A session with a Bamboo Artist

14th June 2018

The fifth semester UG elective students doing Social Ecology had a rendezvous with Mr. Vizo Putsure, an alumnus of 2010 EPS batch who is currently working as a Bamboo artist with the Nagaland bamboo Resource Center on Thursday, 14 June 2018 during 11-12. 

He was talking about the popularity and growing acceptance of bamboo based constructions and products from the environmental sustainability angle especially in Nagaland and how people like him became the advocates of bamboo based products. He narrated the process involved in treating bamboos to make value added products and how it can be used in constructing houses and doing interiors. He showed pictures to explain the same. He also demonstrated a product designed by him – an echo- to the class. Students were eager to know more about his works, the durability of bamboo based constructions, the acceptability of bamboos among common people, the benefits and limitations in using bamboo, types of bamboos ad their uses, harvesting and treating bamboos and the various products.  

Orientation on Youth for Seva

15th June, 2018

An orientation was conducted by Youth for Seva, a Non-governmental Organization on 15th June 2018. The orientation was conducted as a part of the curriculum. The students of fifth semester PSENG,PSECO and EPS attended this orientation as a part of their Sociology Elective on Analysis of Contemporary Sociology Problems. The orientation exposed us to the services of the organization: its purpose, the services conducted, their achievements and to highlight their ten years of service. Ms. Kavita from Youth for Seva briefed the students about Youth for Seva. She highlighted the impact of the organizati0n’s work on national level.

Youth for Seva has established itself in 34 cities across the country with approximately 45,000 volunteers, over 150 corporate partners and 200 NGO partners. The organization works on improving the lives of underprivileged families, providing improved quality of living, education and employment to women. The organization’s motto is ‘experience the joy of giving’ which is evident in the dedication that they have towards their contributions. Ms. Kavita had informed us of the activities that we would be a part of through which we could apply our learning.

The session gave us an insight of the amount of effort and work it takes to make an effective change in the lives of people. The orientation gave us a clear idea about the kind of work which we would be undertaking as a part of our curriculum. Students were well informed about Youth for Seva and their concerns were efficiently clarified. It was enriching orientation and several students have decided to perform their Service Learning under the guidance of Youth for Seva.

Orientation on Janaagraha

June 12, 2018

An orientation class was held at 11am on June 12th for 5th semester students (of PSENG,
EPS, PSECO) studying Analysis of Contemporary Social Problems. There were two speakers
for the session-Ms. Sangeeta and Ms. Sunita, representing the Janaagraha Organisation.
The main purpose of the session was to introduce the organisation to the students so that
they can engage in fieldwork for service learning which is a part of their curriculum.
In the one hour session that followed, a lot of information was shared with the students.
The students were informed about the core mission of Janaagraha and its focus on two
main aspects i.e. infrastructural quality and quality of citizenship. They shared various
attributes essential to being a responsible, engaged and active citizen of the country. The
kind of work that the organisation involved itself in was explained to the students. They
mainly work with school children of age group of 11-13 years and provide them with
experiential learning. They design lesson plan for these children accordingly. The speakers
encouraged the students to join their organisation and apply their knowledge practically by
serving the community. Flexibility in certain aspects of volunteering was allowed to the
students. The students were informed about the benefits of joining the organisation i.e.
they could be catalysts for behavioural change that leads to active citizenry and they would
also receive a certificate from the organisation for volunteering with them. Certain
expectations of the organisation were also mentioned to the students.

Overall, the session was an informative one. A lot of queries were raised by the students
and they were effectively answered by the speakers. The students made note of the
organisation and its areas of work. Interested students decided to sign up and look forward
to having more detailed sessions with this organisation.

An Interactive Session with Dutch Minister and Diplomat Sigrid Kaag

(Image from Nuffic Neso)

Nuffic NESO (Netherlands Education Support Office) India had organized an interactive session with the Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands, to be held on 25 May 2018 at The Taj West End. Unfortunately, due to an emergency meeting, the Prime Minister had to fly back home. However, the question and answer session still took place, with Minister for Trade and Development Sigrid Kaag replacing the Prime Minister. Minister Kaag has previously worked as a diplomat, and with the United Nations in various capacities.

The event was attended by about a hundred students from IIM-B, IISc, IIIT and RV College, and five of us from Christ University. Each of the participants was required to prepare a question, which they would get the chance to ask the minister. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and the programme began with a couple of icebreakers, and a quick quiz on the Netherlands, with free goodies for those who answered correctly.

The session with Minister Kaag lasted about half an hour, and she was able to take a dozen or so questions, on topics ranging from education to traffic, technology, environment, economics and human development. The entire programme was also broadcast live on Nuffic NESO’s Facebook page. Several Dutch and Indian diplomats were also present at the programme.

The entire session was very insightful, and all of us who attended had some take away in the form of information about Indo-Dutch relations, world development and opportunities to study or work in the Netherlands. There was also a high tea arranged for all the participants at the venue.