DBCA CH!MERA V0L 4 N0. 2 DON BOSCO COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE, SULCORNA-GOA 31 January, 2017

New Year, new beginnings and a brand new semester.

Starting 09 January, everyone in the college is excited about the new semester with its new subjects, knowledge,

challenges and experiences. The teachers gave us a heads-up by sharing with us the syllabus. We began the practical

session by cleaning the polyhouse and preparing the beds so that we could begin farming in controlled environment.At

the weekend, the Second Year students planted onion s after root dip in microbial formulation. We do organic agriculture.

The seedlings were laid to one side to avoid , roots covered with soil and irrigated. The chives or leaf-tubes of seedlings for

planting in the two of the raised beds where cut to a length of 5 cm as per the traditional technique followed farmers. The

First Year students harvested the vegetables they planted last semester. ( See separate reports elsewhere)

The girls began practicing really hard to put up a good show in the Goa University’s inter-collegiate Women’s Handball

tournament. Our college team reach the semi-final on debut last year thanks to coaching by Santosh Patil Sir and

enthusiastic support of management and staff of the college. - ANDREA CHERADIL

Communication Skills and Zumba Thrills

We were glad to have ma’am Priya Almeida in our institution to deliver us a lecture on Phonetics.It was very educative.

This interactive session helped us to come out of our ignorance and taught us how to pronounce English words properly.

The session started with binary introduction which involved an exercise of introducing each to the other in the hearing of

all. This boosted the confident level of each student. There were few mouth exercises like rolling of tongue and proper

use of lips to get the pronunciation clear. The session became a lot more exciting when Ma’am started with the “ZUMBA

DANCE”. The session ended with the vote of thanks proposed by our Cultural Secretary Priyanka Parab. The now

traditional photograph with the guest of the day was clicked in order to cherish the happy memories day for the years to

come. –SHASHANK NAIK

As you sow, so shall you reap ..... and we did that in January!!

Wow, two and half months after sowing, the vegetable produce was finally harvested by the efforts of all the students of

First Year along with the guidance of Sumati Chavan ma’am and Subhangini Thakre ma’am.

Earlier, at the end of our first semester in the month of November the students were divided into 5 batches with each batch

having a different crops like maize, spinach ,dill, radish, etc...The sowing of seeds was done with each crop having

appropriate spacing. The crops were irrigated with water every day to get a high yield. .After the 20-30 days compost was

applied to the crops for better yield and growth of crops. Back from the Christmas vacations, we saw that the crops were

ready for harvest. On 19 January, we harvested the vegetables, much to our happiness and entertainment. The college

earned some income by selling the vegetables to people including students and staff member of college. We learnt

entrepreneurship hands-on the job. -AKSHAY SAWANT

GROWING ONIONS

There are no boring days at DBCA-Sulcorna! Every semester we get to learn something new and same happened in this

semester as well. The Second Year B.Sc (Agri) students undertook the cultivation practices of Rabi crops. We planned on

growing Onion, but Onion [Allium cepa] seedlings were not enough to grow on all the beds. So we took up other crops

such as KnolKhol (Brassica caulorapa) and beet root (Beta vulgaris)

It all started with preparation of raised beds. The clods were crushed to make the beds good enough to sow crops on

them. Batch 1 and 2 helped preparing the beds. The girls helped in loosening the soil and mixing of compost . Polyhouse

was provided with good irrigation source I.e.drip irrigation system and it helped us to water the tiny little seedlings

without disturbing them. Boys and girls worked together to plant the seedlings. Onion seedlings were treated with fungal

formulation like VAM . Rajan Shelke Sir gave almost all the necessary information in planting those seedlings such as

seed germination rate, spacing and depth of seed. Fr.AllwynD`Souza and Satish Patil Sir supervised the planting. It was

interesting to work in the field especially in the polyhouse with my classmate. -BHUSHAN SAWANT DESSAI

With the new semester, comes new opportunities and experiences.

While we should reflect on previous successes and failures and use them in our benefits to this semester, we should also

grab every new opportunity that comes our way in the new semester. - RIYA METRI, BRANISHA NAIR, PRITY VELIP

The new year starts with new thought, new feelings new ideas and opportunities, but the memories of the past never fade

away. After an amazing 1st semester at DBCA-Sulcorna with some awesome people, we are stepping into 2nd semester

with new energy and boost our minds with new knowledge and techniques to express ourselves. -SAHEEL VELIP

A visit to Krishna farm, Sulcorna.

A study visit to Krishna farm was a trip.I looked forward to the weekend. This farm is rests in the hills of Sulcorna far away

from the concrete jungle.Mr. Dinesh Prayag, the general manager of the farm explained to us in details the value added

products of the coconut tree.He cold pressed in our minds that 3 digits income can be turned into 4 digits income and even

into 5 digits income, as long as they strive to improve the products efficiently. The tour of the farm that covered hands-on

experiences, from boys and girls climbing coconut trees with a coconut climbing machine right up to shredding the coconut

palm leaves in the shredder. The inter-cropping system used in farm amazed me because they had 4 coconut palms,2 banana

plants and fodder crop growing in 50 sq m area (7 X 7 M approx). We were hungry to learn new things and also encouraged us

to visit his farm often so that we can get a more hands on experience. - ELIJAH D`SOUZA

Preparation of seedbeds

Under the guidance of ma’am Sumati Chavan and ma’am Glenda Carvalho for batch-1 and batch-2 respectively, we

planned out to grow various vegetable crops like carrot, red cabbage, cucumber etc… Batch -1 choose to plant red

cabbage whereas batch 2 choose carrot and tomato.The cultivation of the crop will be carried out in our college

Polyhouse.The beds were divided among the batches and for each bed two students were kept in charge of each bed. The

beds were hard and clods needed to be broken down to facilitate proper condition for the growth of seedlings. The

seedling were raised on a separate plot and watered regularly. -ASHU KUMARI

EXPERIENCE OF 2ND SEMESTER OF 1StYEAR STUDENTS

I was very excited to enter into the second semester after having a 15 days break. It was very joyous and happy moment

for me as I was about to learn something new in this semester along with my friends. I even hope to improve my

performance in my academics -SANILGAONKAR

Handball match

24th February 2017

Finally, the day of handball match arrived. Since our team was semi-finalist last year, we got a “bye” to

second round which was held at Goa University ground. We played our first match against Government

College, Sanquelim and won it by 2 goals (6-4). The second match we played against G.G Multi Faculty

College, Dharbandora. We lost by 1 goal (3-2). In spite of getting to practice without a coach for 12 days

and being given proper coaching of SantoshPatil Sir for just five days, we tried our level best. We are

grateful to Santosh Patil Sir and teachers Shubhangini ma’am, Glenda ma’am, Pratiksha ma’am and

Miguel Sir for supporting us and giving us the confidence to play against all odds.

We know practice makes men (and women) perfect. Hence, we have decided to practice more often round

the year,build our stamina and improve on our game with the experience we have gained by participating

for last two years in handball tournament. - SHIVAMA OPPARI

Huddle with coach, Santosh Patil, Taking the field at Goa University with indoor stadium and water tank in background

Defending an attack on the goal by the G.G. Multi-Faculty team Our teachers who cheered us on

26th January 2017….. Republic Day

We celebrated 68th Republic day along with Don Bosco Farm High School at Humberto hall. The program

began by welcoming the chief guest, the provincial of konkan territory, Fr, Felix Fernandes along with other

chief guest of the function. The chief first requested to do the flag hoisting and then we all sang the

national anthem. After which the school students gave their speeches and performed a small skit indicating

the importance and functioning of Indian constitution. A patriotic song and a dance were presented by the

students of Don Bosco College of Agriculture. The programme ended by vote of thanks by school student.

-TANVY SURLEKAR

The students of F.Y. B.Sc (Agri) sing patriotic songs …. and interpret patriotism as a dance

The hills of Sulcorna bear testimony to the Republic of India as the Provincial Dr. Felix Fernandes sdb joins in the celebration

EVERY VOTE COUNTS!!!!

At last! Whatever we had studied of civics in our elementary school is going to work out on 4 February, 2017 .Yes the

election for the MLA’S in Goa.

The five year term is over. The political parties are in restlessness .It’s like a battle among the parties. The biggest question

is ‘who is going to take over this time. We want the good and honest leaders who will care for the welfare of the citizens..

As said somewhat good and honest leaders will be selected who will one for the welfare of the people.

Whatever it might be, the constitution of India gives opportunity for every citizen above 18 years of age to vote. It

empowers the common people to choose their rulers. We have the power to change the government if not satisfied by

the previous ones. It’s going to be our first election. The candidates with better objectives, schemes and plans will be

voted. So there is just one thing that must be kept in mind before electing leaders ‘THINK TWICE AND CHOOSE NICE’…

-LIZA PINHEIRO

A peek into the life of Don Bosco ....whose feast we celebrate on 31 January.

Don Bosco was born on 16 August, 1815, in the hillside hamlet of Becchi, Italy. and baptised Giovanni, Italian word for

John. His father, Francesco died only two years after John's birth, leaving his mother, Margherita, to raise three boys by

herself. She taught them that they each needed to carry his weight and help with the keep of their home and farm. There

were house chores to do, firewood to cut and gather, fields to plough, and crops to tend. She was a woman of character and

tenderness. All who knew her called her Mama Margherita. Fathomless was the love she showed her sons, not in coddling

words but in deeds; innumerable were the lessons in upright living, Christian fortitude, and love of God, which she

taught by her example. A follower of the spirituality and philosophy of Saint Francis de Sales, Bosco was an ardent

Marian devotee under the title Mary Help of Christians.

While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the effects of industrialization and urbanization, he

dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth.

He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian

Preventive System. The three components of the Preventive System: reason, religion and kindness. Music and games are

also a part of it. The autobiography of St. John Bosco or Don Bosco, translated from Italian to English by Fr. Guiseppe

(Joseph) Moja sdb. the Pioneer of Sulcorna, is available on the campus.

MY EXPERIENCE

Five or six years ago I watched a Kannada movie entitled ‘Milana’. It was a story about a man who suffered a broken

relationship. His parents ask him to get married in order to ease his sorrow and he agrees to it without any objection.

Soon after the marriage the girl with whom he got married to ask him to sign the divorce papers since she already has a

boyfriend but had agreed to marry out of compulsion from her parents. The court orders them to live together for a

month before the final decision of the divorce. The events that take place during the month changes their outlook towards

life and decide to LIVE together forever.

I am reminded of this above mentioned story as I recall my first brush with the college of agriculture. “Are you interested

in agriculture?” asked my Interviewer. I remember very clearly saying ‘No’ to this most important question to enter into

the college of agriculture. So negative it sounded then but it was true. I had no interest whatsoever in it and I had not even

once thought of it in my whole life. I had taken more than a year to decide yet at the end found myself so uncertain. It was

something like entering into an adventure not knowing ‘what’ of it, ‘how’ of it and ‘why’ of it. It was a leap of faith. I

thought,’Let me start my journey and the interest will emerge sooner or later during the years to come. Now it is six

months that I have started my journey with the agriculture and I see an immense change in my outlook towards Nature,

Mother Earth and the Art of Agriculture. I have not only grown an interest towards agricultural studies but also an

interest towards the practice of agriculture. I now observe that my decision at the beginning of the year of STAYING

together with the agriculture is slowly transforming into LIVING together with agriculture. -JOSWIN D’ SOUZA.

EDITORS:- DIKSHA YEWADKAR and MAHENDRA KADAM