrella of the Business Studies Department on the topic ‘Business Etiquette’. Mr. Thomas instructed the students on how one needs to be more professional and gain confidence by adopting proper dressing etiquette.
BBA Department - Guest Lecture on Stock Market Indices and its calculation
A guest lecture was organized for the Third Year Bachelor of Business Administration Finance specialization students on the topic ‘Stock Market Indices in India and its calculation methodology’ on 27th February 2019. The speaker was Ms. Meenakshi Wagh, Assistant Professor, Department of Business Economics, St. Mira’s College for Girls.
Ms. Meenakshi Wagh began with the concept of Indices and introduced the popularly used Stock Market Indices of India- SENSEX and NIFTY. She elaborated on the history of the stock market index SENSEX, the factors affecting stock market indices, the selection criteria of stocks and the calculation methodology. The lecture also had a practical side; students were asked to calculate the Index for better understanding of Indices. The lecture was an interactive, informative and interesting session for the students.
Department of Economics, Business Economics and Banking- Guest Lecture on ‘Development Experiences of Brazil and South Africa’
The Department of Economics, Business Economics and Banking organized a Guest Lecture on ‘Development Experiences of Brazil and South Africa’ for TYBA Economics special students and TYBCOM students on 25th of January, 2019. Ms. Arundhati Agate, Assistant Professor, S. P. College, Pune was invited as a Guest Lecturer. She discussed all the aspects of development in these countries: the current economic scenario, the major economic problems in these countries, positive economic characteristics of these countries and challenges for future economic growth. It was an interactive and insightful session.
Department of Computer Science-Guest Lecture
The Department of Computer Scienceorganized a guest lecture by Ms. Manisha Patil on “R and Weka Tool used in Data Mining” on March 2, 2019 for the students of M.Sc. Computer Science. Ms. Patil, is an Assistant Professor at Indira College, Pune. Ms. Patil broadly covered the concepts and types of R programming. The purpose of the lecture was acquaint the students with R Programming and the Introduction to Weka tool. The lecture was a practical session conducted in the Computer Science Laboratory to provide first hand experience to students on the installation details.
BBA Department - Guest Lecture On ‘The Sexual Harassment Act, 2013’
The BBA Department organised a guest lecture for SYBBA on ‘The Sexual Harassment Act, 2013’ on 22nd Feb’19 under the subject Industrial Relations and Labour Law. Advocate Shailendra Pathak, was the speaker at the occasion; Mr Pathak runs a Law Firm ‘Legalance’with associate offices across Pune, Satara, Sangli, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi and caters to multidimensional legal needs of individual and corporates across the country. The students were briefed on the Sexual Harassment Act, 2013 and the various types of sexual harassment at a workplace. Mr. Pathak elaborated the procedure to file a complaint in case of such harassment at workplace. While sharing his experiences, he reiterated on the need to bring in amendments in the Act as it is not only women but men also go through such experiences. He was accompanied by his wife Mrs Padmaja Pathak, also a lawyer by profession, Mrs. Pathak shared experiences on cases of sexual harassment.The lecture provide the students with a lot of insights on the topic and it was aenriching session.
Guest Lecture on Application of Statistical Tools for Research
Department of Commerce- Department of Accountancyorganised a guest lecturebyDr John Gilbi, visiting faculty at St. Mira’s, for post-graduation students on 2nd February 2019. The lecture was on ‘Application of Statistical Tools for Research’. The session was conducted by Jaysingh Bhosale, faculty at Symbiosis. The session introduced students to statistical methods involved in carrying out a research study formformulation of a research problem, collecting data, analysing the data by using appropriate statistical tools, drawing meaningful inferences and reporting of the research findings.The results and inferences are precise only if proper statistical tests are used. Demonstration of Data analysis using Excel was the highlight of the session.
Department of Commerce- Department of Accountancy
On 6th February, 2019 The Department of Accountancy organized a Guest Lecture on “Analysis of Financial Statements using Ratios' for TYBCom students on Feb 6, 2019. The Guest was Ms. Sonali Saripalli, a Chartered Accountant and Founder at SmartComm, an organisation that provides complete solution for coaching and training in professional courses. She is also a visting faculty at various college in Pune city.
Ms. Saripalli spoke about the different methods of conducting financial analysis. With the example of ITC as a company, she explained how ratios can be used in determining the financial position of a company.
The session was very informative, that can will help students in making practical application and understand better the financial analysis of companies.
Guest Lecture on “AJAX Programming”
A guest lecture on “AJAX Programming” was conducted for the TYBBA (CA) students on 28th and 31st January 2019 by Asst. Prof. Swati Pulate from the B.Sc Department of the Mira family.
The lecture was very informative and augmented the curriculum. The students found it very beneficial and provided an overwhelming response to the lecture.
Monthly Forum on “Cyber Offences and Information Technology Act 2000 (2008)”
Department of Commerce - Department of Accountancy organised its monthly forum, a platform for dialogue and deliberation, for the month of January on “Cyber Offences and relevant sections of Information Technology Act 2000 (2008)”
The speaker for the 31st January 2019 session was Advocate Shailendra Pathak, a practicing lawyer and founder of ‘LEGALANCE’, catering to an array of multidimensional legal needs of individuals and Corporates across the country in diversified fields of law.
His enriched experience of handling cases in cyber offences provided students with real-life insights under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act. Adv. Pathak also created awareness in students about the misuse of data.
The session kick started with a warm-up and concluded with invited queries and lively interaction between the speaker and students.
The students enjoyed the excellent oratorship of the speaker and learnt about legal provisions with fun. This session has helped in generating student's interest in the subject of Law. The monthly forum was organised by Dr Dimple Buche.
Guest Lecture by Ms. Arunima Joshi – Let’s Talk About भारत (2018-19)
The Department of English organized a guest lecture titled ‘Let’s Talk about भारत’ on the 24th of January 2019. Ms. Arunima Joshi an SBI Youth for India fellow who worked under the SBI Foundation in the sector of Social Development, came to address the students on the condition of large populations of rural and tribal India. Ms. Arunima Joshi worked on a project in Dabdar village in the Dangs district of Gujarat for a year, specifically in the area of Nutrition and Hygiene. She related stories of tribal women and children from the Dangs district and highlighted the status of women and children across all the villages of the country. The stories and statistics inspired students to take action and get actively involved in volunteering projects or fellowships. She also guided the students on the possible options available to them in the field of social development. The lecture was attended by more than 80 girls and received very positive feedback from everyone.
Guest Lecture on “Case Laws of Income from House Property”
On 19th January 2019, the Department of Accountancy organized a guest lecture on “Case Laws of Income from House Property” for the T.Y.BCom and S.Y.BBA Taxation students.
The speaker for the session was Mr. Dhiraj Dandgaval, a Chartered Accountant. He is also the proprietor in D S Dandgaval & Co. and partner in GDB & Associates. He has long-standing expertise in accounting and taxation. He is skilled in Statutory Audit, Tax Preparation, Corporate Finance, and International Taxation. He spoke on the basic concepts of House Property and covered some cases of House Property. Some of the cases discussed were: Raj Dadarkar & Associates Vs ACIT 394 ITR 592, Chennai Properties & Investments Ltd. 373 ITR 673 SC 2015, and New Delhi Hotels Ltd. Vs ACIT 360 ITR 187 Delhi HC 2014.
150 students attended this informative session which will help them in understanding the practical implications of provisions of House Property.
Guest Lecture - From College To Corporate
A guest lecture for the students of BBA and BBA(CA) was organized on 18th January 2019 in the AV room by ISBM. Dr Jayaraman addressed the session. He introduced the students to the various competencies necessary to build a Corporate Career. The session was very interactive and informative as the students learnt to overcome challenges and realize their potential.
Guest Lecture on “Development Experiences of India and China”
The Department of Economics and Business Economics organised a Lecture Series for the TYBA and TYBCom students on the “Development Experiences of India and China”. On 11th January 2019, as the first part of the series, Ms Arundhati Agte, Assistant Professor, S.P. College, Pune provided an overview of the Chinese economy whereby she highlighted China as a manufacturing economy with the world’s largest population making it the fastest growing consumer market. Ms Agte drew parallels between India and China on diverse areas like agriculture, industry, population growth, female participation in labour, education, etc. and provided appropriate reasons why China stands to have an edge over India. Ms Agte also highlighted the challenges ahead to the Chinese economy. Despite the challenges, Ms Agte opined that there is a 40-50-year gap in the pace of development between India and China. The session was an interactive one with students raising relevant questions on the lessons to be learnt from China’s growth story.
Guest Lecture on Project Report Writing
A Guest Lecture was conducted for the TYBBA on Project Report Writing on 10th January 2018. It is a crucial aspect of the third year B.B.A curriculum and is viewed as a vital part of evaluating the student’s knowledge of the subject.
The speaker for the guest lecture was none other than our very own Asst. Professor Ms. Rajni Singh, from the Department of Business Studies. Prof. Singh, has vast experience in this subject and she was able to provide the students with deep insights perspicuously. She is currently pursuing her PhD from SSPU and has published various research papers at national and international conferences.
The students learned not only about the technicalities of the topic but the common errors that are made and can be avoided. The students were briefed about the process of report writing; facilitated with a step by step guide for the study along with the essential methods and tools required for the study.
Guest Lecture on Event Management
A guest lecture on ‘Event Management’ was organized by the BBA Department for the students of TYBBA on 10th December 2018. The objective was to get a practical insight into planning and execution of events. The speaker for the lecture was Mr. Akshay Kendale, a partner in Amazing EventZ and Navketan Musicals.
The lecture included planning and organizing weddings and social events. Different crucial aspects of events i.e. clients, budget management, production, logistics, artist management, hospitality etc. were also covered. It was an interactive session wherein the students discussed the questions they had in mind regarding event planning and execution. Some of the questions raised were - “What are the challenges faced because of clients when planning a wedding?”, “What are the various permissions needed for the events?” and so on.
This session helped the students broaden their knowledge of event management both as a subject and career option.
Monthly Forum - A Platform for Dialogue and Deliberation
Interaction is the key to bringing about the percolation of the subject matter into the minds of the students. With this objective in mind, the Department of Accountancy under the aegis of the Department of Commerce organises a monthly forum on varied topics where students get an opportunity to delve into relevant topics and enhance their understanding of it through interactions with experts.
For the month of December, the monthly forum organised on 18th December 2018, was on the topic “Goods and Services Tax” (GST). CA Saumil Manglani was invited as an expert to throw light on the different aspects of the GST. A complex topic like Goods and Services Tax was made easy with the help of ‘sher-o-shayari’ and story-telling. This also helped in generating and retaining the interest of the students in the session.
At the outset, a comparative analysis of the previous indirect tax structure and GST was presented to the students to enable them to appreciate the transformations in the indirect tax system. The base for introducing GST in India, with its pros and cons and the dual GST model was brought to the fore. The rationale of bestowing upon Jammu and Kashmir a special status with respect to GST was expounded through story-telling. The reason for levying different rates of GST on the same product was also elucidated through illustrations.
Another important highlight of the session was “Careers in GST”. The session concluded with queries invited by the speaker from the students related to GST. The monthly forum was organised by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh.
Guest Lecture – Investor Awareness
This year the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) promoted investor awareness by organising the World Investor Week from 01st October to 07th October 2018. To celebrate the World Investor Week, Department of Accountancy organised a guest lecture on “Investor Awareness” on 05th October 2018 for the M.Com students. The lecture was conducted by Dr. John Gilby, a financial markets expert (Vice Principal, St. Vincent’s College).
He discussed equity shares, derivatives and mutual funds. Strategies for investments in equity and mutual fund were also shared with the students. Emphasizing on misleading advertisements and false claims regarding returns on investments by fraudulent companies, he warned against investments in the same by having realistic investment objectives.
This lecture enabled the students in understanding the investment avenues which are growth-oriented, which will help them in their later years in achieving the objective of capital appreciation necessary to beat the inflation. The lecture was organised by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh, the subject teacher, which aimed at introducing the students to the nuances of investments in equity and mutual funds.
Guest Lecture on “Incorporation of Limited Liability Partnerships”
Under the aegis of Department of Accountancy, a Guest Lecture on “Incorporation of Limited Liability Partnerships” was organized for TY B.Com students on 15th December 2018
"Strategy is an art of closing doors" - Saturday morning started with this beautiful quote by Mr. Venkat Saripalli, a Chartered Accountant, LLB, and an entrepreneur. He is also an MDP participant of IIM-A and ISB, Hyderabad.
Mr. Saripalli is presently a partner in VenSon Business Solutions LLP, Pune - a Limited Liability Partnership started in 2015 that offers Management Consulting, Corporate Training and Coaching Solutions. The enormously knowledgeable speaker had come to the college to guide students on starting an LLP. He cautioned the students about the risk element sharing his personal experiences, his failures and the process of how he overcame difficulties. He also informed the students about the corporate world since he’s had long and enriching work experience. He briefed students on the incorporation of LLPs, the provisions of the LLP Act regarding maintaining annual accounts, auditing and its dissolution.
The one-hour session was undoubtedly informative and interesting that helped the students with a lot of shared experiences in the real world and academic exposure. The lecture was organized by the subject teachers of Mercantile Law- Dr. Dimple Buche and Minakshi Wagh.
Guest Lecture on 'Digital Marketing and Leadership'
A Guest Lecture on ‘Digital Marketing and Leadership’ was conducted for the 2nd year BBA and BBA(CA) students on 10th December 2018 by Ms Cheryl Fernandes, founder of CREATIVE CRONIES. Ms Fernandes has also worked as a Campaign Executive in Xebec E Media Technologies Pvt Ltd.
Ms Fernandes discussed the genesis of media and its evolution over the years. She covered various topics like Web Crawling, Banner Ads, Global Digital Snapshot and how various social media platforms are connected through Cross Collaborating.
She shared some of her personal experiences and the roles played by her as a leader. The session turned out to be very helpful for the students.
Guest Lecture on 'Nuances of Contracts'
Under the aegis of the Commerce Department, Department of Accountancy organized a Guest Lecture on 'Nuances of Contracts' on Saturday, 8th September 2018 in the A.V. Room between 10 am to 11 am under the subject of Mercantile Law. The speaker was Advocate Balasaheb Bendre, a practicing Lawyer at the Shivaji Nagar Court, Pune.
Adv. Bendre told the students about the relevance of the Contract Act in today’s world in spite of it being so old. He gave an insight into various types of contracts that they enter into every day; the steps involved while entering into a contract stressing the significance of ‘Consideration’. Further, he discussed each step namely free consent—whether a person is competent to get into a contract, the person must be of sound mind and should not be disqualified by the court of law, in detail. He enriched the students with various examples of cases he had taken up during his advocacy.He concluded that - Agreement to a Contract is a journey!
Advocate Bendre shared his experience at the ILS Law College too and specified that being a professor and being a lawyer is different. According to him, lawyers have a challenge and responsibility to help the clients and protect their interests. The Contract Act is made to protect the interest of the parties to a contract and is the basis of human existence for getting various facilities'.
The students gained rich insights from Advocate Bendre’s work experience of 50 years as he has been and is actively practicing law since 1961. The lecture was organized by Mercantile Law Professors Dr. Dimple Buche and Prof. Minakshi.
Guest Lecture on IPR
Department of BBA organized a guest lecture on Intellectual Property Rights, for the students of TYBBA, on 14 September 2018. The resource person for the lecture was Mr. Manoj Vora, who has completed his M.com and B.Ed. and pursuing his Ph.D. from Savitribai Phule Pune University. Mr. Vora has a rich experience in the corporate sector as well as the teaching profession and provides training to students at the junior college, senior college, PG level and professional level in various subjects.
In his lecture, Mr. Vora, discussed Intellectual Property Rights, its history, the current scenario, its infringement, and the new trends in IP awareness. He demonstrated the importance of IP rights with examples on Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks, Trade Secrets and Right of Publicity. He also explained in a lucid way, how IP rights set the business apart from the competitors and are used to increase the revenue of the companies. The session was a very interactive one with several questions asked by the students. The insights and the practical knowledge shared by Mr. Vora helped the students gain an understanding of this topic of relevance.
Guest Lecture on Financial Awareness Counselling
On 16th August 2018, Department of Commerce- Department of organized a Guest Lecture on “Financial Awareness Counselling” for the B.Com students. The speaker for the session was Ms. Shama Sarode (Community Outreach Counsellor of Disha Trust). She spoke about basic money management skills, gave awareness about various investment and banking channels, card frauds, safe usage of digital banking, banking ombudsman, etc.
She also covered the topics of importance of savings, benefits of starting early savings and investments and financial planning which will include information about bank deposits, Government investment schemes, shares, mutual funds and insurance. The session was very informative, which will help students in setting and achieving their financial goals.
Guest Lecture on 'Career Counselling in Mass Media'
A Guest Lecture on 'Career Counselling in Mass Media' was conducted for the students of BBA and BBA(CA) on 31st August 2018 by Mr. James Mathew, Deputy News Editor-Multimedia, Hindustan Times Digital Streams Limited. Mr.Mathew has also worked with DNA as an Assistant News Editor.
Mr.Mathew discussed the various career options in Mass Media available to the students after graduation – Public Relations, Event Management, Advertising, Films, Photography, Print Journalism, TV Journalism, Social Media, Radio, Web Journalism to name a few. The students can also pursue MBA in Mass Media.
The session was of great help to the students who want to pursue a career in multimedia in the future.
Book Fair and Guest Lecture on "Careers in Media–Today and Tomorrow" (2018–2019)
Book Affair
because we care to read
An event of 200 books display organized on the 6th of September in the AV Room was a rare student-centred initiative. It intensified readers’ interests and infused explicit need and knowledge of books. 'Versatile Verses' a collection of about 20 poems illustrated and written by the students was formally released at the hands of the Chief Guest, Vinutha Mallya, a journalist and editor. The collection will be a part of the college library as a reference material to encourage future aspirants.
Bookmarks made by students with quotes on reading and caricatures of writers were on sale to enhance creativity and charity. To align with the digital age, a PPT about general awareness of e-reading was presented. A knowledge game of books and writers conducted added keenness of the audience.
The event concluded with a lecture on 'Careers in Media–Today and Tomorrow' by the Chief Guest followed by Q and A.
The book fair proved highly beneficial for English language learners and seekers.
Guest lecture on Translation & Interpretation: Studies and Career Options
Guest Lecture on "'IDS/IPS, Firewall and Cybersecurity Attacks"
The Department of Computer science organized a guest lecture on "'IDS/IPS, Firewall and Cybersecurity Attacks" on September 1, 2018, which took place at St. Mira’s College at 9.30 am for M.Sc. and T.Y.B.Sc. Computer Science students.
The lecture was conducted by Prof Mahesh Lonare from Army Institute of Technology, Engineering College, Pune.
Prof Lonare explained how to secure a computer or mobile phone against new virus attacks like phishing, smishing and vishing. He gave the students in-depth knowledge of firewalls and its setup along with Cybersecurity ‘AAAAA’(5A) model.
Career Counselling Opportunities and Recent Trends in Finance
On 8th August 2018, Wednesday, a session on "Opportunities and Recent Trends in Finance" was conducted at St. Mira’s College for the students of Business Studies and B.B.A. Department. This workshop was organized by Mrs. Abhradita Chatterjee Navhi and was hosted by Mrs. Aparna. Thadani& Mrs. Krishita Payremalani, who are not only Chartered Accountants but also hold prestigious titles in their work field.
The hour-long session educated the students on various paths that they can pursue after their graduation and post-graduation. They were guided on how best to select a path based on their interests. Information regarding the most renowned local as well as international establishments that have a requirement for their qualifications was provided.
The students were also made aware of the job market scenario in the coming years and how to tackle such hurdles.
This session was a successful endeavour at helping the girls to clearly define a career path for themselves by being enlightened about the upcoming trends and requirements.
Guest Lecture on Professional Ethics and Values
On 14th August 2018 Department of Accountancy organized a guest lecture on "Professional Ethics and Values" for the Third-Year B.Com students. The session was conducted by a very young and dynamic achiever CA Aishwarya Gundecha who highlighted the significance of professional ethics and values. The sole foundation of any profession, particularly Chartered Accountants profession is it's credibility. Students gained a deeper insight into the ethics that have been prescribed and expected to be followed by the professionals. This will help them to be vigilant and wise in rendering their services as professionals, as they would be aware of the consequences of not adhering to the ethics in one's chosen profession.
Guest Lecture on Interview Skills
A guest lecture on ‘Interview Skills’ was organized by the BBA(CA) Department on 10th August 2018 for BBA- BCA students. The lecture was conducted by Ms. Roma Dar, faculty of the Department of English,St.Mira’s College, with the objective to equip them with skills that will help them in preparationbefore and during the interview, familiarize them with the humane aspect of interviews, the importance of personality development and interpersonal relations.
The session was informative and beneficialto the students in providing them the right aspects to work upon in interviews. The students learned to face interviews calmly and understand the aspects of both the interviewer as well as theinterviewee. The speaker kept the session interactive, which made the students open-up and actively participate in the session. The students have taken from this a very positive experience which would aid them in facing all types of interviews at every stage of life.
Guest Lecture on "Cyber Security Awareness Session and Careers in It"
The Department of Electronics organized a guest lecture on "Cyber Security Awareness Session and Careers In It" conducted by Mr. Sanjay Katkar – CTO (Chief Technology Officer) and founder of Quick Heal and Mr. Rohit Srivastwa - Senior Director and Head of Cyber Education and Services, Quick Heal, Pune on 13th August 2018. Mr. Sanjay Katkar informed and updated students on how Cyber Security and Forensics is changing the world around us. Mr. Rohit Srivastwa guided the students on different careers in Digital Forensic; Network Security Management; Incident Management; Security Testing; and Risk-audit and Compliance.
The session was interactive and enhanced knowledge on Cyber Security and careers in it.
Guest Lecture on Civil Service Examination
Departments of Economics, History & Politics organized a Guest Lecture on “Preparation for Civil Service & Competitive Examinations on July 27th, 2018 at 11 AM. The lecture was delivered by Dr. Sushil Bari, faculty at the Unique Academy, Pune. Unique Academy provides guidance and training to students aspiring for Civil Services and other examinations.
Dr. Bari highlighted the prerequisites and process of civil services and other competitive examinations. He elaborated on the structure of various competitive examinations and the marking scheme followed by these examinations. Insights were provided on what to study and how to study for competitive examinations. He also touched upon the process of Personal Interviews for final selection of candidates and preparation for the same. Dr. Bari gave relevant examples of questions asked in examinations and the answers expected as well as examples of students who have achieved success in their endeavour to join the Civil services. Dr. Bari oriented the participants about the importance of hard work, well-planned study schedules, perseverance and focus besides stressing on the innate virtues like honesty and integrity looked at in potential civil servants. The session was informative and interactive with questions and queries from the participants. The lecture was open to all students of BA and BCom.
Guest Lecture-Dr. Sushil Bari, Unique Academy on ‘Preparation for Civil Services & Competitive Examination’
Guest Lecture on "An Introduction to Editing"
The Department of English organized a guest lecture on "An Introduction to Editing" on August 4, 2018, whichtook place at St. Mira’s College in the AV Room at 12 pm. The lecture was conducted by Mrs. Tanvi Kher, a financial editor at CrisilLtd. who also has experience in market research report editing, and Mr. Shishir Rao, a sub-editor at Sakal Times with considerable experience in editing as well as writing.
Mrs. Kher broadly covered the main aspects of content editing.She briefly explained the role and responsibilities of aneditor with the help of the five Cs–correctness, clarity, conciseness, comprehensibility, and consistency. Mr. Rao mainly focused on the role of a sub-editor working at a newspaper office. The exclusive purpose of this lecture was to make the students acquainted with content editing as a sound and lucrative career option, and breaking down the process of editing to enhance the value of the written material.
Guest Lecture on Practical aspects of Economics
A Guest Lecture on "Practical aspects of Economics" was conducted for the students of First and Second Year BBAon 26th July 2018. The speaker for the Guest Lecture was Dr. Ishita Ghosh, a Doctorate in Economics. She is an Assistant Professor, a Programme In-Charge (MSc Economics)and Examination In-Charge for the Department of Symbiosis International Deemed University.
Dr. Ghosh discussed several topics like Utility, Price Discrimination, Consumer Surplus, Sunk Cost, Minimum Support Price announced by the Government, Stock market and Oil Price Hike & 2018 China-United States Trade War.The session was quite interactiveand helped the students widen their practical knowledge.
Guest lecture on Enterprise Management
A guest lecture on Enterprise Management was organized by BBA Department on 19th July 2018 for Entrepreneurship Development students. The speaker was Ms. Hiral Desai. Ms. Desai is a freelance Soft Skills and Behavioral Training Facilitator in Pune. The objective of the lecture was to facilitate students with practical insights about opportunity identification; channels selection; importance of correct market study and research; understanding customer perspective better; aiming to always excel; optimum time utilization; ways to increase influential circle; ways to create impactful contacts; having an optimistic outlook on difficult circumstances; use of social media as a tool to target market; creating a win-win situation in business deals and so on.
The session was informative, offering guidance to students towards future business endeavors and not only provided them with the essential pointers for work life but also for enriching their personal lives.
GUEST LECTURE ON TRENDS IN HRM
Asst. Prof. Shanthi Fernandes organized a guest lecture for the S.Y.B.Com. and T.Y.B.Com. Business Administration students on the topic ‘Trends in Human Resource Management’ on July 14,2018, in the A.V. Room. The resource persons Mr. Arun Sharma and Ms. Jyothi Menon, the HR Heads of Global Banks interacted with students regarding various HR trends in the industry. They provided the inputs on managing workforce diversity, inclusive behavior, blind screening, HR going digital and HR Shared Services.
Guest Lecture on Application of Marginal Costing
Department of Commerce- Department of Accountancy
On 28th August 2018, the Department of Accountancy organized a Guest Lecture on “Application of Marginal Costing” for the TYB.Com Costing-III students. The speaker for the session was Mr. Manoj Vora (Asst. Prof. H.V. Desai College). The speaker spoke about the basics of Marginal Costing and its application in different scenarios.
The following application of Marginal Costing Techniques was covered:
- Fixation of Selling Price
- Make or Buy Decision
- Selection of suitable product mix
- Alternative course of action
The session was very informative and will help students in making decisions related to production.
Guest Lecture on 'IFRS'
Department of Commerce- Department of Accountancy
On Tuesday, 17th July 2018 a guest lecture on ‘International Financial Reporting Standards’ (IFRS) was organized by the Department of Accountancy for the S.Y.B.Com students and conducted by a Chartered Accountant, Mr. Akshay Oke. The lecture explicated the rationale of IFRS as to have a common accounting language and to achieve the objective of better transparency in financial statements in the business world. A comparative analysis of IFRS vis-a-vis Ind AS was given. It also touched upon Ind AS convergence as India has not adopted the IFRS standards. Implications of IFRS in the context of registered companies including Banks and NBFCs were detailed out.
This lecture gave an opportunity to the students to delve into IFRS which is an integral part of the accounting system.
Guest Lecture on 'Corporate Frauds'
Department of Commerce- Department of Accountancy
On Tuesday, 17th July 2018 a guest lecture on ‘Corporate Frauds’ was organized by the Department of Accountancy for the S.Y.B.Com students and conducted by a Chartered Accountant, Mr. Akshay Oke. The lecture gave a brief account of statistics relating to corporate frauds in India and applicable laws within and outside India to deal with the problem. The concept of fraud was explained with the help of case studies, for instance, the Satyam scam. It also detailed out the provisions of the New Companies Act, 2013 relating to frauds and fraud reporting. Factors facilitating frauds was also a part of the session. The most important part of the lecture covered a section on Audit vs. Forensic Audit and it concluded with common fraud risks with solutions to resolve the same.
This lecture enabled the students to understand the reasons for frauds, the government organisations involved in resolving the issue and how to protect oneself from such adversity, thereby leading to investor protection.
GST Lecture Dept of Accountancy
Department of Accountancy organized a guest lecture on 23rd January 2018 for UG and PG students of Arts and Commerce faculty titled “GST Simplified for You and Me".
CA, CPA Mrs. Aparna Thadani took us through the GST journey in a lucid way, highlighting its significance, impact, benefit, teething problems and the road ahead.
It was a highly interactive session as students had an array of questions and Mrs. Thadani clarified all their doubts. The pertinence of the topic and the simplicity in the explanation of a complicated and debatable subject as GST kept the audience engaged throughout the session.
Guest Lecture on NET/SET
Department of Accountancy organized a guest lecture on ‘ Teaching as a Career Option- a GPS for clearing the NET and SLET’ examination’ on 20th Jan 2018 for Vocational courses faculty, M.A, M.Com and T.Y. students .The objective of the guest lecture was motivating and encouraging students to take up teaching as a full time career.
The guest speaker was Dr. Y. Mithare, Vice Principal of H.V. Desai College, a research guide for M.Phil and Ph.D courses at Savitribai Phule Pune University and a SLET paper setter at SPPU.
It was an enlightening and very informative session as he encouraged the students to take up teaching a career. He guided them to start from Zero, shared the tricks for preparation and solving the NET / SLET papers, a systematic preparation of the study plan, list of reference books and quick tips for time management and digital study.
Japanese Delegation Visit to St. Mira’s College - August 2017
A delegation of teachers from the Wakayama state of Japan visited the St. Mira’s College campus on 26th August 2017. The visit was organized by Mr. Chandrashekhar Rathod in collaboration with Prof. Vibha Rathod and Prof. Veena Kenchi
Mr. Hiroyuki Tsui, Director General for International Affairs, Planning Department, Wakayama Prefectural Government, Japan and Mr. Hirai Hidekazu, Director, Wakayama Prefecture Government, Japan with Sakamoto San, Yamasaki San, Shimizi San, Nakamoto San, Minami San, Onishi San and Takahashi San visited the campus.
They interacted with the staff and students of the college and participated the Ganpati festival celebrations in the college. They appreciated the celebrations and discussed educational collaborations with Indian schools and colleges.
CWE Mira Bazaar 2018
Mira Bazaar is the annual event of St. Mira’s College for Girls that provides a platform for students to showcase their entrepreneurial skills. It is an initiative by the Centre for Women’s Entrepreneurship (CWE). The Centre seeks to achieve the spirit of entrepreneurship through educational programs, events, activities and research. Connecting theory with practice, the aim is to infuse Entrepreneurial thought and action through co-curricular activities and Mira Bazaar is one such activity.
This year, the event was organised on 17th December. The chief guests of the event were Ms. Gauri Dholepatil & Ms. Noopur Pawar, organizers of Kalagram Exhibitions. The judges of the event were Ms. Shweta Shah, founder of Red Heart Company along with Ms.Vanita Naraindas, founder of Make Magic Events. The enthusiasm and energy of the young and passionate students could be felt in the atmosphere. The bazaar aimed at inculcating a practical mind-set and creative expression of business plans & provided all the stall holders with realistic business experience.
There were 50 stalls in the bazaar that showcased a wide range of commodities from food items like the Bihari litti chokha, chaat, biscuit pizza, fries, pav- bhaji and others to clothing items like lehengas & services like hair styling and henna art. The Green Club stall gained maximum popularity having a jumble sale of pre-owned clothes. This year the bazaar saw the participation of various NGOs like Ishanya Foundation, Deep Griha Society, Prayatna Foundation & Help Life Foundation where products made by the underprivileged part of society were on sale.
This was an endeavour to establish a platform for enriching, nurturing and raising women of substance with a strong sense of independence, not only in a way of living but also in leading. The inclusion of NGOs leagues the students' passion and determination with the strength of all the feminine voices seeking support.
The bazaar gathered a huge crowd of over 1700 visitors. The bazaar proved to be a grand success with all the students motivated by stock clearance & profit. The event ended on a high note with the commitment of a bigger and better event next year in praise of the entrepreneurial spirit.
Workshop Entrance Exams
Orientation by Winners Institute
An Orientation for the BBA/BBA(CA) students was held on the preparation for various entrance exams like IBPS, CWE, SBI (PO), RBI, LIC etc. The orientation aimed at helping the students plan, decide and prepare for the various entrance examinations.
The director of Winners Institute, Mr. Abhay Landge along with the joint director Mr. Sourabh Solanki, were the speakers for this informative session.
They emphasised the importance of a thorough preparation along with the use of techniques to solve papers to gain the best scores. Details of the packages that can be availed were given to the students, making them aware of this direct portal to jobs.
The session outlined the career paths that the students can choose after graduation and provided a step by step guide to several careers. This talk was an endeavour to provide the girls of the college with knowledge of the careers within their reach.
The Sadhu Vaswani Inter College Debate Competition
The Sadhu Vaswani Inter College Debate Competition 2018 - 19
The annual Sadhu Vaswani Inter College Debate Competition was held on Tuesday 22nd January, to commemorate the 53rd Mahayagna of our revered founder Sadhu T.L. Vaswani. The topic was: “Belief in Destiny is Man’s Innate Defence System to Cope with Failures in Life” The judges were Ms Purnima Kulkarni Shetye and Ms Jaba Basu.
The debate was well attended with fourteen teams from colleges across Pune. The speakers were very articulate; they presented insightful views and defended their positions with fervour. The judges had a tough time deciding on the winners. It was a moment of great pride and joy when Afreen Sabooni and Kshitija Gaikwad from St. Mira’s were declared the Best Team. Sumedha Dutta andShalini Singh from Ness Wadia College won the Runner-Up Team prize. Sumedha Dutta from Ness Wadia College won the Best Speaker (For) and Swathi Satish from St. Mira’s Collegewon the Best Speaker (Against) prize.The 2nd Best Speaker prizes for and against were won by Nichola Louis from Nowrosjee Wadia College and Kshitija Gaikwad from St. Mira’s College respectively. The debate was well attended by more than 108 students.
The Sadhu Vaswani Inter College Debate Competition 2017 - 18
The annual Sadhu Vaswani Inter College Debate Competition was held on Wednesday 31st January, to commemorate the 52nd Mahayagna of our revered founder Sadhu T.L. Vaswani. The topic was: “Censorship over Free Speech is justified in a diverse country like India.” The judges were Mr. Suraj Sriram and Ms. Priyanka Menon.
The debate was well attended by teams from fourteen colleges across Pune. The speakers were very articulate; they presented insightful views and defended their positions with fervour. The judges had a tough time deciding on the winners. It was a moment of great pride and joy when Ayushi Halder and Swathi Satish from St. Mira’s were declared the Best Team. They also won the won the Best Speaker prize. Sharon Chandekar and Harshika Shirgaokar from Ness Wadia College won the 2nd Best Speaker prizes and the Runner-Up Team prize. The debate was well attended by more than 140 students.
Whittle Paint and Win Contest
An Inter-Departmental Contest titled - "Whittle, Paint and Win" was held on Saturday, 9th December 2017 at the College Sports Ground. In all, there were 34 teams participating from BA, B.Com, M.Com & BBA Departments. The objective of the activity was to have a fun-filled event by using terms from their favourite subject and creating meaningful quotes relating to love, life, friendship, communication and values by painting them out on T-Shirts.
Our students surprised us with fabulous quotes and also showcased their excellent painting skills.
A few quotes created by our students
- “Residency of Bad Deeds is appropriately taxed in the court of God”
- “Love & Drama are a part of life to drink like a Shake, but don’t forget your Speare, to protect yourself from the evil which lacks faith.”
- “Your sorrow is your loss, and to be happy is your profit, but do not forget, God is your Accountant”
Through this activity, they could link their subject to reality, express and explore their thoughts and emotions in a creative way.
The Launch of Certificate Course in Disability: Awareness & Inclusion
Ekansh Trust in collaboration with St. Mira’s College for Girls launched the certificate course in Disability: Awareness & Inclusion on July 19th, 2018. The course was launched in sacred memory of spiritual guru Dada J P Vaswani. The course has over 62 participants, including undergraduate students and teachers from primary schools.
The idea of the course is to spread awareness about the various kinds of physical, mental, intellectual and learning disabilities; their implications; early intervention; rights of Persons with Disabilities (PwD) etc. The steps before inclusion are awareness, acceptance, sensitization and accessibility. These have to happen on multiple levels and the course seeks to focus on equipping students with enough information and guidance to be able to understand these steps better.
Mrs. Anita Narayan Iyer, Director, Ekansh Trust said that she was proud to be launching this course at St. Mira’s College for Girls and hopes that everything she has learnt in her journey will benefit the students through this course.
Dr. Gidwani, Principal, St. Mira’s College for Girls, also reiterated that this course is important and that many more such efforts must be made together.
The Commissioner, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disability (PwD), Maharashtra, Shri Ruchesh Jaivanshi was very impressed with the course content and has asked for regular feedback on the progress of the course. He believes that such courses would create a lot of awareness beyond the classroom especially when students begin to advocate inclusion.
Dr. Jaya Rajagopalan, Head, Department of Psychology underlined the importance of acceptance and sensitivity and the underlying educational philosophy of the college to develop mature citizens who have reverence for all. She stated that it was exceedingly important in the context of the growing numbers of persons with different types of disability.
Mrs. Jyoti Nair, parent to a girl on the Autism spectrum emphasized the discriminatory attitude that society has towards PwD and urged the students to be future brand ambassadors of disability awareness. Mr. Sumit suffering from Hemophilia spoke about lack of awareness in society for his condition.
Mrs. Sharmin Palsetia, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and the course coordinator compered the event.
Workshops subject-related
Department of Accountancy – Workshop on Interface between Intellectual Property Rights and Competition Law
The Department of Accountancy organized a Workshop on Intellectual Property Rights and Competition Law on 14th March 2019 for its TYBCOM students. The speaker Ms. Deepti Dole, a Corporate Lawyer underscored the significance of appreciating the Interface between IPR and Competition Law. Building on the basics, like the different types of intellectual properties, the major focus area was patents – its meaning, the need for and benefits of granting patents, the rights of a patent holder and the significance of Competition Law. The speaker brought to the notice of the participants a prominent fact that although Intellectual Property Law and Competition Law may seem to be contradictory (as Intellectual Property Law creates monopolies, whereas Competition Law fights monopolies), however, these two laws intersect and share common objectives. For instance, the Intellectual Property Law promotes innovation resulting in consumer welfare; similarly, Competition law eradicates the abusive exploitation of intellectual property rights by abolishing certain restrictive practices, like abuse of dominant positions essential for promoting consumer welfare. The session concluded with a presentation on case laws in the context of an interface between IPR and Competition Law, whereby the students were asked to examine and interpret the cases. The activity was organized by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh and Dr. Dimple Buche.
Workshop on Personal Financial Planning
The Department of Business Economics and Banking organised a workshop for the FYBCom and TYBCom students specialising in Banking and Finance on Personal Financial Planning.
The workshop was conducted by Mr. Atul Gaikwad, a Certified Financial Planner and a SEBI registered Investment Advisor on 28th January 2019. The basic purpose of the workshop was to impart financial education to the students, thereby enabling them to comprehend the nuances of Personal Financial Planning, highly crucial for one’s financial health.
The session was divided into two parts: The first half comprised of an explication of the concept of personal financial planning and its various components. The objective of this session was to create a base of personal financial planning which would enable students in analysing a sample financial plan and thereby recommend ways to improvise the same. In the second session the participants were provided with a hypothetical case study of an individual with details like occupation; age; income, expenses, savings and investments; number, profile and age of dependents. On the basis of this information, the participants analysed the financial plan and highlighted its strengths as well as commented on the probable changes that could be effected by the individual to improve his plan.
The speaker concluded the session with a critical evaluation of the presentations made by the participants. He also briefed the participants on career opportunities in the financial markets. The workshop was organised by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh.
Workshop on Personal Financial Planning
The Department of Business Economics and Banking organised a workshop for the FYBCom and TYBCom students specialising in Banking and Finance on Personal Financial Planning.
The workshop was conducted by Mr. Atul Gaikwad, a Certified Financial Planner and a SEBI registered Investment Advisor on 28th January 2019. The basic purpose of the workshop was to impart financial education to the students, thereby enabling them to comprehend the nuances of Personal Financial Planning, highly crucial for one’s financial health.
The session was divided into two parts: The first half comprised of an explication of the concept of personal financial planning and its various components. The objective of this session was to create a base of personal financial planning which would enable students in analysing a sample financial plan and thereby recommend ways to improvise the same. In the second session the participants were provided with a hypothetical case study of an individual with details like occupation; age; income, expenses, savings and investments; number, profile and age of dependents. On the basis of this information, the participants analysed the financial plan and highlighted its strengths as well as commented on the probable changes that could be effected by the individual to improve his plan.
The speaker concluded the session with a critical evaluation of the presentations made by the participants. He also briefed the participants on career opportunities in the financial markets. The workshop was organised by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh.
E-Commerce Workshop
A workshop on E-Commerce was held for the TYBBA students on the 08/09/10th January 2019 on technical topics like Virus and its various types, Hacking, Phishing, IP Spoofing, Cyber Law and the currents trends like Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots.
The workshop was conducted by Asst. Prof. Ms. Snehal Joglekar, from the B.Sc. department of the Mira family who has more than 10 years of experience in the field of teaching. Ms.Joglekarhas also authored and co-authored several academic books. She has also received a state-level award for teaching.
Having in-depth knowledge on this particular subject, Ms. Snehal was able to fluently address the dire need of providing the students with fact and obliterating all myths. The workshopcontributedgreatly to the student’s understanding of e-commerce.
Workshop on ‘Searching EBSCO Databases’
The College Library organised a workshop for the faculty on ‘Searching the EBSCO Databases’ on 22nd December 2018. The aim of this workshop was to equip the users with skills to access the databases to find the required information in minimum time. The professional trainer, Mr Chandrakant Ganvir, from EBSCO Inf. Services India Pvt. Ltd imparted the training. Academic Search Elite, Literary Reference Centre and Master File Elite were the databases which were demonstrated for searching purposes. Remote access by creating accounts, search from mobile phones, management of personal searches, sharing the articles, fine-tuning search results were among the other skills taught in the workshop. Faculty members found remote accessing and the mobile app facility very useful. They interacted with the trainers for ways of application of information in their teaching and learning.
Workshop on Cloud Computing
St. Mira's College for Girls organized a two-day workshop on "Cloud Computing" conducted by Skillhub Infotech (an official workshop partner of Cognizance - Event of IIT Roorkee) on 17th and 18th December 2018 for the students of F.Y.B.Sc.(Computer Science), S.Y.B.Sc. (Computer Science), T.Y.B.Sc. (Computer Science) and S.Y.B.B.A.(CA).
The workshop was conducted by Mr. Ram Gupta. He began the session with the basic knowledge of Cloud Computing and then advanced towards practical applications of the same. The students with the help of Amazon Web Services opened their own clouds and operated on that. The practical applications helped the students understand the topics: Database Connectivity, Web Hosting using of EC2 in AWS.
The students were equipped with adequate knowledge of Cloud Computing which occupies a significant part of IT. At the end of the session, Mr. Gupta conducted a practical examination, based on which, three merit holder students were selected to participate in the finale, to be conducted by Skillhub and Cognizance, on the campus of IIT-Roorkee, tentatively in March 2019.
Stress Management Workshop
A workshop on 'Stress Management' was organized by Department of BBA on 11th September 2018 for the BBA(HR) students. It was conducted by Mrs. Sharmin Palsetia – faculty of Department of Psychology, St. Mira’s College, with the objective of facilitating students with practical insights on stress management.
The workshop included interaction, stress relieving games, finding the reasons underlying stress and how to overcome them, meditation, and exercises to relieve stress and role play.
The Session educated the students, providing them the right aspects to handle the stress at workplace. The students learned different techniques and exercises to face situations calmly and positively to enhance productivity at the workplace.
MA English - Fresher's Welcome Party
Saturday 11th August 2018, the MA Part 2 students from the Departmentof English had a welcome party for the incoming freshers. Characters from literature varying from Bellatrix Lestrange to Snow White, Alice in Wonderland and Captain America came alive as they donned various costumes. Love, laughter and fun overflowed accompanied by various ice-breaker games, amidstcupcakes and yummy sandwiches.
Department of Commerce - Department of Accountancy Five Days Workshop on GST
Career Counseling Group (CCG), Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) jointly with Pune Branch of WIRC of ICAI in support with IQAC, Savitribai Phule Pune University, organized a Five-Day Workshop on ‘Good and Service Tax’- Girls Students Empowerment through Skill Building. Forty Students from St. Mira’s UG and PG section attended this workshop from 1st July 2018 to 28th July 2018 every Saturday at Ness Wadia College of Commerce, Pune.
The Hon. President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovindji addressed the inaugural session of the GST workshop across India on 1st July 2018. The work shop was conducted by Chartered Accountants who covered the GST Act in detail. ICAI will help the participants, after successful completion of the workshop, to seek employment opportunities through campus placement and allied activities. An initiative in the direction of Women Empowerment.
Workshop on ‘Wealth Management’ Department of Commerce- Department of Accountancy
On Thursday, 19th July a workshop on ‘Wealth Management’ was organized by the Department of Accountancy for T.Y.B. Com and M.Com students. The session was conducted by Dr. Vasudha Joshi who demystified the pyramid of wealth beginning with Wealth Conservativeness, Wealth Creation and Wealth Distribution. The Significance and types of Income, Expenses, Savings and Investments were discussed. Investment Havens like PPF, PF, FDs, RDs, Sukanya Samridhi Scheme, Mutual Funds, SIPs were dwelled upon. The thumb rule for investing in Equities being “100 minus your age should ideally be the amount of investment in Equity”.
An activity was conducted to bring out the significance of budgeting, judicially spending, saving and wisely investing one's income through proper planning and drafting one's personal Balance Sheet.
Workshops subject-related
Workshops Life Skills
Script Writing Workshop
Department of English organised a scriptwriting workshop for the students of the college conducted by Hina Siddiqui a talented young dramatist on Thursday 16th August 2018. This was also an introduction to the upcoming scriptwriting extra credit course wherein students will learn to write their own plays, publish it in the magazine and perform it for the college.
Spoken Word Poetry Workshop
"Aazaad Aawaaz: A Workshop on Revolutionary Poetry Across Linguistic Borders" was organized by the Department of Englishon Saturday, 11th August. The workshop was conducted by popularspoken word poets, Ms. Ankita Singh and Mr. Shahid Khan—both members of dynamic performance poetry communities,and attended by more than 137 students. What performance poetry is, and the technical aspects of both writing and performing such poems was discussed in detail. Through an assortment of poems in performance, the workshop covered: the different creative ways in which different kinds of poetry can be performed, and the range of subjects that poetry can cover—political, social and personal. A demonstration in voice modulation, the key to impactful performance,was also conducted. The benefits of the workshop were felt immediately in the spontaneous performances of some of the students.
Monthly Forum
Department of Commerce - Department of Accountancy Monthly Forum - A Platform for Skilling through Dialogue and Deliberation PNB Scam
The inaugural session of the Monthly Forum for the month of August open for Dialogue and Deliberation on PNB Nirav Scam was conducted on 11th August 2018. It was guided by CS Rashi Joshi who through videos and newspaper articles opened the house for discussion amongUG and PG students. The forum began with an ice-breaking session with the students to help them open up and come forward to put forth their questions and doubts at a later stage.
The Scam was studied in detail and no more couldit be simply called the Nirav Modi Scam alone since PNB was equally involved. The letter of Understanding, Collaterals, 100% Cash Margins was discussed with an insight into the Core Banking System and the SWIFT key linking.
The forum led to insights on many new angles to the fraud with new questions raised as to the involvement of people, Internal Control System, Audit, RBI Audit and so on.
The session enabled the students to understand the fraud that took place, the authorities involved and how it was exposed. They got an insight on how oneshould protect one’s organisation from such scandals by implementing good Internal Control System, strong IT system, constant job rotation in the organisation, changing the Auditors on a timely basis and keeping a check on Internal Auditors work.
Green Club Activity
Annual Jumble Sale
A smash hit among students in its second year running since its inauguration in 2017, the Annual Green Club Jumble Sale of pre-owned and pre-loved clothes was a massive success among students and faculty alike. The Jumble sale works on the principles of ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’, where pre-owned apparel (like ethnic/western ladies and menswear in good condition) was donated by students, faculty, as well as their families. These donated items were sold at the College Mira Bazaar on 17th December, 2018, for nominal rates ranging from Rs 5 to Rs 100. The Green Club received an overwhelming response with pants, shirts, sarees, dresses, western tops, kurtas, and other miscellaneous items being sold on the big day. The sales generated more than a whopping Rs 5200, with proceeds used to buy trolleys to facilitate college sevaks and sevikas to easily transport garden waste. The entire activity was organised by Green Club members who collected clothing items, sorted, categorised and sold them at the stall responsibly. Through the experience, members learnt the values of teamwork, reduction and recycling of unnecessary apparel, and consideration for the community in order to lead a more sustainable future through efficient waste management.
Green Trek
The two-pronged approach of the Green Club—advocacy and engagement— was put into effect with one of the most popular and well-received Green Club activities of the year: the Inaugural Green Trek. On Saturday, 8th December 2018, 30 highly enthusiastic students from the college visited Parvati Hill, in Pune city. The objective of the trek was four-fold: firstly, an active engagement of the students with the city and a clean-up of its environs; students learning to take up responsibilities; spreading awareness of the state of our environment, all while having fun. Students realised the impact of improper waste disposal on their environment and helped execute viable solutions to these issues. The group, along with teachers, left college by bus at 7:30 am. On reaching Parvati, they started an extensive clean-up campaign that lasted 2 hours! Students succeeded in collecting 12 whole gunny bags of waste (mainly paper and plastic). Adar Poonawala Clean City Initiative kindly sponsored gloves for students’ safety and hygiene, as well as helped the students in the safe disposal of waste collected. The students also visited the Parvati Peshwa museum located atop the hill, thereby enhancing their knowledge about the city’s culture and history. After some tasty snacks and a bit of fun dancing, students returned to college by noon, tired but content with the knowledge of having taken a ‘clean and green’ initiative for their city. The Trek was commended by several and was featured on Page 4 of The Pune Mirror on 9th December 2018.
Green Club - Newspaper Bag-making Activity
The Green Club members conducted a Newspaper Bag-making activity on Saturday, 4th August, 2018. The volunteers prepared in advance for the workshop by raising awareness among students and staff about the need to recycle paper. They succeeded in collecting newspapers from donators across the college, both teachers and students alike. The newspapers were converted into 100 sturdy folders and bags and stored for future use. Students learned the value of the hard work that goes into saving paper, as well as methods of reusing waste.
Green Club Badge-making Activity and Ceremony
Green Club members were enthusiastic to solidify their memberships with a badge. Talented and hardworking members came up with several equally great ideas for the badge design. With the Principal’s blessing, a design was settled upon. Starting Tuesday, 7th August, they painted 50 colourful badges over the course of a week, which culminated in a badge allotment ceremony in the Sanctuary on Monday, 13thAugust, 2018. The Principal, Dr Gulshan Gidwani, was presented with a badge from the Vice-Principal and Head of the Green Club, Dr. Shalini Iyer. With the badge comes responsibility - the Green Club members were christened the ‘Green Guardians’ of the college and formally vested with the duties of conserving college resources like water and electricity. They were also charged with duties of keeping the campus clean in their free time, and instructing students on the importance of not littering.
Green Club Making Newspaper bags for Sanitary Napkin Disposal
The Green Club wholeheartedly supports the Red Dot campaign and acknowledges it as a vital step towards the health and safety of waste management squads across the country. On Thursday, 16th August 2018, Green Guardians of the college gathered together to innovatively craft 135 newspaper bags/envelopes for the responsible disposal of sanitary napkins. They made small envelopes, each emblazoned with the powerful Red Dot. These envelopes were made freely available to all students and faculty. They also enthusiastically volunteered to teach their classmates how to make these envelopes for themselves, thereby spreading the message of hygienic and responsible disposal of sanitary napkins.This is to be an ongoing year-round activity, where envelopes will be made in batches as and when needed by students. The Green Guardians will be responsible for the creation, possession and distribution of the envelopes in classes and washrooms.
'Swacchata Pakhwada' College Clean-up
In accordance with 'Swacchata Pakhwada' observed by the NSS department of the college, on Saturday, 4th August 2018, from 11 am onwards, the members of the Green Club volunteered to help NSS members spruce up the college campus. Armed with brooms and gloves, the students swept the floors, corridors and the garden, cleaned up litter from the campus and weeded the grounds. In the process, they spread awareness not by preaching, but by setting an example to onlookers about the importance of keeping one’s environs clean and green. The activity contributed to students’ collaboration, social awareness, responsibility, team-building skills, promotion of a healthy and hygienic work ethic, and setting a standard through example.
Inaugural Green Club Activity: Visit to the Poona Home and School for the Blind, Koregaon Park, Pune.
On Wednesday, 18th July 2018, the Green Club volunteers undertook the first official activity of the year through a Social Outreach Programme for the benefit of the visually impaired. The activity was dedicated to our Spiritual Guru and Mentor, the late Dada J.P. Vaswani. Volunteers collected newspapers from their homes, neighbours and classmates, sold the same to a third party (raddi or waste paper disposal) vendor and thus generated funds to the tune of Rs. 2000. These funds were used to purchase about 500 Braille paper sheets required by inmates of the Poona Home and School for the Blind, located at Koregaon Park, Pune. The four volunteers made sure to personally deliver their Braille papers at 1 pm and interacted with the inmates. Through this massive collaborative effort, the students demonstrated sensitivity and empathy towards others, learned the power of dedicated effort, and how to balance learning with experience.
Green Club - Garden Manuring Activit
The ongoing college garden waste management project yielded several kilograms of manure. Starting at 12 pm on Tuesday, 14th August 2018, the Green Guardians undertook the task of spreading the large and fertile manure yield across the flowerbeds in the college garden. A group of 20 Green Guardians participated in the activity, sorting out the litter and helping our college sevaks in the process. The students learnt the value of teamwork. They understood the importance of using organic fertilizers which are locally produced, inexpensive, non-polluting and effective.
TEDx ST. MIRA'S COLLEGE - THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
TEDx - an event created with a mission for "ideas worth spreading". On Saturday, 3rd March 2018, a TEDx event themed 'The Elephant in The Room' was hosted by St. Mira's College for Girls, Pune. It was hosted and organised by the students of the Department of BBA including organisers Mehak Mewawalla and co-organiser Urvi Solanki under the insightful guidance and mentorship of Prof Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi. This initiative by the Department of BBA was a defining moment for the college as its first and successful TEDx event.
As the phrase suggests, the event elaborated on various issues that are not addressed in a conservative society like ours. The theme could not have been more apt, it is the need of the hour in today's times. Talks on various "elephants in the room" we all come across daily were given by judicious speakers. The talk fulfilled the need for crucial knowledge to be imparted to the girls of the college. The event was a combination of live speakers and TED talk videos.
TEDx St.Mira’s College asked the question, "Are you bold enough to speak of the unspoken?", and speak they did! Bindumadhav Khire - Gay Activist; Justin Rayne Nash - Life Coach; Onkar Khullar - also known as Digital Gandhi; Dr. Ravi Abhyankar - Mental Health professional; Alekh Sangal - Actor and Producer; Anshul Bafna- Business Psychologist and Pushkar Bendre - Pune's leading Stand-up Comedian were the speakers who graced the event with their presence and talked about various elephants in the room that they face day in and day out.
The mesmerizing performances by The Earth Magicians - a jazz fusion world band and to top it all - a ballet dance performance by Neha Sujani's ballerinas added to the luxurious experience.
Delicious delicacies were arranged for breakfast, lunch and high tea. All the attendees were given goodie bags and souvenirs integrated with the theme of the event.
This indigenous event was a result of the strong foundations set by our Principal and guide - Dr. G. H. Gidwani for the students to build on. The greatest purpose of the event was to broaden, educate and expand mindsets in the hope that we would all learn, grow and in turn become a source of change for others.
LitWits Club Activity
Activities of the JNK Group of the LitWits Club
LitWits, a club of the Department of English, is proud to include in it the JNK group. JNK is an abbreviation of "Japanese and Korean" and it is a group of girls who are enthusiasts of Japanese and Korean art, music, television, pop-culture and lifestyle. The group activities cover sections of virtual entertainment like Anime, Manga, K-pop, and K-drama. The group hosts regular screenings and events. Some activities covered by the club in the first half of the academic year 2018-19 include the JNK based treasure hunt, teachers’ stress reliever, live screenings of MV release of songs like Idol – BTS and Lullaby – Got7, and screenings of anime and manga, all of which are followed by interactive discussions among the members. The club focuses on spreading these sources of entertainment to those unaware of them and accepting different cultures. It also creates a platform for the members to share their interests with others and encourages the confident expression of thoughts and ideas. The club concentrates on creating a family-like environment while concentrating on the common interests that bring them all together. The group has organised outings to create interactions among members like trying Korean Cuisine together. The club recently attended the first K-pop concert in Pune hosted by IKCG and Pune smart city. The concert featured the recently debuted boy band Lucente and singer Yellow Code. The members attended the event as a group and were picked as some of the lucky fans to be able to stand on the stage with Lucente. The members also participate in competitions around the city while trying to promote Japanese and Korean cultures.
Discussion on Macbeth and attendance at a performance of Macbeth
The members of the LitWits Club of the Department of English organised an interactive discussion on Shakespeare's Macbeth on the 31st of August 2018 where the students read and analysed several textual and performative aspects of the play. A group of students then attended a live performance titled 'Macbeth - What is Done is Done' at the Nehru Memorial Hall on the 2nd of September 2018 along with the faculty of the English Department. The activity enabled the students to familiarise themselves with the Shakespearean tragedy and how it travels across space and renews itself before different audiences. The students also got the opportunity to interact briefly with renowned actors like Rajat Kapoor, Ranvir Shorey and Jim Sarbh at the end of the performance.
Department of English Student Club "LitWits" - Inaugural Activity 2018-19
The students' club of the English Department called LitWits organised a Poetry Slam as its first activity for the year 2018-19 on 17 August 2018 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event was coordinated entirely by a group of TYBA students who are the core members of the club. The competition was open to all the students of the college and attracted 11 students who participated enthusiastically by presenting their poems on the theme 'Tragedy'. All the poems presented at the slam were original creations of the students and left the audience in awe of their immense talent. About 50 girls attended the event. The judges for the competition were Ms. Abhana Ajayan and Ms. Arwa Aman, senior students of the MA English class. The winners of the competition
were as follows:
- First Prize - Friyana Munshi, SYBA
- Second Prize - Mayuri Makwana, FYBCom
- Third Prize - Priyanka Chaurasia, FYBA
"Day" Celebrations
TYBA Farewell
“Parting is such sweet sorry”
Every year the TY farewell is celebrated with mixed feelings. There is a great sense of pride and accomplishment in completing one major milestone—becoming a graduate. There is excitement as a bright future beckons but there is also heartbreak. Friends will part ways, the carefree corridors and the gupshup canteen will be a thing of the past.
This year the farewell was celebrated on the 22nd of March 2019 for the English Department and for the TY Arts on the 17th of March 2019 with dances, games and girls sharing memories and tears. The college and their teachers wish them all the success life has to give.
Report on Patriotic Competitions
The following competitions for the degree college students were organized on the occasion of Republic Day Celebrations.
Competition on Poetry Composition was organized on 23rd January, 2019, on theme ‘Patriotism’. A total of 16 students participated composed and presented their poetry. The winners:
First Prize: Ms. Priyanka Chaurasiya
Second Prize: Ms. Samrita Guha
Third Prize: Ms. Friyana Munshi
The Poster Competition was organized on 24th January, 2019 on the themes ‘Patriotism’ and ‘Nation Building’. A total of 22 students participated in the Competition. The winners:
First Prize: Ms. Samrita Guha
Second Prize: Ms. Madhavi Bhosale
Third Prize: Ms. Aneesha R.
Patriotic Song Competition was organized on 25th January, 2019. A total of 25 students participated with 7 individual participants and 3 groups. The winners:
First Prize: Ms. Dilsheen Kaur
Second Prize: Ms. Mansi Tiwari
Appreciation Prize: F.Y.B.Com. Group - Ms. Shraddha Gonel, Ms. Manali Gaikwad, Ms. Vaishnavi Koli, Ms. Neetu Gaikwad, Ms.Chitrali Pathare, Ms. Annapurna Mishra, Ms.Jyoti Aarwal, and Ms. Vidya Pardeshi
The Programme was coordinated by Ms. Shanthi Fernandes, Assistant Professor, Department of Business Studies
Report on Annual Social Gathering :
The Cultural Committee of St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune in coordination with the Student Council held the Annual Social Gathering on the 19th and 20th of December 2018. The social gathering was a major success and showcased varied performances by students from diverse courses. It was open for all First Year B.B.A., B.B.A. (C.A.), B.Sc. (Comp. Sc.) and M. Sc. (Comp. Sc.) students on the 19th and all Second Year and Third Year B.A., B.Com., MA and M.Com. students on the 20th of December. The entire programme was organised and pieced together by the students and included dances, comic acts and singing. This year's social gathering was a greater success owing to special performances by faculty members, which were appreciated with sheer enthusiasm by the students. The students were also offered snacks and refreshments at subsidised rates. The event concluded leaving all the students happier and led to creation of newer bonds across streams.
Teachers’ Day Celebration
The Teachers’Day celebration took place on the 5th of September2018, in the sanctuary hall, conducted by the student council members.The programme was compered by Ayushi Halder, where all the departments together presented a lively sanctuary for the teachers. Students expressed their gratitude via a play, a choir, a PowerPoint presentation, mementos, and a poem.
It was followed by a wonderful musical dedication and a lovely humorous skit by the students. There was a PowerPoint presentation with photographs of all the teachers, while a student spoke about each one of them. The teachers also received mementos on behalf of all the students. The students ended by bowing downto the teachers, in Sajda, as a gesture of respect.
The teachers’ day program was all about expressing love, gratitude and respect towards the teachers. The efforts weren’t limited to the student council members and the morning sanctuary, but were extended to all the teachers of B.A., B.Com, M.A., M.Com, BBA, and BBA(CA),BSc and MSc.
Student Research
Department of BBA - Student Paper Presentation
Two FYBBA students, Ms. Trini Sharon and Ms. Ahmatullah Lightwala participated in a Paper Presentation Competition for students at the ICFAI Business School, Pune on the theme “Digital Trends and Practices in Business” on February 19, 2019. The Chief Guest at the occasion was Ms. Sowmya Iyer, Founder and CEO, DViO Digital.
Ms. Sharon and Ms. Lightwala presented their paper on the topic ‘The Future of Present is With Digital Innovation’ under the track. The topics covered at the competition were Crypto Currency, Artificial Intelligence, Over the Top Media and many others. The competition was well-attended from many under-graduate and post-graduate students from colleges around Pune city.
Faculty of Commerce- Department of Accountancy
Ms. Aashika Jain, a student of MCOM, specialising in Advanced Accountancy and Taxation attended an International Seminar on “Contemporary Issues in Commerce and Management” organized by Ness Wadia College of Commerce on Feb 15-16, 2019, and presented aresearch papers titled- ‘Role of Environmental Accounting in Sustainable Development’. She were guided, motivated and mentored by Dr. Gilbi John.
Faculty of Commerce- Department of Accountancy
The Student ofM.Com specialising in Advanced Accountancy and Taxationattendedan International Conference on ‘New Trends in Commerce, Economics, Banking Cooperation,Management, Computer Science, IT and Environment organized by Poona College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Pune on February 8-9, 2019 and presented research papers.
The following students presented research papers on various topics
- • Varsha Shete ‘Impact of IT in Banking System’
- • Devika Tanpure ‘Impact of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Luxury Cars’
- • Tanaya Landge ‘A Study on E-Banking’, to be published in a peer-reviewed International Multidisciplinary Journal – ‘Ajanta’
- • Vaishnavi Galande ‘Technology and Innovative Practices in Accounting’
- • Vaibhavi Surati ‘Role of Technology and Innovations in Accounting Practices and its effects on Business’
The students were guided, motivated and mentored by Dr. Gilbi John.
Student Paper Presentation at a National Conferenceon – “Recent Trends, Issues, Changes and Challenges in Commerce, Management, Economics and Information Technology”
Seven Master of Commerce – Specialisation Advanced Accountancy and Taxation students attended and presented papers at the National Conference on – “Recent Trends, Issues, Changes and Challenges in Commerce, Management, Economics and InformationTechnology”, held on 1st and 2nd February2019 at Arihant College of Arts, Commerce and Science.
• Archana Ghavate presented a paper titled- ‘Role of Auditor in Corporate Financial Governance’.
• Arya Somanpresented a paper titled-‘Customer’s Perception on Green Banking’.
• Kaaveri Jethwani presented a paper titled- A study on the impact of GST on FMGC Sector.
• Kamya Jethwani presented a paper titled-‘Impact of GST on the Cement Industry’.
• Pooja Khalikar presented a paper titled-‘ Indirect Tax Reforms through GST on Small Scale Business’
• Sapna Vermapresented a paper titled –‘Banking Sector Reforms and development of new age banking with reference to Indian Post Payment Banks’.
• Sneha Singhpresented a paper titled-‘Impact of Cloud Accounting on start-ups in India’.
Student Paper Presentation at a National Conference
Participating at Conferences and being a part of discussions and deliberations is innate to the academic culture at St. Mira’s.
Our M. Com students specialising in Advanced Accountancy and Taxation attended and presented research papers at a National Conference held at Arihant Institute of Business Management, Pune, 21st -22nd January, 2019–Overview, Challenges and Trends in Start-Ups in India.
AakanshaTripathi presented a paper titled ‘Green Marketing – an opportunity for innovating start ups’. She received the First Runner up – Best Paper presenter award. Shilpa Londe presented a paper on – ‘Employment and Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Financial Markets’. She received the Second Runner up – Best Paper presenter award. Sahla Fayeeza presented a paper titled – ‘Store clustering- A business optimisation model’. Noyal Paul presented a paper titled- ‘Role of Social Media in youth Entrepreneurship’ The students were guided, motivated and mentored by Dr. Gilbi John. Student Paper Presentation
Student Paper Presentation
In a step towards building research skills, Astha Agarwal and Suzzanne Gladys presented a research paper at SPPU sponsored State Level Seminar held at M. U. College, Pimpri, on 18th January 2019 on “Cyber Law, Cyber Crime and Cyber Ethics”. The paper was titled- ‘66A- Is it a Draconian Section of IT Act, 2000(2008)?’ The students were guided by Dr. Dimple Buche from the Department of Commerce- Department of Accountancy
Student Research Paper Presentation at International Conference
The Department of Commerce - Department of Accountancy is very proud of it's M. Com students specialising in Advanced Accountancy and Taxation who attended and presented research papers at an International Conference held at Abeda Inamdar College on 18th and 19th January 2019 titled "Vision India 2030: Strategizing through alignment of corporate values towards Sustainable Development". Sreejitha Nair presented a paper titled- “The Impact of Computerised Accounting for building better Corporate Governance". Nikita Naik presented a paper on "Innovation and technology in eco-friendly accounting”. Shital Lahane presented a paper titled- “Impact of Online Banking and Mobile Apps on different age groups." Ruth Masiha presented a paper titled – "An Analytical Study of Individual Perception of Life Insurance" The students were guided, motivated and mentored by Dr. Gilbi John.
Student Council Activities
Music Festival by Student Council 2018-19
On 31st January 2019, the Student Council 2018-19 organized an Intra College Music Festival with an aim to unite the students of all the departments through music. The event was headed by Sakshi Brahma and Kshitija Gaikwad. The theme of the Music Fest was Whimsical which very simply means light-hearted and fun. The event was held in the college auditorium and invitations were open to all students from all departments.
The program commenced with the lighting of the lamp by the Principal Dr Gulshan Gidwani and Vice Principal Dr Shalini Iyer. There were 20 participants from all the departments and all age groups. Songs were sung by the talented Mira students in English, Hindi and Tamil and from genres ranging from Quwali to Folk Rock to Cup song.
Music Fest provided a stage to all the aspiring singers in St Mira’s College and gave them an opportunity to showcase their talent. The decoration team headed by Ritika Bhansal made paper Guitars and radios out of materials with the motive of making best out of waste.
The Music Fest concluded with a group song presented by the Student Council and a vote of thanks. The students thanked the Principal Dr Gulshan Gidwani, Vice principal Dr Shalini Iyer, Vocational Course Coordinator Mrs. Stella Ambrose, all the Council Teachers and Prof Vaishali Joshi (for her guidance). The event proved to be a success and was enjoyed by all the students and the teachers.
Fashion Week-Student Council
The Student Council 2018-19, under the leadership of Ms. Chitra Verma, organised a Fashion Week for St. Mira’s lovely students. The Fashion week started on 5th January 2019 with Traditional Day and ended on 12th January 2019 with Colour Contrast day. The other days celebrated were: Black and White Day, Mismatch Day, Retro Day, Formals Day, and Patiala Day.
The Fashion Week was enjoyed by the students of all the departments and made the atmosphere of the college lively and colourful the whole week.
Cleanliness Drive 2018-19
A cleanliness drive was organised and executed by the Student Council 2018-19 on the 17th January 2019, under the leadership of Ms. Shrutika Patil, Ms. Rushali Belapurkar, Ms. Uzma Shaikh and the guidance of Ms. Diksha Singh (Green Club Member). The activity started with the inauguration ceremony graced by the Vice- Principal, Dr Shalini Iyer, and the Vocational Course Co-ordinator, Ms Stella Ambrose. The inaugural speech was scripted and delivered by Ms Kshitija Gaikwad and Ms Rushali Belapurkar respectively. The NSS volunteers, Green Club members and volunteers from different classes, contributed and supported the activity throughout the drive. The entire college campus including the sports ground, parking area, garden, back quarter of the sanctuary, cash counter etc. was sub-divided into 6 areas. The students were grouped with each group being assigned one area for carrying out the cleanliness drive. More than a 100 students of the college participated wholeheartedly in the Cleanliness Drive. The drive was successfully executed according to plan. Recognising and appreciating the efforts of all the students and volunteers, the Vice- Principal, on behalf of the college, treated everyone to snacks.
This activity marked the unity and sense of responsibility among all the students towards the college campus and brought a realization of the efforts taken by our sevaks and sevikas in maintaining regular cleanliness on the campus.
Class Of The Year Competition 2018-19 - Day 2
After a memorable and exciting Day 1 of the Class of the Year Competition, Day 2 - 4th January 2019, was much awaited by the student community. Though each class excelled in their own unique way, the competition was challenging for the participants. The teams competed with each other in a very healthy manner.
Day 2 witnessed a series of 3 fun-filled activities, Creativity, Machinery in Motion and Mystery Solving - which brought in a lot of enthusiasm and excitement among the students.
‘Creativity’, the word itself best describes the expectations of creations and innovations from the participants. They were provided with material and art essentials such as newspapers, ribbons, Fevicol etc. A 30 minutes activity, where 10 minutes were allotted for the assimilation of the essentials required for their products, and 20 minutes were given for preparation. The students were to come up with dresses out of the material provided as well as model them. Mrs. Arwah Madan and Mrs. Meenal Sumant graced this activity as judges. The activity ended with a blend of cultures and ideas creating unique outfits, successfully.
The second activity for the day was ‘Machinery in Motion’. The teams were asked to collectively form into any machine and demonstrate its working. They were given 20 minutes to prepare their idea and 10 minutes for presentation. The main criteria were teamwork and participation. Students came up with brilliant ideas such as ATMs, Sanitary pad machines, Auto-rickshaws etc. The judges for this activity were Ms Sakshi Brahma and Ms Shrutika Patil.
The last activity of the event which was a secret activity for the top 3 teams was ‘Mystery Solving’. In this secret activity, every team was given a series of chits that included clues. Each clue led to an area in the college premises. The teams were given 30 minutes to solve all four clues. The first team to finish the task would get 30 points, the second team would get 20 points and the last team would get 10 points. This last activity, though difficult was enjoyed by all the teams and contributed to their awareness of the college campus.
Student Council Installation
Student Council Installation Ceremony 2018-2019
The Student Council installation ceremony was held in the sanctuary hall on 3rdSeptember2018. Principal Dr. Gulshan Gidwani, Vice Principal Dr. Shalini Iyer, Course Co-ordinator Mrs. Stella Ambrose, parents of the newly elected council members, teachers of all the departments and students were present to witness the ceremony.
The sanctuary began with the college song followed by the Saraswati Vandana, invocation and thought for the day. Shazia Lalljee, a former student council member of 2015, commenced the ceremony by a welcome address which was followed by the lighting of the lamp by the Principal, Vice Principal, Course Co-ordinator and former council members Freny Daruwala and Afreen Sabooni. The newly elected student council members were then introduced and honoured with the prestigious badge by the Principal Dr.Gulshan Gidwani. The appointed council consisting of fifteen members, were led by former council members Freny Daruwala and Afreen Sabooni in Oath taking whereby they pledged to serve the college to the best of their abilities, being true to the values of St. Mira. The council members were then shown a presentation comprising of blessings and good wishes from family and friends. The ceremony ended with a vote of thanks proposed by Shazia Lalljee.
The day marked a new beginning for the appointed council members and all wished them well for their future endeavours.
Industrial Visits/Field Trips
Department of Business Economics and Banking- Field Visit – College of Agricultural Banking (CAB) Reserve Bank of India, Pune
The Department of Business Economics and Banking organized a field visit to the College ofAgricultural Banking (CAB), Reserve Bank of India for the FYBCOM students specializing inBanking and Finance on 11thMarch 2019.
Mr. YashwantSahu, Asst. General Manager addressed the students on the topic “ITrelated frauds in the Banking Sector” in the first session that began at 10am. He spoke on the types of frauds and highlighted upon precautions to betaken by the customers. This was followed by a session on the role of Reserve Bank of India on the Monetary Policy and itsimplementation by Mr. AshutoshUpadhyay, Asst. General Manager, Cooperative Banking Channel.
This was followed by a visit to the Financial Literacy and Credit Counseling Centre (FLCC), for a pictorial presentation of the functions of abank, banking products, importance of savings and investments, principles of financialplanning and the like.
The session on the history and importance of the Archives was conducted by Dr. R.L.Sahu, the Chief Archivist and Ms. MonaliShetty, Assistant Manager in the archives section.A short film depicting the importance of documentation as a means to create evidences and tofoster research was shown to the students. The students got a chance to observe various preserveddocuments and at the same time their queries were satisfied by the officials. A total of 61 students visit the College of Agricultural Banking, RBI, Pune coordinated by Ms. MeenakshiWagh, Assistant Professor, Department of Business Economics and Banking along with Ms. AmrutaNarke.
A Visit To Venkateshkrupa Sugar Mill Ltd.
42 T.Y.B.Com. students from Business Administration, Department of Business Studies, visited Venkateshkrupa Sugar Mill Ltd., Jategaon Bk. on 2nd February 2019. The visit provided them with industrial exposure to manufacturing facilities, plant layout and production processes. The organization appointed its representatives who explained the entire process from sourcing raw materials to producing a finished product, packing, storage, byproducts and answered all students’ queries as well. The visit was organised by Asst. Prof. Shanthi Fernandes.
Industrial Visit to Parag Milk Foods
The students of SYBBA on 31st January 2019 went for an industrial visit to Parag MilkFoods Ltd, Manchar, to observe the unique process of Pride of Cows - a brand of PMF and the concept of fresh farm-to-home milk. The students also saw the process of cheese making at the Go Cheese factory. The Manchar factory is a ZERO waste factory,they recycle everything from the liquid that is separated from cheese to the cow dung which is converted into biogas.
The students were given a presentation on the products and processes followed by lunch and were taken to the dairy farm. The students were also given a gift hamper containing cheese dips, cheese spreads. It was a great learning experience for the students to see how a factoryoperates and how it is managed for optimum output.
Industrial Visit to Max Tissue Paper Factory, Sanaswadi, Pune
On 15th December 2019, the students of SYBBA along with their faculty Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi visited Max-Tissue paper factory at BU Industrial Estate, Sanaswadi. The owner of the factory Mr Jayesh Mehta was personally available along with the manager, Mr Das. Ms Sinha gave a tour of the entire premises and explain how tissue papers of various types were manufactured like the facial tissues, pocket tissues, restaurant tissues, kitchen towels, wet wipes etc. As a second-generation business, they had successfully diversified into paper plates and bowls after the plastic ban. They had not gone online as they were very satisfied with their current customers. They supply all over India from Assam to Punjab. Additionally, Mr Jayesh believed in women empowerment hence the ratio of workers is 2:1, female to male.
The visit was very enriching for the students and all their queries were answered. Mr Jayesh also was kind enough to gift a hamper consisting of different tissue packs and wet wipes to each and every student.
Educational Trip to Ajanta and Ellora Caves, Aurangabad, Maharashtra
The Department of History organised an educational trip to the Ajanta and Ellora Caves on December 14th and 15th 2018.
A group of 19 history students along with two alumni and two teachers, Dr. Sandhya Pandit and Dr. Arwah Madan started out early on 14th December to reach the Ellora Caves by afternoon. The group had a great experience exploring, understanding and learning about the caves, the structure, the architecture and the paintings. The students discovered the different cultures imbibed in the architecture seen at the Ellora Caves – Hindu, Jain and Buddhist namely. There were a number of worship idols and important cultural sites within which were worth studying and the enthusiastic history students put to practice their knowledge in identifying important nuances in the caves.
The next day, December 15th, the group reached the Ajanta caves early morning to explore the Buddhist caves there. While identifying the Buddhist caves and studying the techniques used to make them, the students discovered the different belief schools that practiced different methods of worship. The students, with vigour and keenness, visited and studiously covered some of the most significant parts of the Ajanta cave paintings and the varieties of Buddhist sculptures. All in all, the trip was extremely educational as the students got a first-hand experience of seeing what they studied. Every aspect of the trip was fruitful in teaching them different techniques and different worship styles. This part of experiential learning also brought about an understanding of the need for the preservation of the rich heritage of our country.
Bhim Thadi Jatra Field Trip
The students of FY Business Entrepreneurship, under the umbrella of the Business Studies Department, along with Green Club members, visited the Bhimthadi Jatra on 23rd December 2018. This Jatra or fair has been organised in Pune since the last 13 years. It features a rural carnival which includes a Cultural Exhibition, a Flea Market, a Food Market, Live Shows, and an exhibition-cum-sale of homemade food products. This fair provides villagers a platform to exhibit their products and enhance their livelihood options.
At the Jatra, ‘Bhimthadi Select’ - an ideology relating to the theme: ‘recycle, reuse and sustain’ was presented and advocated. The Jatra helped to showcase the vocations and products of artisans, craftsmen and designers working in the field of reviving and sustaining traditional handlooms, handicrafts and other Indian crafts. The Jatra received an overwhelming response from the citizens of Pune.
This visit provided our Business Entrepreneurship students an opportunity to interact with Self-help Group (SHG) members and obtain insights into the functioning, funding and formation of such SHGs. Furthermore, the student members of the Green Club of our College understood the importance of sustaining our traditional handicrafts, which are usually a cleaner, greener and more sustainable alternative to readymade products.
Industrial Visit to Katraj Dairy
Under the aegis of Department of Accountancy, the Third-Year Costing-2 students of St. Mira's College for Girls, visited the Pune Zila Sahakari Dudh Utpadak Sangh Ltd., famous as Katraj Dairy on 21st December 2018
"Are the milk packets delivered at our doorsteps every morning really fresh?" The students visit aimed towards learning about the ‘milk processing’ industry.
The students were oriented about the processing of milk in the dairy and the machines used, the labourers required during the processing of the milk through a video. The dairy collects 2 lakh litres of milk every day from nearby villages resulting in a financial turnover of over Rs. 250 crores per year.
The milk collected from villages is transported through cold storage tankers to the center at Katraj, Pune. It is tested for their purity and contaminants, processed and distributed. The dairy distributes milk and milk products like Pasteurized/ Homogenized- Cow Milk, Toned Milk, Double Toned Milk, Standardized Milk, Full Cream Milk, Cow & Buffalo Cream and Ghee, Shrikhand, Paneer, Curd, Flavoured Milk, Lassi, Kalakand, Kaju Barfi and many more products.
The dairy uses the traditional processing method. There are various machines used for processing the milk. There is a boiler which initiates the process of making steam that is used for homogenization and pasteurization. This was followed by detailing of the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) and further the refrigeration and Packaging Section.
The students gained knowledge regarding treatment of milk before it is packed and delivered at consumers’ doorsteps. The visit ended on a sweet note when the students were treated with a complimentary ice-cream manufactured at Katraj Dairy!
Excursion to Ujni Backwaters
The S.Y.B.Com Costing students of the Department of Accountancy went on an excursion to Ujni Backwaters, Bhigwan to see the migratory birds—the Flamingos, on Saturday 1st December 2018. The excursion gave the students exposure in many ways. The students learnt various skills like organizing the excursion, costing for it and enjoying nature. It was an endeavour towards learning outside the classroom and beyond the curriculum. They were accompanied by their professor, Dr. Dimple Buche.
Industrial visit to JW Marriott
On 11th December 2018, SYBBA students went for a hotel visit to J. W. Marriott, where they got an insight into the service sector, their management department and their various luxury specialities.
The staff warmly shared information about the hotel, especially the guest officer who showed the students the different restaurants in the hotel, the poolside and the spa which was quite fascinating and appealing to the eye. The students got a lot of information for their subject.
The students also met the HR manager of the hotel who explained the hierarchy of the hotel, the functional and marketing plans, how they recruit interns and how flexible their working times were which takes them ahead in the service sector competition. They explained their logo - the Griffin, and what it signifies and how important it is to give justice to it.
Overall the visit turned out to be a great experience for learning new things which helped them understand the basics of the hotel sector and the working of such sectors. The visit was coordinated by teacher Mrs. Abhradita Navhi
Theatre Field Trip - Greek Drama
The SYBA students from the Department of English attended live theatre performances of two Greek plays — Oedipus Rex by Sophocles and Medea by Euripides, presented by SSLA on 17th November 2018. Greek Drama forms part of the English Special curriculum and Oedipus Rex is a play under study. A total of 19 students attended the enriching performance which captured the spirit of Greek Drama and was a good way to enhance literary knowledge. The students thoroughly enjoyed both the plays but were especially thrilled by the modern version of Medea.
Visit to Mahatma Phule Mandi
On 29th Nov. 2018, F.Y.BCom Marketing ‘A’ students along with Asst. Prof. Rajni Singh visited the Mahatma Phule Mandi to gain insights into the functions of Marketing as applicable in the case of vegetable and fruit wholesaling and retailing. The student strength for the visit was 73.
The visit turned out to be a great learning experience for the students as they carried out a small-scale survey with the sellers in the Mandi. The interaction not only helped the students in understanding the basics of marketing but also sensitized them towards the challenges faced by vegetable and fruit wholesalers.
Industrial Visit to C-DAC by Department of Computer Electronics
To understand the working of a supercomputer, the Electronics Department organized an industrial visit to C-DAC. The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Pune has developed affordable supercomputers for educational institutes and industry for conducting high-end in-house research work. The supercomputer in a box solution aims to provide capacity-building with advanced technologies to perform high-end computations for scientific, engineering and academic programs to address and catalyse the research using modelling, simulation and data analysis.
This visit helped students to understand and gain knowledge of soft computing and simulation of data.
Salsa Credit Course
Interesting and innovative credit courses are always our way at St. Mira’s, one of which was a Salsa Styling Credit Course conducted by our very own final year BBA student, Ms. SimranWadhwani, a certified instructor in Performing Arts.
This 15-hour course helped students understand the better utilization of body motion and styling while introducing them to some flavours of international culture. The training was imparted to students from all the streams.
This workshop was an endeavour to introduce different cultures and their art forms to students. The instructor was successful in achieving the set goal of helping the girls learn more about the dance form and build better personalities at the same time.
Practical and theory examinations were conducted at the end of the sessions for students, to evaluate their understanding and learning through the course.
The students enthusiastically look forward to more such opportunities and learnings.
Social outreach
Project Indies - St. Mira’s Animal Rescue Group (SMCARG)
Volunteers from SMCARG, St Mira’s College for Girls along with the Indies team in collaboration with Wadgaonsheri Animal Saviours, Kalyani Nagar Woof and other volunteers has, from 10th April to 29th May 2019, , conducted a census of the stray dog population and counted nearly 800+ dogs in Wadgaonsheri and 250+ dogs in Kalyani Nagar with the help of the Indies App. It was almost a 2-month long volunteering program. 10 students participated in this program.
The census recorded on the Indies App allows volunteers to have hands-on data on the number of dogs, male-female ratio, sterilization and vaccination details, dogs either requiring or undermedication, allowing the volunteers to plan sterilization and vaccination drives.
This data can also be made available to government agencies allowing them to use the information to draw up plans and budgets accordingly.The census drive also ensured that the local community saw the volunteers at work first-hand and were also able to share their grievances, get medical assistance for sick dogs and get puppies signed up for adoption camps.
Social Outreach at AASRA by Dept of English
In the second week and third week at AASRA, from 13th May onwards, the volunteers taught children, from grade 4 to 8, basic grammar like articles, verbs, noun and adjectives, and the children from 8th grade onwards were also taught basic geography. Various games were played with to strengthen their teamwork, reflexes and observation skills. Games like name-place-animal-thing, kho-kho, dog and the bone, passing the ball, housie, the blindfold game and Pictionary were played. The games were helpful in testing the basic skills and knowledge of the children such as their grammar, vocabulary and numbers. Various expression modules were also studied in detail by the volunteers to see whether they can be implemented. Several craft work sessions were held a couple of times for the children as they are very fond of art and craft. Through these activities and some interactive conversations, the volunteers also learned of their hobbies, likes and dislikes, and what they aspire to become when they grow up. Their determination to pursue further education was a joy to behold.
In the fourth week at AASRA, the volunteers played fun learning games like Mafia and Zombie with the children and continued to work on basic grammar and pronunciation. The volunteers attended an introductory session on Community Asset Mapping (CAM) was guided by MS. Tara. They learnt the fundamentals of CAM which ranged from major topics like the importance of keeping records of assets of a community to minor queries such as what are open-ended questions and their role in CAM. A practical session was conducted where volunteers were divided into two teams attempting an Asset Map each. Awards were given to maps most organized, maps with the maximum number of assets and to best teamwork. This gave the volunteers a sense of achievement and motivated them to study Assets while giving them a better idea about what AASRA works towards.
Social Outreach at AASRA by Dept of English
The first week at the NGO AASRA, May 2019, was spent cementing the bond between the volunteers from St. Mira’sfrom the Dept of English, the members of the organisation and the people who were to benefit from the program. The social outreach volunteers were primarily handed the task of providing value education to the children under its Mentorship program.
With the initiation of the aforementioned program, students from the ages of 8 to15 interacted with the volunteers from St. Mira’s during activities like drawing and painting, carried out for skill enhancement. The volunteers were grouped in pairs and woulddevote 2 hours twice that week for the program. Lujain, Sanjna and Ayushree volunteered for children from Grade 4th to 8th, while Shreya and Friyana centred their program around students in 8th Grade and above. Additionally, games like Name-Place-Animal-Thing and Lotto were played to hone the students’ grasp of the English language and numbers.
Project Indies - St. Mira’s Animal Rescue Group
The volunteers of the Animal Rescue Group from the BBA Department volunteered with Project INDIES for the “Sare Jahan Se Acha” foundation, under the guidance of ShivaniMohite, on 11th March 2019. It was coordinated by Dr. Gulshan Gidwani and Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi and about 12 students participated. The Indies project has initiated the collaring of stray dogs all over India and the volunteers collared the strays around South Main Road and areas near the college. Around 12-15 dogs in the areas around Koregaon Park area were collared.
Department of English - Orientation for Social Outreach collaboration with AASRA
On Friday 15th March 2019, Mohammad Saif spoke to the girls of the SYBA about collaborating with project AASRA which aspires to transform the slum Ishrat Baug on the NIBM Undri road into an ideal society. The project is already three years old and has come a long way. The residents are primarily migrant labourers and domestic help. The girls will be working with the children of the slum.
The program begins with a summer internship starting May 1st where the girls will concentrate on four areas guided by corresponding mentors. Ms Nicole from the United States works on character building through games, Ms Tara who is also from the US is concerned with community asset mapping, our very own MA student Maryam Shaikh will head the mentorship programme and Mohammad Saif is responsible forself-help groups for women.
We look forward to a rewarding year ahead.
Social Outreach initiative with Spherule Foundation
The Department of Accountancy is associated with Spherule Foundation, Viman Nagar,Pune.Spherule Foundation works to create awareness on menstrual hygiene. The foundation alsoconducts training under its ‘Train the Trainers’ programfor creating this awareness.
The ‘Train the Trainers’ program was initiated at our college. The Students of SY BCOM volunteered enthusiastically to undergo the training. The training was conducted at two levels. Level one was at St. Mira’s College on 4thFebruary 2019 and Level two was at Spherule Foundation on 9thFebruary 2019,undertaken by20 students.Ourstudents – the ‘trainers’were readyto conduct sessions at different PMC schools on behalf of Spherule Foundation!
The first session was conducted at PMC School, Kharabwadi Village, Chakan MIDC on 14thFebruary 2019. Three volunteers- Aditi Goel, Akanksha Kamthe and Kalpana Singhgained first-hand experience. The second session was conducted atVidyaniketan School, Kothrud, Pune on 22nd February 2019 by Aditi Goel, Safia Khatun and Sushmita Chakraborty. This session was independently handled by our volunteers.Each time a batch of volunteers conducted a session, a briefingsession by earlier volunteers encouraged them to take up the challenge.Students are so motivated towards spreading awareness that they wish to conduct sessions even during their vacations!
Click here to watch the video of one of the sessions conducted.Project Indies - St. Mira’s Animal Rescue Group Social Outreach Programme
The St. Mira’s Animal Rescue Group, the Social Outreach Programme of the BBA Department, has taken a step further by collaborating with the Sare Jahan Se Acha Socio-eco-pol Foundation Pvt Ltd. Indies-Connect and Care is a flagship project of this foundation that helps volunteers channelize their benevolence towards street animals more efficiently and effectively.
Change has to start from home so we started by collaring our very own St Mira’s Indie “MOTI”
An enlightening and engaging session on the foundation, it’s objectives and how as animal lovers, the volunteers of the Animal Rescue group can contribute to this massive revolutionary movement in the history of animal activism, was conducted by Mr. Raja Narasimhan, Mrs. Manjiree Patwardhan and Mrs. Shivani Mohite on 15th February 2019.
The session covered essentials of general animal welfare, dos and don’ts of caring for and feeding street animals, along with the knowledge of constitutional rights on providing for the strays. They promoted a solution of the 5 C Principles- Collar, Census, Control, Co-exist and Collaborate for the issues faced today. The talk influenced the students to implement and teach, in their surroundings, the right techniques to deal with common issues faced in societies pertaining to street dogs and cats.
Details of the Indies movement was elaborated on, where volunteers residing in different areas of the city will be given training on first aid, feeding, calculating census and will be equipped with the right tools to make these processes easier. Information on the ‘Indies App’ for all volunteers’ easier access and connectivity was provided. The aim of this collaboration is to encourage, support and influence the students to be more aware and proactive towards life in our environment.
Volunteering for the Project INDIES
The volunteers of the Animal Rescue group from theBBA Departmentvolunteered along with PAWZEEBLE and ProjectINDIES for “Sare Jahan Se Acha” foundation. On 14th Feb 2019, they participated in a feeding drive in various parts of Pune.
The Indies project has initiated collaring of stray dogs all over India and inthe pilot project in Pune,around 40 dogs were collared with the help of the volunteers. The students also raised funds worth Rs.7000 in the month of July 2019 which was used to donate 100 collars for stray dogs. The contribution of the volunteers in means of time, effort and resources were of immense help and appreciated.
Social Outreach Initiative at DeepGriha - ‘Personal Hygiene during Menstruation’
The Department of Accountancy organized an awareness session on ‘personal hygiene during menstruation’ on 23rd January, 2019 at DeepGriha by Dr. Geeta Bora. Dr. Geeta Bora is the founder of Pune-based Spherule Foundation which spearheads the social initiative of creating awareness programmes on menstrual hygiene across the country. Around 110 women from Tadiwala Road slum area attended the session and actively participated in it by discussing their menstruation related problems.
Spherule Foundation also distributed free sanitary napkins named ‘Stri’ to the women of Tadiwala Road slum area. ‘Stri’ Sanitary Napkins are India’s most affordable sanitary napkins, assuring world class feminine hygiene. A one-year supply of ‘Stri’ Sanitary Napkins is available for Rs 240/-
The session was organized by Dr. Dimple Buche and supported by members of Viman Nagar Women’s Club who actively participated in this awareness session.
NGO-PRAYATNA - Orientation Programme
In the academic year 2018-19, the Departments of Economics, Business Economics and Banking initiated the student's engagement in a community outreach programme. To encourage students to participate in an outreach programme, the department introduced the students to NGO-PRAYATNA an organization working for people with special needs such as Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD etc.
To begin with, an Orientation Session was organized for the BA & BCOM student's on December 8, 2019. Ms Durga Chandran and Ms Alefiya Dewaswala, working with Prayatna as special educators interacted with the students to generate awareness about the organization, about special needs and made an attempt to sensitize the students to the needs of people with special needs.
As part of the community outreach programme, the Department put upaStall at Mira Bazaar, an annual event held at our college to showcase the products made by the NGO Prayatna. Prayatna had on offer a diverse range of products, from Tie& Die Scarves, Table Covers, Gift Bags, Stationery, Gift Envelopes, Fridge Magnets, Key Chains, Note Pads, Pens, Gift Wrapping Paper, Mugs, etc. all made by the special members from various age groups. Their stall received an overwhelming response.
This initiative was appreciated by PRAYATNA as it provided an opportunity to reach out to people, the increase student awareness and sensitivity towards people with challenges.The Stall made a sale ofRs. 4300/-at the Mira Bazaar, and this they admitted would be helpful in meeting their deficit.Some of our students helped in setting up the stall and helped promote their brand on the college campus.
Through these programmes, the Department aims to explore the possibility of students interning with the NGO-Prayatna. This would enable the students to contribute their time and skill to the NGO after college hours.
BBA Initiative Mahayagnya Week
The true motto of our group is ‘love, compassion and kindness’, which is one of the priceless teachings of our beloved Dada J. P. Vaswani.
The animal rescue group of St. Mira’s College for Girls continue to follow the footsteps laid by our reveredfounder Dada J.P. Vaswani. During the Mahayagnya week, the volunteers took up the cause of feeding stray dogs in and around the college namely on South Main Road and Naylor Road. The volunteers guided by our Principal Dr Gulshan Gidwani and Prof. Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi have also tied up with a local feeder in Koregaon Park to continue the work of feeding, nurturing and healing stray dogs.
Social Outreach Programme – "Deep Griha Society"
Learning to Give Back! The Department of Accountancy is associated with the NGO "Deep Griha Society" on Tadiwala Road, Pune as a part of its Social Outreach undertaking.
Deep Griha Society is an independent charitable organisation working to better the lives of low income, informal communities in Pune. It works with participants in and around Pune through a range of family welfare programmes encompassing education, healthcare, child development and women’s empowerment.
The students were introduced to Deep Griha’s activities and programmes through a video in August 2018 to garner their response towards Deep Griha’s needs. We are proud of our students who gave an overwhelming response to volunteer for many activities!
The volunteers then attended an orientation program organized at Deep Griha premises on 31st August 2018 in an attempt to identify the areas in which they could contribute.
The orientation session, followed by a discussion with Shri Rajendra at Deep Griha identified the need to provide academic coaching to the children at Deep Griha.
Social Outreach Programme - Mitti Ke Rang
MITTI KE RANG – working for advocacy and empowering the lives of widows and their children worldwide, is an organization which thrives to bring about change in society.
As part of the outreach programme, the students of the Department of Sociology have joined MKR as interns to work under the supportive guidance of Mr. Amit Jain, its founder. This collaboration aims at working in the two major sections of groundwork and advocacy. The interns, divided into different areas of this work have achieved astonishing results and are learning many other relevant skills along the way. The different areas of the interns' work are surveys, graphic design/video making and presentations, research papers, monthly events, social media, one skill to put forward and project reading.
Social Outreach Programme – JivitNadi Foundation
As a part of the social outreach programme, the students of the Department of Sociology intern with JivitNadi Foundation. The JivitNadi Foundation works towards healthy rivers in Pune. The students work mainly in the cleanup drive, they organize rallies to spread the awareness about healthy rivers and for sustaining flora and fauna of the same, and as volunteers for the river walk.
Social Outreach Programme - Open Links Foundation
As a part of the social outreach programme, students of the Department of Sociology intern with Open Links Foundation. The Open Links Foundation aims at an ‘open’ education through visual learning with fun learning engagements for students. The Open Links Foundation promotes lively classrooms with much richer learning than usual, fun for those who teach and those who learn as well. This is acted out by the SAARTHI group. The SAARTHI group will train the students in video making and editing, story-telling and visualization, accompanied by some other soft skills.
The interns will help school children to develop stories, make videos on school topics, and visualizations.
HelpLife Social Outreach Activity
The Department of English supports the NGO "HelpLife" as part of its Social Outreach undertaking by sending student volunteers to assist the physically challenged girls from HelpLife at their stall for the Diwali Exhibition“Srujan” organized by the Rotary Club of Poona West. Srujan is an exhibition cum sale of products made by special children and persons and it offers them an opportunity to interact with other members of society and generate revenue through the sale of products. It also helps raise awareness about their respective NGOs. The exhibition was held on the 20th and 21st of October 2018. Several girls from the college volunteered to assist HelpLife boarders at their stall in the sale of handmade envelops, Diwali diyas, paper bags and sanitary pads. The fun-filled interactions created a sense of empowerment and responsibility among all the participants and left them motivated and inspired.
HelpLife Clothes, Newspaper and Menstrual Hygiene Drive
HelpLife is an NGO for physically challenged girls. Not only are the girls housed and educated but they are eventually made self-reliant and empowered with a feeling of self-worth.
On the 19th and 22nd of October 2018, the students of St Mira’s volunteering at HelpLife organised a clothes and newspaper drive at St Mira’s College. The need for the newspaper drive is to provide the HelpLife residents the required raw material for the eco-friendly paper bags that they make. The clothes drive is to ensure the girls have something nice to wear for Diwali.
In addition, they also started the Menstrual Hygiene drive where they sold sanitary napkins packaged by the HelpLife girls. The profit goes to the NGO. They also spread awareness about the importance of menstrual hygiene and the need to inform all women about the terrible consequences if they do not take care of themselves.
One "Katori" Drive
Department of English took the initiative to organise a "One Katori Drive" on 15th September 2018 to support the NGO "HelpLife" as part of its Social Outreach undertaking. The main purpose of this drive is to create awareness among the students regarding differently-abled girls. "HelpLife" came to the aid of 22 physically challenged girls, accommodating them in three flats as their parents could not afford to look after them. These girls are very talented and just need the right encouragement and support. The purpose of the drive was to celebrate the joy of giving. Over 40kgs of Rice and 40kgs of Dal was collected by the students, teachers, and from surrounding neighbourhoods. The volunteers in charge were Titiksha Padir and Creeshu Pinjani, who were helped by Fatema S. Lightwala, Ayushi Halder, Joanne Fernandes, Shreya Humnabadkar, Anushka Gutain, Khadija Lokhandwala, Alifya Ezzi and Munira M. Phaltanwala. Everyone took a pledge to try and collect grains for their needs every month. It was a unique experience for all and left everyone feeling motivated to be part of this drive where need could be transformed into happiness.
Social Outreach Programme Organized by SY BCOM Students From July 2018- September 2018 Kasturba Gandhi School Koregaon Park
Students from SYBCom class were divided into groups, each group was assigned specific tasks at Kasturba Gandhi School. They taught basic etiquette in communication to students of 4th – 9th Std.; entertained the students with games, cooking, art and craft, some mudras of yoga; taught them health and hygiene; team building exercises and presentation skills.
The aim was to enable students to inculcate the habit of giving back to society.