A two day workshop for PIO’s and APIO’s for the Colleges and Higher Secondary Schools was organized by the Political Science Department of Dhempe College of Arts & Science in collaboration with the Directorate of Higher Education, Goa RTI Forum and Goa State Information Commission recently. The Principal gave the introduction of the Chief Guest, Shri. Prashant Tendulkar, the Chief Information Commissioner, followed by the floral welcome. The Coordinator of the event, Dr. Ketan Govekar in his keynote address encouraged participants to make the best of the opportunity and to serve the society to the best way possible. Addressing the gathering, the Administrator of the college, Shri. Sunil Prabhudesai spoke on the importance of RTI in a civilized society, stressing on the role of PIO’s, he said that we as PIO’s should not allow the public to question us or complain. PIO’s should be active to have procedural correctness. Later, the event was addressed by Shri. Yatish Dempo.

The Chief Guest of the event, Shri.  Prashant Tendulkar, addressed the gathering said that PIO’s have a fixed duty unlike the chairman where the management of RTI is falling short of. Answering the question he said that PIO’s withhold or delay the information to the Public. Addressing to this, he said PIO’s can be successful with self assessment.

The Vice Principal Mrs. Mukta Karamadi delivered the vote of thanks. Some of the prominent speakers of the workshop were Sangeeta Naik and Mr. Ganpat Kuttikar of Goa RTI Forum, Dr. Nagesh Colvalkar and Dr. Shaber Ali of VM Salgaocar College of Law, and Adv. Harsha Naik. The second day was an interactive session where the participants clarified their doubts with the panel of Dr. Ketan Govekar, Dr. Nagesh Colvalkar and Mr Ganpat Kuttikar. There were 36 PIO’s and APIO’s who attended the workshop from all over Goa. The first session of the day began after the tea break from 11.30 am with the overview of RTI Act conducted by Mrs. Sangeeta Naik, Goa RTI forum wherein she gave introduction to the RTI Act, the provisions of the act, what are the duties of the PIO’s and how much of information to decimate. Adding to this she also said that people should have the right to know and this right should not be snatched. For the proper functioning of this act, PIO’s should be well informed and efficient enough to carry out the process smoothly. The second session titled as the Provisions of the Act was conducted by Dr. Nagesh Colvalkar of Salgaocar Law College who explained the provisions of the Act to the PIO’s and APIO’s at the session as to how to go about appeals filed and what are the provisions for the third party information. The third session was on the role of Public Information Officer wherein the s

peakers, Dr. Shaber Ali also of Salgaocar Law enlightened the gathering of their role as PIO’s and informed the cross that they should decimate whatever information available with them so that the situation does not come where appeals are made. The fourth session was provided by Adv Harsha Naik where she pointed out judgments, proceedings and legalities of the RTI Act. Later there was a panel discussion where all the doubts and queries were clarified of the participants by the concerned speakers. The second day of the Workshop was conducted by Dr. Ketan Govekar along with  Mr. Ganpat Kuttikar of Goa RTI Forum and Dr. Nagesh Colvalkar of Salgaocar College of Law. It was an Interactive session and enriching experience for the participants which lasted till 2.00 pm. The participants asked many questions relevant to their effective functioning as PIOs. The two day workshop was a grand success with genuine efforts of the Principal, Vice Principal and Non teaching staff. The Teachers and Student Volunteers from the Department of Political Science as well as faculty members from several other teaching departments worked hard and cooperatively to ensure that the workshop was successful.

Goa University and Dhempe College of Arts and Science organised the National Conference on State Politics in India: Perspectives from the Western Region was held on 21^st November 2017 at Dhempe College of Arts and Science, Seminar Hall. The conference coincided with the Western India launch of the book “State Politics in India.” The conference was supported by the Western Region Centre Indian Council for Social Science Research, Mumbai.

The conference itself divided into three sessions, the inaugural, Session debating state politics in the Western Region and session brainstorming on State Politics in Goa. The inaugural session commenced with welcome remarks by Dr Vrinda Borker, the principal of Dhempe College. In her address she highlighted the importance of generating new ideas on contemporary politics and she encouraged the young scholars to indulge in research. Prof. Himanshu Roy from D.D.U College, Delhi University spoke on the book “State Politics in India” and the process of writing and researching the book.

The address was followed by the formal inauguration of the function by lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries. Mr. Shakti Sinha, the Director of the NMML also addressed the gathering by making remarks on the state of research in the social sciences in India. Prof. G Gopa Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Central University, Kerala gave his Presidential address followed by the vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Ketan Govekar, the HOD of Political Science Department, Dhempe College which marked the end of the inaugural session.

The second session was marked by the presentation of papers by scholars from the Western Region. Each scholar presented a paper on the topic of the state and nature of politics in their respective States. 20 minutes were allotted to each scholar followed by a question and answer session. Prof V Srinivasulu from Osmania University chaired the session. The scholars who presented the papers were Prof Amit Dholakia, M.S University, Baroda, Prof Rajeshwari Deshpande, University of Pune, Mr. Parag Porobo, Goa University, Dr Prakash Dessai, Goa University and Prof G Gopa Kumar, Central University, Kerala. After the end of this session, commenced the lunch break.

The final session which was a brainstorming session on a proposed book project on ‘State and Politics in Goa’ was chaired by Dr Rahul Tripathi, HOD Political Science, Goa University. The scholars who presented the were given 10 minutes to present their ideas followed by a question and answer session. The scholars who presented were Dr Seema Salgaonkar, Ms Prachi Naik, Ms Hegel Da Costa, Mr Solano Da Silva Ms Shilpa Singh and Mr Mohit Sukhtankar.

The conference ended with a profound discussion dubbed as ‘The Road Map Ahead’ on the idea of conceptualisation of the book.

The two-day National Conference on Changing Environment: Challenges, Solutions and Strategies    organized by Dempo Charities Trust, Dhempe College of Arts and Science, Miramar was held on 8^thand 9^th March 2018. The conference was sponsored by the Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Government of Goa and was supported by Goa State Biodiversity Board. The Conference was inaugurated by esteemed guests Shri. DaulatHawaldar, Secretary (Finance and Environment), Madam PallaviDempo, Trustee of Dempo Charities Trust, Shri.RajeshBhatikar, Administrator of Dempo institutions and Dr.VrindaBorker, Principal of the College, all of whom highlighted the immediate relevance of the topic and set the tone for the two-day deliberations on Changing Environment. In the effort to pool in the best expertise on the topic, the Keynote and Plenary Speakers from renowned academic and research bodies such as, NEERI, CSIR-NIO, NCAOR, National Institute of Hydrology, Institute for Social and Economic Change and Goa University were invited to speak.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. ShaliniDhyani, Scientist at the National Environment Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur and Chair (S.A.), International Union for Conservation of Nature, Commission on Ecosystems Management. She spoke on the need to integrate government initiatives to curb the harmful effects of climate change, with cooperation on the part of the public.

The Two-Day Conference featured 04 Plenary Sessions, 25 Oral presentations and 12 Poster presentations engaging in critical dialogues and different aspects of Changing Environment. The topicsaddressed included aspects of Sustainable Environmental Remediation, water resource management, biodiversity protection and self-sustaining ecosystems analysis.

Over the last two days, the participants benefitted immensely from the studies and perspectives of experienced and young scholars on various aspects of Climate Change. It was overwhelming to see vigour of this stature towards protecting our planet from the imminent dangers of climate change.

The valedictory function was held on 9^th of March 2018 in the college seminar hall. Dr. BalakrishnaPasipati, Vice Chancellor, Trans- Disciplinary University, Bengaluru delivered a lecture to conclude the conference proceedings. He spoke on the need of effective policy development to tackle environmental change and the importance of communicating the economic impact of environmental damage to the public.Shri. Ganesh Shetgaonkar, Chairman, Goa State Pollution Control Board, Panaji was the Chief Guest at the function while Shri. PradipSarmokadam, Member Secretary, Goa State Biodiversity Board, Saligao was the Guest of Honour at the valedictory function. Other dignitaries included Shri. YatishDempo, Trustee, Dempo Charities Trust,Principal, Dr. VrindaBorker, Mr. DinanathParab, Co-ordinator of the conference and Dr. ManojIbrampurkar, Organising Secretary.

This Conference was a confluence of theoretical ideas and pragmatic solutions which will contribute a great deal in combating challenges and ensuring ecological sustainability.

Department of Zoology organized a One day State Level Seminar ‘Birds as indicators of healthy environment’ on 26th February 2018 in the seminar hall of the College. Dr. Vrinda Borker was the Convener of the seminar, Mrs. Sucheta Halkar, Coordinator and Dr. Minal Desai Shirodkar was the Organizing secretary. The Chief Guest and the keynote speaker was Dr. Ajai Saxena, Principal Conservator of Forest, Government of Goa. Welcome address was given by our Principal Dr. Vrinda Borker, inaugural was also graced by Administrator Mr. Rajesh Bhatikar and Vice Principal Mrs. Manjiri Barve.  20 teachers and 55 students from all the Colleges of our State participated.

Dr. Ajai Saxena in his keynote address on “Birds as indicators of healthy environment” emphasized with examples on birds being the indicators. He mentioned that Pied creasted Cuckoo is indicator of monsoon, canary was used to detect the gases in the coal mine. Some birds are considered as biological barometer and few are indicators of pollution. He also told about some of his personal experiences in the field. The avenues of research in the field of wildlife biology were highlighted by him and students were encouraged to take up this area of research.

Captain Ramesh Shankar, Safety Officer, Naval Aviation Goa, was the next guest speaker. He spoke on the topic “Sustainable Development in Harmony with Birds”  He gave a new perspective of bird conservation and the attempt made and steps taken by aviation industry to avoid accidents due to bird hit and thus saving the human as well as the birds. A video on impact and consequences of bird hit on aircraft and the passengers was shown. He also spoke about birds being intelligent.

Mrs Shradha Rangnekar, Goa Bird Conservation Network’s founder member spoke on “Bird diversity of India with special reference to migration”. She gave a complete account of birds of India and migrants with appealing pictures and videos of magnificent birds from all over India. Mr. Omkar Dharwadkar, GBCN member showed “Film on Birds” on different bird activities such as preening, bathing, parental care, resting, feeding, captured by him.  He also showed movie on vultures. The seminar was conducted using minimal paper and modern technology. Feedback from the participants was excellent, overall impression of the participants was very good

The Department of Psychology, Dempo Charities Trust’s, Dhempe College of Arts and Science, Miramar – Goa in association with MUKTHA, Bangalore (A Foundation committed to prevent abuse and promote mental health),  organized a state level workshop on “Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: Breaking the Silence, Promoting Healing” on 10^th March 2018. The workshop was supported by the Goa State AIDS Control Society.

Child sexual abuse is a significant worldwide problem and according to the World Health Organization (2002) it is a major public health issue that affects thousands of children and young teens every year. If children are not taught the sort of touch that is unacceptable, they will always be easy prey, especially when the molester is a trusted person.Childhood is simply denied to these children and they grow up as individuals with deep scars.

The workshop began at 10 am with the inaugural function that was attended by the Principal, Vice Principals, Faculty members of Dhempe College, Officials of Goa State AIDS Control Society, and the participants. The Principal, Dr. Vrinda Borker delivered the welcome address. Dr. Mukta Karamadi, Vice Principal, Head of Dept of Psychology and the convenor of the workshop introduced the resource person and highlighted the objectives of the workshop. Mrs. Pratisha Salgaonkar proposed the vote of thanks. The program was compeered by Dr.Joslyn Henriques.  The main focus of this workshop was on primary prevention of child sexual abuse and to sensitize public on this problem and create awareness among students, teachers, and counsellors. The resource person for the workshop was Mrs. Ashwini N.V., Founder and Director of MUKTHA Foundation. She elaborated on possible warning signs of child sexual abuse, different types of abusers, and preceding factors for CSA.  Mrs. Sunita Arudra and Dr. Uma Sadekar conducted one session on HIV and AIDS highlighting the causes and treatment.  The workshop received a very good response with 86 participants from various colleges and Non-Governmental Organizations and the same was well received by them. As a part of the outreach program of Department of Psychology, a workshop was also conducted for the students in Dr. K.B. Hedgewar High School, Cujira Educational Complex, Cujira on 9^th March 2018.

Honourable, Governor of Goa, Dr. Smt. Mridula Sinha, requested all the institutions of learning to conduct a programme on the theme “Know Gandhi follow Gandhi”. Department of Economics, D.C.T’s Dhempe College of Arts & Science motivated students to demonstrate their creative skills in the form of visual effects on various Gandhian values that will develop their personality and become better human beings in our society.  Accordingly an exhibition of their creative skills in the form of art effects, presentations etc. was held on 6^th January 2018 within the campus and was inaugurated by esteemed Chief Guest Dr. Srinivas Kaveri, Director of INSERM, India in the presence of our Principal Dr. Vrinda Borker and the Administrator of  D.C.T’s institutions Mr. Rajesh Bhatikar. The total number of students who participated in this exhibition were 62 and the art effects displayed for exhibition were 52 in number.  The Principal Dr. Vrinda Borker appreciated the students for their whole – hearted involvement and briefed the students so that they imbibe themselves with Gandhian values for betterment of our society. [wowslider id=”17″]

The  Department of Mathematics , Dhempe College of Arts and Science conducted a two days National level Conference on “ Knot theory and related topics” on 23^rd and 24^th February 2018.  The conference was intended to explain the Knot theory to the Mathematics faculty of various Colleges  and students . It aimed to provide a platform to learn Knot theory with expertise in this field, to give exposure to the faculty and research scholars to Knot theory,  which is a most recent study in mathematics . Eminent resourse persons  such as Dr. Rama Mishra (IISER Pune ), Dr. A.J.Jayanthan ( Goa University),   Dr. Madeity Prabhakar, IIT Ropar ,Dr.Shree Krishna, IIT Guwahati and Dr. Lucas Miranda ( Govt College Khandola ) were invited to conduct sessions .This conference was sponsored entirely by our management, Dempo charities trust.The participants were faculty from various colleges, research students and our young TYBSC   maths students .The  Principal Dr. Vrinda Borker was the convener of the Conference . It was coordinated by Associate Prof  Maria Suzana Miranda and organizing secretary  Assistant Prof Vitendra Mhatonkar.

The International Online certificate course on ‘Advanced Immunology’ by Department of Biotechnology, Dempo Charities Trust Dhempe College of Arts and Science in collaboration with Dr. Srinivas Kaveri the Director, CNRS, New Delhi was inaugrated on 6^th February 2018. The inaugural ceremony was held in the distinguished presence of the dignitaries, the Administrator, Shri Rajesh Bhatikar, Principal, Dr. Vrinda Borker, Vice-Principal, Mrs. Manjiri Barve, In-charge, Department of Biotechnology, Mrs. Mrunal Phadke,  the chief guest and guest speaker, Dr. Srinivas Kaveri,. The Principal welcomed and introduced the chief guest to the gathering followed by the invocation song by the T.Y.B.Sc. students Ms. Rakshatee Khajuria and Ms. Mahak Karapurkar. The dignitaries were welcomed with fruit baskets followed by the traditional lighting of the lamp.  Dr. Srinivas Kaveri conducted the first lecture on the ‘Introduction to Immune system’. The ssession was very interactive with different questions posed by the enthusiastic students. The T.Y.B.Sc. student Mr. Bhagesh Hunakunti proposed the Vote of Thanks.

Mrs. Mrunal R. Phadke

Department In-charge

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A Two-day National Seminar on “Recent Developments in Science and their Impact on Religion and Society: an Interdisciplinary Approach”, organised by the Department of Philosophy of Dhempe College of Arts and Science, Miramar, in collaboration with Indian Institute of Science and Religion (IISR), New Delhi and Science and Religion Sangam (SRS), Goa, commenced on February 14, 2018.

The inaugural was graced by the distinguished presence of Chief Guest, Dr. Job Kozhamthadam, Director of Indian Institute of Science and Religion (IISR), New Delhi; Guest of Honour, Shri. Rajesh Bhatikar, Administrator of Dempo Charities Trust’s educational institutions; Dr. Vrinda Borker, Principal of Dhempe College of Arts and Science; Dr. Mukta Karamadi, Vice Principal; Dr. Zinia Da Silva, Head of the Department of Philosophy; Conference Convenor, Dr. Roshida Rodrigues and Dr. Victor Ferrao, Co-founder and Director of Science and Religion Sangam, Goa. Dr. Job Kozamthamdam delivered the keynote address enlightening the audience on the “Developments in Science and their Impact on Religion and Society through the Ages”.

The Seminar covered a wide range of topics surrounding the main theme of science and religion. It included multi and interdisciplinary deliberations through paper-presentations, debates and panel discussions on the peaceful coexistence of Science and Religion through mutually enriching dialogues. Experts from disciplines of Science, Philosophy, Literature and Religion presented their views.

The Seminar concluded with the Valedictory Ceremony graced by Honourable Minister Shri. Vijai Sardesai who commended the college on choosing a nodal topic for the Seminar. Presiding Chair Mrs. Pallavi Dempo, Trustee of DCT, reinforced the significance of the seminar by highlighting the relevance of the dialogue between Science and Religion. The principal, Dr. Vrinda Borkar opined that since the endeavour of both science and religion is the advancement of human society we should work in a spirit of mutual cooperation.

This National Seminar was the first in a long list of seminars and conferences to be organised in the year 2018 at Dhempe College of Arts and Science, Miramar.

The two day National conference titled “The Role and Relevance of Media Ethics in Contemporary Society” was held recently. The conference was organised by the departments of English and Philosophy, Dhempe College of Arts and Science and is supported by DempoCharitiesTrust. The inaugural was graced by the presence of Dr.VarunSahni, Vice Chancellor of Goa University. In his address as Chief Guest he spoke on the proliference of news and the proximity of the media in today’s technologically driven world, as well as the social implications of these facts. Shri.ParanjoyGuhaThakurta, an illustrious journalist and an erudite critic was the keynote speaker.   Shri.ShrinivasDempo, Chairman, Dempo Charities Trust presided over the occasion and expressed his appreciation for the topic of debate of the conference. Dr.VrindaBorkar, Principal, welcomed the guests and the participants to the college. Ms Clarinda Dias, Convenor put forth the key concepts of the conference after which Dr.Roshida Rodrigues delivered the vote of thanks.

In his keynote address, Mr.Thakurta spoke extensively about how media today has broadened both in its scope as well as in its effects. He expressed his concern on the biasing of news by those who hold a stake in media houses and the effects of the confluence between politics and the media industry. However he also drew the focus of the audience to positive media ventures such as crowd funded media. Mr.Thakurta engaged in a lively and fruitful debate with students and faculty members of Dhempe College of Arts and Science.

The conference included papers presented by researchers from within and outside the state. The papers presented covered a wide range of topics including rethinking media ethics across modalities and the issues and concerns of media ethics in the 21^st century, ethics in advertising, language politics and the stereotypes of television soaps. The conference included a panel discussion consisting of notable journalists like Mr.PrakashKamat, eminent journalist, Mr.SandeshPrabhudesai, Consulting editor at Goa 365, Ms. Pamela D’Mello, eminent journalist and Editor. The panaelists also included academicians- Dr.ZiniaD’Silva , Head, Department of Philosophy, Dhempe College of Arts and Science and Mr. Andrew Barreto,Assistant Professor, Department of English, ParvatibaiChowgule College of Science and Arts.The session proved to be a lively interactive session in which both the audience and the panel engaged in exacting debate on the state of media ethics in the present day.

A notable aspect of the conference included a special competition for young scholars in which students from Goa presented papers on topics related to media, ethics and society. The prize winners were awarded a trophy as well as a cash prize for their performance. The valedictory function was graced by the distinguished presence of Ms Patricia Pereira Sethi, an eminent journalist. She espoused the Platonic ideals of temperance, wisdom, courage, truth and accountability and urged journalists and young journalism students to abide by these. Shri.YatishDempo, Trustee, Dempo Charities Trust also expressed the need for ethical media. The principal, Dr.VrindaBorkar praised the organisers for the choice of such a relevant topic of debate. Ms. Clarinda Dias thanked the various contributors, the paper presenters and especially the student organisers who ensured that the conference proceedings were accessible to scholars of all ages.

‘Across the Boundaries’: A Workshop on Careers and Education by Mr. Amey Samarth and Mrs. Deepti Samarth Career is the main concern of every individual nowadays. There is a lot of confusion, especially among the students about job opportunities, how to apply etc. So the Department of Zoology of Dhempe College of Arts and Science tried to enlighten the students by organizing a workshop focussing on career guidance, job opportunities and CV writing. The workshop was held in the seminar hall on 11th September 2017. The two eminent speakers for the day were resource persons from Genesis Careers and Education, Mr. Amey Samarth and Mrs. Deepti Samarth. Mr. Amey Samarth is the founder of Genesis Careers and Education. He completed his Masters in Biotechnology from Bangalore and was a Gold medalist for the same. He served as Assistant Professor in Biotechnology and Pharmacy, Mumbai University and also worked as Head of Training and Publication Department, Thyrocare Technologies. Mrs Deepti Samarth has done her graduation in Biotechnology and is currently working as Human Resource Manager in Bajaj Electricals. She is certified in Competency based Assessment from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Prof Vasudha Kamat former VC of SNDT University and Dr. Jayshree Shinde from SNDT University conducted flipped learning workshop for faculty of Dhempe College Arts and Science and S. S. Dempo College of Commerce & Economics Bambolim. on November 2017.

Anaemia Detection Camp at Dhempe College. Anaemia is referred as silent Killer in women in India. It may be cause of maternal mortality. According to a survey 55%of women are anaemic in India and so our nation tops the list with anaemic women and children. In Dhempe College girls outnumber boys. These girls are future mothers of our society and to have healthy next generation we have to focus on their well being. It was thought of addressing this issue by holding anaemia Detection Camp of all students. We appreciate kind gesture of our alumnus Dr. Vallabh Dhaimodker, Vidya Diagnostic pvt. Ltd. He carried out the analysis of nearly 600 students. The College also is thankful to Goa Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association for financially supporting the cause, especially President Sanjay Priolker, our alumnus. The camp continued for three days under health center, Dr Lina and her team. Feather in the cap was presence of Ms. Neelatai Dempo, mother of our Chairman for inaugural function, apt person for the event.