Guest Lecture – In view of the atrocities women are subjected to, the year 2019-20 began on a note of Women Empowerment in terms of awareness of one’s legal rights and their linkage to one’s religion. A Guest Lecture was conducted on ‘Women, Law and Religion’ by Prof. Anmol Patkar (visiting faculty for Law subject) on 18th July 2019.

Opening Ceremony of the Activity Week – The Opening Ceremony of the Activity Week which commenced on 25th November 2019 was marked by the Open Stage session. This included Dance, Poetry and Singing Contests related to the theme ‘Diversity and Culture’.

Critical Analysis – Movies are a widespread source of gaining information and entertainment at the same time. Critical Analysis of the movie ‘Hidden Figures’ based on the concept of Racism was conducted on 26 November 2019 by Vaishnavi Chinchankar (SYBA student). Also, a  gripping Power-point Presentation on ‘Terrorism- Types and Impact’ was delivered by Candice  Fernandes. (FYBCOM student)

Panel Discussion – The Panel Discussion on the topic ‘LGBTQIIA+ Rights’ on 27th November 2019 was a fruitful endeavour by a group of 8 enthusiastic student panellists, thereby stimulating their abilities to question and contradict the relevant ideologies. Dr. Madhu Rai, Lecturer and Consulting Psychologist and Prof. Samira Nadkarni, Lecturer in English, moderated the session with their expertise.  This was followed by ‘The Colors of God’ contest which was held on 28 November 2019, on the theme ‘Ethnic Ensemble’ (Mascot Making and Fashion show). 5 groups of 36 students prepared different mascots from waste material showcasing different cultures.

The Colors of God: Ethnic Ensemble – On 28th November 2019; The Colors of God, as the name suggests, is an event full of exuberance. Here, the candidates put up an “Ethnic Ensemble” where they designed their Mascots and had a fashion show for the same.

Workshop – On 28 November 2019, a Workshop on ‘Narrative Ideas and Practises’ was conducted by Ummeed (Child Care Development Group) in conjunction with the Equal Opportunity Cell. 30 students reflected on how individual differences on perceptions of the meaning of life, were essentially influenced by culture and ethnic practises.

InQUIZitive – The Annual Quiz Competition was held on 29 November 2019. Nine groups of 35 students went through several rigorous rounds of questions related to Religion and Culture. An Essay-Writing Competition ensued on the same day on the topic ‘Diversities in India’, as a precursor to the International Symposium.

Field trip – Twenty students participated in the Field Visit to Mahim on 6 December 2019, as a means of appreciating and celebrating diversities between places of worship, namely; The St. Micheal’s Church, The Mahim Durgah and The Sithladevi temple.

International Symposium – The highlight of the year was The International Conference on the theme ‘Celebrating Diversities’, held on 9th January 2020. It provided a platform to discuss the concept of an Inclusive Society and how one can work towards it. The audience included students as well as community members. The Keynote Speaker was Ms. Nandita Das- Indian Film Actor and Director, the Chief Guest was Mr. Ashish Khetan- Lawyer, Journalist and Public Policy Expert, the Guest of Honor was Mr. Anthony D’souza- Board Member, Ex-Chairman, Citizen Credit Co-operative Bank Ltd. The other speakers present were Mr. Philippe Guillien- Cultural Attache, French Consulate, Dr. Avinash Desousa- eminent Psychiatrist and Dr. Mithu Alur- Founder Chairperson of Spastic Society of India (ADAPT).

Annual Field Visit – The Annual Field Visit was organised to Shree Narayani Dham Temple and Hazrat Qasim Shah Vali Durgah, Lonavala, with a group of 23 students on 14 January 2020. The Third edition of the biennial magazine IGNITE was released on 30th January 2020.

Review – On 11 March 2020, Mr.Eric Falt, The Director and UNESCO  Representative for the UNESCO CHAIRS in India, visited the College for a ‘Review’ of the business of the Chair. He conducted the Review amidst The Executive Committee of the Chair, composed of Principal Dr. Marie Fernandes, Dr. Fr. S. M. Micheal, Dr. Sr. Theresa, Dr. Fr.Gilbert D’Lima, Course Co-ordinators and Professors in-charge. He appreciated our contribution towards furthering the vision of UNESCO and also made concrete suggestions for future initiatives.