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STUDENT ACTIVITIES : 2013-2014
UTKARSHA '13 REPORT
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The annual Literary and Fine Arts fest of SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Sion (W), UTKARSHA was organised on 3rd and 4th September 2013 this year with lot of enthusiasm and fanfare.? UTKARSHA highlights the literary and creative talent of our students and includes a range of intra as well as inter-college events such as painting, debate, quiz, elocution, students? symposium, exhibition etc.? UTKARSHA '13 promised to be all this and much more. ?
UTKARSHA '13 aimed at all-round development and all-round masti for students.? The NCC cadets kick-started the festival with a ?Shakti Pradarshan? and performed events like Contingent Drill, Rifle Drill, Self Defence, Obstacles and formation of Human Pyramids.?
In keeping with the motto of UTKARSHA, the festival saw various events which got the participants to wear their thinking caps--- there was the Quiz on International Politics and Essay Competition organized by the Politics Association, Business Quiz by the Commerce Association and History Quiz by the History Association, Media Quiz by BMM to name a few.
And then there were events which had the participants? creative juices flowing--- so there was the ?Present the Product? Competition organized by the Commerce Association, ?Create your own Business Plan? and ?Management Mastee? by BMS, ?Anipix?- the Photography Exhibition organized by the Nature Club, Story Writing Competition by English Association, competitions like ?Designing the Cover Page of our College Magazine? by the Arts Circle and many more.
Now, for those who thought that UTKARSHA '13 was only focusing on testing knowledge and tapping creativity among students, there were many events to prove these detractors wrong.? SIES has always believed in inculcating students with values and creating socially-aware future citizens and we don?t take this burden lightly.? So we had the Department of Psychology who through their event on social awareness ?Influence of Media on the Body Image of Adolescents? attempted to orient the school students from the neighbourhood to the exaggerated importance given to one?s physical beauty. The workshop served as an ?eye-opener? to all and taught the students lessons in self-acceptance, self-contentment and feeling happy and confident about their own self.?
The Department of Economics through their program ?Eco-Rocks? put up skits of 7 minutes duration each, where each skit touched upon some socially relevant topic which sensitized the participants as well as the audience to social issues like female infanticide and child labour among others.? The Department of Philosophy organized screenings of two documentaries namely ?The Inner Eye? by Satyajit Ray and ?Buddha weeps in Jadugoda? by Sriprakash based on the Philosophy of Art and Environmental Issues, respectively.? And put up a play ?Justice Today? based on Plato?s ?Republic? and its relevance in today?s world.
We promote knowledge of regional languages too as we understand that a student is a social whole.? Hence UTKARSHA '13 saw the Marathi Vangmaya Mandal which hosted Kavya Vachan Spardha and Adhuri Ek Kahani, the Tamil Association which hosted a Tamil Poetry Recitation and Kolam Competition, the Malayalam Association which hosted an Essay Writing Competition on the topic, ?Onam? and an Elocution Competition on ?Ente Keralam Etre Sundaram? and so on.? The Hindi Sahitya Parishad also organized Poetry Recitation, Essay Writing and Elocution Competitions in its bid to promote a love for the national language among students.

UTKARSHA'13, witnessed excellent participation from its Science faculty with each Department coming up with an assortment of events in their respective subjects.
Department of Biotechnology hosted 7 events under its intra-departmental fest Operon 2013 that saw a participation of over 500 participants on a single day for intercollegiate?events?and around 200?participants?for?intra-collegiate?event. 30 colleges all over?Mumbai?participated in Operon 2013. The event was witnessed by a crowd of 1500 people and was appreciated by all. Operon 2013 had the following activities:-
LABATHON:This event aimed at putting to test the skills of students working in lab under constant pressure and still delivering accurate results within a limited period of time. The event saw different practical approaches of students from different colleges reflecting hardcore biotechnological techniques. The event started with elimination rounds, followed by a blend of fun and handling technology like blind fold and drop by drop. Finally a high octane finish startled all the onlookers. Labathon had 142 participants and it was well judged.
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST was an inter-collegiate event which had 300 participants. It was a live interactive gaming which had various hurdles the participants had to face. The event brought out the surviving instincts of the participants which were further enhanced by the viewers. This event turned out as the ?Showstopper Event? of Operon.
MIND MAP: ?The event was a biotechnological quiz which had a rigorous workout effect for the neurons of the participant. There were rounds like audio visual and rapid fire which had participants on the verge of their seats. They also had to go through a maze of fun-filled yet challenging rounds that ultimately lead to victory. This event brought out the best minds across colleges and had exchange of great knowledge. Mind Map had 66 participants and this event was also well judged.
SHUTTERBUGS INC. An Amalgamation of photography and biotechnology, it saw some high end photography skills by various participants and their correlating skills to make a story out of photos.? 6 students participated and all enjoyed.
IN COLD BLOOD: was a combo of forensics and treasure hunt, with some spine chilling moments in the process. The audience got to see 196 participants solving cases with near accurate precision and nailing the accused in this fictitious setup of a crime scene.
BIOBLING: saw 90 participants incorporating their jewellery skills onto vegetables and pulses of daily uses. Imagination and creativity saw their zenith for the event which was appreciated not only by the onlookers but also by the Principal. It was judged by Dr. Suvarna Sharma from Jai Hind College.
BADTAMMEZ BIOTECH: was a fun filled event and showcased various aspects of biology dipped with a lot of drama, fresh ideas and of course ...a lot of excitement. Music, creativity and wit made a perfect blend with each-other. This event was enjoyed equally by the audience and the 66 participants. It was judged by Prof. Suman Gangar from Vivekananda College. The best college trophy was won by Swami?Vivekananda?College and the runners up trophy by Khalsa College.
Department of Information Technology hosted a Tech Exhibition and Seminar on Gaming as part of Technovaganza 2013, the intra-departmental IT fest. The topics for the Tech Exhibition were ?Go Wireless! ?and ?Creepy Gadgets?. It had 165 participants from various departments as well as students from other colleges like Tilak, Birla, Jai Hind, Rizvi and Bhavans.
"Go Wireless!" section had 6 exhibits, viz;
  • WiFi and Zigbee: Brief explanation on wifi, difference between the two and which is better amongst them.
  • WiMax: Most advanced technology that covers up a distance larger than wifi.
  • Surface Technology: Tabletop technology developed by Microsoft, a different level of touch technology.
  • Bluetooth Technology: Detailed description of how Bluetooth works.
  • DLNA: Digital Living Network Alliance dealing with sharing of digital media between multimedia devices.
  • 7 impressive ways to use wifi on a smartphone: 7 best apps for using wifi.
"Creepy Gadgets!" section had 7 exhibits, they were:
  • Oculus Rift: Next Gen gaming console seen only in movies has now come to life!
  • I'm Watch: Smartest watch, created by Apple.
  • Nvidia Project Shield: Gameboy type of gaming console with amazingly brilliant graphics.
  • Papertab: Converting a normal paper into a tablet via Wires... so what you pay for is the wires and cover!!
  • 3D Systems CubeX: Developing 3D models using different types of plastic and in different colours, so now you can make your own iPhone cover!!
  • Basis Band: Time to keep tab of your sleep n taking care of health, all in one device!
  • Google Glass: Discussing the pros and cons of the recently launched Google glass
The best 3 exhibits were given prizes.
Along with good response, there were also lots of good reviews, some of them being:
  • ?The exhibition was worth the demonstrator?s effort?
  • ?It was a great initiative taken by students. There were some advanced technologies which are really amazing and we came to know about it in this event?
  • ?Please keep such exhibition in regular interval and please do invite us?
  • ?Great Explanation. Interesting topic chosen. Co-operative Volunteers?
  • ?It is amazing event organized by SIES students. I realize that they think beyond their imagination?
Microsoft Company also received a few suggestions:
?It should be movable?
?It should be used in India for any advanced presentation?
The Gaming Seminar was conducted by the students of SYB.Sc(IT) in the IT lab. There was good response for the seminar, 62 students from our college attended the seminar. There were 3 sessions conducted. The first session was for TY B.Sc(IT), second was FY B.Sc(IT) and other departments and the last was FY B.Sc(IT)? and SY B.Sc(IT).The speakers of the seminar were Mr.V. K. Krishnan, Mr. Rakesh Nair and Ms. Ishita Aggarwal of SY B.Sc(IT).
The seminar began with an introduction to gaming, followed by history of gaming dealing with 8 generations of gaming. Further, how exactly a game is developed and who are the people and softwares involved in developing a game was covered up in detail. A sneak peek into the future of gaming was shown. With this the presentation ended after which everyone was taught to code a game called ?Battleship!? using PYTHON programming language on an individual system. Printed notes on PYTHON were given to all those who attended the seminar. Each session lasted for 90 minutes, with the second session being the most interactive one!!!The presentation was fun and well-animated!! All topics in relation with game were covered well!! The Python programming was difficult for most people, but many were excited that they got to learn something new!
Most reviews turned up positive... Some of them being:
?Got to know the process of game making. The industry history of games was very interesting?
?It was really good and enjoyable also for me?
?Informative and entertaining too! I started learning a new language!!?
?Don?t teach us history, Teach only Programs?
The Department of Computer Science put up the following 3 events as part of Zeigers 2013, the Intra-departmental fest of Computer Science department.
Debugging C, C++ saw 27 students from various colleges. Students were given programs with errors and they had to compile.
Lan Gaming like every year was the star event with a huge turn up from various colleges and the student organizers had to turn down many of the online and OTS registrations. Professional gaming teams and amateurs participated with full enthusiasm.?NFS (Need For Speed) MOST WANTED had?62 participants.?FIFA?09?had 48?participants. COUNTER STRIKE 1.6 experienced a huge participation of 205 students with 41 groups of 5 students each.
Technutts was another event that got an overwhelming response from all student participants. The event touched every aspect of programming from logic, gaming to sorting out the correct name all in a few minutes. The event had 22 teams of 4 students each.
The Department of Microbiology organized Microexplore, the intra-collegiate fest and was executed by the second year students of microbiology. The event aimed to highlight to people, especially juniors, about the wonders in the field of microbiology. A bright orange canvas bearing the letters ?MICROEXPLORE? in stylised alphabets, was hung right in front of the Microbiology department. Painted with utmost skill by students, it stood out in the college amongst the printed flex banners of other departments. Microexplore had 4 events within itself namely ?Microangelo?, ?Bio Brain-Fever?, ?Word Hunt? and an exhibition on the various projects undertaken by students. The turnout for these events far exceeded that of the preceding years.
Microangelo: This event was fundamentally an art competition, with an essence of microbiology. Instead of paper, nutrient agar in a petri plate was used, instead of a pencil a nichrome loop, instead of a pallet of paint pigmented strains of microorganism like E-coli for an off white colour,? Saureus for yellow, pseudomonas for blue.. etc. without erasers and with the ever-present chance of contamination, this game really tested the patience and skill. This event saw around 35 participants, few were junior college students, some were microbiology first years, and a few microbiology seniors who were at an obvious advantage. As predicted Microbiology seniors bagged most of the prizes. The first prize went for a warli design, which most people would have trouble completing with normal paints.
Bio Brain-Fever was a 4 staged quiz event with a name more intimidating than the game. The name seemed to intimidate a lot of people so the participants were few. The basic theme of the quiz was biology. There were various interesting rounds, like a rapid fire elimination round, a blind folded jigsaw puzzle round and a round of charades. All the games were loved by the participants. The final round was neck to neck, with the team winning by a 5 sec margin.
Word hunt was a completely new game to the Microexplore event, which was probably the most successful event with 120 participants divided into 30 teams of 4 each. This was basically a treasure hunt game, where the participants had to decipher and search for clues hidden in various parts of the college. At each clue they would receive a letter, and at the end of 7 clues they would have to unscramble the letters to form a word related to microbiology. This game saw people from all streams participating, from chemistry, zoology, biotechnology, junior college, BMM, BMS etc. This game left almost all of the participants huffing and puffing by the end of the hunt which lasted almost 3 hours.
The exhibition was another attraction of Microexplore that hasn?t changed since its inception in 1987. The exhibition aims to acquaint people with the basic concepts of microbiology by relating the subject to something they experience in their daily lives. Each and every student of second year microbiology created and presented a live project or experiment for everyone who attended the exhibition. Some of the exhibits included, served to acquaint the layman with three basic things. Firstly the history of microbiology, from the invention of the microscope to the development germ theory of diseases etc. Secondly, the scope of microbiology, as in what you can gain by learning about microbiology. And thirdly the basic concepts and terms of microbiology which include staining, plating, types of media, what is nutrient agar, etc. These exhibits would help people understand the rest of the projects, which would require a basic understanding of microbiology. Other projects included water analysis, where a group analyzed water samples from different sources for their level of contamination. Another one was about how food spoils, the reasons why they spoil at different rates and the causative agent. One group interestingly proved through comparative experimentation, that washing hands with soap and water renders the hand cleaner than when using hand sanitizer. Another group induced antibiotic resistance in bacteria, creating a more virulent strain, to spread awareness about the dangers of misusing antibiotics and self-medication. There was another group which isolated enzymes from waste chicken feathers which was then used to remove a chocolate stain. One group successfully created a microbial fuel cell, generating electricity from microbes.
Kalpavriksha 2013 was the name given to all the intra-departmental fest of the Botany department. The events included Botanica-Del-Arte which was a Flower Arrangement Competition. The event had 17 participants. The participants had to arrange flowers in different forms like ikebana, bouquets, flower rangoli etc. Participants had fun and they got to know about various types of flowers and their values. Visitors enjoyed the visual treat.
Bio-Jewellery had 14 participants. The participants had to create jewellery from various biological substances like flowers, seeds, leaves etc. Visitors got to see new and innovative jewellery items.
Fruit Carving had 12 participants. The participants carved fruits to make various objects, leaving the audience impressed.
All the 3 events were judged by Mrs. Sunita Charar, Associate Professor, Ratnam College, Bhandup.
Texture-O-Mural.was about creating logos using various plant names. It had 16 participants. The participants had to create pictures using various textures like seeds, leaves, flowers etc. without the use of brushes. The event brought out the creative intelligence of the participants and an improved understanding of their concepts.
Collage Making had 15 participants. The participants had to create collage using various plant items. Participants, judges and the visitors enjoyed the event.
The above 2 events were judged by? Sunil Shankadarwar, Assistant Professor, Ruia College, Matunga.
Pehchaan kaun had 28 participants in which they had to identify various objects of plant origin. It was a buzzer round. The event had 3 rounds with 5 participants making it to the finals. The event enhanced students? knowledge about various plants and their products.
Xzooberance conducted by the Department of Zoology was an all day event of UTKARSHA wherein all degree college and post graduate students of the Zoology department volunteered. It had two events viz FaceOff and Mystery Quest.?
There were 8 exciting rounds in the event FaceOff.? Round 1 was group discussion in which participants had to discuss about the topics chosen by them.? Round 2 was a challenging round in which buckets filled with coloured water contained balloons with riddles solving which would lead the contestants to the next round.? Round 3 was a lock and key round wherein participants had to search for the right key in a bucket filled with cow dung and water for the purpose of unlocking his partner who was chained.? Blind folding the unchained partner added to the thrill of the game.? Round 4 was crazy mad marketing wherein the participants had to sell products made by the volunteers.? In Round 5 participants had to search for the marbles which contained specific points from a tub filled with crabs.? Round 6 was cross ? dressing wherein the contestants had to wear weird dresses and give a crazy performance.? Round 7 was food eating wherein the participants had to finish eating all of the food items in the least amount of time. Round 8 was treasure hunt wherein the last 3 contestants had to search for their specific coloured flags which were numbered and kept in different visible parts of the college. They had to collect maximum number of flags in 7 minutes.
Mystery Quest was an inter-collegiate event which included six interesting rounds.? Round 1 was the Questionnaire round followed by the word puzzle round and other such mystery rounds.
The Department of Chemistry organized Chem-Skit and Chem ?Speak both inter-collegiate events. The programme was inaugurated by Principal Dr. (Mrs) Harsha K. Mehta. The function was attended by Shri. M.R. Bhatia, ex Vice Principal and?? Head of the department of Chemistry in whose honour the rolling trophies are instituted. In the Chem-Skit competition, 121 students participated from various colleges of Mumbai. The skit was for 10 minutes based on the topics Global Warming & its effects, An innovation in Chemistry and Aromaticity
In the Chem-Speak competition, 44 students participated from various colleges of Mumbai and there was an elimination round. For this event students selected any one branch from 5 branches of Chemistry and in each branch there were two topics provided . They are :
  • General Chemistry:? Sustainable Chemistry? /? Application of nanomaterials in medicine.
  • Physical Chemistry: NMR Spectroscopy & its applications? / Nuclear Energy: Advantages & disadvantages.
  • Inorganic Chemistry:? Waste water treatment? /?? Coordination compounds in medicine.
  • Organic Chemistry: Organo metallic compounds & its applications? /? Microwave & its application in organic synthesis.
  • Analytical Chemistry:? HPLC and its uses? /?? Forensic Science.
The events of the Statistics Department were Treasure Hunt which had 80 participants. The event had clues related to Statistics with an element of fun. These clues were generated by a group of TY BSc students. The response to this event was tremendous. An elimination round (Quiz in Statistics) had to be arranged to select students for the final event. The event was thoroughly enjoyed by the participants. The team that worked on the clues was highly satisfied with the response. This initiative gave students an opportunity to work as a team and also sharpened their skills in their subject of specialization. Data Speak was the other event that had a total of 9 teams from students of the degree college. Participants had to select one of the following three topics to prepare a poster containing Statistical tables, charts... The students prepared for the event by collecting information about the topic chosen by them and collected pictures, tables and diagrams from magazines and newspapers. Topics were as follows
  • Price Rise in 2013
  • Are women safe in cities today?
  • Food Security Bill
The event witnessed good participation among students. It provided an opportunity to students to combine their skills of creativity with the knowledge acquired in class rooms. This initiative resulted in students working as a team and also triggered an urge in them to undertake a deeper study of Statistics.
Department of Physics organized an exhibition under the banner ?SPECTRUM?. 35 undergraduate and postgraduate students participated enthusiastically to set up 13 different experiments. The experiments were based on Optics, using Cathode Ray Oscilloscope, microcontroller, and generation of electricity by sewage water, Eddy currents, momentum conservation and Lasers etc. The exhibition got huge response from viewers. There were more than 135 visitors including students and the staff members from different departments. The exhibition was inaugurated by Principal, Dr. Harsha Mehta and well appreciated by Vice-principal and staff members from other departments. The teaching and non teaching staff members of the department kept no stone unturned to make this event a grand success. Physics Quiz was an attraction of the Physical Society. Two students formed a group that signed up for the elimination round. The students were from the classes FYBSc to TYBSc. The elimination round was a short written test with a time limit of 20 minutes. Three teams made it easily to the final quiz competition but the fourth slot had to be decided after an extended tie-breaker. The final consisted of four rounds of oral quiz questions followed by a final Visual Round involving identification of well known Physicists.
The Department of Mathematics organized the ?Mathematical Treasure Hunt? which was an intra collegiate team event in which students from the degree college participated.15 questions were put up on Laminated sheets, each carrying a unique number. The solution of one problem was clue to another. Students were judged on their ability to complete the entire sequence correctly in the shortest time. There was a lot of enthusiasm among the students who struggled with the questions. It brought to light their mathematical ability and presence of mind to solve problems under stressful situations. A total of 52 teams each of size 3 participated in the Mathematical Treasure Hunt. Sudoku was yet another event that created great excitement among students. The students had to solve the Sudoku puzzle in least possible time. A total of 52 students took part and the event was conducted in 2 batches. Participants were given 15 minutes to solve the Sudoku? puzzle and the volunteers did a good job of time keeping. The winner was selected on the basis of maximum correct entries in the Sudoku obtained in least possible time. Mathematical Poster Competition had 7 teams with 2 participants in each team. Degree College students prepared colourful posters on topics given to them in advance. The topics were i)Applications of Linear Algebra ii) Fascinating facts on Mathematics iii) Applications of Graph Theory and iv)Financial Mathematics. The judges interacted with the teams and examined each and every poster in detail. Apart from this, the student viewers were asked to vote for their favourite poster and the ballots were collected in a ballot box. The votes were counted and the name of the most popular team was declared at the end. The event created interest, enthusiasm and excitement among the students and brought out their mathematical and communication skills. It helped the participants develop their reasoning and research ability and an insight for the subject by learning where and how to search for the appropriate contents and structure and present them.??
Department of Japanese (Junior College)
The Japanese department of SIES College represented the land of the rising sun & showcased a wide variety of Japanese culture. Starting from diverse and tantalizing flavours of Japanese cuisine to drawing Kanji Tattoos- taking a piece of a Japanese home. The Japanese Game of Luck, the 3rd sub-event in Yorokobi was loved by the students. The event saw around 80 participants.
Department of Mathematics (Junior College)
The Mathematics Association had organized Mathematics quiz competitions namely ?Number game and Netomaniya. The students enjoyed problem solving based on basic concepts of mathematics. A total number of 62 students participated in the events.
Department of Psychology (Junior College)
The Psychology Department had organized a skit competition. The theme was ?The adverse effects of technology (both Psychological and Physiological) on today?s youth?. A total of 18 students participated in the event.
Department of Vocational Studies (Junior College)
The department of Vocational studies had organized a seminar on Robotics Basics. The seminar was aimed at creating an interest and to motivate the students to pursue a career in Robotics.
Exhibition of Electronic Projects? was an amazing concept by the department. Students displayed? working models of circuits made by themselves. 20 students displayed 10 models . Some of the interesting ones were Security alarms, car running on salt water and many more.
A quiz was also held on computer science and basic electronics.
Arts Circle (Junior College)
This year the events were conducted were Nail Art, Painting (Warli, Portrait, Fabric, Eggshell), Greeting Cards Making, Origami, Dry Cooking,? Rangoli, Fashion Designing, Hair Braiding, Mehendi. There was an overwhelming response from the students? community.
Nail Art: Decoration of nails with different colours and designs was the essence of this event. The best decorated nails were selected on the basis of creativity, neatness, colour combination, design and pattern. This event had 10 participants.
Painting:? Painting on Fabric, Eggshell, Portrait Painting and Warli Painting were a part of this event. The theme for Portrait painting was ?Yesteryear?s Hindi Film Actors? in view of Hindi Film Industry having completed 100 years. Best painting was selected on the basis of colour scheme, presentation, design, neatness. This event had 10 participants.
Fashion Designing: Sketches were made depicting trends and fashion that existed in Hindi Films in the past 100 years. The best sketches selected were the ones which matched yesteryear?s Hindi film fashion. This event had 12 participants.
Rangoli : This was a group event involving colouring of patterns with Rangoli powder. The best Rangoli was selected on the basis of creativity, neatness, colour combination, complexity of the design and pattern. This event had 14 participants.
Mehendi:? Mehendi, an event of tracing of various designs on palms and forearms with henna mixture was a very popular event with 32 participants.
Hair Braiding:?Decorating the hair with different styles, with creative embellishments and the best decorated and braided hair was selected on the basis of above factors. This event had 5 participants.
Origami: Students were asked to prepare flowers and bags using paper. The best paper flower and paper bag with creativity was selected. This event had 6 participants.
Greeting Cards Making:?Innovative greeting cards were made. Students used materials like beads; shell etc., to make the greeting cards. This event had 25 participants.
Dry cooking (different categories):? Students were given the challenge of cooking without using Gas Stove, Micorwave etc., i.e., making of Sandwiches, Sweets, Chaat items, Salads etc., Criterion for selection was presentation, nutritive value and taste. This event had an overwhelming response and attracted 40 participants.
Department of Hindi (Junior College)
The Hindi Sahitya Parishad also organized Poetry Recitation, Essay Writing and Elocution Competitions in its bid to promote a love for the national language among students.
Department of? English (Junior College)
A story and essay writing events were conducted by the English department.
To conclude UTKARSHA '13 was designed for students to have fun, but it also aimed at much more.? It aimed to inculcate among the students, the habit of independent thinking over different issues of social concern and to equip them to express their views independently and logically.
It also aimed to inculcate among the students, working in a group, improve communication skills, technical skills, enhance creativity, improve memory, build inter personal relationships and we can confidently say that UTKARSHA '13 achieved all that and much more.
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