One Day Entrepreneur Programme organised for Students

A one-day Online Programme for the students of the college on ‘Entrepreneur: Idea to Execution’ was organised on Wednesday 13th January 2021 by PRIME (Promotion and Incubation of Market-driven Enterprises), a comprehensive programme launched by the Government of Meghalaya.
The Online Programme was animated by Mr Flo Oberhofer, a social entrepreneur and Program Head of PRIME Start-up Hub seeks to create and promote an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the state. He has taken up the charge of mentoring aspiring start-ups that are based across a plethora of fields, industries, and are harbouring at diverse stages.

The PRIME Start-up Hubs are centres for innovation, knowledge sharing, incubation, and skill development. PRIME, through its numerous initiatives and programs, imparts thorough guidance to budding entrepreneurs, encouraging them to translate their innovative ideas into business, and further, sustaining them in the long-run by actively mentoring them.

This interactive knowledge session, exclusively for the students of Don Bosco College – Tura, aims at guiding the students to take the next steps and turn their pioneering entrepreneurial thoughts into reality.

Principal Fr. Bivan Rodriques Mukhim welcomed the resource persons and the participants and wish that the programme transform the students to become entrepreneurs.

College celebrates National Youth Day

The Red Ribbon Club- Don Bosco College, Tura under the aegis of Meghalaya Aids Control Society celebrated National Youth Day / Vivekananda Jayanti today, the 12th January 2021. The theme of this year’s National Youth Day was Youth for Nation Building and the deliberations were on responsibilities of youth towards nation building woven together with health and life. While Fr. Bivan R. Mukhim, Principal, Don Bosco College Tura and Dr. Barbara S. Sangma, the Red Ribbon Club Nodal Officer of the College harped on youth and the ideals of Swami Vivekananda during the Inaugural function, the main thrust of the National Youth Day was Awareness on HIV & AIDS. The celebration was in two parts: the morning and afternoon sessions.

The Chief Guest of the Morning Session was Dr. Marwin R. Sangma, District Medical and Health Officer, West Garo Hills, Tura and he spoke on the spread of AIDS and the need to contain the malaise. He encouraged the students gathered for the programme that they do a lot to contribute to the over-all development of the country, beginning from creating awareness of HIV & AIDS.
The Resource Persons Dr. Rajamoni Marak MD, I/C ICTC and STI/RTI and Nodal Officer ARTC, Tura Civil Hospital gave a comprehensive presentation on HIV & AIDS and Ms. Narbecca Momin, Clinical Psychologist, Tura Civil Hospital also made a presentation on Mental Health with particular reference to HIV & AIDS patients.
The afternoon session was played out through a beautiful concept suggested by Meghalaya Aids Control Society. As a mark of effort to spread awareness about HIV & AIDS the students decorated a tree at William Point, Tura with red ribbons and cards carrying poignant messages signaling a message of solidarity and empathy with those suffering from HIV & AIDS and those who have from it.

The Deputy Commissioner, West Garo Hills Shri Ram Singh IAS was the Chief Guest. He spoke on the occasion and left a very pertinent message for the youth to be self-reliant, positive, constructive and to believe in oneself. Later the Deputy Commissioner administered a pledge of National Youth Day and hung the first card on the branch of a tree.

NESAC balloons launching

The North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) on 11 January 2021 conducted a demonstration presentation of tethered balloon and meteorological balloon launching at Tapesia Campus, in collaboration with the Department of Physics.

Dr. Arup Borgohain, NESAC Scientist gave a presentation in the Auditorium prior to launching tethered balloon/ kytoon with atmospheric science payload & an attached GPS sonde and meteorological balloon in front of Bosco Café.

This experiment is a part of NESAC’s campaign for the vertical profiling of aerosol and meteorological parameters over 4 selected places in North East region viz. Cherrapunji, Tapesia, Dhubri and Dibrugarh.

Tethered balloon filled with hydrogen gas with attached GPS sonde was launched 4 times per day at 6 hourly intervals for 5 days and meteorological balloon was also launched 8 times a day at 3 hourly intervals for 1 day.

The launching of balloons was witnessed by the Vice Chancellor, Fr. Dr. Stephen Mavely along with Dr. Samrat Dey, HoD, Department of Physics and faculty, staff and some research scholars.

Internal Idea/PoC Competition – Don Bosco College of Engineering

Don Bosco College of Engineering, Fatorda- Goa is one of the institutes to be selected for establishing MHRD – Institute Innovation Council (IIC). Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Govt. of India has established MHRD’s Innovation Cell (MIC) (https://www.mic.gov.in/) to systematically foster the culture of Innovation amongst all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) pan India. The primary mandate of MIC is to encourage, inspire and nurture young students by supporting them to work with new ideas while they are in formative years

As part of the above, an Internal Idea/PoC competition was held on February 8, 2021 in online mode to invite ideas from young minds. This event helped validate a product/ business idea for potential.

Two eminent jury members – Mr. Venugopal T R, Corporate Relations Manager at Forum for Innovation Incubation Research & Entrepreneurship and Prof Flavia Leitao, Assistant Professor ETC Department, Don Bosco College of Engineering, were invited to judge the event.

Prof Swapnil Ramani, host and Co-ordinator of the event welcomed the judges and introduced the teams. A total of 100 plus students joined the meet and the participating teams presented fabulous ideas that addressed various socio-economic issues faced by the society. Students from first year engineering demonstrated highly professional presentation skills with great innovative solutions to problems that left the judges impressed.

The finalists of the competition were Team Hexacore and Solutionism at its finest, followed by team Fabulous Five and SATRN Squad. In conclusion, the event was a great success leaving all students very motivated and giving them a reason to explore the world of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Circuit Design & Simulation

IEEE Student Branch of Don Bosco College of Engineering, Goa organized a Workshop on Circuit Design & Simulation for second year students of ETC Department. To bridge the gap between industry & academia, Prof. Yeshudas Muttu conducted a hands on workshop using the trending software in companies like Proteus & TinkerCad Circuits. The main objective of this course was to design & simulate the circuits and understand its working in detail that keeps students engaged with Practical applications.

The workshop commenced with a brief introduction on TinkerCad circuits, followed by a brief session on initialization of the online platform, to simulate simple circuits like ohms law setup, series parallel connections, use of breadboard, power supply, oscilloscope and building rectifiers circuits. Later, Prof. Yeshudas Muttu explained Proteus software & its use in industry. This was followed by simulation of simple circuits like rectifiers, filters, amplifiers, oscillators, Multivibrators and RC circuits.

To get well trained with the software, after each and every session, small exercises were given to the students. This hands on workshop was conducted on October 22 & 27, 2020, November 3,10 & 24 , 2020, December 15,2020 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. and January 7, 2021 from10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Right from installation of Proteus software till simulation of various circuits was well planned & executed. Through this event, students were able to submit their mid-year document for Electronic Devices & Circuits Lab during the pandemic.

Session on Reproductive Health Concerns in Young Women

The Women’s Cell of Don Bosco College, Panjim, organised an online session on ‘Reproductive health concerns in young women’ for the female staff and students of the college on 31st December 2020 from 6pm to 7:30pm. Dr. Tanya Chodankar who works for the Voluntary Health Association of Goa [VHAG

Assistant Professor Anaita D’costa, convener of the session, introduced the guest speaker. Several important topics like Menstrual cycles in women, Ovulation and pain associated with ovulation, PMS (Pre Menstrual Syndrome), Painful periods, Menorrhagia (Heavy bleeding and its causes), Cultural taboos associated with menstruation, Menstrual Hygiene, Sexually transmitted infections (STI’s), Medical Termination of pregnancy (MTP), Menstrual abnormalities, Causes of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome [PCOS], and cervical cancer were covered in great depth during this session.

The session concluded with Dr. Tanya providing the participants with essential takeaways pertaining to sexual health practices and the laws and schemes to promote reproductive health care so that girls and women know how to deal with these issues if they crop up.

Salma Fernandes of FYBAMC and Priya Prabhu of MSW were among the students who raised questions about several related health issues – all of which handled with in-depth responses.

At a time when health and hygiene are of paramount importance to everyone, this session helped young people and those who attended obtain a clearer idea of how they can maintain and promote their health.

DBC signs MoU with FiiRE to promote Entrepreneurial Development

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.

Goa’s Liberation

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!

Freedom In The Goan Context

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?