DBCA CH!MERA

Thoda hatt ke!!!

Vol. 8. No. 1 DON BOSCO COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, SULCORNA-GOA 19 December, 2018

CHRISTMAS IS IN THE AIR -Branisha Nair (T.Y. B.Sc.)

Christmas is around the corner and it is the time for us to find out the best way to celebrate this beautiful day. The festival of

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and conveys his message of love, tolerance and brotherhood. It is a celebration of

humanity and mankind. Though Christmas is a primary festival of the Christian calendar, it still has a special significance in

everyone's life. It is celebrated as a universal festival throughout the nations. Christmas, too, has many traditions and customs

which are being carried forward by families throughout the world. Many of the traditions of Christmas that exist today were

born centuries before the birth of Christ. These traditions and customs vary with divers cultures. However, Christmas should not

be only about performing the rituals and about traditions of exchanging gifts, bonfires, carnivals, songs of carollers which echo in

the cities; rather one can celebrate it with the ones who cannot afford the same. Jesus Christ gave world the lesson of love!! He

taught us that we all have the same source and are related to each other in some way or the other. Bringing smiles on others

face is the real joy of Christmas. So, this Christmas try to do something new. Though Christmas has changed over years but it is

still a time to be merry!!

Christmastide -Ryan Mascarenhas (T.Y. B.Sc.)

There is a nip in the air, it is winter out there along with shivers of joy. At the end of every year, the same feeling of joy fills the

air. Long nights of darkness steeped with busy schedules become the busiest time of the year. Everyone is busy and is involved in

one thing or the other. People from all walks of life are involved in preparation for Christmas. It is on the 25th of December that

the catholic community celebrates the birth of Life. It is the greatest day for humanity as God became man on this day.

Houses decorated for Christmas set the mood. Stars illuminate and radiate light at night. A Christmas tree get decorated in every

neighbourhood and children eagerly dance around it in search for their gifts. Santa Claus or Christmas father suddenly appears

from nowhere during this time, children love him as he is known to give gifts and chocolates. Snowman travels distances to reach

all over the world and has to sustain in hot conditions, too. Bells get hung up all over and music is heard at every corner.

Is this all that Christmas means? Is it the birthday of Christmas father or the Snowman or of Rudolf, the red nosed reindeer? Does

Christmas mean only parties and dances? Do we know what we are really celebrating? 2018 years ago, Jesus Christ, the Saviour of

the world was born. 25th December is a time when the dying sun begins its steady climb into the northern skies. Romans used to

worship Sun God and we worship the Son of God on this day. All other symbols were used to remember the birth of Christ, to

remember the situation and memories of the Christmas season and not to marginalize Jesus Christ, who is central to Christmas.

Christmas is not Christmas without Christ!!! Christmas is not Christmas until we have Christ in our hearts!!!

Preparing for Christmas - Ena Vaz (F.Y. B.Sc.)

Christmas is not just bound to Santa Claus, gifts and decorations, as we assume Christmas to be today, but it is the celebration of

coming of our lord Jesus into the world. Besides the external preparation, during this season of advent we remind ourselves that

Jesus came into this world in Palestine 2000 years ago for our salvation and that Jesus also promised to return one day in all his

glory.

As a part of Christmas preparation, during this time a wreath made of green colour symbolising peace or life is placed in front of

the alter, and in this wreath stands the five candles. First candle is known as the candle of Hope: hope that we have in Jesus Christ

and the reason to live. Second candle is the candle of Peace; we celebrate the peace we find in Jesus Christ. Third candle is the

candle of Love; we celebrate the love that Jesus had for us and we have for Jesus expressed as love for our fellowmen and women.

Fourth candle is the candle represents Mother Mary and is known as the candle of Joy. And the fifth candle placed in-between the

four candles represents the birth of Christ. So, let us prepare ourselves spiritually to welcome Jesus Christ in this world and live

with Emmanuel, i.e. God amongst humanity.

The five candles of Advent The Christmas wreath on a cake

*A HAPPY CHRISTMAS CAKE* - Dyinral Correia (T. Y.B. Sc.)

Ingredients:

2 cups of happiness

2 cups of sweetness

1/2 teaspoon of curiousness to know about Christmas

1 1/2 tablespoon of kindness

1 ml of holiness

Fistful of love.

Take 2 cups of sweetness and add it to 2 cups of happiness, to the mixture, add ½ teaspoon of curiousness and 1½ tablespoonful of

kindness. Blend it well and add 1 ml of holiness. Stir well until you get a good blend of all the ingredients. Put the blend into the

container and apply love on all the sides. Put the container in the pre-heated oven and keep till well-baked. A lovely Christmas

cake is ready to serve.

It's Christmas!! -Riya Metri (T.Y B.Sc.)

Christmas' is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Jesus. It is celebrated on 25th December every year. It is the most important

festivals of the Christians. Christmas Day is celebrated as a major festival. On this occasion great preparations are made by the

Christians. All houses and churches are cleaned and white washed. The Christmas tree is decorated with artificial stars, lights, toys

etc. on this day. At night candles and electric bulbs are lighted on its twigs.

Santa Claus and other seasonal figures are held on this day. Any person disguised as Santa Claus distributes sweets among the

children. Family reunions and the exchange of gifts is a widespread feature of the season. Cakes and puddings are served .

Children get dressed in new clothes. Prayers are offered in churches.

Heart of Paradise: Goa -Maheswari Sai (S.Y.B.Sc.)

How pretty you are!

How lovely you are!

You are not just a State,

You are a state of mind!

Coconut trees, areca nut trees, rivers, seas

Soft, white milky fountains make us enthused to see you

The magical lakes, a waterfall makes us delight full

You made us to see you with your beauty

You are not only the place of tourism: you are the place of peace

You are the place with evergreen trees, fruits, flowers

You are acting like as a second mother

By blessing the people of world with your scenery:

Nothing else but my lovely GOA!

Where India is heading to....????!!!! -Gopika Shibu (T. Y.B. Sc.)

Nowadays our country is passing through a series of things which we have never gone through. Price hike of the essential

commodities is one of the issues. Even though the price of the crude oil is low in the international market, a developing country

like India is facing repeated price hikes. Agriculture, which is known as the backbone of India’s economy, is also facing the worst

time in this decade. The farmers are being paid a much lower price which could not even meet their production expenses.

Nowadays farmer suicides are common phenomena in India and are not even considered as news. The farmers are unable to repay

his debts due to the failure of his crop, mostly cotton, and he commits suicide. Neither the government nor the media has taken it

seriously until actor Amithabh Bachan repaid the loans of around a lakh of farmers and requested other celebrities to do the same.

We are living in a country where people like Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, who plundered the country’s wealth,

are leading a luxurious life abroad whereas the farmer who feeds the nation is committing suicide for his unpaid debts of as little

as Rs. 10,000. The time has come for us to rethink these contradictions. It is a big shame that we live on a country where the food

producers of the nation are being ignored by the government. Not only industries and multinational companies should get the

benefit from government. A nation cannot progress without the progress in agriculture field. A government cannot sustain without

the support of common people. It is time for action to resolve this.

Meteora 2K18

Inter-collegiate Youth Festival Karishma Parsekar (T.Y. B. Sc)

Don Bosco College, Panaji organized an event METEORA’2k18 and luckily I got a chance to participate. It was overwhelming

experience to see our college participating with top city colleges from across Goa. Got to know a lot of innovations of 1970s. It

was good to see students showcasing their talent in dance, quiz, treasure hunt, third degree, ice breaker, band, gaming, marketing,

etc. We got inspiration from other colleges too and this big morale boost to us student- participants.

Car Pool Karoke Vineetha Reddy Kaja (S.Y. B. Sc.)

It was very exciting to work with my seniors for Car Pool Karoke. Those were the wonderful moments while shooting the video.

It was my first time into acting which turned out to be funny and, yet, amazing. Everyone's dedication made it beautiful and glad

to see it on the Meteora profile on Instagram.

Ice-Breaker Saloni Patil (T.Y. B.Sc.)

It was a completely new experience for me to be a wonder woman in the ICE-BREAKER but I received a lot of compliments

from the audience. It really helped me to develop my self-confidence and in addition also helped me to overcome my stage fear,

looking for more opportunities in future...

Fashion Show Gayatri Gawas (T.Y. B. Sc)

Meteora’2k18 was really a great experience. The two days were really enjoyable. Our college participated in many events like ice

breaker, sell it to win, just a minute, retro dance, fashion show and got a really good response from other colleges, too. The theme

of this event was based on 1970's era. Walking the ramp in the FASHION SHOW and paying tribute to the great s personalities of

the ‘70s won the hearts of the audience.

Treasure Hunt... Adventurous day Priyanka Parab (Sr. B.Sc.)

Treasure hunt was the amazing and adventurous experience. As I was representing our college, I had a lot of nervousness and

excitement, too. Since I was playing it for the first time, I made all my background study as what will be the game was all about,

to my surprise we did got all the clues in a glance. I was surprised that I could even eat chillies in one of our tasks without even

fearing about its pungency, that was our dedication and Our Team work which gave us that courage to put all our hard work to win

it for our college, we reached first at the last clue and finishing point but to our bad luck we were supposed to score three baskets

in the basketball court for which both of us were not good at but still, it was great experience for me.

Treasure Hunt!! Vandit Naik (T.Y. B. Sc)

The name itself made me enthused to give my 100 %. Treasure hunting has always been one of my favourite games as I can use

my knowledge and physical fitness to its full potential. Together with tackling the clues which leads me to the next step, for which

we had to perform various tasks by cracking riddles and forfeits from doing sit-ups to eating chillies. We just lost the Hunt due to

our inability to basket the basketball thrice, which was our last task to win the game. In spite of reaching the finishing point

before all the participants, we lost. Just the same, I had an amazing experience.

Dance, Little Lady Dance! Sanjana Kerkar (S.Y. B. Sc)

I always wanted to dance in front of audience that were not known for me.The inter-collegiate Youth Festival METEORA gave

me a golden opportunity to display the talent that I have. The theme of the event was 1970's Retro. It was a pretty difficult for us to

select songs suitable for our dance type, but somehow we selected some sizzling songs from the 1970s and thereby started with

our rehearsals. I got a chance to choreograph it. DBCA-Sulcorna gave me a chance to do something I always wanted to.

METEORA2k18 was a perfect shot. On the day of our event, everyone cheered us and it was the best experience of my life. I

enjoyed every part of it, though we did not get award for it, we definitely gave it our best with a very short time to rehearse and

with very limited resources compared with the other top city based colleges with their own professional dance choreographers. We

were proud of ourselves for putting up a dance worth watching that put everyone in awe.

Mr. Meteora Brijesh Fal Desai (T.Y. B.Sc.)

Contesting for Mr. Meteora was a great experience. Getting to walk the ramp in the role of the legendary ‘Chris

Perry’ was a great honour. Just winning the 2nd Place among the 10 Colleges was unexpected and thrilling.

Miss Meteora Kruti Prabhu (S.Y. B. Sc)

As I contested for Miss Meteora, I wanted to give it my best and the whole DBCA-Sulcorna squad was there for me while I was

performing on stage. It gave me confidence and I won Miss Meteora 2k18 crown. The smiles on my squad's faces just made my

day! It was a thrilling experience. Fellow students were very happy, and looking at them, I was happy, too. I want to thank them

for giving me this opportunity and for believing in me. It matters.

An Enriching Experience Mandar Gawas (Sr. B.Sc.)

Meteora 2K18 was a completely unique experience for me as it was the first time I was representing my college in photography

competition at inter-collegiate level. I have participated as an individual in photography contests and won prizes but this is a

different feeling. Meteora did not only increase my self confidence but also gave an opportunity to prove myself. It was an

amazing event. I am looking for more in future.

The Don Bosco College, Panaji-Goa, provided a platform for the students of Don Bosco College of Agriculture, Sulcorna-Goa, to

display their talents beyond academics and field work. Last year it was limited to the three Salesian Colleges in Goa; this year it

was with ten colleges of different streams of study, different managements and from across Goa at METEORA 2018. The event

was organized by the students Miss Twinkle Fernandes and Mr. Kedar Ashok Patil with the guidance of the faculty; Principal Mr.

Cedric Silveira; and Manager, Fr. Joaquim Lobo sdb at the Don Bosco Oratory hall, Panaj-Goa.

The Cultural Secretary of the Students Council, Miss Liza Pinheiro, coordinated and led the effort from the front. Students from

all the four years of the degree programme participated in different on-stage and off-stage events, including photography, video,

quiz, ex tempore elocution, marketing, treasure hunt, music, dance and fashion with the theme decade of the 1970s. This involved

research as none of the contestants were even born and, for some, even their parents were school-going children in that era.

The DBCA-Sulcorna team found details of icons from the 1970s … from Leander Paes to Lorna & Chris Perry; Amitabh Bachan

and Rekha, as well as others; their hair styles and clothing; trumpet or racquet; and other details to present the “Bodacious Fashion

Show of the 1970s” to pick the second prize … after presenting an “Ice-Breaker” that focused on “Women’s Emancipation”, a

defining change of the 1970s.

Miss Kruti Prabhu was the right choice for the “Miss Meteora” contest, ably supported by Brijesh Fal Dessai in the first round,

after performing as Lorna & Chris Perry in the fashion show. Her unhesitant answer that the DBCA-Sulcorna would make her a

successful entrepreneur in agriculture got her through the first round. She sang and danced into the hearts of the judges and

participants to win the final round and be crowned the “Miss Meteora 2K18”. That was the crowning glory of the campaign in a

contest with two law colleges, two hospitality colleges, a medical college and four general stream colleges, most of them city

based.

The Last Word Jayasri Puli (S.Y. B. Sc)

Meteora was a memorable event. I learnt so many things from it. I am so thankful for getting such an opportunity.

Experience the life in agriculture - Priyanka Parab (T.Y. B.Sc.)

The first batch of Don Bosco College of Agriculture Sulcorna is in their final 8thsemester after which the students will be formally

called as agriculture graduates. In the this last year, we have lot of experiential learning especially in the 7th semester, wherein we

had RAWEP (Rural Agricultural Work Experience Program ).We had to stay in villages to help the farmers and even to learn the

field experiences from them.,Rural stay in the villages gave us a lot of on field knowledge which was beyond our bookish

knowledge and which included the practical learning experience from the farmers. It was a great task as we had to convince

farmers to adopt the new technologies and methods that have been improved over time for betterment of the farmers. We held

method demonstrations for them as a part of our RAWEP program.

We were divided in groups of six students each to work in the allotted villages of Rivona, Zambaulim, Molcornem, Pirla and

Neturlim for the entire semester. There was another challenge for us of staying in the villages as most of us do not avoid going

home every weekend. The village stay did give a great life experience as how to understand other people’s perspective towards

work, cooperation with each other and understanding each other’s point of view. Gathering ideas together and executing them with

proper planning is also what we learnt in RAWEP. Being the first batch, we did face many difficulties. We were not aware that we

were supposed to find the appropriate host famers. Dealing with the village people was an issue as they were also unaware about

our program and why we were staying in their villages. We conducted awareness programs and demonstrations on various topics

related to agriculture like green leaf manuring, SRI, composting, mushroom cultivation, post-harvest technology of fruits and

vegetables and many more.

Convincing farmers to attend our demonstration was another great task. They were not interested as they were not ready to change

their traditional way of farming. We got to know their experiences in the agriculture field and to understand the difficulties that

farmers face while growing crops in field. We met many successful farmers too who are unique in their own way especially Mr.

Mohan Tendulkar who is very expert in vermicomposting. He inspired us with his life experience. We even learnt the importance

of time management. At the end it was very difficult to complete all ten reports of different subjects together, as our

documentation had been piling for the last moment. However, working in Team helped us as all to distribute the work and helped

us to chase the target. RAWEP did give us a great life experience which we will never forget in our future life ventures in

agriculture.

Now for our last semester we are allowed to choose the combination of four courses for Hands-on Training or HoT. The college

has kept two courses of Nursery management in Horticulture crops and commercial compost production in common whereas each

student has to choose two out of the other four commercial courses, viz mushroom production, floriculture, vegetable production

and post-harvest technology of fruits and vegetables. Based on the combination of courses we were divided into two batches. In

the eighth semester we are exposed to the commercial cultivation practices, costing, pricing and even to find the market for our

produce and sell it to obtain the profit. We can actually use the knowledge that we have gained with our host farmers during

RAWEP, working and maintaining their field records. The guidance that is given by Dr. Gourish Karanjalkar helps us a lot to

understand the concepts which were not clear to us regarding some crops and plants related to horticulture. Being first batch we

did face lot of difficulties and lack of facilities but the knowledge we gained over here is always remarkable with the at most

cooperation and guidance that we get from our young and enthusiastic professors. While a few of us will pursue post-graduate

studies in other states because there is no facility in Goa as yet, the rest of us are getting Future Ready to be entrepreneurs in

agriculture.

Editors: -

Priyanka Parab (Sr.B.Sc.), Mandar Gawas (Sr.B.Sc.), Liza Pinheiro (T.Y. BSc.) , and Krutika Raut (S.Y. B.Sc.)

www.donboscocollegeofagriculture.com