The Department of Basic Sciences & Humanities had conducted a week long Induction & Orientation Program that was held taking into account the guidelines prescribed by AICTE. The aim of our institute is to work hand in hand with AICTE and to reinforce the fundamental concepts, bridge the gap that exists and enable the fresh batch of students to feel welcomed and at home in their new surroundings.

The new batch of students for the Academic Session 2020-21 were welcomed through a virtual inaugural ceremony on 8^th February, 2021, through a virtual inaugural ceremony. Those present at the College were Members of the Management, faculty members and a few senior students involved in the ceremony. Masters of the ceremony were students Piyusha Vinzey, 5^th Sem E&TC and Bevan Mcleod, 3^rd Sem, IT. The program began with lighting of the lamp, followed by scripture reading.

In their inaugural addresses, Director, Dr. Fr. Paul Chandrankunnel, followed by Principal Dr. S.V Gole and Prof. R. B. Gowardhan, Vice Principal, each extended their warm welcome to the first year students into the Tech Pallottine family. The ceremony ended with the vote of thanks extended by the in-charge of Basic science and Humanities Department, Prof. Namrata Gore. This was followed by a Peer Interaction program led by Aayushi Jaiswal, 5^th Sem and Atharva Atkare, 5^th Sem CE. This was entirely an interactive session involving a host of peer performances such as singing, dancing, instrumental and even involving the First years buzzing in with theirs.

From Day 2 onwards the sessions were conducted in a blended mode, with students being physically present as well as virtually. All the sessions were held via Webex / Google meet and Youtube live streaming. On this day the first session was by Principal, Dr. S.V Gole, who took students on a journey of the college’s achievements, academics, its system and processes. It was an interactive session and the students got a better understanding of their college.

This session was followed by a short informative video about the college to make students familiar with the campus. Later, Fr. Francis Rozario gave a motivational speech on “Fullness of Life”. Fr. Francis explained to them the meaning of life in an interactive way. By the end of this session the students were influenced by his presence. In the second half, they were engaged in outbound activities with Prof. Deepali Borakhade and Dr. Ashlesha Nagpure and senior students. These activities proved fruitful in breaking the ice and initiated interaction amongst the first years.

Day 3 began with a session of Yoga and meditation, the aim being to trigger the importance of mental and physical well-being. Students were then addressed by the Vice-Principal, Prof. R. B. Gowardhan. Sir threw light on the history of the institute, its core values, discipline, and other intricacies. He stressed on the importance of these morals and values, how they are necessary to build a strong personality and character, both as a human being and as a Tech Pallottine. Dr. Abhijit Agashe, Controller of Examination, Ramdeo Baba College of Engineering & Management, Nagpur, took over post this session. Sir gave a talk on “Campus to Corporate – the Journey Ahead”. He highlighted the needs and wants of the industry and briefed students on corporate life and how to be better prepared for it.

In the second half of day 3, a Panel Discussion on “Career Avenues after Engineering Graduation” was organized. Panelists were Head of Departments and moderating the session was Dr. S. V Gole, Principal. The Panel discussion proved fruitful to students and made them more informed about their career and the choices that lie ahead.

Day 4 began with yet another wellness session of yoga and meditation. This was followed by Prof. Namrata Gore, First Year Incharge, addressing the students. She made them more acquainted with college life and the challenges of first year’s, academic preparation, involvement in extracurricular activities, human values and its essentials. 

This session was followed by an inspirational talk by the Principal, Dr. S.V Gole on “Human Excellence”. Sir interacted with the students one on one and got them totally engrossed.

In the second half of the day, the students indulged in outbound activities (team building games) that were conducted on the basketball court. These activities were held to inculcate team work, students were divided in five teams and made to play various sports. The teams were orange team, red team, green team, blue team and yellow team. The day ended with the green team emerging as the winner. 

Day 5 began with a wellness session of yoga and meditation. It was followed by an address by the Director, Fr. Dr. Paul Chandrankunnel. Father gave an insight about the patron saint of the Institute, St. Vincent Pallotti. He spoke about the life of St. Vincent and how his teachings have been the guiding light of the Pallottine Society. He informed about the various Pallottine institutes functioning world over and ended his address by stressing on the vision and mission of the Institute.

The next session was ‘Career Development Interaction’, led by Dr. Kishor Borakhade, Training & Placement Officer and his team. They gave a basic overview about the placements, internships, higher education, training for public sector services and also shed light on the idea of entrepreneurship. This interaction enlightened students and inspired them to excel in academics and be employable ready by their fourth year of engineering.

A Panel Discussion on “Enrichment during Engineering Education” was held in the second half. The panelists were senior faculty members and moderator was Principal, Dr. S.V Gole. This panel discussion was held with the aim to inform students about the various projects undertaken by the Department and how the institution will help them in various capacities.

Day 6 was the last day of the week-long induction. Post the session on Yoga and Meditation, students visited their respective Department’s and labs, interacted with the HODs, faculty members and got familiar with their home Departments.

The last session of the day was an interaction with the Alumni working in different fields. The session was jump started by Ankur Deshmukh, Assistant Consultant, TCS Nagpur. A 2009 CE graduate, Ankur spoke about the various opportunities present post graduation and how to prepare oneself for a corporate life. The next alumni to address the students was Aditi Joyce, Junior First Officer at Indigo. She joined the students online and spoke about the opportunities in the aviation industry and how to go about it after engineering. Priyanka Jain, working in IT Solution Management, was the next alumni to interact with the students. She highlighted various activities that are available in the college and how these activities helped her grow in the 4 years of graduation and of her experience in the Eyantra club.

Rohan Chandwani, Senior Business Analyst, GAP Inc, Hyderabad, spoke next, he joined the students through the online platform. He spoke about the importance of staying committed to one organization at the start of one’s career and the benefits of it. Arya Sondule, pursuing his PhD from IIT, Roorke came next. He spoke about the field of research and life as a PhD aspirant. Priyanka Salankar, in the 3^rd year of Civil Engineering briefed students about her college life and how to make the most of these years. Her batch would be the first graduates of the branch, initiated in 2018. She also shared her experience as a Diploma student.

Revati Ghadiyalji, Business Technology Analyst, Deloitte US-India, Mumbai was the next alumni. She spoke at length about life in college and after college and how her professors helped her throughout to grow as an engineer and as a person. The last alumni to join was Pooja Umate, Operations Executive, Firstcry.com. As she could not join via online, she sent in a video sharing her experience with the students. Five alumni addressed the students in the college and three of them joined through the online mode from different parts of the country. It was a thrilling experience for students to interact with them and get a first-hand account of their life at the campus. The alumni also spoke at length about the various opportunities available after college and this session boosted the confidence of the new freshers.

Faculty members of the Department were actively involved in different roles. Dr. Ashish Bodhaye, Dr. Kiran Khandarkar and Prof. Sonia Francis were coordinators of the Induction & Orientation Program.