ST MIRA'S COLLEGE PUNE

Dr. M.R. Jayakar Employability Skills Programme

“The more we give importance to skill development, the more competent will be our youth.” - Mr. Narendra Modi

Skill development is critical for economic growth and social development. Skill development has been considered one of the critical aspects of job creation in India. India has a unique demographic advantage with more than 60% of the population (approximately) in the young age group. But in order to get the most out of such a large workforce, employability has to be improved.

The skill development system in India is tilted towards a formal education system with limited vocational training. Vocational training is given least importance both qualitatively and quantitatively. The higher education system itself is struggling with issues related to the level and quality of skills. Moreover, there is no link between the formal education system and work requirements, which has increased the challenges related to the skill gap.

Quoting Honourable Prime Minister of India, Shree Narendra Modi’s Independence Day (2014) Speech –“Today, the world and India need a skilled workforce. If we have to promote the development of our country then our mission has to be `skill development’ and `Skilled India’. Millions and Millions of Indian youth should acquire the skills which could contribute towards making India a modern country.”

Considering the need of the hour, Savitribai Phule Pune University has initiated various skill development programmes to be conducted in various colleges to prepare students for the upcoming challenges and help them become more competent.

One of the programmes initiated by the Savitribai Phule Pune University and implemented in various Colleges is the Dr. M. R. Jayakar Employability Skills Programme which was organised at St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune during the month of November and December 2018. Altogether 22 sessions were organised, out of which 20 sessions were as per the requirements of Savitribai Phule Pune University and two additional sessions were organised to enhance Digital Learning.

The First and the Second sessions were conducted on 17th November 2018. The first session was by Mr. Pravin Buge from Unique Academy on “Preparation for Entrance Examinations”. In this session, students got a lot of information on how to prepare and appear for various Entrance Examinations. He cleared the queries of the participants regarding Various tests including Banking Examinations.

The Second Session was by Mr. Thomas Kuriakose, a Business Consultant as well as Corporate Trainer on “Effective Resume Writing”. Resume writing being a crucial part and being the stepping stone towards getting employed has to be given a lot of attention. Mr. Kuriakose highlighted various points to be considered while writing a Resume. This interactive session benefited the students to get their Resume Writing Skills.

The Third Session was conducted on 18th November 2018 by Dr. Rama Venkatachalam, an Associate Professor at St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune on “Entrepreneurship: Concept, Introduction and Characteristics of Entrepreneurs”. In this session, students were made familiar with the actual meaning and need of recognising one’s entrepreneurial potential and skill as well as working on them to achieve the goal. Dr. Rama gave some important tips on how to mitigate obstacles and distractions and work towards their goals as an Entrepreneur.

The Fourth Session was conducted on 18th November 2018 by Ms. Rajni Singh, an Assistant Professor at St. Mira’s College for Girls, on ‘Business Plan: Concept and Elements of Business Plans”. In this session, Ms. Rajni Singh very well explained the importance of planning before setting up a Business, the different elements of an efficient Business Plan and how to execute the same.

The Fifth Session was conducted on 24th November 2018 by Mr. Manoj Pamnani, a Corporate Trainer at Fareportal, on “Problem Solving and Negotiation Skills”. This session was filled with a lot of interaction and various small activities which forced the students to re-think their current methods of solving a problem. He explained various technical methods of solving problems such as 5 why’s, Cause and Effect analysis, CATWOE checklist, Mean-Ends analysis, Inductive Reasoning, etc. He also discussed the effective Negotiation Skills for a better deal in Career or Business.

The Sixth Session was on 24th November 2018 by Dr. Medha Sarasambi, a Physician on ‘Health and Hygiene.’ As much as developing skills and getting the desired job or becoming successful is important, in the same way, it is important for the students to focus on their health as well. There are many minor things which we ignore in our daily lives and which may lead to serious health issues. In this session, Dr. Medha brought to the students' attention the ways of maintaining Health and Hygiene in their daily lives and take care of themselves in the era where people don’t have time to focus on little things.

The Seventh Session was on 25th November 2018 by Mrs. Anita Narayan, Founder and Managing Trustee of Ekansh Trust, on “Sensitivity towards Specially-abled in different Environments”. In this session, Ms. Anita informed the students about the harsh reality of this society where a lot of specially-abled people are ignored by a lot of us. She explained various ways in which such specially-abled people can be helped to be more confident and how the students and professionals contribute towards this good cause of making our society inclusive where these people are also considered as an equal part of the society.

The Eighth Session was conducted on 25th November 2018 by Mr. Manoj Pamnani, a corporate trainer at Fareportal, on ‘Interview Skills.’ This session helped the students a lot with the skills in how to appear for an interview. It included a lot of aspects such as how to talk, how to dress up for an interview, how to prepare for an interview, do’s and don’ts to be considered before going for an interview, how to negotiate for terms of employment and much more.

The Ninth Session was conducted on 1st December 2018 by Ms. Neena Gir, a Corporate Trainer, on ‘Public Speaking.’ A lot of students are hesitant when they are asked to speak in front of a crowd and this lack of confidence and hesitation gets carried forward to the workplace as well. In this session, Ms. Neena Gir brought students’ attention towards various points to be considered before, during and after presenting anything to the public. She also explained the various elements of presentations.

The Tenth Session was conducted on 1st December 2018 by Ms. Anupama Jha, a Psychologist, who is a Facilitator, Wellness & Leadership Trainer at Achievers Training & Beyond, on ‘Time, Stress and Anger Management.’ This session taught the students ‘the mantra to growth’ i.e. effective time management, 21 days rule to bring changes in our lives, identifying our goals, smart goal setting, handling extreme emotions, being aware and managing stress.

The Eleventh & Twelfth Session was conducted on 2nd December 2018 by Mr. Pawan Mishra, Assistant Manager, Bank of Maharashtra, on “Bank Finance: Concept and Formalities” as well as “Government and Bank Schemes for Entrepreneurs”. To fulfil the dream of being an entrepreneur, students needed guidance on how to go about financing their Ventures. This query also got catered to in this session where Mr. Pawan talked about various schemes provided by the government for Entrepreneurs. Some of the schemes explained by the resource person are MUDRA scheme (2015), Loan within 59 minutes, Stand-up India, Skill India Loan Scheme, Start-up India and so on. Information about these schemes gave a push and a guiding path for many students to pursue their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur.

The Thirteenth & Fourteenth Session was conducted on 8th December 2018 by Mr. Amey Paratkar, on “Searching Data over the Internet” as well as “Information /Cyber Security”. Now, when all the students were ready to go ahead in their career, it was important to pass on certain information which is a must to know to sustain in today’s world before they could take off. Mr. Amey Paratkar in this entire session summed up various aspects of how to search for data over the internet and Cyber Crimes involved while searching and using the data. He pointed out various aspects which get ignored in our daily lives and can be dangerous. Where on one hand he gave information about various crimes that are taking place in today’s virtual world (such as fishing, hacking, various forms of harassment, etc.) and on other hand he made students aware of the measures to prevent these crimes and being secured internet users and also the places where people can seek help i.e. the ThinkTank helpline.

The Fifteenth Session was conducted on 9th December 2018 by Ms. Mousami Nilakhe on ‘Success and Failures in Entrepreneurship’. Success and failures are a vital part of life and how to handle both was being taught to the students in this session. Ms. Mousami motivated the students by saying that it is ok not to succeed in all the things we pursue in life and we should always look at our failures as a stepping stone as part their lives and Entrepreneurship as a profession. She provided tips on how to identify and handle challenges in Entrepreneurship.

The Sixteenth Session was conducted on 9th December 2018 by Ms. Rama Sarode, an Advocate by profession, on “Social Citizenship”. She explained the role of every citizen in making our society and country a happy place, the significance of following rules, law and responsibility of each student and individual in the society towards Nation Building activities and Social Responsibilities.

The Seventeenth & Eighteenth Session was conducted on 15th December 2018 by Mr. Siddharth Kulsheeal, who has served as an Assistant Manager at Axis Bank, on the topics “Online Banking” as well as “Safe Banking Tips and Guidelines”. It is important for all the students to stay updated in this tech-savvy world. In this session, Mr. Kulsheeal helped the students understand what actually online banking is and also explained the procedure of opening a bank account, how to activate online banking and transacting online. He explained the concepts and online banking processes like NEFT, RTGS, IMPS, BHIM Application, UPI, Aadhaar Enabled Payment Systems and USSD. Mr. Kulsheeal enlightened the students with safe banking tips and guidelines especially during online transactions and using plastic money.

The Nineteenth & Twentieth Sessions were conducted on 16th December 2018 by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh, an Associate Professor at St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune on “Concept of Money and Savings” as well as “Investment, Insurance, and Taxes”. Now when all of the students were finally ready to take off towards their dreams it was important to help them to manage their finances as well. A person’s success is not only defined by what they do in their career but also how they manage their personal lives. Managing personal finances well is as important as managing professional lives. In this session, Ms. Meenakshi explained the important formula of life i.e. ‘Income-Savings=Expenditure’. She also covered areas like how to save efficiently, retirement planning, how to invest smartly, on various insurance schemes and also on income tax rebates. She made the students aware of the importance of financial planning in their lives.

In addition to the sessions organised as per Savitribai Phule Pune University guidelines, two additional sessions were conducted on 21st December 2018 by Ms. Swati Phulate, Assistant Professor, Department of BSc. Computer Science, St. Mira’s College for Girls on various e-learning resources and how to create one’s own website, blog, and on blog writing through a demonstration. She also demonstrated the process of registering on SWAYAM and the e-learning facilities provided by the same. The session ended with a valedictory programme.

Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat (EBSB) Programme (2019-20)

UGC has initiated the EBSB programme for making Unity in Diversity a reality. It focuses on establishing relations with other states in the Indian Federation and enables bonding with the partner state. Maharashtra is paired with Odisha for socio-cultural and educational exchange. Dr. Arwah Madan and Ms. Veena Kenchi coordinated the events for this programme. The activities undertaken in this programme are-

Formation of the EBSB Club - The college has initiated the formation of the EBSB club with staff and student representation in the club. The members of this Club are- Principal- Dr. Gulshan Gidwani; Vice-Principal- Dr. Shalini Iyer; Dr. Arwah Madan and Ms.Veena Kenchi. Ms. Pooja Singh; Ms.Vaishnavi P; Ms. Alisha Bagh; Ms. Namrata Dutta and Ms. Simran Nayak are the student representatives in the club.

Annual Socials - This year the Degree College and Junior College celebrated unity in diversity through various programmes in the annual social gathering. The theme for the annual socials 2020 was- Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat. The students participated enthusiastically and performed folk dances and popular dance forms from various parts of the country. Bhangra, Bharatnatyam, Kathak, as well as tribal dance forms from North East regions, which left the spectators spellbound. Namrata Dutta led the North-East performance which was well appreciated and applauded by the audience.

Traditional day - A traditional day was organised by the Student Council of the college. Marathi culture was represented along with cultural representation from various states in the country. The college campus turned colourful and vibrant this traditional day.

Hindi Bhasha Diwas - The Hindi Department of the college celebrated the Hindi Bhasha Diwas focusing on Hindi poetry and literature. An exhibition was organised where students from the first year exhibited Hindi posters on Social Awareness. An essay competition was also organised on this occasion. Students also participated enthusiastically in the Hindi poetry recitation competition.

Marathi Bhasha Diwas - Marathi Bhasha Diwas was celebrated enthusiastically by the Department of Marathi. Various programmes were organised in this connection including a Marathi Signature Campaign, Poster Making, Marathi Bhakti Sangeet programme and a guest lecture.

Convocation Ceremony of 2018-19 Graduates

St. Mira’s College hosted the Graduation Ceremony for the 2018-2019 batch of graduates on Friday, 7 th February 2020 at 10.30 am in the College Auditorium. 10 toppers from each stream walked down the aisle in formation along with the dignitaries. The procession was headed by the Controller of Examinations, Dr Soniya Chavan followed by our esteemed Chief Guest, Mrs Ritu Chhabria; Principal, Dr. G.H. Gidwani; Working Chairperson, Ms Krishna Kumari; and, Major General G.H. Israni, CEO of the Sadhu Vaswani Mission, (as local management representatives). The current University Representative, Ms Pooja Singh accompanied the procession. The Programme commenced with the traditional lighting of the lamp, rendition of the University Song and the introduction of Chief Guest. Our esteemed Chief Guest , Mrs Ritu Chhabria, Managing Trustee, Mukul Madhav Foundation-the CSR arm of Finolex Industries Ltd, Director of Finolex Industries and Chairperson of FLO (FICCI Ladies Organisation) delivered the inspiring Graduation Address. Mrs Chhabria spoke of aspiration, following one’s passion and valuing people’s time as the key ingredients for success coupled with humility and dedication. Principal, Dr Gidwani, in her heart- warming speech thereafter, eulogised the virtues of the distinction holders and the students who had impressed us. Mrs Chhabria graciously conferred the Degree Certificates to the graduating students. The Programme drew to a conclusion with the Vote of Thanks and the singing of the National Anthem.

Report of Swachhata Pakhwada-January, 16-31, 2020

To commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary and to sensitize the staff and students on the importance of cleanliness, a Swachhata Pakhwada was observed between January 16-31, 2020.

Jan 16 th 2020 Swachhata Pledge: 400 students and more than 20 teachers pledged to spread the message of Clean Environment Pledge administered by Dr. Meenal Sumant NSS.

Jan 18 th , 2020 Cleaning of Hostel of the Sadhu Vaswani College Of Nursing (SVCON): undertaken by 24 NSS student volunteers.

Jan 18 th , 2020 Guest Lecture: on “Innovative Techniques for Waste Recycling & Energy Conservation” by Mr. Niranjan Upasani, Sustainability Consultant, spoken on challenges posed by e-waste, inorganic, bio-medical, human waste and offered solutions through awareness drives, waste segregation, effective treatment of waste prior to disposal, Stressed on promotion of Red Dot Campaign. Attended by 88 BA & BCOM students & 3 faculty.

January 20 th , 2020 Tree Plantation at Sadhu Vaswani Mission’s Gurukul School by NSS Dept. (11 student volunteers and NSS Officers). They planted 20 saplings of Neem, Peepal, Amala and Saptaparni- plants are high CO2 sequesters & good water purifiers.

January 20 th , 2020 Poster Making Competition on the Theme – ‘Swachh Bharat’organized by the Depts of Economics, Business Eco and Banking, Green Club, NSS, and the Student Council . 20 students from BA, BCOM and BBA(CA) participated The first 3 prize winners - Samrita Guha (SYBA-RNo 2828): Namrata Datta (SYBA-RNo 2712) & Madhavi Bhosale (SYBCom-RNo 3859).

January 21 st , 2020 Campus Cleanliness Drive coordinated by the NSS, the Green Club & the Student Council. Cleaning of Classrooms, Corridors, Garden and Sports ground, along with waste collection, cardboard waste bins, and Red Dot paper bags in restrooms.

January 22nd, 2020 Slogan Writing Competition on “Water Conservation” in Marathi - 21 students participated. The first 3 prize winning entries- Disha Vishwambhar (FYBCom- RNo 3112), Pratiksha Udamale (TYBA-RNo 4875) and Bhakti Kamble (SYBA-RNo 2778).

January 22nd, 2020 Talk Show on Swachhata- Panelists were in-house faculty- Ms. Shanthi Fernandes, Ms. Hasina Shaikh, Ms. Veena Kenchi and Ms. Elizabeth Kanade - topics - personal and physical hygiene, environmental, societal cleanliness and mental cleansing through moral values. Dr. Manisha Pimpalkhare summarized the essence of cleanliness with her poetry.

January 24 th , 2020 Hindi Slogan Competition on theme “Forest Conservation” प्रतियोगिता में 17 छात्राएँ प्रतिभागी हुई| इस प्रतियोगिता में प्रथम, द्वितीय एवं तृतीय पुरस्कार क्रमश: प्रियंका पालकर (MCOM), स्वाति ओझा (FYBCOM) एवं मेघा सामंत (FYBA) आदि ने पुरस्कार प्राप्त किए|

January 27th, 2020 Best-out-of-Waste Workshop on Godhadi Making by CWE. Activity was conducted by Ms Mrunal Shende, homoeopath turned entrepreneur. 70 students participated to creatively sew together the godhadis from old clothes.

January 28 th , 2020 Guest Lecture on Water Conservation Mr. Niranjan Upasani, stressed on need for effective water conservation and suggested practical ways.

January 28 th , 2020 Visit to NAB, Khandala - 21 NSS volunteers carried out a cleanliness drive at NAB- Old Age Home for the Visually-impaired. Volunteers also conversed with the inmates, enacted a street play on ‘Say No to Plastic’, sang a Krishna Bhajan, recited a poem on ‘Female Foeticide’.

Report on Barrier free access o drinking water and toilet facilities for Divyang students. The Green Club Staff interviewed Divyang students regarding ease of access to drinking water and toilet facilities on campus. The students expressed satisfaction with the facilities on campus.

January 31 th , 2020 Prize Distribution under Swachhata Pakhawada

Swachhata Pakhwada - Hindi Slogan Writing Competition on Forest Conservation organized by Hindi Dept

Swachhata Pledge 16th January, 2020

SwachhataPakhwada was inaugurated by taking pledge of Swachhata.Dr. Meenal Sumant discussed the importance of swachhata. All the students of the college were requested to be ‘Clean Volunteers’ and to keep the premises, their houses, locality clean. The schedule of all the activities of Swachhata Pakhwada was read out to the students and students were encouraged to participate in all the activities.

Swachhata pledge was taken by 400 students and 20 teachers to keep the college, college premises and residential locality clean. The students committed to devote 100 hrs throughout the year for cleanliness and encourage other 100 people to take up the cleanliness drive.

Dr. Gulshan Gidwani

The Principal

St. Mira’s College For Girls, Pune

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.)

Department of Accountancy in collaboration with SWaCH

In a world shrouded by consumerism “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” sounds impossible. These three ways are extremely essential for eliminating waste and protecting the environment. This calls for not only imparting education and creating awareness on the effects of the waste but learning to use this waste and convert it into more useful products.

With this objective in mind, the Law Club under Department of Accountancy collaborated with SWaCH in an initiative titled “Declutter and Donate”, on 7th July 2019 - a Mega collection drive in Trillium society, Magarpatta City, Hadapsar. Eleven girls of our girls volunteered in this initiative by spreading awareness and helping to collect and sorting the pre-owned articles which were donated. Items such as clothes, footwear, toys, plastic bottles, old furniture, utensils, etc., were collected which will be recycled further and sold.

Department of Accountancy in collaboration with SWaCH

According to a study commissioned by ‘Savers,’ an astounding 85 percent of clothing and textiles ends up in landfills, although there is scope for reusing and recycling 95% of the same. Similarly, with plastic which is used for making toys and other articles. Thus, donating clothes and other articles will not only save environment hazards but also have social benefits in the form of selling pre-owned things and donating money for a social cause.

As a sequel to the orientation programme attended by our students on 25th June 2019, the Law Club under Department of Accountancy collaborated with SWaCH, for a collection drive of pre-owned articles of the citizens with an aim of recycling and reuse. A batch of ten students volunteered in a “Give back You donate V collect” programme, organised by SWaCH at Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Bhaji Mandai in Kondhwa on 30th June 2018.

Department of Accountancyin collaboration with SWaCH – Orientation on “Segregation of Wet and Dry Waste”

Waste collection and its disposal play a significant role in the global cleanliness and sustainability drive. It is directly connected to people’s health and well-being. Undoubtedly, many private organisations and NGOs have taken the lead in this area. However, any endeavour without the participation of the citizens especially young people becomes a futile exercise. Thus, creating awareness among school and college students is the need of the hour and calls for a curriculum that spans beyond the classroom, turns theory into an experience and eventually into a lifestyle.

With this objective in mind the Department of Accountancy under its Law Club, collaborated with SWaCH (an autonomous enterprise that provides front-end waste management services to the citizens of Pune). The programme aimed at empowering students and engaging them as future corporate citizens on the aspects of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Sustainability. On 25th June 2019, fifteen students of our college attended an Orientation programme on “Segregation of Waste” conducted by SWaCH. Mr. Ravi, the Outreach Assistant from SWaCH explained the difference between wet waste and dry waste. Information on the Red Dot Campaign was also a highlight of this session.

The aim of this programme was not only to create aware citizens but also make the students the crusaders of social awareness and change.This activity was organized by Ms. Meenakshi Wagh.

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.

Report on the 2-Day FDP through Webinar on “Modes Of Online Teaching Using ICT Tools”

With an increasing number of states and countries closing institutions of learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, IQAC and the Department of Computer Science organised a two-day faculty development program (FDP) for the junior and senior college faculty of St. Mira’s College for Girls. The two- day webinar on “Modes of Online Teaching using ICT Tools” was held on 4th and 5th May 2020 from 11 am to 1 pm. The UGC and the MHRD have emphasised continuing with teaching-learning processes using online modes.

The aim and scope of the webinar was to introduce different online teaching tools like ZOOM, WebEx, G Meet, Google Duo, SKYPE, Google Classroom, and LMS MOODLE for teachers so that in adverse times they can use these tools for teaching and to connect with students through e-learning.

On the first day (4/5/2020) the webinar coordinator Ms. Anitha Menon offered an introduction to the Webinar, followed by a brief note from our course coordinator Mrs. Stella Ambrose. Presentations with explanations on different online tools such as Zoom, CISCO WebEx, Google Meet, Microsoft Team, and Online Exam Software was offered by Ms. Swati Pulate; A detailed demonstration on how to make videos and to teach using PPTs, Zoom and ‘Screencast-o-Matic’ was given by Ms. Gitanjali Phadnis followed by a brief presentation on virtual labs by Ms. Ashwini Kulkarni. A demonstration of the online examination software developed by Ms. Swati Pulate and Alka Kalhapure was given by MS. Swati Pulate keeping in mind the directive given by the UGC to conduct online exams.

The second day of the webinar (5/5/2020) started with a demonstration of how to use Google classroom for teaching by Ms. Swatee Sarwate. The scope of online teaching through Skype was given by Ms. Smita Borkar. A detailed demonstration and presentation on LMS Moodle was covered by Ms. Ashwini Kulkarni which was followed by a demonstration on preparing MCQ, Quiz and Assignments on Moodle and their assessment by Ms. Alka Kalhapure. The participants were very inquiring and their doubts were cleared by the speakers after every session. The concluding vote of thanks was offered by Ms. Swatee Sarwate.

Credit for facilitating the webinar successfully goes to Ms. Anjali Kale, Ms. Vrushali Paranjape and Ms. Shubhangai Jagtap. We achieved a good response to the webinar with 83 participants from the College.

The outcome of this webinar is that the college faculty were introduced to, explored and experimented with new tools for E-learning useful to conduct online teaching; giving assignments, creating MCQs and videos for students.

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

CELEBRATION OF KARGIL VIJAY DIWAS- 26TH JULY 2019

26th July 2019 marked the 20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas – India’s proud victory over Pakistan in 1999. The Department of Politics and Public Administration conducted the following activities for students on this occasion:

Visit to The National War Memorial- 30 students from 12th Arts visited The National War Memorial Southern Command in commemoration of this day and to pay homage to the brave martyrs who gave their lives protecting our Motherland with Mrs. Neena Dutta. The students were given a tour of the Memorialby one of the soldiers. A MiG-23BN, used in the Kargil War, and a replica of the now decommissioned frigate INS Trishul were among the displayed objects. The students were later shown a short clip related to the Indian Armed Forces. They then visited the museum at the Memorial premises that had various arms and ammunition on display. A hall of fame listed the various achievements of the Armed Forces’ and war details. Just outside the museum was a clank of real tanks of the Indian Army as well as Captured Tanks. A minute’s silence was observed by the students to pay respect to the martyrs and jawans. The girls returned home with an understanding of the magnitude of the sacrifice made by the soldiers anda sense of immense pride for their country, respect and gratitude for the Armed Forces and a feeling of unparalleled patriotism.
Screening of the movie- Uri: The Surgical Strike—Mrs. Anita D Cunha organised a screening of the movie for the students of the department to make the students understand the political, social, psychological and economic aspects of war. Evoking the spirit of nationalism, the students enthusiastically discussed the Uri strikes and their views about India- Pakistan relations.

A Tribute to the Father of the Nation - Mahatma Gandhi - 2nd October 2019

On the occasion of the150th Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Department of Politics and Public Administration organised a week-long programme in the college. The students of Junior College actively participated to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Various activities and field visitswere organised for students to appreciate and cherish Gandhian ideals and values. Under the guidance of Mrs. Anita D Cunha, the students of the Political Science participated in the following activities -

Poster making - Group poster presentations were made by the students depicting the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. These posters were displayed on the notice boards, the library and in the assembly hall. The assembly hall was decorated by enthusiastic students with tricolours creating a nationalistic feeling for the occasion.
Elocution competition - A competition on the theme - “Gandhian Values” was organised by the Department. Eleven students participated in this competition and presented their views in English, Hindi and Marathi. This activity helped enlighten the audience about various aspects of Gandhian thoughts and his contribution to the Indian Freedom Struggle. Mrs. Hasina Shaikh, Mrs. Devinder Kaur and Mrs. Geetika Singh were the judges for this competition.
Visit to the Gandhi National Memorial Society, Pune - The students of Std. XII visited the Mahatma Gandhi Museum at the Aga Khan Palace for a better understanding of Gandhiji’s life and teachings. Mahatma Gandhi had a close association with Pune during the freedom struggle, and following the launch of the Quit India movement, Aga Khan Palace served as his prison from August 1942 to May 1944. The students received first-hand information and a glimpse into the life and times of Gandhiji.

INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS - 15th AUGUST 2019

For Independence Day celebrations, students of 12th Arts, as part of their Political Science Activity, made cards for our brave hearts in Jammu & Kashmir. The activity was specially chosen by the students to express their love for the nation on the occasion of Independence Day. It was their little way of expressing gratitude and love to the protectors of our country. Each student made a unique card that portrayed patriotism. Some composed little poems; some sketched pictures on cards or wrote quotes. The cards were beautifully decorated with the colours of the flag, saffron, white and green. Each card brimmed with the sentiment of patriotism and reflected pride. It also reflected gratitude towards the country and the fearless, selfless soldiers who gave up all comforts to protect the nation. Through these cards, the girls expressed not only gratefulness to the Indian Army but also feelings of patriotism, nationalism and love for the country. The cards were sent to the soldiers and students received appreciation from the Army personnel.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Day- 9th August 2019

The Department of Politics and Public Administration screened a Documentary- “Beating the Bomb” to raise awareness and encourage a dialogue about nuclear warfare and nuclear weapons.

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been a black spot on human history and a constant reminder for us to realize how destructive can human minds are. In 1945, there were just 2 bombs which led an entire generation to witness the futile race for nuclear armaments and struggle for power. With the advent of technology, research and inventions in the field of nuclear armaments, the world is again on the verge of self destruction. Thus a dialogue is of outmost important at this stage.

The SYBA students study Politics of Cold War in their syllabus and the documentary made them understand the vehement struggle for power between superpowers and how other countries faced the wrath of this struggle. The issues of Arms Control and Disarmament were discussed with the students.

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.

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.

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.

H.H. Raja of Sangli's Gokhale Intercollegiate Debate Competition

Namrata Datta and Muskaan Khan from St. Mira’s College won the H.H. Raja of Sangli's Gokhale Intercollegiate Debate Competition. Not only were they awarded the Best Team prize, but also won individual Best Speaker prizes. Muskaan Khan won the 1st position as Best Speaker and Namrata Dutta won the 4th position as Best Speaker.

Winners at Intercollegiate Competition - SARHAD-TECHNOFEST 2019-20’

The Students of F.Y. BSc(CS) Avantika Ghante and Shraddha Surve participated in an Intercollegiate Competition ‘SARHAD-TECHNOFEST 2019-20’ conducted by Sarhad College of Arts, Commerce & Science on the 21 st of December 2019 in the Electronics Project Competition and won third prize. They built a project on an ‘Automatic Room Light Controller with Bidirectional Visitor Counter’. It is a reliable circuit using micro-controller that takes over the task of controlling the room lights as well as counting the number of persons in the room very accurately. When somebody enters in the room then the counter is incremented by one and a light will be switched on. The light will be switched OFF when all the persons in the room leave. The total number of persons inside the room is also displayed on the seven-segment display.

Department of Computer Science - Competition Winners

Students of B.Sc. (CS) won prizes in different competition held at MIT College, Alandi, Pune. Shika Sarode and Bhakti Shah of S.Y.B.Sc. (CS) won the Third Prize in the intercollegiate Electronics poster competition. Their topic was “Recent Innovations in Green Technology”. Srushti Kulkarni and Anushre Ambavale of S.Y.B.Sc. (CS) won the First Prize in the Electronics quiz competition. Talat Kudsi and Janhavi Jetla won the Second Prize, and Andrea Belsher and Phalguni Chanchlani won the Second and third prize respectively in the Electronics quiz competition. Andrea Belsher and Shainy Misal of S.Y.B.Sc. (CS) won the second prize in the intercollegiate Electronics PPT competition. Their topic was “Green Computing”.

Department of Economics, Business Economics & Banking- The 55th AD Shroff Memorial Elocution Competition

The 55th A.D. Shroff Memorial Elocution Competition was organized by the Departments of Economics (Arts Stream) and Business Economics (Commerce Stream), St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune on behalf of the Forum of Free Enterprise, Mumbai.

The College has been organizing the competition for a very long time and it always draws an overwhelming response. Seventeen girls were short listed for the final round held on 23rd August 2019.

The Best 5 Speakers were:

1st Prize	Ms. Ummesalama Karu	SYBA	2801
2nd Prize	Ms. Mansi Rathod	TYBCOM	4482
3rd Prize	Ms. Namratta Datta	SYBA	2712
4th Prize	Ms. Abhirami Misal	SYBA	2781
5th Prize	Ms. Naina Gaikwad	FYBA	2461

The panel of the Judges for this Elocution Competition :

Dr. Waheda Shaikh,Associate Professor, Dept of Politics, Abeda Inamdar Senior College of Arts and Science and Commerce, Dr. Sandhya Pandit. HoD, Department of History, St. Mira’s College for Girls and Mrs. Neena Dutta, Lecturer; Dept. of English, St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS

Department of Mathematics (Business Studies and Computer Science) - Mathematics Exhibition "Puzzology" on Pi Approximation Day

On Pi Approximation Day, 3rd August 2019, Department of Mathematics (Business Studies and Computer Science) organised a Mathematics exhibition "Puzzology".The main aim of theexhibition was to encourage students interest in Mathematics to make them realize that Mathematics is fun if learnt by logic. Students from FY BCom /BA and FY/SY/TY BSc Computer Science actively participated in this event. Different puzzles like number puzzles, chess puzzles, crosswords with mathematical concepts, anonyms in mathematics, birth date puzzles, crossing bridge puzzles, time puzzles, banana puzzle etc. were explained by the students. In all 30 puzzles were presented by 50 students. The visitors were motivated by awardingchocolates to winners of the puzzle games. The exhibition was visited by more than 200 people including students and faculty. The event was inaugurated by the Vice Principal, Dr Shalini Iyer and Coordinator of BBA/ BCA, Mrs Stella Ambrose. Ms Deepa Krishnamurthi, Mrs Geetanjali Phadnis and Mrs Vrushali Paranjpe guided the students on the puzzles.

Department of Business Studies - Sale of Eco-friendly Products

As part of Social Entrepreneurship, the students of Business Entrepreneurship in collaboration with Araatrika, an Eco-friendly Venture, put up a stall for sale of Eco-friendly products from July 8-17, 2019 at the main entrance of the College.

The Sale saw an overwhelming response for all eco-friendly products- happy seed pencils, color pencils, eco-friendly pens, diaries, bamboo straws, etc from the students as well as the Staff. This initiative has been a stepping stone for students interested in beginning their entrepreneurial journey at the same time learn various business techniques of selling and learning.

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 (2019-20)

The Department of Computer Science organized its annual Inter-Collegiate Event “Teklogica” on December 9-10, 2019. Teklogica celebrated its 10th year of inception.

The students of Computer Science from different colleges acrossthe city participated in this event to exploreand showcase their technical, designing as well as management skills. The two-day event covered various competitions like Statistics Poster, Electronics Project, Quizzical Karma, Epic Maths, HTML Coding, Computer Project, C-Code Warrior, Maths Aptitude, Electronics Poster, JAVA Programming, Debate, Snap hunt and Treasure hunt.

Electronics Project competition:The Students displayed their working models. The judge was Mr.Siddharth Kumar, Founder,Mechatron Robotics, Kharadi. The first prize won byShweta Bharade, Shravani Pandit (St. Mira's College) for ‘Audrino based musical and dancing LED’ and second prize won by Shainy Misal, Muskaan Laungani (St. Mira's College) for ‘Video control using gesture’.

Statistics Poster competition:The topic was “The story behind the Data”.The first prize won by ShraddhaSurve,Unnati Sharma (St. Mira's College), second prize won by Shruti Narale, Sakshi Tiwatani(St. Mira's College) and third prize won by Renuka Ubale, Rhea Pal (Christ College)

Quizical Karma:The competition is based on coding knowledge.The first prize won by Shukti Rode (Nowrojee Wadia College) and second prize won by Ashish Manu (Christ College).

Epic Maths Challenge:Based on mathematical questions, Sudip Roy (Christ College) was adjudged as the winner.

HTML Coding:In HTML web designing competition,the participants used their skills to design a webpage.The first prize won by Phalguni Chanchlani(St. Mira's College), second prize won by SarfarajShaikh(ICCS college) and third prize won by Shamiya Ansari (AISC College).

Electronics Poster Competition:The topics given were “Optical computers, OLED, Sycamore-Quantum computing and Chatbots”. The judge was Ms.Megha Palkar, Associate Professor from Abasaheb GarwareCollege.The first prize won by ShainyMisal, Bhakti Shah(St.Mira's College), second prize won by MayurGare, MiteshFirake (Pratiba College) and third prize won by Sanket More, Saurabh Godase(Sarhad College).

Computer Project Competition: In this competition, the project development skills and ideas were showcased.The winner was Shubham Mahadik (Modern College) for the project “Population Counter”.

C Code Warrior:The contest comprised of three rounds of programming. The first prize won by Shubham Mahadik (Modern College), second prize won by Abhishek Asawale (Modern College) and third prize won by Tanzila Shaikh (Abeda Inamdar College).

Maths Aptitude:The first prize won by Sudip Roy (Christ College), second prize won by Punit Thakare (ICCS) and third prize won by Naiem Shaikh (Poona College).

Java Programming:The knowledge of Java programming tested in two rounds.The first prize won by Abhishek Asawale (Modern College)and second prize won by Chaitali Jedhe (St. Mira's College).

Debate Competition: RatiSinha (Christ College)won the first prize for the topic“Are celebrities safer from criminal procedures than ordinary man”, the second prize winner wasPiyushNindane (MES College of Engineering)for the topic “Should we promote veganism” and the third prize went toSuhanaNagarkoli (Christ College)for the topic “Are celebrities safer from criminal procedures than ordinary man”.The judges were Mrs. NeenaDatta and Ms. Sushma Roy.

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 10^th 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 11^th 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 11^th 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.

International Faculty Development Program by St Mira’s College for Girls- an IQAC

The International Faculty Development Program by St Mira’s College, held from May 18 to May 23 rd , 2020, saw an overwhelming participation of 165 participants across India, Bangladesh and the Middle East. The program was hosted on the Zoom Video Communications platform. The inaugural ceremony was graced by the Principal of St Mira’s College for Girls, Pune, Dr Gulshan H Gidwani; Vice Principal, Dr Shalini Iyer, IQAC Co- ordinator, Dr Jaya Rajagopalan; Course co-ordinator, Mrs Stella Ambrose; CWE Co- ordinator, Dr Rama Venkatachatachalam and other in-house faculty members. The program was coordinated by Prof. Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi of the BBA Department. The overwhelming response called for conducting double sessions. The Resource person Prof. Brijesh Singh, from SJB Institute of Technology, Bangalore was the host for the first session. The topic was “Research Mantra – Brahmahstra for Research” where he enlightened the participants with the knowledge of basic research, meaning, and types along with some case studies. The first session ended with an interactive Q & A session where participants cleared their doubts. The PowerPoint used was uploaded to the Google Classroom along with the study material for participants to have easy access to it.

On the second day of the FDP sessions on “Measurement of Scale and Hypothesis” and “Review of Literature” were held. Prof. Brijesh Singh, Associate Professor, Department of MBA, SJB Institute of Technology conducted the Measurement of Scale and Hypothesis session and Dr. Geetha R, HOD, Department of MBA, DSTM, Bangalore talked on how to write a “Review of Literature”. This double session was highly interactive and ran for three hours.

The session of the 3rd day titled “How to design a Questionnaire?” was presented by Dr Mamatha J, HOD, Department of MBA and Research Centre of SJBIT, Bangalore on the third day of the FDP. An evening session on Collection of Data was conducted by Prof. Brijesh Singh, Associate Professor, Department of MBA, SJB Institute of Technology

Day four of the FDP saw two sessions. The morning session on Data Analysis Methods was presented by Dr. Praveen Sinha, Associate Professor from Dayananda Sagar Academy of Technology and Management, Bangalore who talked on the theoretical approach and the software that can be used for data analysis. The 2nd session was conducted by Prof. Brijesh Singh, Associate Professor, Department of MBA, SJB Institute of Technology, Bangalore.

Day 5 offered sessions on “Goodness of Data” and “Publish or Perish” Prof. Brijesh Singh, Associate Professor, Department of MBA, SJB Institute of Technology, Bangalore conducted the ‘Goodness of Data’ session offering participants hands-on knowledge on how to use Excel and SPSS for data handling. The second session was highly interesting titled, “Publish or Perish” by Dr. Ramananaiah G, associated with SJBIT, Bangalore,

On Day 6 sessions on Intellectual Property Rights and “How to use Mendeley Desktop for Reference Management System” were conducted. The IPR was conducted by Dr Anand Siddapa who is the Director of Academics at CEP Global. Prof. Brijesh Singh, Department of MBA, SJB Institute of Technology, Bangalore presented the How to use Mendeley Desktop for Reference Management System session.

Prof. Brijesh Singh, Department of MBA, SJB Institute of Technology, Bangalore proffered a valuable commendation, “During this International FDP we started giving input to all the participants related to research like process, types, methodology, selection of appropriate test and also we had online hands-on experience on SPSS and Mendeley Desktop. These are statistical tools and software used for research purposes. It was a wonderful experience as participants were very involved in the learning process. A special mention to St Mira's College, for giving us the opportunity to collaborate and be a part of this International FDP as a resource person” The last day ended with a Valedictory session where IQAC co-ordinator proposed a vote of thanks on behalf of St. Mira’s College for Girls, and participants shared beautiful and motivational feedback for the Program. This will help us come back with another interesting session.

"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.

Department of Economics - PG Seminar " India 2020 : Vision & Reality "

The PG Seminar for students has been an annual feature of Department of Economics for over a decade. Every year, the PG seminar explores the current and relevant economic issues creating an active platform for the students to interact with the experts and to share their views. For the year 2019-20, the PG seminar was held on 22 nd February 2020. In all, 61 participants had registered for the seminar.

The theme was India 2020: Vision & Reality which aimed at revisiting the Vision 2020 put forth by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. As we begin the journey towards the 2020 milestone of becoming a global superpower, what are the issues/areas that need closer scrutiny? What are the policy imperatives and which sectors could actually translate the vision into reality? These were some of the questions that this seminar aimed at addressing.

The seminar began with an engaging session with Dr. Girija Lagad, an academician and researcher, active in the field of corporate and educational research. Dr. Girija shed light on the “Policy Perspectives for Enabling Vision 2020” She extensively discussed the growth performance of India besides highlighting the technological progress as the core and dynamic dimension of India’s performance. She also presented an evaluation of the recent policy initiatives such as the Make in India Policy, Ayushman Bharat and others, in taking the vision to its rightful conclusion. Dr. Girija pointed out that the sectors like education, health, employment have miles to go before the desired vision can be achieved. The session was followed by an active interaction of participants with the speaker.

As a part of the seminar, a Research Paper Competition was organized on the theme of “India 2020: Vision and Reality” inviting research papers from students of UG and PG courses of all streams. In all, 18 papers were received out of which 4 papers were from other colleges. The papers covered a wide array of issues ranging from agriculture, poverty, education, changing political paradigms and youth in India connecting them to the Vision 2020. The students were given an opportunity to present their papers. The papers were evaluated on the content, methodology, language and presentation as well as relevance of the theme. The prize winners were as follows:-

First Prize - Ms. Yiter Gadi and Ms. Iris Lobo -Title- “An Analysis Of Indian Education System And, Dr. Kalam’s Vision Of Education For New India”

Second Prize - Ms. Namrata Datta Title- “India 2020: Health Care Cognizance”

Third Prize - Ms. Shreshtha Pattadar Title- “Tourism Industry- A Boon For Indian Economy In 2020”

Dr. Malati Roy, Retd (HoD), Department of Economics at S. P. College, Pune and Dr. Saili Belsare, Asst. Prof. of Economics at Cummins College of Engineering, Pune were the judges for the competition. The seminar concluded with the observation and comments of the judges; Dr. Roy and Dr. Belsare congratulated all the participants for their efforts and urged them to keep up the research activity as an essential part of their academic and personal development. Dr. Manisha Viraj Pimpalkhare was the coordinator of the seminar.

Department of English- Two-Day Students’ Seminar on ‘Questioning Attitudes and Labels: Mental Health Versus Madness’

The Department of English, St Mira’s College for Girls, as part of the college’s initiative to bring about awareness regarding mental health and to destigmatize it, organised a two-day students’ seminar, “Questioning Attitudes and Labels: Mental Health Versus Madness” on Jan 10-11, 2020. The seminar was a huge success; it was attended by two hundred participants. Eleven students presented academic papers on the portrayal of mental health in the various forms of representation from cinema to literature.

The opening session was conducted by the suicide prevention NGO Connecting addressing the language the press uses with respect to reporting suicide. This was followed by Sunena Gupta in a question and answer session with the students. She candidly spoke about her personal struggles with mental health and dance as therapy.

In the two day Seminar, Dr Kamalakar Bhat spoke about representing mental health in cinema with references to Spellbound by Hitchcock and performances by Nana Patekar. This was followed by a poignant session of slam poetry and then a lecture by Hartman De Souza on drama that is pressurized to be “happy” when so much is to be questioned in the world. The seminar concluded with two stunning performances.

Twenty-one students came together to put up a theatre ensemble “Log Kya Kahenge?” in English which brought tears to the eyes of the audience. The play addressed the stress children go through in broken homes, adults in denial when the kids are dealing with issues like bulimia and indifferent teachers. It was a powerful yet sensitive performance.

This was followed by the Kathak performance by Sunena Gupta from Singapore who travels the world with her dance group “Umeed: Colours of Hope”. Through her dance, she charts every young person’s journey from joyful Orange to natural Green sinking into Black darkness, finding White peace and restoring to hopeful Pink. This was concluded by a wonderful jugalbandi of jingling payals, stomping feet and a clapping audience all in rhythm. The show was a fund raiser and all the proceeds were donated to NGO Connecting.

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 for students on ‘Searching EBSCO Databases’ (2019-20)

The College Library organized a workshop for students on ‘Searching the EBSCO Databases’ on 4 December, 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 G K Upadhyaya, EBSCO Inf. Services India Pvt. Ltd, imparted the training.

Demonstrations on Databases like Academic Search Elite, Literary Reference Center and Master File Elite were demonstrated for searching purposes. Besides, remote access by creating accounts, searching from Mobile Phones, management of personal searches, sharing the articles, fine tuning search results were 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. The Students were also made aware and asked to explore the vast e-book collection of 984 books.

Over 139 students from different streams & levels participated in the workshop spread over four sessions.At the end,the interactive quiz by EBSCOhoston searching features was conducted and the top three winners received prizes from EBSCO Inf. Services.

A Training Programme for Students on ‘Searching EBSCO- Databases’ (2019-20)

The College Library organised a training programme, ‘Searching the EBSCO Databases’, for students on 17 July 2019. A total of 437 freshers from all streams attended the training. The programme aimed to equip users with skills to access the databases to retrieve required information in minimum time. A professional trainer, Mr Chandrakant Ganvir, from EBSCO Inf. Services India Pvt. Ltd imparted training. The databases Academic Search Elite, Literary Reference Centre and Master File Elite were demonstrated for searching purposes. Remote access by creating accounts, searching on Mobile Phones, management of personal searches, sharing the articles, and fine-tuning of search results were among the other skills taught in the session. Students learned various referencing styles and strategies to find text, images, etc. that can be used in their assignment and project works. Apart from the normal textual data students were made aware of the presence of charts, videos and interviews along with the articles. Attendees were made aware of a very unique feature i.e. audio version of HTML-article which could be listened to, to improve one’s spoken English apart from being an alternative medium of learning.

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.

St Mira’s ‘Reading Inspiration Day’ Celebration

On the occasion of former President, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam’s birth anniversary, St Mira’s College celebrated ‘Reading Inspiration Day’, to generate an enthusiasm not only for reading more books but also to sharpen writing skills of students.With encouragement from the principal Dr. Gulshan Gidwani, the Library organised an interactive session-‘Meet the Author’ with Mrs. Yogini Vengurlekar for the students on 15th October 2019. Mrs. Yogini Vengurlkekar is a Pune based renowned author and she was the guest speaker for this event. The supervisor-Mrs Suvarna Deolankar and Mrs Anita Dcuna were present on the occasion.

The Librarian Mrs Devinder Kaur in her introductory speech highlighted the importance of reading as it enhances creativity and helps to form one’s opinion.She opined that reading helps to give birth to many ideas during the process of reading and one can excel in their lives by gaining knowledge if one is well read.

The author advised students to take out some time to read non-academics books too, along with their studies. She explained that keeping the gadgets aside and utilising the travel time, one can manage to read their favourite genres. While answering one of the questions from a student about her book titled ‘Vastava,’ she said that the impacts of industrialization and globalization on various walks of society triggered her to start writing it. While sharing many tips with students for sharpening their writing skills, she advised to first pen down our all thoughts and then proceed to read them many times to finalized a format of a work. This event gave students a direct access to an author who shared her personal stories and writings which are a combination of fictional and real elements.

Programme held on 14 October 2019

A talk on ‘Reading’ by Ms Kajari Mitra ,Senior Manager- British Council, Pune.
A short talk by Ms. Sawani on ‘The Importance of Reading Editorials of Newspapers’

Programme held on 15 October 2019

Screening of a documentary on ‘Village of Books’
An exhibition of different genres of books with attractive sitting arrangements in the library.

For publicity of this event, Reading Inspiration Day logos, Dr. AP J Abdul Kalam’s photos, quotes and views of famous personalities on books were put up at vintage points.

Hindi Divas Celebration (2019-20)

Every year, 14September is observed and celebrated as Hindi Diwas.On 14 September 1949 Hindi was adopted as the official language of the Constituent Assembly. The Constitution of India adopted Hindi in Devanagri Script as the official language of the union under Article 343 in 1950.This year St. Mira’s College Library celebrated this important day for a fortnight i.e. 14/09/2019 to 28/09/2019. An array of activities conductedby us includes Book Display, Poster Exhibition, Puzzle Competition andAuthor Interaction.

The Book Display showcased different genres from our Hindi collection :
14th and 15th Sept 2019: Encyclopedias, dictionaries and Hindi Language books.

17th and 18th Sept 2019: Hindi Periodicals and Newspapers

19th, 20th & 21st Sept 2019: Hindi Literature including works by Munshi Premchand, Nirala, Dinkar, Harivanshrai Bachchan, etc.

22th and 24th Sept 2019: Biographies

25thand26thSept 2019: General topics useful for students

27th and 28th Sept 2019: Religious Books
The Library hosted a Poster Exhibition, where posters with social messages in Hindi prepared by the students were on display. Atotal of 149 staff and students visited the library and witnessed the students’ creativity.
On 20th September,the Library and Dept. of Hindi organised Hindi Puzzles for staff and students.These Puzzles were based on vocabulary, fiction and memory. It was immenselyliked by the students, as it helped them to unwind and challenge their brains. The event drew 70 participants.
AnAuthor Interaction programme was organised on 21st September 2019. The author Dr Rajendra Shrivastatav Asst. Gen. Manager (Rajbhasha), Bank of Maharashtra highlighted the importance of the official language and the way Hindi is being used in their bank. Later, he answered students’ questions about Hindi as a legal language, writing poetry in Hindi, enriching the vocabulary, career in Hindi, etc.He advised the students to read a lot for good writing and becoming creative. In the end,the author signed the library and personal books which enhanced their value.74 students took part in this event.

Book Exhibition on National Librarian’s Day (2019-20)

The St. Mira’s College library held a Book Exhibition on 12th August 2019 to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. S. R. Ranganathan - the father of Library Science. This day is celebrated as National Librarian’s Day in India.Seeking the blessings of our revered founder Sadhu Vaswani, spiritual leader Dada J P Vaswani and Dr. Ranganathan,BBA/BBA-CA co-coordinator- Ms Stella Ambrose and the Registrar- Ms Suvarna Mhalgi inaugurated the exhibition by lighting the lamp. All joined to sing the Saraswati Vandana invoking showers of blessings of goddess Saraswati.

The exhibition provided an opportunity for students and staff to peruse all-time classics, contemporary fiction, bestsellers, academic texts and competitive exam guides, etc. under one roof.The exhibition was visited by 255 staff and students.The fiction and biographical sections attracted maximum students. Book lovers were seen buying books from varied genres.On demand by students and staff, the exhibition was extended for one more day with additional titles and subjects.

"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 7^th 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.

Students Induction Programme DAY 1

A whole new world simplified: St. Mira’s Students Induction Programme

St. Mira’s College for Girls is opening its doors wide for the new academic year 2019-20. With the influx of freshers, campus life has at once become vibrant and energised, and to avoid chaos amidst it all, the institution has organised a six-day long Students Induction Programme with the objective of acclimatising students to their new surroundings and building a rapport between the teachers and students.

Keeping in accordance with the directives from the UGC, the SIP commenced from 4th July2019 and will continue for six days, till 10th July2019. The orientation will focus on developing sensitivity towards social issues and work to instil human values among students under all UG programmes. The programme will provide an opportunity for the beginners to gain knowledge about their new institution through a combination of play and learn, and thus, set apace a year filled with rewarding teaching-learning experiences.

The programme will include a wide range of ice-breakers and course-facilitators and will have its first day dedicated to familiarising the new students to the Mira way of life.

The morning of 4^th July 2019 was a special occasion for the freshers of St. Mira’s College as the staff and the student body assembled to welcome all the First Year students in the undergraduate programme to the Mira family and to acclimatise them into their chosen college. The first day of the six-day long Students Induction Programme commenced by seeking the blessings of the Lord , our founder Sadhu T.L. Vaswani and spiritual mentor Revered Dada J. P Vaswani with a prayer service and lighting of the lamp by the Vice Principal, Dr. Shalini Iyer and the co-ordinator of the BBA-BCA department, Mrs. Stella Ambrose and Dr Soniya Chavan, Controller of Examinations and Librarian Devinder Kaur.

The Induction began with a warm and heartfelt welcome delivered by Mrs. Stella Ambrose.In her Welcome Address, she familiarized the students with St. Mira’s - now their very own college; its rich tradition, values and the journey chartered by the institution;our founder Sadhu T L Vaswani; Dada J.P Vaswani our spiritual mentor and the Sadhu Vaswani Mission and its activities. Students were also informed about Campus Life at St. Mira’s; the college Mission and Vision;Academic Autonomy; Curriculum and the Examination and Evaluation System. This was followed by a round of questions from the students regarding credit courses, value-added courses, skill-based courses, internships and placements, which were answered by the teachers.

The programme aimed to acquaint students with the institution and its ethos, and then proceeded to the presentations specially created by the SIP Student Committee to aid the newcomers in putting a name to the faces of the Teaching Staff and the Helping Staff they’ve seen at the campus.Our Alumna, Afreen Sabooni, shared her experiences to ease the fear from the young minds of adapting to a whole new environment.

The Programme then sojourned for a break and recommenced at noon. The second half of day one of the SIP trailed ahead with announcements about the various events in college and forming mentoring group with the help of senior students. Anticipation was evident as the Cultural Programme for the final day of the SIP was announced, garnering much excitement from the students eager to participate and showcase their talents.

Students Induction Programme DAY 2

The second day of the SIP, aimed towards Building Bridges to Walk Over, commenced with a brief prayer service as per the institution’s traditions. As the students looked on with anticipation towards the sessions for the day, Mrs. Suhaile Azavedo from the Department of English led the session with her talk on the various Skill-based Credit Courses, Certificate courses, Value-added courses offered in the college.

The enriching address was followed by Dr. Vaishali Joshi’s presentation which focussed on the Social Outreach Programmes run by the college with various Organisations such as the Jeevit Nadi Foundation, Mitti Ke Rang,Spherule Foundation, Help-Life Organisation, and so on. Much to the audience’s delight, the founder of the Spherule foundation shared valuable insight on the workings of the organisation and talked about their drives on spreading awareness about menstrual health and hygiene among women in various social settings. A certificate course on Community Service was launched in collaboration with Spherule Foundation.

The programme proceeded to its next session on film appreciation which was conducted by Sawani. Having briefly spoken on the responsibility of the spectators on the deliverance of correct reactions to films and their social messages, she acquainted the students with the process of filmmaking. This was followed by an animation film which left most of the students awed at its beautiful screenplay and thus the session concluded with the students having learnt wholly about appreciating films. Inthe following session on Alumni Interaction, former students of St. Mira’s from the BA, BCOM, BSC as well as BBA and BBA(CA)spoke about their days in their alma mater and gave pro-tips to students on acing their examinations while enjoying their college life to the fullest.

The Programme then took a short break and reassembled atthe college ground for the next session. The last session for the day, titled The Mentoring Session, focussed on Team Bonding. For the same instructors from the Indian Military Training Centremeet with the freshers on the ground for some vigorous activities. Students undertook a session on Commando training.

Student Induction Programme DAY 3

The third day of SIP, 6^th July 2019, was fittingly themed “A Step towards Holistic Development” wherein sessions on health, hygiene and environment were organised for the students.

The Day started with Dr. Rashida Karu, Nutritionist and Diet Consultant, interacting with our students and discussing the importance of a healthy lifestyle through healthy food habits. Dr. Karu discussed the food pyramid emphasizing the importance of proteins, calcium and other important nutrients. She stressed the importance of breakfast and why students should not miss the first meal of the day. The college has noted that many students are anemic, and Dr. Karu took this opportunity to discuss food choices that prevent anemia. We appreciate the efforts of Dr. Karu, parent of our senior student.

The next session was conducted by Ms. Ekta Jadhav, Director of Physical Education at St. Mira’s. She elaborated the need for regular exercise for relieving stress and developing focus and motivation. Ms. Ekta explained how a healthy body leads to a healthy mind which then leads to healthy choices and a happy fulfilled life. She conducted a meditation session for all students.

The students’ interest was sparked by music in the next session. Dr. Vaishali Joshi, from the Sociology Department who also is a trained classical singer spoke to the students about Indian Classical Music and Dance forms. This session was arranged to make students realize the richness of Indian culture and its variations. She discussed Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Odissi, Kuchipudi and other forms with the students. After her rendition of a few Ragas, she explained how music is rooted in classical ragas and encouraged students to learn classical music for enhanced creative expressions.

After the break, the students gathered into their mentor groups. The Green Club of the college discussed the various green initiatives undertaken, with the students. One such initiative is ‘Responsible Disposal of Sanitary Napkins’; under this initiative, the senior students of the club demonstrated making of paper bags for this purpose. The mentee groups were then given newspapers to make bags for their usage. All mentee groups enthusiastically participated in the activity and 670 bags were made by the students. These bags were then marked with a big Red Dot for complete responsible disposal. These bags will be kept in the washrooms for students and staff of the college.

The mentee groups were then allotted time for group interaction. They were given the task of filling in the mentorship forms and discussing their likes, strengths and passion with other group members.

Student Induction Programme DAY 4

The fourth day of SIP, 8^th July 2019, was themed “Life is Larger than Livelihood” wherein sessions on our role as a citizen, social being and community member was enriched.

The first session was conducted by the college IQAC Coordinator, Dr Jaya Rajgopalan. She elaborated the importance of teamwork, empathy and cooperation among the student community. She discussed the Anti-Ragging policy of the college with the students substantiating her talk with numerous examples of forms of behaviour that could be termed as – ragging. She also explained the Grievance Redressal system of the college. She emphasized the use of the Complaints Box on the campus. She encouraged questions from the students which made the session very interactive.

Being part of a larger community, the student’s role in making it a better place was elaborated by Dr Meenal Sumant, our college National Service Scheme (NSS) Programme Officer. She discussed the various activities undertaken by the college NSS Unit including Swaccha Bharat Internship, Tree Plantation, Blood Donation Drive and activities of the Annual Winter Camp at our adopted village - Parodi. This session encouraged students to enrol as NSS Volunteers. Ms. Pooja and Ms. Alisha, senior NSS volunteers shared their NSS experience with the First-Year students.

Dr Hasina Shaikh then introduced the Student Development Cell of our college. She explained the ‘Earn while Learn Scheme’ and its benefits for the underprivileged sections of the student community. She also listed the various scholarship schemes that benefit students from SC/ST as well as Minority communities.

Books and the Library is an integral part of student life; the college librarian, Dr Davinder Kaur encouraged students to maximize the utilization of library resources. She introduced the books as well as the Digital library of the college to the students. Through an AV Presentation, she elaborated the various sections, categories and e-resources available on campus for students.

After the break, the students worked in their Mentee groups. The Mentee groups had two activities for the day - 1) Library Tour 2) Social Awareness Advertisement Team bonding was enhanced by small skits enacted by the Mentee Groups. They were given the task to identify a social problem/issue and were asked to prepare a social awareness skit/advertisement. The Mentees with the help of their mentors enthusiastically participated in this activity making them realize the joy of teamwork.

Student Induction Programme Day 5

Indian Culture and Ethos

The fifth day of SIP, 9^th July 2019, was themed as “Cultural Heritage and Emotional Well-being”.

Pune has been an important city historically and has a distinct identity in the field of politics, culture and architecture. Dr Sandhya Pandit, Head, Department of History introduced students to this aspect of the city of Pune. She traced Pune’s history from the times of Shivaji Maharaj and elaborated distinct features of the city like forts around the city, the culture of Wadas and Peths, Ganpati festival, educational institutions, etc. Most of the students who are from outside the city and from other states appreciated the effort of acquainting them with their new surroundings.

Students were introduced to the Constitution of India, Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties by Prof. Veena Kenchi, Head, Department of Politics and Public Administration. She explained the importance of the Constitution, its Preamble, the values enshrined in the preamble and then elaborated with examples the importance of rights and duties in our lives. The students then had a discussion on Article 15 and its implications for them as the female counter-parts in the community.

Stress and anxiety have become common amongst students and to deal with these issues, the Department of Psychology has decided to introduce a Mental Wellbeing Programme for all students of the college. Ms. Pooja Jain explained the details of the programme to the FY students. She discussed various examples from day to day lives to substantiate her discussion and make it easy for the students.

The students were given a chance to voice their opinion about the college, the induction programme and overall experience of the college. Students across streams enthusiastically positively spoke about the college efforts and seemed to be happy about various activities that we have in the college. Students were enthusiastic about the various extra-credit courses offered by the college.

The students then gathered in their mentee groups and sports activities were organized for them. The competitive spirit of the students surfaced and we had fantastic games being played by the students. After the sports activities, the students were given time to practice for cultural performances for the valedictory session.

Student Induction Programme Day 6

Visit to the Parent Body – Sadhu Vaswani Mission

A visit to the Parent Institution - Spiritual Development” was planned on the sixth day of the SIP, 10^th July 2019. The Sadhu Vaswani Mission is the parent institution of St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune. All the students were asked to assemble at the Mission Hall for a special Satsang. This special Satsang was organized on the solemn occasion of Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani’s first sacred Mahayagna.

The students assembled in the main hall of the Mission where a spiritual atmosphere blossomed with the Bhajan offerings by the students. This was followed by a short skit by the students of the St. Mira’s Nursing College. The attitudes of gratitude and forgiveness were aptly depicted in the skit.

Social Service is an integral part of our college. On this occasion, several classes initiated social service activities at various organisations and institutions across the city of Pune.

The Annual Magazine of the St. Mira’s College for Girls was released on this sacred occasion.

Value education is an intrinsic part of our college. A question-answer session with Dada J. P. Vaswani was telecast for the students wherein Dada offered practical life solutions to daily problems.

The students then sought blessings at the Sacred Samadhi of our Revered Founder, Sadhu T. L. Vaswani and our Spiritual Mentor, Dada J. P. Vaswani.

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.

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.

Annual Prize Distribution, Wednesday, 12 th February 2020

St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune hosted their Annual Prize Distribution Function 2019-20 on Wednesday, 12 th February 2020 at 10.30 am in the Auditorium. The honourable Chief Guest for the same was Dr Rajan M. Welukar, Vice Chancellor G.H. Raisoni University, Mumbai.

In his inspiring address, Dr Welukar, opined that the need of the hour for colleges was to introduce learning with focus on gender equality; and, reflective and application based learning through adoption of an inter-disciplinary orientation. This would give the students a more holistic perception of life and living and make the education process more impactful.

He also graciously agreed to present the prizes (academic, sports and miscellaneous) to our prize-winning students of Degree College from MA, MCom, MSc(CS), BA, BCom, BSC(CS), BBA, BBA(CA) and of the Junior College [Class XI and XII (Arts, Commerce and Science)].

In academics, the 2018-19 batch of students who stood FIRST included:

MA English - Ms Shaikh Maryam
MA Sociology- Ms Aditee Sarkar
MA Economics- Ms Swati Rai
MCom – Ms Kshitija Gaikwad
MSc(CS)-Ms Sayyed Zeba
TYBA- Ms Amrita Sinha
TYBCom- Ms Shaikh Heena
TYBSc(CS)- Ms Sulakhe Samrudhi
TYBBA- Ms Shetty Stuthi
TYBBA(CA)- Ms Anisha Deepchandani
SYBA-Ms Iris Lobo
SYBCom- Ms Sneha Daskarmarkar
SYBSC(CS)- Ms Shaikh Sadiya
SYBBA-Ms Sachdev Laveena
SYBBA(CA)- Ms Sonam Tiwari
FYBA- Ms Ummesalama Karu
FYBCom- Ms Khan Muskan
FYBSc(CS)- Ms Shivani Kumari
FYBBA- Ms Sabooni Zoha
FYBBA(CA)- Ms Bhatia Simran
XII Arts- Ms Chakraborty Jiniya
XII Commerce- Ms Das Genia
XII Science- Ms Nashia Fatma
XI Arts- Ms Siddhi Deshpande
XI Commerce- Ms. Anuprita Jadhav
XI Science- Ms Chrislynn Rodrigues

Best Girl Trophies and Prizes 2019-2020 were also given under Sports Section and Miscellaneous category (for exhibiting qualities of leadership, reliability, resourcefulness, academic proficiency and love for Mira Ideals ). These Best Girls included:

Sports (Degree College)- Ms Anushka Sarade
Sports (Junior College)-Ms Vaishnavi Jawale
Miscellaneous- Ms Poonam Dube (DC-TYBCom)
Miscellaneous- Ms Diksha Allali (DC-TYBA)
Miscellaneous- Ms Doyita Mazumdar (DC-TYBSC(CS)
Miscellaneous- Ms Sonam Tiwari (DC-TYBBA(CA)
Miscellaneous- Ms Pradnya Vijayan (JC-XII Com)

Some of our Faculty who had completed their PhD and MPhil programmes during the year were also felicitated. Besides this, the staff who had completed 25 years of dedicated service to the institution were also appreciated at the hands of our esteemed Chief Guest.

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, 26^th 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 - 20^th 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.

Report - Prashna Manch Jan 2020

On the occasion of Mahayagna, a Prashna Manch is organised as a commemoration to the values and principles advocated by our revered master Sadhu T.L. Vaswani. The Prashna Manch, on the occasion of the 54 th Mahayagna day, was organised on 18 th January 2020, based on the life and teachings of Sadhu Vaswani during the post renunciation period.

The Prashna Manch was organized into rounds on quick facts based on the life of Sadhu Vaswani after renunciating the world to become a fakir and passing on the message of simplicity and service, purity and prayer. It also included rounds on identifying and narrating incidents from the life of Sadhu Vaswani based on visual clues. Each incident was followed by a message given by Sadhu Vaswani like abstain from food of violence, service of the poor, overcome temptations, develop the qualities of sympathy and empathy.

The event saw participation from students of our college and those from Sadhu Vaswani College of Nursing. The occasion was graced by our Principal Dr. G.H. Gidwani, Vice- Principal Dr. Shalini Iyer and BBA, BBA(CA) and Science Stream Co-ordinator, Mrs. Stella Ambrose.

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, 22^nd 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.

Department of Business Studies - Report on Social Outreach 2019-2020

The Department of Business Studies conducts its social outreach programme in collaboration with ‘Majhi Maitrin Charitable Trust’, an NGO working for upliftment of women from underprivileged sections of society since 2018. As there is a need to empower women from an early age, the programme initiated ‘Project Pandita’, in Kanyashala, Dehu, Dist, Pune for a second year in a row.

24 girl students of Class IX accompanied by two teachers of the Kanyashala along with three trustees of MMCT visited our institution on Jan 10, 2020. The students were taken on a campus tour of the college by the enthusiastic student volunteers. Career guidance was the focus along with other activities. They were also served lunch along with return gifts as mementos. The visit ended with an interaction with our Principal Dr. G H. Gidwani.

Department of Accountancy Social Outreach Initiative 28th November 2019

Students of the Department of Accountancy showcased their social consciousness on 28th November 2019 when seven UG and PG students volunteered at an eye check-up camp organized by the Deep Griha Society at village Ovhale, Hinjewadi, Pune. The students assisted the doctors who had come from England. Dr. Alex applauded the volunteers for selfless service at the camp.

Department of Accountancy Social Outreach Initiative - 22nd November 2019

The volunteers of Department of Accountancy under the social outreach initiative have acquired the skill of conducting sessions and ease of handling the sensitive issue of menstrual hygiene. Extending their expertise to the students of BBA Symbiosis-Viman Nagar, Pune, on 22nd November 2019, four St. Mira’s volunteers became trainers and inspirers in how to conduct these awareness sessions which was witnessed by the founder of Spherule Foundation, Dr. Geeta Bora.

Department of Accountancy Social Outreach Initiative 19th November 2019

A stationery collection drive by the volunteers of the Department of Accountancy in the form of pencils erasers, sharpeners and notebooks for Deep Griha, our social outreach partner is a regular feature each semester. The collection drive was also on during the inter-departmental event, MIRA BAZAAR. On 19th November 2019, the volunteers donated the collected stationery for Deep Griha’s adult education program and education of Creche children.

Department of Accountancy Social Outreach Initiative 16th November 2019

Social Outreach initiative of the volunteers of St. Mira’s College from the Department of Accountancy with Spherule Foundation in continuation of the objective to create awareness regarding menstrual hygiene, three volunteers from TY BCom conducted a session at Inamdar School, Wadgaon Sheri, Pune, on 16th November 2019.

On demand from Inamdar School for another session, four additional volunteers of TY BCom conducted another session on 27th November 2019.

Department of BBA -BBA(CA)& BCOM Orientation on Social Outreach Programme

An orientation was organized for the BBA(CA), BBA and BCOM students on the Social Outreach Programmes. The orientation was help in collaboration with NGO ‘Changemakers Today’.The main motive of the orientation was to create awareness among students on how can one help to create a better living for self as well as others.

The Co-founder of NGO ‘Changemakers Today’, Mr. RohanShinde, HR executive at TCS &an social entrepreneur was the resource person at the orientation. He informed the students about the contribution of NGO ‘Changemakers Today’towards Gender Empowerment and Equality, Human Rights, Animal Welfare, Environmental Conservation, Health,Poverty Eradication, Unemployment, etc. Mr. Shinde provide insights into the recent activitiesof the organization – the mega cleanliness drive at Sinhagad Fort, Tree plantation drive, Environmental Sustainability meetups, Republic day Drive, Visits to Old Age Homes, and many more.

The session was very interactive and informative motivating the students on how they can contribute towards to the betterment of the society. Many students volunteered to work with NGO ‘Changemakers Today’ and take part in their activities.

The orientation was organized by Ms. Monika Rajguru, and Ms. DeepanjaliMazumder, Asst. Prof., Department of BBA-BBA (CA) and Department of Commerce.

BBA SOCIAL OUTREACH ACTIVITY II (HMHM) – Har Mahina Har Mahila

Volunteers from St Mira’s College for Girls along with Her Mahina Har Mahila Team of our foundation were involved in promoting sustainable and eco-friendly menstrual solutions at “Pune Monsoon Market”, an exhibition event held at The Mills on 27th and 28thJuly 2019. They interacted with about 500 visitors over these two days and explained the importance of women’s menstrual health, hygiene and wellness.

The key activities of Her Mahina Har Mahila project are spread towards counselling, education, awareness and training. The students were trained on the topics and on how to address the audience/visitors. Apart from spreading awareness about the project, the students also helped in selling the following items like sanitary pads (NGO manufactured), reusable cloth pads, menstrual cups, bookmarks (made by students), embroidered T-shirts (as merchandise).The total value collected was Rs. 8,760.00. The students participated in this activity under the able coordination of Prof. Abhradita Chatterjee.

BBA Social Outreach 2019-2020 – “Har Mahina Har Mahila” : Women’s Wellness for Women, by Women

The BBA department has launched its 2nd Social Outreach Program for the academic year. The Vision: to break the menstruation taboo across all genders through awareness,education and easy accessibility to products and services; the Mission: toprovide authentic digital and offline information on menstrual health,hygiene and wellness to girls and women in India;collaborate and involve various stakeholders;provide scope and support for propagating various products andservices, andfocus on usage and disposal of menstrual products.

On 12th of July 2019, the BBA Department organized an orientation session with Mr. Raja Narasimha & his wife Mrs. Priti Raja from NGO Sare Jahan Se Achha. They spoke to the students about their project “Har Mahina Har Mahila”. The project’s primary vision is to break the taboo across all the gender and spread awareness. The growing concern that is been faced by the women of India is something which pulled the attention of the college to motivate their girls to go further and help with their project.

In the session, students were made aware that out of 8 tons of waste, 2ton of the sanitary napkins are being segregated by hand which made the girls question on the hygienic method of disposal of the used napkins. Initially,they will be spreading awareness regarding the different menstrual products that are available in the market and be selling them at a cheaper rate so that a larger mass can afford it.Apart from the above various other problems related to women will be addressed. They are Puberty & Menstruation, Menopause, Girlie Guppa, Good Touch Bad Touch, ParenTeen. The program is coordinated by Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi.

The Department of Accountancy- Social Outreach-Spherule Foundation

The Department of Accountancy is partnering with NGO, Spherule Foundation under its social outreach initiative. From this academic year, 2019-20, the department has launched a ‘Certificate Course in Community Engagement’ for all students of our college. This course aims to sensitise students towards social realities, bond with the local community and in-turn develop self-awareness and their personality.

The course exposes our students to the needs of Pune Municipal Schools. The volunteers will undergo training to conduct awareness sessions in the areas of menstrual hygiene, gender equality, anaemia-free India, teaching substitution and surveying to identify needs and connecting with donors. The Course has no fees, but demands the commitment of a volunteer to go beyond self!

Department of Accountancy -Social Outreach- Spherule Foundation

On World Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day (May 28, 2019), our volunteers joined the Tiara - Miss India Pageant contestants to visit the NIBM Kondhwa slums for a session on menstrual hygiene.

"No beauty shines & brighter than that of a good heart with the will to do something for the society”. The Tiara-Miss India Pageant Training Centre along with Spherule Foundation created awareness on menstrual hygiene. Our volunteers were actively interacted with the women working as maids and distributed sanitary napkins.

The volunteers closely interacted with the Tiara-Miss India Pageant contestants and joined hands to promote that Beauty too had to be with purpose.

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.

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 Service S.Y.B.Sc (C.S)

On 20th February 2020 as a part of Social Service the S.Y.B.Sc (C.S) class along with their class teacher Asst. Prof. Alka Kalhapure visited ‘ Ishaprema Niketan’, Nana Peth- Pune, a home for abandoned, lonely destitute old men and women, physically handicapped girls, and children of working mothers from the slums around. As per the requirement of the organization, the class donated 100 packets of adult diapers. The students also celebrated the birthday of daycare children with cake-cutting and spent some quality time with them.

Department of Accountancy : Social Service

To be happy make others happy! - This virtue of our revered Dada J.P. Vasawani was truly followed by the TYBCOM students who set out for a day of service at DeepGriha Society, our Social Outreach Partner on 22 nd February 2020.

The service included arrangement of a day picnic; food preparation & serving and donation of grocery items and goodies for Creche children of DeepGriha Society.

This extension activity saw donation by all students along with an active involvement of 50 TYBCOM students who planned and organized the activities with support from faculty members of the department. A group of students also donated profit earned thorugh their involvement at the annual event Mira Bazaar. Besides, a donation of 16 kgs. of Groundnut and 15 kgs of Jaggery, along with packets of Glucose biscuits and chocolates was also made.

A picnic was organized for 101 small kids of DeepGriha Society organised by the student volunteers of TYBCOM. They received the creche children at Empress Garden, sponsored their entry fee and entertained the small kids by playing games and different rides. The kids also enjoyed a ride of the toy train sponsored by our students.

The student volunteers prepared Rawa Kheer for breakfast and Pulav, boondi raita and gulab jamun for Lunch at the DeepGriha Kitchen for the three centres at Tadiwala road, Ramtekdi and Bibwewadi. The lunch was served to the children as well as the staff of DeepGriha at Empress Garden.

Department of Business Studies : Social Service

As a part of Social Service initiative, the students of MCOM visited the ‘Matruchaya Balakashram, Dighi- an orphanage for small boys’ on Feb 22, 2020. .

The students wholeheartedly contributed both in cash and kind. As per the requirements, personal care items and toiletries, grocery, snacks and stationery were donated to the orphanage. Besides, a donation of ₨. 3000/- was also made to the orphanage.

The students along with Ms. Rajni Singh, Assistant Professor, Department of Business Studies and Coordinator, MCOM had an joyful interaction with the children at Matruchaya Balakashram.

Social Service by FYBBA and FY BBA(CA) - 17 th January 2020

On the occasion of the 54 th “Mahayagna” of Sadhu T.L. Vaswani first-year students of the B.B.A. and B.B.A (CA) Department, along with their class teachers Mrs. Abhradita Nahvi and Mrs. Monika Rajguru raised funds of Rs. 10,000 and distributed 200 kgs of rice, medicines, cotton-wool, gloves, gauze and biscuits to the animal shelter at the Animal Rescue Trust, Manjri.

The NGO Animal Rescue Trust (ART) is run by a board of trustees Mr. Faruk Irani and the Ms. Vinita Tandon. The trust is managed by PR manager Ms. Mansi and 4 stay-in care-takers for the rescued animals. It has 4 wards and one OT (operation theatre). They rescue dogs and cats that are sick, handicapped, paralyzed or retired. The Animal Rescue Trust, Manjri, is the first shelter for dogs in Pune that has its own retirement home for dogs. The girls and the teachers had a great experience spending the day with the animals.

Social Service - Department of B. B. A.

On the occasion of the “Mahayagna” of Sadhu T.L.Vaswani (2019-20) third-year students of the B.B.A. Department, along with their class teacher Mrs. Kajal Jaisinghani, distributed woolen blankets to the ones in need.

We believe in helping and supporting humanity. This was reflected when the students chose to visit Hazrat Shah Dawalshah Dargah to distribute blankets and biscuits to the unprivileged in the vicinity

This service made the students feel a sense of gratitude towards the almighty, their family members, and for everything that they are blessed with. The students are thankful to the College, and the Principal, for providing them an opportunity and are looking forward to more such visits.

Department of BBA and BBA (CA) - Social Extension Activity In Memory Of Dada J.P. Vaswani

Dada J.P. Vaswani believed in the power of "giving". He taught everyone to give more than to take. Dada always stated, "GIVE! GIVE! GIVE! GIVE without any expectation or reward. Give the best you can". Following his teachings, the teachers and students of the BBA and BBA (CA) department collaborated with NGO - MANAV for a clothes collection drive which was a great success. On 25th July Wednesday, a social outreach drive was conducted at St. Mira's College as a tribute to Rev Dada J.P Vaswani.

The drive was conducted by enthusiastic students who came together and collected over 500 pieces of old clothes of different types that could be reused and handed over to the needy. All the clothes were washed, ironed and in absolutely good condition. These clothes were handed over by the students and teacher to the founder President Mritu Agarwal of MANAV accompanied by 5 volunteers. It was very well appreciated by the NGO.

‘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.

Play: Log Kya Kahenge (2020)

The Theatre Ensemble group of the Department of English had its second performance of the play “Log Kya Kahenge!” at Gyan Adab, a cultural centre, in Kalyani Nagar at 6pm on the 12 th of February 2020. It is a powerful play that attempts to engage with mental health in a very sensitive way with the aim of bringing about awareness as well as de-stigmatising it. The performance also promotes the suicide prevention NGO –Connecting, with which the college works closely at many levels.

22 girls acted, danced, sang and won the hearts of the audience.

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 20^th 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.

Department of Economics - Article Review Competition

The Department of Economics organised an Article Review Competition on Feb 4, 2020, an annual Event conducted for many years. The competition explores the current and relevant economic issues creating an active platform for the students to read on and interpret the current economic affairs. This year’s topic was Budget 2020. The competition is open for English as well as Marathi medium students. The reviews are judged on the basis of content, language and presentation. Participants are oriented on how to write a review.

The competition received an overwhelming response from 67 students participated in the competition; 47 participating in English and 20 in Marathi.

Dr. Bindu Nair, faculty in Economics and Ms. Veena Kenchi, faculty in Political Science, both at St. Mira’s College were the judge for the English and Marathi medium reviews respectively.

The prize winners of the competition are as follows-

English Medium

First Prize (Rs. 300 and Merit Certificate)- Ummesalama Karu, SYBA (A) Roll No: 2801

Second Prize (Rs. 200 and Merit Certificate)- Kamini Sah, TYBA (A) Roll No: 4922

Third Prize (Rs. 100 and Merit Certificate)- Priyanka Pillay SYBA (A) Roll No: 2704

Marathi Medium

First Prize (Rs. 300 and Merit Certificate)- Sneha Arne, SYBA, Roll No: 2771

Second Prize (Rs. 200 and Merit Certificate)- Rinkal Shilawane TYBA, Roll NO. 4878

Third Prize (Rs. 100 and Merit Certificate)- Vaishnavi Darekar SYBA, Roll No: 2756

EEE Examination for the promotion of Electronics

SPEED (EEE) Examination is regular activity of SPEED (Society for Promotion of Excellence in Electronics Discipline). The EEE examination was conducted by the Electronics Department for F.Y. and S.Y.BSc. (CS) students on 10 th and 11 th January 2020. Around 31 students from F.Y. and 35 students from S.Y. participated in the exam.

Ms. Andrea Belsher scored 64 marks and stood first. The second position was won by Ms. Devyani Rupeja of S.Y.BSc with 58 marks out of 100.

Ms.Rieyona Menzes from F.Y.BSc scored the highest mark 62 out of 100 and Ms. Mrunal Jadhav stood second with 60 marks.

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 28^th 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 17^th September 2018 and won the following prizes- Most Unique Poster - Ashna Amlani and Zahra Shetranjiwala

1^st prize - Jefiya Babu, Anushka Wilson and Preeti Sharma on the topic of Resilience

2^nd 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 23^rd 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

Department of Economics : ‘Lecture Series on Development Economics’

A ‘Lecture Series on Development Economics is an regular feature of Department of Economics ws organized on 3 rd and 6 th February, 2020. Ms. Arundhati Agate, Assistant Professor, SP College Pune was the guest speaker. While highlighting the historical development process, Ms. Agate presented a SWOT analysis of the four countries China, South Africa and Brazil along with India. Specific characteristics of the countries were discussed like ‘licence raj’ and economic reforms in India, single child norm in China and its impact on Chinese economy, episodes of inflation in Brazil and ultimately apartheid in South Africa. Students of TYBA, TYBCOM and SYBA attended the lecture series.

Department of Accountancy - Guest Lecture on ‘Road map for clearing the NET and SLET’

Department of Accountancy organised a guest lecture on ‘Road map for clearing the NET and SLET’ examination on 14 th February 2020 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- Associate Dean, Faculty of Commerce & Management, Savitribai Phule Pune University; Associate Professor in 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.

He guided our students 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.

It was an enlightening and very informative session and he encouraged the students to take up teaching a career.

Department of History – Legacy of Greek Architecture

A Guest Lecture on ‘Legacy of Greek Architecture’ was organised by the Department of History for the first and second year students of History on 14 th February 2020. The Speaker invited was Architect Dr. Vaishali Latkar, Assistant Professor and Conservation Architect, Dept. of Conservation Architecture, Sinhagad College of Architecture, Pune.

Dr. Latkar introduced the civilization to the students through its geography. She brought out the manner in which the topographical features of this region supported the development of this rich ancient culture. Dr. Latkar in a very simple manner brought out the technical architectural details used by the Greeks in creating such long lasting classical buildings like the Parthenon. With this lecture, the students learnt the nuances of a different aspect of studying history through architecture. This helped them in understanding how the society, culture, philosophy, thinking and art are reflected through a civilization’s architecture as well. They also realized the techniques used by the ancient Greeks for making their structures visually appealing.

Department of BBA- Guest Lecture on Marketing

A guest lecture was organized for the FYBBA students on the topic ‘4P’s and the 7 P’s of marketing’ on Jan 13, 2020. The guest speaker was Prof. Sandeep Rathod, Assistant Professor, Department of BBA, Garware College of Commerce, Pune.

With an introduction to marketing and the evolution of marketing, Prof. Sandeep elaborated upon the 4 P’s and the 7 P’s along with the AIDA Model (Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action). The session was an interactive one; it was well enhanced with interesting visual applications; different marketing advertisements on OLX, Insurance PNB Metlife, Kindle Amazon. Nutrela Soya, Aaj Tak, Spice Jet etc. as examples. These concepts were well brought out with advertisements as examples that enhanced the student learning of the subject.

Department of Business Studies- Guest Lecture on ‘Resume Writing’

A Guest Lecture was organized for the students of SYBCOM on Resume Writing under the subject Business Communication.

The Guest Speaker was Mr Thomas Kuriakose, a Corporate Trainer provided insights to students how to write an effective resume, with finer points for effective presentation. He brought out the difference in resume and CV for the students with suitable illustrations.

BBA Department - Report on Guest Lecture

A guest lecture was organized by BBA Department on 8 th January, 2020 for FYBBA students on Idea Management with an objective to provide them with practical insights about conceptualizing and managing creative ideas, focusing on solutions, opportunity identification, optimum time utilization, having an optimistic outlook in unusual circumstances etc. The Speaker was Ms. Kavita Ghoran, Trainer- Skill Training Department at Science and Technology Park and Founder, Project Steer.

Ms. Ghoran guided the students on how to manage not only the professional life but also enrich one’s personal lives with by channelizing their ideas in the right manner.

Guest Lecture on Writing & Grammar Skills

The Department of Business Studies organised a Guest Lecture for SYBCom Business Communication students on “Phrases and Paragraph writing” on 18th December.

The Speaker was our in-house-faculty, Ms Komal Tujare Assistant Professor, Department of English, St. Mira’s College; Ms. Tujare provided insights in understanding of the contents and skills of writing a paragraph. She explained how one can use the phrases in a right way with appropriate exercises and examples.

Guest Lecture on ‘Emerging Technologies in Communication and Network’

The Department of Electronics organised a guest lecture by Mr. Shubham Sarwate on the 4th of January 2020 on ‘Emerging Technologies in Communication and Network’ for S.Y.B.Sc(CS), T.Y.B.Sc(CS) and M.Sc.(CS) students. Mr. Sarwate is currently working as a software developer at CISCO Systems Inc. in California USA.

He is currently developing Cloud Wi-Fi solutions for large-scale enterprises. He has graduated with a Masters Degree in Computer Engineering from Texas A&M University with a specialization in Networks and IoT. He introduced the ways 5G will change the mobile communication, Quantum communication, and Star link. He explained different features of 5G and its applications; how satellites communication has improved using Star-Link and explained the concept of Quantum Computing.

Department of BBA Guest Lecture on Event Management

BBA Department organized a Guest Lecture on Event Management on 9th December 2019 for TYBBA students. The speaker for the lecture was Ms Vanita S. N., with experience of over a decade in the event industry. She is the CEO and Co-founder of ‘Make Magic Events’ established in 2003.

The lecture began with an introduction to the event management industry which is a growing industry witnessing a massive expansion worldwide. This was followed by the discussion about the features of events, the types of events and how each event is different from the other. The discussion also revolved around the technological progress that this industry has seen over the years and the various ways in which the events can be advanced. Moreover, practical examples of the evolving industry through event apps, live streaming, social ambassador, projector mapping, molecular advancing, venue hunting, digital swag bags, etc. were very interestingly discussed.

The lecture ended with a question-answer session and a vote of thanks. It was a very knowledgeable session and the students got practical insights into the Event Management and Event Planning Industry in India.

Guest Lecture on Cost Accounting Standard Board and Cost Accounting Standards

On 11th December 2019, the Department of Accountancy organised a lecture on Cost Accounting Standard Board and Cost Accounting Standards—Methodology of Issue for TY and SYBCom Costing students. The speaker was CMA Neeraj Joshi, the present chairman of the Cost Accounting Standard Board, WIRC, ICWAI.

CMA Neeraj Joshi touched upon the international scenario regarding cost accounting standards, detailed out the constitution and role of Cost Accounting Standard Board and the present issues faced by cost accounting standard board. The students got practical insights into the industry through his varied examples.

Ms. Akanksha Kamthe, TYBCom costing student, took praiseworthy efforts in organising this lecture.

Department of Computer Science Guest Lecture on “Surviving and Thriving in a Technology dominated World”

The Department of Electronics, B.Sc (Computer Science) organized a guest lecture on “Surviving and Thriving in a Technology-dominated World” on 4th Dec 2019 for SY and TY.B.Sc students. The resource person was Ms. Pratima Joshi, a data science enthusiast with experience in application development, testing and automation development. Currently, she does freelance work on data analytics and machine learning.

Ms. Joshi, in her lecture, discussed the trends in Technology and its impact, trends such as Cloud, Big Data, IoT, AI etc. and its impact on businesses and economy and Artificial Intelligence, elaborating on the terminology, applications and opportunities.

She then provided a survival guide to students as to the kinds of jobs available and the skills required in the market. She also provided information on useful courses and links to the students Ms. Joshi guided the students on the various skills required for upgrading their profile for various jobs in the IT sector. She encouraged students to explore the new opportunities in the field.

Department of BBA –BBA(CA) Guest Lecture on Research Methodology

A guest lecture on Research Methodology was organized for the TYBBA students on 6th December 2019.The resource person was none other than our very own in-house faculty, Dr.ArwahMadan, Associate Professor, Department of Economics. Dr. Madan has more than 25 years of teaching experience in areas like economics and banking, research methodology and public policy. She is also a doctorate in financial management and quantitative theory.

The session gave the students an insight to the basics of research and the nuances of a research project. It gave them a clear idea of how to go about the project. Dr. Madan addressed different queries of the students and offered tips on preparation of the research project. Various topics were also discussed from specialisation backgrounds like Finance, Human Resource and Marketing to help the students understand the criteria of choosing a research topic.

The session ended with students having a clearer picture of conducting a research project.

Department of Accountancy - Investor Awareness Programme

Financial Capability – a combination of financial literacy and financial opportunities is highly imperative for financial inclusion. However, a lack of this keeps the lower-income group out of the purview of the financial system. Taking heed of this issue, the RBI has taken several measures for enhancing financial literacy in this faction of society. Regulators like SEBI, IRDA and even other financial constituents like NSE have followed suit.

Our institution has also not been left behind in taking an initiative in this area by signing an MOU with the BIAP – Board for Industry-Academia Partnership under the aegis of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) to foster the cause of financial inclusion through financial literacy. The maiden session on financial literacy under this partnership was conducted on 28th November 2019 in coordination with an NGO – Deep Griha for the women of low-income groups in the adjacent community. The session covered the basic aspects of personal financial planning especially budgeting, health insurance, pension funds and the like, which are highly essential for this group. However, the highlight of this session was an introduction to mutual funds as a growth vehicle, especially investments in the form of Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs). The idea of treading onto this new path of investments was very well received by the participants.

GUEST LECTURE ON CONTRACT ACT AND TRADEMARKS ACT

A guest lecture was organized by the BBA Department on 13th September 2019 for the TYBBA and TY B.Com students. The speaker was Advocate Shailendra Pathak, currently leading the law firm—Legalance with associate offices across different cities in India catering to an array of multidimensional legal needs, individual and corporate, in diversified fields of law.

The lecture covered the Contract Act and other Intellectual Property Rights. Adv Pathak dealt with the practical aspects pertaining to the Contract Act and Intellectual Property Rights. At the outset students were introduced to the actual basic meaning of a contract and its inclusions. Various practical examples were brought in, like Adidas, Kirloskar, Gowardhan etc. to lucidly explain the concepts of Trade Marks Law. The lecture exposed the students to varied aspects pertaining to Contract Law and Trade Marks Law. It was a very interactive, interesting and informative session for the students.

Department of Computer Science - Guest Lecture on UI and UX Design

A guest lecture was organized for S.Y.B.Sc (CS) on 6th September 2019 on UI and UX Design conducted by Mr. Mukul Bansal - UI Developer, Medley Technology; and Ms. Bijal Parekh - Lead Consultant, Thoughworks.

Students were introduced to the workings of UI (User Interaction as the point of human-computer interaction and communication in a device. They were also introduced to UX Design (User Experience) as the process of enhancing user satisfaction with a product by improving the usability, accessibility, and desirability provided in the interaction with the product. User experience design encompasses traditional human–computer interaction (HCI) design and extends it by addressing all aspects of a product or service as perceived by users. Mr. Bansal and Ms. Parekh informed students on how students they can make a career in these fields and the skills they need to hone for the same.

Guest Lecture on Corporate Ethics – BBA Department

A guest lecture was organised on the growing importance of Corporate Ethics, by the BBA Department, on 22nd August 2019 at 11.00 a.m. The session was conducted by Ms. Hiral Desai, a corporate trainer and freelance facilitator, with the objective to impart practical insights into ethical practices in the corporate sector.

The session helped introduce students to opposing viewpoints; to understanding faulty rationalisation; to develop critical thinking skills; to gain knowledge about importance of ethical practices in professional as well as personal life and to reflect on the role of character in practices of ethics.

Department of Business Studiesand BBA –Orientation on Career Opportunities

TIME Institute, Pune conducted orientation sessions on career opportunities for the students of SY and TY B.Com,and BBA on 9th and 10th August 2019. The students were oriented with the various career options like MBA, Bank Exams, Staff Selection and other government jobs. The sessions covered the different tests/exams that students can appear for; how to prepare for the different exams; admission/selection criteria, etc. The highly interactive session helped students understand the different career options;addressed their queries andoffered tips on preparation for GDs and Personal Interviews, Mock Tests, Scoring pattern etc. The session will helpstudents in taking the right decision on their career choice and on preparing for the same to achieve success.

Guest Lecture - Entrepreneurial Skills

Ms Ravina Jagtiani, our student, pursuing SY B Com at St Mira’s College for Girls delivered a lecture on Entrepreneurial Skills for FY B Com Business Entrepreneurship Students on 27th July 2019. Ms Jagtiani is an entrepreneur with a skill for cloth bags, cloth pouches, nail art, artificial jewellery, handmade cards,etc. She takes orders for customized products as per the requirement of the customers. The lecture highlighted how passion can be converted into entrepreneurship;how commitment, dedication and delivering on time were essential for entrepreneurship; and included a demonstration of craft skills.

Guest Lecture on Corporate Training

Department of English organized a guest lecture on “Introduction to Corporate Training” for the S.Y. and T.Y.B.A—English Special students of St. Mira’s on Tuesday, 23rd July 2019. Ms NausheenQidwai, who holds 14 years of experience in the field of Corporate Training, spoke on different sectors of industries, scope, career growth and guided students on training methodology as well as other topics in this field. It was exciting to know of the abundant opportunities this sector offers students. Ms Qidwai ended on a positive note, that training is not just about professional growth but also about giving back to society.

Department of Computer Science- Skype Video Lecture on ‘Agile Development in Project Management’

Department of Computer Science organized a guest lecture on ‘Agile Development in Project Management’ on Saturday, 3rd August 2019. The lecture was delivered by a senior IT leader and SAFe/Agile coach Mr Brian Schweickert, with McKesson, Richmond Virginia (USA).

The video lecture was arranged for the students of the TYBSc(CS) and MSc(CS) courses.

Mr Schweickert described the increasing scope of Agile technology in industry. He also explained the different aspects of Agile methodology used in Project Management. Students were enriched by the exchange and clarified some of their queries on the subject.

Department of History - Visuals as Sources of History

A Guest Lecture on ‘Visuals as Sources of History’ was organised by the Department of History for all the students of History from the first year to the third year on 26th July, 2019. Dr. Radhika Seshan, Professor and Head, Dept. of History, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune was the guest speaker.

Dr. Seshan focused on the ‘Visual as and in History’ beginning with defining what a visual is and how the visual is re-presented. She gave a view of Visuals as in Paintings and Artifacts, as Sculptures and Architecture and as Maps.With this lecture, the students were exposed to a different aspect of studying history which helped them in developing an understanding of how one collects data through different media.

Dept. Of Mathematics B.Sc. (CS) Guest lecture on “Think Without Ink”

Department of Mathematics B.Sc.(C.S.) organized a Mathematics guest lecture on the topic "Think Without Ink" on 20th July 2019 from 10.30 to 11:30 a.m. The speaker for the event was Dr Santosh Dhotre from the Department of Mathematics, Savitribai Phule Pune University. The lecture was very interesting. The speaker discussed ways to think of solutions for various real-life problems in Mathematics.

Guest Lecture on Investment Avenues and Trends in Financial Market

A Guest Lecture on ‘Investment Avenues and Trends in Financial Market’ was organised on 30^th 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 15^th 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 2^nd 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 16^th 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 31^st 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 6^th 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 Civil Service Examination

Departments of Economics, History & Politics organized a Guest Lecture on “Preparation for Civil Service & Competitive Examinations on July 27^th, 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 28^th 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 23^rd 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.

Mira Bazaar (2019)

The Grand Gala Annual Event ‘Mira Bazaar’, the endeavour of the Centre for Women Entrepreneurship (CWE), St. Mira’s College was organized on Dec 14, 2019.The Chief Guest for the event was Mrs. Anuja Deshpande, Deputy Director of MCCIA and the Guest of Honour Mrs. Pushpa Shah of the Suyog Group. The event was co-sponsored by Suyog Life Care, Diagnostic Centre headed by Ms. Monika Shah.

The event primarily provides a platform for the young ‘entrepreneur’ students to showcase their entrepreneurial skills. The Bazaar has 35 stalls of delicacies, handmade jewellery, clothes, accessories, Tarot Card reading, photo booth, nail art etc. put by the students with great enthusiasm and innovation. Besides, there was participation from entrepreneurs, NGO’s and Alumni as well.

In our tiny steps towards environment conservation, the Green Club, St. Mira’s College put up a stall of pre-owned clothes the proceeds of which will be used for the green initiatives of the college.

The Mira Bazaar 2019 witnessed an enthusiastic response from over 1800 visitors comprising of students, parents, faculties and friends.

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 17^th 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.

The Sadhu Vaswani Inter College Debate Competition 2019 -20

The annual Sadhu Vaswani Inter College Debate Competition was held on Thursday 30 th January, to commemorate the 54 th Mahayagna of our revered founder Sadhu T.L. Vaswani. The topic was: “Mahatma Gandhi: A man of his times, not ours.” The judges were Ms Meena Murdeshwar and Ms Poonam Arora.

The debate was well attended with eleven teams participating 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 Ummesalama Karu and Muskan Khan from St. Mira’s were declared the Best Team. Shreeya Dharmatti and Rajlaxmi Nimbalkar from D.E.S. Shri Navalmal Firodia Law College won the Runner-Up Team prize. Muskan Khan from St. Mira’s College won the Best Speaker (For) and Ummesalama Karu from St. Mira’s College won the Best Speaker (Against) prize. The 2nd Best Speaker prizes for and against were won by Ayushman Das from Ajinkya D.Y. Patil University and Rajlaxmi Nimbalkar from D.E.S. Shri Navalmal Firodia Law College respectively. The debate was well attended by more than 192 students.

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.

WORKSHOP ON FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS

A Workshop was organized by the BBA Department on 14th September 2019 for SYBBA and TYBBA (Finance Specialisation) students. The workshop was conducted by CA Timsi Rajpal. Ms Rajpal has vast experience in statutory audits, group reporting, internal financial control implementation, IPO listing, limited reviews and various certifications for clients in manufacturing, service and real estate. Ms. Rajpal also has work experience in PWC London with exposure to insurance companies and clients like Kirloskar Brothers, Kpit Cummins, and subsidiaries of companies headquartered in Germany and Switzerland.

The students were taken through the financial statements of two companies, Bajaj Auto Ltd and Hero Moto Corp. Various items of the balance sheet, and Income Statement were discussed. The students analysed these two companies with the help of Ratio Analysis and performed an inter-firm comparison. The session helped the students gain practical experience in Financial Statement Analysis and Evaluation.

Workshop on Industrial Revolution 4.0

A one-day workshop was conducted on 24th August 2019, at St Mira's College for Girls on "Industrial Revolution 4.0" by Mr. Arun Prasad who has been associated with IBS for more than 12 years. He began with how the old industry has transformed into a technical and digital driven industry with involvement of Machine Learning and Digital Revolution and its impacts. Further he also made students aware of interesting examples like smart class rooms, smart supply network. The interactive workshop saw student raise queries and all queries answered; further, the importance of "Learn Unlearn and Relearn" was discussed. The workshop concluded with giving the students insights into the skills that bridge the gap between college and corporate world. The program was coordinated with the support of Mrs Divya Chitre (Department of Computer Applications) and Mrs Abradhita Navhi (Department of Business Administration).

Department of Electronics - Workshop on Arduino and Internet of Things (IoT)

Department of Electronics in association with Mechatron Robotics conducted a 2-day workshop on Arduino and IoT on 16th and 17th August 2019 for S.Y.BSc (CS). On the first day of the workshop, the students were introduced to Arduino, basic electronics, IDE info with basic codes. They learnt to interface the hardware circuit with the software to perform various projects like single LED blinking, Multiple LED blinking, LED fading using PWM, IR sensor-based projects, Ultrasonic sensor-based projects.

On the second day of the workshop, the concept and applications of IoT and node MCU were introduced. The code basics for IoT and the interfacing with outputs was explained to the students. The students learnt the concept of home automation by using applications in the phone to control the lighting of the LED from anywhere in the world by using Wi-Fi. They also learnt how to use IoT and Ultrasonic sensor to determine whether the garbage bin was full or empty.

The training team included Mr. Sidharth Kumar, Ms. Kiran Patil and Mr. Kiran from Mechatron Robotics. The students performed projects with great enthusiasm and determination. The team helped the students to learn new concepts in a very simple manner. The students were very happy and satisfied with the workshop.

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 11^th 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.

Department of BBA - BBA(CA) Stress Management Workshop

A workshop on Stress management was organized for FYBBA(CA) students the objective to facilitate them with practical insights about Stress Management. The resource persons for the workshop were Ms. Sharmin Palsetia (Asst. Professor, Psychology Dept., – St. Mira’s College, along with the alumni of St. Mira’s College, Department of Psychology- Ms. Akansha Hirani Ms. Anjali Abigail Vipparti and Ms. Munazza (2017-18 batch)

The workshop included session on Interaction and Stress Relieving Games and Role Plays in an attempt to look for the cause/s of Stress and how to overcome them through meditation, exercises to relieve stress. The workshop enlightened the participants with the right perspective to handle the stress at workplaces with different techniques and exercises to face the situation calmly and positively and at the same time to enhance productivity at workplaces. The Workshop was coordinated by Asst. Prof. Kajal Jaisinghani, Department of BBA-BBA (CA).

Workshop STEER

The workshop STEER was organised by BBA- BBA(CA) Department at St. Mira’ s College to help students understand the importance of positivity and get insights to create a more balanced and peaceful life.

It was conducted by Mrs. Madhu Jagadeesh — founder of Conservation of Humanity, a self-driven project, and Ms. Kavita Ghoran — founder of project Steer, on 29 th July 2019.

The workshop helped students to introspect, to tap the power of one's subconscious mind, and to experience a feeling of lightness and inclusiveness.

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.

Green Trek cum Cleanliness Drive By students and staff of St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune
Sunday, 22nd Dec 2019

The Green Club of St. Mira's College for Girls organised a Green Trek cum Cleanliness Drive at Parvati Hill in Pune on Sunday, the 22nd of December, 2019 between 7.30 am and 9.30 am. The Drive aimed to sensitize students towards environmental concerns, instil in them a sense of responsibility towards their natural surroundings. Student engagement in waste collection activity helped them to exhibit responsible citizenship and highlighted the importance of a clean, plastic-free environment. The Adar Poonawala Foundation, Pune partnered our endeavour by providing gloves, masks, and access to their garbage disposal vans at Parvati Hill. About 25 Degree College students participated. They were accompanied by 3 faculty members of the Degree College, Dr Manisha Pimpalkhare, Dept. of Economics, Ms Deepanjali Mazumdar, Dept. of Accountancy and Ms Komal Tujare, Dept. of English.

Green Club Jumble Sale at the Mira Bazaar, 14th December 2019

The Green Club of our College organized a Jumble Sale of pre-owned apparel at the annual Mira Bazaar held on 14th December 2019. This Sale advocated the importance of the principles of “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle” and the act of ‘Giving’. Student volunteers from Degree College contributed their might to sell these items. The clothes were sold at nominal rates ranging from Rs 10/- per piece to Rs 50/- per piece, depending on their condition. Students, Sevaks and Sevikas purchased these items with great enthusiasm. The entire collection of this year’s Jumble Sale was Rs 6660/- which will be used for an environmental /social cause by the College.

Green Club Activity - Raksha Bandhan 2019

The students of the Green Club of the College made hand-made Rakhis dedicated to the memory of our spiritual mentor reveredDada J.P. Vaswani on his 101st birthday on 2nd August 2019.After seeking the blessings of revered founder Sadhu T.L Vaswani and our spiritual mentor, revered Dada J.P. Vaswani at their samadhis at Sadhu Vaswani Mission, the rakhis were taken by 25 girls and 3 teachers to Southern Command ’s Artificial Limb Centre (ALC), Pune on 8th August 2019.

The girls presented a huge greeting card, performed Aarti, tied rakhis, presented sweetmeats and said Jai Hind to our Fauji brothers who have served the motherland and protected us.This small gesture of the Mira Family touched an emotional chord in the soldiers who had come to the ALC for limb rehabilitation. They blessed our girls.

Green Club Activity - Student Induction Programme

Green Club Students Orientation and Newspaper Bags Making Activity for Sanitary Napkin Disposal

The Green Club of St. Mira’s College is a voluntary initiative of the College comprising faculty and students to sensitize the students about the 3Rs -'Reduce, Re-use and Re-cycle' by employing a two-pronged approach of advocacy and engagement. It is our belief that our tiny steps towards environment conservation will eventually have a cascading effect in the neighbourhood.

On Saturday, 6^th July 2019, as a part of the Student Induction Programme, the Green Club faculty members organized an Orientation Session for the First year B.Com, BA, BBA, BBA(CA) and BSc.(CS) students of the College. The students were oriented about the purpose and activities of the Green Club. The Green Club wholeheartedly supports the Red Dot campaign and Re-use of paper acknowledging it as a vital step towards the health and safety of waste management squads across the country. Hence, the session focused on awareness of hygienic disposal of sanitary napkins. Further, the session attempted teaching students the art of making newspaper bags. Students gathered to innovatively craft 670 newspaper bags/envelopes for the responsible disposal of sanitary napkins. They prepared small envelopes, each emblazoned with the Red Dot. These envelopes will be kept in all the washrooms so that students, faculty members and other staff can use it for sanitary napkin disposal. The students showed great enthusiasm and promised to volunteer in future activities of the Green Club.

TEDx ST.MIRA’S COLLEGE – Halfway There

TEDx- is an event created with a mission of ‘ideas worth spreading’. On Saturday, 7th September 2019, a TEDx event themed “Halfway There” was hosted at the St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune. The 2nd edition of Tedx hosted and organized by the students of the BBA Department, organizer-Pratiksha Bokadia and co-organizer-Manvi Malhotra, under the insightful guidance and mentorship of Prof. Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi assisted by co-curator Falak Baig. This initiative, undertaken by the BBA Department, was a defining moment for the college as this was the second time they were hosting a TEDx event with the aim of stepping up from the benchmark that was created in 2018, as well as expanding the students’ horizons, so that they can dream bigger and have the strength, will-power, and the network to achieve those dreams.

This local event was a base 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 the learning that we hoped would be disseminated through the course of the day: we all would learn, grow, expand in our mindsets and in turn become a source of change for others.

As the phrase suggests, the event elaborated why we want people to look at the other side of the coin, listen to it, if not discuss the other perspective so that we learn, unlearn and relearn and go on from HALFWAY THERE to completing our goals. To educate people on this is the need of the hour for today’s times.

Talks by the judicious speakers were given on various topics under the theme “HALFWAY THERE”. The talk quenched the need for knowledge imparted through a combination of live speakers and TED talk videos. Dr. Suresh Devnani- Author, Motivational Speaker also known as “Happy Doctor”; Geetika Saigal- Entrepreneur, Author and Speaker; Major Mohammad Ali Shah- Army Veteran and Actor; Nabomita Mazumdar- Entrepreneur, Tech Expert and HR influencer; Aditya Kriplani- Screen Writer and Director, Producer, Novelist; Thomas Dal-Architect, Transport Designer, Design Innovator; Malcolm Raphael- Strategist, Innovator, Brand Storyteller; and Kanishk Priyadarshi- Anchor, Actor, YouTuber were the speakers who graced the event with their presence and took the opportunity to recognize that no learning is ever complete until we know the other side of the story and complete our journey from this halfway standpoint.

The power-packed performances by We Fuse Music (WFM) - an alternate Hindi Rock Band and to top it, a contemporary dance performance by the Tribe Vibe Dance Company added to the amazing experience. Delicious delicacies were arranged for breakfast, lunch and high tea. All the attendees were given goodie bags that preserved the theme in the souvenirs for the event. The hard work of the students since March 2019 finally paid off. It was a “sold-out” event!

TEDx ST. MIRA’S COLLEGE quotes Walt Disney’s” All our dreams can come true, only if we have the courage to pursue them”, and dream big. We did!

The Elephant in the Room

TEDxwas created with a mission for “ideas worth spreading",on 3^rd of March 2018, Saturday, a TEDx event themed ‘The Elephant in The Room' was hosted at the St. Mira's College for Girls, Pune. It was hosted and organized by the students of the BBA DepartmentnotablyorganiserMehak Mewawalla and co-organiserUrvi Solanki under the insightful guidance and mentorship of Prof. Abhradita Chatterjee Nahvi. This initiative by the BBA Department was a defining moment for the college as it was the first and successful TEDx event in the college.

As the phrase suggests, the event elaborated various issues that remain unaddressed in a conservative societylike ours. The theme could not be more fitting as it was the need of the hour. Talks by judicious speakers were on various “elephants in the room" we all come across daily. The talk sated the need for imparting crucial knowledge amongst 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?

Bindumadhav Khire-Gay Rights Activist;Justin Rayne Nash - Life Coach, OnkarKhullar - also known as theDigital Gandhi; Dr. RaviAbhyankar - Mental Health Professional; Alekh Sangal - an inspiring actor and producer; AnshulBafna - Business Psychologist and PushkarBendre - Pune's leading stand-up comedian were the speakers who graced the event and talked about various “elephants in the room” that they face day in and day out.

Mesmerizing performancesby The Earth Magicians- a jazz fusion world band and a ballet dance performance by Neha Sujani's ballerinas added to the luxurious experience.

Scrumptious delicacies were arranged for breakfast, lunch and high tea. All the attendees were given goodie bags withsouvenirspreserving the theme of the event.

The event owed its success to the strong foundations set by our Principal and guideDr. G. H. Gidwani for the students to build on. The greatest purpose of the event was to hope that throughout the course of the day, we all would learn, grow, expand in our outlooks and in turn become a source of change for others.

Detective Fiction in Anime by JNK- 13 th August, 2019

The JNK group of LitWits has an enthusiasm for anime and manga series. The group brings this passion to the club to celebrate their shared interests. On the 13 th of August 2019, the group organised a screening of assorted episodes from The Kindaichi Case Files which were analysed by the members of the group for its excellent detective plot.

The Sexist Cine Saga by LitWits- 30 th July to 8 th August 2019

The LitWits Club organised a series of movie-screenings titled “The Sexist Cine Saga” between the 30 th of July and the 8 th of August 2019. There were four sessions of movie screenings followed by discussions, to highlight systemic patriarchy and the realities of our society. Movies such as Muramba, Arjun Reddy, The Colour Purple complemented by short films like Majorité Opprimée, Norm and a music video, Balance ton quoi, were screened. The screenings were open to students from the entire college.

JNK Introductory session- 25 th July 2019

The JNK Group of the LitWits organised the introductory session for the academic year 2019-20 to introduce the freshers to the club and its activities. The new members were given a briefing about the previous year’s activities in the club and ice breaker games to get to know the members well. The senior members spoke about group events like Korean drama screenings, K-pop MV screenings, discussions, MV releases, manga and anime screenings, etc. Brief introductions of the members were followed by an impromptu sing-along karaoke of famous K-pop songs.

LitWits Introductory Session- 12 th July 2019

The LitWits Club of the Department of English organised the introductory session of the club on 12 th July 2019. The session was attended by girls from all streams of the college and consisted of a briefing on the previous year’s activities of the club and ice breaker games to get to know the new members well. The new members were introduced to the club and they shared their views on what they’d like to have as club activities.

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 31^st 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

Constitution Day Celebrations 2019-20

The 70th Constitution Day was celebrated by the Dept of Politics and Public Administration in association with the Dept of NSS on Tuesday, 26th November 2019. The following activities were conducted on the occasion -

1. Live Telecast of the proceedings of the Parliament on the special occasion of Constitution Day. More than 150 students attended the proceedings wherein the President of India, Prime Minister and Vice- President of India spoke about the importance of Samvidhaan, the contribution of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the importance of Fundamental Duties enshrined in the Constitution.

2. Skit by students of Std XI - Under the guidance of Mrs. Anita D’Cunha, the students of Std XI performed a short skit emphasizing the importance of fundamental rights and laws in the Constitution. Students enacted small incidents from our daily lives to show the impact of fundamental rights and their importance in our lives. Domestic violence, the right to equality and the right to education were shown through the skit.

3. Reading of the Preamble - All Staff and students participated in the reading of the Preamble in the assembly hall of the college.

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 cel ebrated 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.

Department of Accountancy- Student Research

Alisha Francis and Shrishti Yadav Students of TYBCOM in the subject Mercantile Law, contributed a paper titled ‘Comparative Advertising and Trademark Law: Insights from Case Analysis’ at the National Conference on Intellectual Property Rights and GST organized by Sidharth College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai on 22 nd February 2020.

The students were guided by Dr. Dimple Buche, Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy, St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune.

7th State Level Research Paper Competition

Shruti Praveen and Safia Khatun TYBCOMstudents of Mercantile Law contributed a paper titled ‘Impact of National Education Policy on Indian Education System’ at the7thState LevelResearch Paper Competition, held at Garware College of Commerce, Pune on 16th January 2020. They were guided by Dr Dimple Buche, Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy.

Repercussion of Article 370 In Present Political Scenario

Ms. Alisha Francis, a student of TYBCOM, in the subject Mercantile Law, contributed a paper titled ‘Repercussion of Article 370 In Present Political Scenario’in the 4th Indira Student Research Conference held on 20th December 2019.

The paper was published in ‘Revelation’ an in-house publication of Indira College of Commerce & Science. She was guided by Dr. Dimple Buche, Assistant Professor, Department of Accountancy.

4th Indira Student Research Conference

Ms. Chandni Mohnani, Ms. Kate Lopez and Ms. Priti Verma, students of TYBCOM-Banking Specialization, bagged the Third Prize at the 4th Indira Student Research Conference on the theme ‘Digital Transformation’ organized by Department of Commerce & Management, Indira College of Commerce and Science, Pune on Dec 20th, 2019. Their paper titled ‘Modern day Sources of E-Finance: Case Studies on Angel Finance, Crowd Funding and Bootstrapping in India’ was among the 24 student research papers from colleges all over Pune.

Besides, Ms. Srishti Yadav also a student of TYBCOM, Banking Specialization, presented a paper titled ‘A Study of Implications of E-business on different Payment Modes’.

The papers were published in ‘Revelation’ an In-house Publication of Indira College of Commerce & Science.

The Students were guided by Dr. Arwah Madan, Associate Professor, Department of Business Economics and Banking & Finance, St. Mira’s College for Girls, Pune.

Student Paper Presentation :-

Two students of St. Mira’s College for Girls presented their research papers at the 3-day International Conference titled, "International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research on Sustainable Development towards Better Tomorrow" organised by Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce from 14th to 16th November 2019. Ms. Priya Bajaj from T.Y.B.Com presented a paper titled “A Comparative Study of Internal Marketing Strategies in Euro International School and Dastur Public School in Pune City”, and Ms. Saee Gaikwad from T.Y.B.Com presented a paper titled “A Study to Understand Unique Strategies by Service Firm to Coin and Retain its Customers and its Impact”. The girls worked under the able guidance of Asst. Prof. Rajni Singh. The papers were appreciated for their proper research format and the use of primary data. They will be published in a UGC approved research journal.

Department of Business Economics & Banking - 7th Inter-Collegiate Research Paper Competition

Ms. Chandni Mohnani, Ms. Kate Lopez and Ms. Pooja Singh, students of TYBCOM-Banking Specialization bagged the Fourth place in the 7th Inter-Collegiate Research Paper Competition on the theme ‘Bank Mergers, a Boon to Banking and Economy?’ organized by Indian Institute of Cost and Management Studies and Research (Indsearch), Pune on Sept 18th, 2019.

Their paper titled “An Analysis of feasibility of Mega Bank Mergers in Indian Banking System” was among the 28 research papers selected for presentation from among 41 research papers received from 21 colleges and institutes all over India.

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 18^th and 19^th 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.

Annual Socials 2019-20

The Annual Socials of St. Mira’s College was celebrated on 20th and 21st Decemberwith great enthusiasm. The programme was coordinated in sync with the broader theme of National Integration. The performances included Ganesh Vandana and Shiv Kirtan, showcasing the classical dance tradition; dances based on folk traditions such as theKoothu tribal dance from Tamil Nadu, Ghoomar of Rajasthan, Bhangra from Punjab and Lavni from Maharashtra. A special performance showing the rich heritage of the seven sister states of North East left the audience spellbound. The programme culminated on a high point with a Fashion Show presenting diverse and rich cultures of different states of India and giving a fervent message of ‘Unity in Diversity’.

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.

VISIT TO KATRAJ DAIRY

Department of Business Studies, St. Mira’s College for Girls organised an Industrial Visit to Katraj Dairy on 2 nd March 2020. Forty-three students of TYBCOM-Business Administration along with their subject teacher, Asst. Prof. Shanthi Fernandes, visited the dairy and gained practical exposure about the dairy farming to processing, packing and distribution of milk and milk products through a presentation provided by the Dairy staff and the explanation given inside the processing units.

Department of History – Heritage Walk of the Pataleshwar Caves, Pune

The Third year students of the Department of History participated in a Heritage Walk called ‘The Historical Journey of the Pataleshwar Caves on 16 th February 2020 organised by Sahapedia as a part of the ‘Indian Heritage Walk Festival 2020’. The walk was led by Swapana Joshi, a doctoral student of Archaeology - IISER, Pune.

In the two hours spent in the serene surroundings of the Jangli Maharaj Mandir and the Pataleshwar caves were a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of the busy Jangli Maharaj road. The students were transported back by 1200 years when these caves were perhaps carved out. Through this walk the students were able to trace Pune’s history to the early human settlements that sprawled along the riverbank of Mula-Mutha. The caves are located in the once famously known Bhamburda region of Pune. The huge stone pillars, unfinished surfaces and robust architectural details reveal the stories of their contemporary period. This was brought to life by the leader through the stories of the sculptures and the monastic cells. The students also studied the significance of iconography through the various carvings on the inner walls of the cave structure. They realized the rich historical legacy of the Pune city and were motivated to see and understand more of the city in which they live.

Industrial Visit to Sneha Plastics

On the 16th of December, 2019, the students of St. Mira’s College for Girls went on an industrial visit to Sneha Plastics at Swami Vivekananda Industrial Estate, Hadapsar. This was an academicfield trip for the second-year students of the BBA Department.The owner of Sneha Plastics, Mr. Thakur Tulsija, hosted them withwarmth and made sure everyone was comfortable.The objective of the visit to a plastic manufacturing unit was to understand the production process of plastic granules and how it is further processed to make plastic twines (suthli) or synthetic ropes.The students learnt the detailed process of how granules are processed in an extruder to semi-liquefy them into strings and make sheets out of them which and binds them according to various sizes like 4inch or 8inch that is finally is sealed, packed and distributed. The students had a rich learning experience and the visit was concluded by a vote of thanks.

Visit to Bhimthadi Jatra 2019

The Department of Business Studies organised a field visit for FYBCom Business Entrepreneurship students to the SHG Fair ‘Bhimthadi Jatra’ on 20th December 2019 held at Agricultural College Ground, Pune. This fair gives the rural villagers a platform as Self Help Groups to exhibit their products and increase their options of employment.

The visit provided insights into the functioning of SHGs. Students interacted with the members of various SHGs across India to understand their working and functioning, along with the challenges faced such as funding and marketing of their products.

Report of Visit to BurgerKing and McDonald

The Department of Business Studies organised a field visit for FYBCom Marketing Students to BurgerKing and McDonald Outlets on December 2, 2019.

This visit gave the students the insights of the selling process adopted by both these outlets. Students could understand how the salesmen actually handle, serve their customers; manage their work load in rush hours. Students got an opportunity to interact with the customers, too.

Field Visit to WS BAKERS

On the 9 th of December 2019, the second-year students of the B.B.A Department went for their very first industrial visit to WS BAKERS located Wagholi, Pune.

The students had prepared a list of questionnaires related to the industry. The students were divided into 2 groups and taken to different successive departments. They were explained each process from scratch. The girls took the opportunity to ask the supervisor & HR all the questions that they had prepared. The questionnaire was prepared keeping in mind the subject’s core topics and the industry’s function.

This first visit generated a great amount of enthusiasm and confidence in the students. The day ended with refreshing snacks made by WS Bakers.

Industrial Visit to Kuthwal Foods Pvt. Ltd and Ghodganga Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana

On 24th December 2019, students of T.Y. B.Com Costing Specialization visited two industries - a milk processing industry and a sugar factory to gain practical insights into ‘processing’ as a part of their curriculum.

Kuthwal Foods Pvt. Ltd. has its factory at Andhalgaon, Shirur, Pune. The company makes its products under the brand ‘Urja’ broadly with three production lines - dairy, ice cream and soft drinks with many products under each product line.

At the factory, the students were taken in two batches by instructors and shown how raw material is acquired, stored and processed to get different products like flavoured milk, buttermilk, ghee, paneer, shrikhand and ice-cream. The instructors shared the cost of raw material and how it increased at each stage of processing. The students were treated to flavoured milk by Kuthwal foods after the visit.

The visit concluded with an address by owner Mr. Prakash Kuthwal who answered students' queries and shared his views on rural employment and a healthy workforce.

On the way back, the students visited Ghodganga Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana, Shirur, to witness how the raw material-sugarcane is processed into the final product – sugar. The seasonal nature of such industries, costs incurred for acquiring various resources and maintaining the huge factory was also learnt of.

The industry visit was an attempt to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The organisation of this visit was handled by students. They were divided into committees handling different areas under the supervision of their subject teacher, Dr. Dimple Buche. The students learnt - planning, e-mail etiquette, formal communication, teamwork, coordination, on-spot decision making, leadership skills and professionalism.

A visit to the Mahatma Phule Mandi, Pune

On 27th Nov. 2019 F.Y.BCom Marketing ‘B’ students along with Asst. Prof. Rajni Singh visited the Mahatma Phule Mandi to gain insights into the functions of Marketing, and tools and techniques of salesmanship as applicable in the case of vegetable and fruit wholesaling and retailing. The students, 100 strong, reported at the Mandi at 6:30 am to observe in detail the activities carried out by the sellers from the beginning of the day to the time the Mandi gets crowded.

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. Many of the students also tried their hands at the actual selling of vegetables under the guidance of owners of stalls. The interaction helped the students in understanding the basics of marketing, prospects of the industry, and sensitized them towards the challenges faced by vegetable and fruit wholesalers. The students came up with suggestions for better practices and solutions to some of their problems.

Department of Politics and Public Administration: Movie Screening- ‘Article 15’

The Constitution is an integral part of the syllabus of Politics. In class, students learn the various provisions of the Constitution of India. Liberty, Equality and Justice are the usual topics of discussion. To make students aware of the real-world dynamics of Caste, Religion and Discrimination, the Department initiated screening of the movie –‘Article 15’ for the students on Sunday, 7th July 2019. This was an attempt to make them aware of the gap between theory and reality and how Constitutional provisions have to be used effectively or they tend to lose their meaning. The students have been vocal about their opinions regarding discriminatory practices in the country and we are sure the students will initiate discussions and keep the hope, for a better tomorrow, alive.

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.

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