MoU will foster and promote an entrepreneurial ecosystem by assisting start-ups during their incubation. The students of Don Bosco College will also benefit through workshops and events that will be conducted under the banner of FiiRE and will give them a platform to showcase their skills and ideas.

To promote business studies and entrepreneurship among young people, Don Bosco College, Panjim and FiiRE (Forum for Innovation Incubation Research & Entrepreneurship) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 22nd December 2020. The MoU outlined the short-term goal of establishing an extension centre at Don Bosco College, Panjim, to fuel innovation and serve as a hub for start-ups in North Goa to mediate discussions with Mentors, Partners and Investors.

FiiRE is an incubation centre established with the support of the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India under the National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations housed at Don Bosco College of Engineering, Fatorda. It supports technology start-ups journeying to build sustainable businesses that solve problems, have a global impact, provide value to customers and livelihood opportunities to employees.

The role of Don Bosco College is significant in growing the start-up ecosystem in Goa and works at making students job creators. This incubation centre provides qualifying start-ups with facilities like physical space, shared services, business and legal advice, and financial inputs to facilitate their creation and assist them until they have the capacity to survive in the outside environment.

QUICK BITE – The speech is the winning entry for the speech writing competition that was organised by the Literary Committee to mark the occasion of Liberation Day.

Greetings to one and all, on this solemn occasion of our Liberation, I extend a hearty wish to all my statesmen.

This day is special, because on this day, 59 years ago, Goa broke free from the shackles of the Portuguese rule and on 30th May, 1987, it became an independent state in our Motherland. 19th December marks the day, that with the prolonged struggles of our freedom fighters, the final vestige of colonial rule came to an end. Every Goan heart today is filled with reverence and inspiration because of the glorious, however bloodshed tribute of our jawans.

Goa is known for its beauty, it’s sceneries, and its tourism. That’s why the state, though the smallest in the country, is the most loved and most beautiful tourist attraction. But it only came to be this wonderful Haven today, because of the sacrifices made by our soldiers 59 years ago. You may have heard it said, “Only the dead have seen the end of war;” yes they did, and its because they saw the darkest nights in the deadliest fights, that we get to see each brighter day.

There’s a lot more, Goa is very well literate too; with the state literacy rate being 88.7, Goa will set up the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research, as well as the Indian Institute of Management by 2035. This will make it a leading hub in education, all over the country.

So, what is freedom in Goan context? In simple words, what is freedom according to us, Goans? We believe that freedom is a right entitled to everyone, and is accompanied by hope and enthusiasm. Before 1961, with the Portuguese ruling in the state, people couldn’t be free and live for themselves. Things began to change when our freedom fighters began to take a stand, one day at a time, against all of them, until finally their dream of liberating Goa became a reality. That persistence flows in every Goan’s blood to this very day. We don’t let ourselves and others be dictated by higher parties that wish to do as they please, without regard to our voices.

In 2019, we celebrated the 151st birthday of Mahatma Gandhi – the fatherly masterpiece of our nation. To commemorate it, a lot of events were held across the state. From dances to plays to entire concerts. The Indian tricolor also unfurled at the highest mast on that special day. And yes, just as Mahatma Gandhi preached love and peace, elements of him can be seen in many Goans today. Just as he used non violence to fight one of the biggest battles of the country, we learnt that the harshest wars can be won without a single weapon, and the toughest freedoms can be achieved without an ounce of hatred.

Goa grows and glows day by day. However, we will always and forever remember the soldiers and true warriors who laid down their lives nearly six decades ago, so that we can live in this state today. As we study about them, we learn about courage and strength, confidence and trust, and power and love. The biggest and most important lesson that they taught us is that if you truly love something, you can go to any extent to achieve it, and one day you will. That proved the infinite amount of love that had for Goa. May our state continue to grow and develop stronger and healthier for the generations to come. Jai Hind, Jai Goa!

It was on 19 December, 1961, 59 years ago our state Goa, was free from the oppressive Portuguese rule of 450 years. Our freedom fighters were successful in their fight for freedom and Goa was finally liberated. Our patriots fought long and hard to achieve this freedom But what is this freedom that we have earned? Is freedom having a free will? Is it the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action? Or is it the ability to act or change without curtailment?

But the more important question is, are we free? Are we Goans really free?

As far as colonization goes, we are free. The shackles of Portuguese colonialism stand shattered. But we aren’t completely free either. Suppression of our own identity has led to a colonist mindset and the development of an inferiority complex. The rampant aping of the west by us, is responsible for eroding our culture and values. Our inferiority complex makes us ditch our own traditions and culture in favor of theirs. Goans are increasingly becoming untethered to their roots and flocking to a western lifestyle. We are suppressing our own identity to appear edgy and cool. If this goes on at this rate, we will slowly lose our identity.

Goa is a small state with a small population therefore, any influx of migrant population can change the demographics of the state which can lead to the erosion of the identity of us goans. The values our people have had for centuries gets diminished everyday slowly. Goa is beginning to look like Las Vegas. Events like sunburn have become more famous than our feasts and festivals. Deleting our own culture as we begin to assimilate that of others’. It’s not wrong to get new ideas and explore other cultures. But our basic identity and the pride that we should have as goans shouldn’t get lost in the process.

We must also realize, our Konkani language, that our patriots have fought for, is losing popularity. Our forefathers had given their all to keep the language relevant. We mustn’t let their efforts go in vain. A lot of Goans are becoming increasingly ashamed of Konkani. We just are not that proud of our own language unlike the citizens of other states. If we only had as much pride as our patriots, we would have more love and respect for our state, our language, our culture and our people.

We aren’t free from needless regulations either. Politicians and lawmakers, completely ignore environmental activists and pass bogus laws to destroy Goa in the name of development. Our pristine beauty is getting destroyed. Unnecessary development projects are killing our ecosystem and our precious mangroves. Destroying what little we have, especially when the earth is reeling under climate change is just going to harm us in the long run.

So, if we introspect and look at what our state has really become, since we were granted this freedom from the Portuguese, the questions that glaringly comes into one’s consciousness are, today 59 years later, do we still possess this Goan identity that our forefathers fought to give us? Have we really moved away from that colonial mindset?

QUICK BITE – The Heritage Club of Don Bosco College was happy to associate in an engaging webinar conducted by the WWF- India Volunteers based on the mangrove ecosystem. The webinar was organized by WWF India and Godrej Boyce Mfg. Ltd. & Co. in association with Don Bosco College, Panjim on 18th December 2020. It

The Heritage Club of Don Bosco College was happy to associate in an engaging webinar conducted by the WWF- India Volunteers based on the mangrove ecosystem. The webinar was organized by WWF India and Godrej Boyce Mfg. Ltd. & Co. in association with Don Bosco College, Panjim on 18th December 2020. It was a session conducted over the span of 3 hours and was attended by all the members of the Heritage Club of Don Bosco College as well as other students.

Nikil Jacob and Shashank Bhosale played a very important part in the success of this webinar. Thanks goes to Nikil Jacob for aiding in the creation of this session and Shashank Bhosale who not only shared the importance of mangroves and its part played in the heritage of Goa but also made it relatable to the students.

It was a great opportunity to learn, understand and appreciate the magnificence of this rich fragile habitat allowing the students to better understand their own impact on the world around them. The webinar also gave the students an opportunity to be included in a National Initiative done across all states along the coastal belt region of India.

It was an interactive session with Q&A, live polls and fresh discussions. The students were excited to be a part of such an initiative and Don Bosco College will collaborate with the organisation to have many more sessions for their students. The Session was open to all age groups, with No registration fee.

This webinar is part of #MagicalMangroves, a nationwide campaign to raise awareness and conservation action for mangroves. It is a new collaboration started in Goa with Don Bosco College and will include other institutes in the course of time as well.