Hello. After midnight, i.e. on the early dawn of 3rd November at around 2 am, Moon will obstruct Jupiter when seen from South India and some other regions. From the rest of the India, they will appear so close to each other. As Moon and Jupiter both are bright objects, this wonderful view can be enjoyed even from cities. They will rise in the East by midnight. In November there are many interesting sky events coming up.
After this conjunction, on 7th November Venus and Spica bright star would appear close to each other just before Sunrise. Venus has just emerged in the dawn sky and it is very bright these days. The crescent Moon will also be nearby Venus and Spica. Then on early dawn of 16th November, red planet Mars and Jupiter will be so close to each other. It is also the time of Leonid meteor shower having its peak around 18th November. The meteor shower will be near Jupiter and Mars. So coming days are excellent and they mark beginning of the sky watching season.
✪ Last minute rush for the viva examination ✪ Finally Research work is complete! ✪ Submission times over! ✪ Campus interview of Hindustan Zinc ✪ A farewell that did not happen ✪ A true joint family! ✪ Time to depart is approaching
The last stage of Master in Social Work in Karve Institute. March 2008. The days of the submissions and examinations! The stuck submissions slowly moved further and completed. As all things came together in the last month, quality was certainly affected. Finally it was the first week of April when my thesis was submitted (its due date was 15th February)! Many long nights were required! In the last stage, I had typed on a laptop and completed it. Also many field work reports and assignments written by hand on ruling papers! FM radio songs or someone's mobile/ ipod songs to accompany at this crucial stage.
In all tasks, the faculties would strive to make the students toil hard. They would stretch the students as much as the students were willing and with the capacity they have. Sometimes the students would want to give up. Then the faculties would allow them and leave it to the students, in the last stage. During these hectic days, the Examinations also were there. But never ever I felt any difficulty with the examinations. Some subjects like Social Legislation were a tough nut. But in the Examinations, understanding was to be sought out and not just the memory. So we could write answers. For field work assessment also, I did not find any difficulty. We were to tell what we had done. And we were to present our insights and understanding. So it was easy. But for the field work viva, one unprecedented situation was there!
Hello. Nebula is one of the spectacular sight in a night sky. Nebula basically means a cloud of dust and hydrogen. Nebula is a place where stars are born. Incidentally some nebulae are formed after stars have died. When a star is burst in its last stage, it forms a nebula in surrounding region. In a way, Nebulae represent total journey of stars. One of the nebulae is Orion Nebula. Watching it through a telescope is a great experience.
Recently, I captured this beautiful nebula through my binocular and my smartphone and still I am not able to believe how it is captured! The cloudy region of the nebula, its expanse and even reddish colour highlighting massive interactions between the young stars and Hydrogen atoms! All this is captured through my small equipments. I am learning astrophotography.
This image is the result of a stack of 635 frames of 2 seconds each. Total integration time is over 21 minutes. Every frame had ISO 1600. This is captured from Pimpri- Chinchwad. I used headphones as a remote button to avoid shaking the mobile while pressing the capture button. After every 20 seconds (around 10 images), I had to re-centre the nebula in the binocular to maintain proper alignment. I used Sequator for stacking and DeepSkycamera app for clear view. I captured the photos through Pro mode of my mobile Motorola G57. The binocular- Celestron 15 X 70. Used my 30 year old tripod! After stacking, just fine tuned the image in Snapseed. With just 21 minutes integration time, the result is wonderful!
Hello. The night sky never fails to amaze us. It always has spectacular scenes. The stars, constellations, planets, clusters, nebulae, galaxies, Sun and Moon are there. But apart from that, there are beautiful scenarios also. Around a month ago, we saw Venus occulted by the Moon and two crescents together. Then we saw Regulus star close to the Moon. On the dawn of 3 November, at around 2 am Jupiter will be occulted by the Moon as seen from South India. From rest of India, the Moon and Jupiter would look so close.
One of such incident is being observed since last two days. Reddish planet Mars is just in the Beehive cluster. In cities, we cannot clearly observe this cluster just with our eyes. But with a binocular or a telescope, this beautiful sight could be seen in the dawn sky. For next 2-3 days also Mars will be close to Beehive cluster. Through a smartphone, this scene can be photographed even in cities.
On the dawn of 11th October, Mars was slightly above the cluster. There were clouds also. So this scene was not seen that clearly. But today, on 12th October, the sky was clear in the dawn at 4 am. Binocular revealed the red planet Mars entered in the middle of the Beehive cluster. Its movement in 24 hours was also clearly revealed. The reddish planet and some red stars in the cluster! By attaching my smartphone to the Binocular, I could capture its photograph. When we capture faint stars in the sky, we need to take several frames and stack them together through a software. I took 420+ frames of this scene and then stacked. Its integration gave this photo. Each photo captured the light for 2 seconds and so 420 photos totally captured light of around 14 minutes. This way, we can observe faint stars, clusters and nebulae also. Photos taken by me can be seen on my channel.
✪ Research is a simile for life- Things will happen for everyone ✪ PRA- Participatory Rural Appraisal ✪ Studying villages and social analysis ✪ Villages and hamlets in remote Pune district ✪ Village transact and mobilization walks ✪ Satisfaction to take desired efforts for field work
2008 March! Winter was slowly giving way to the Summer. The peak hour of submissions and deadlines. Slowly every task moved towards its completion. Everyone's research went further. For me, research felt like a simile for life. The research work- its all stages. Right from finalization of the proposal, its tool design, pretesting, data collection till thesis writing. This is really like life stages. Everyone’s research is going to be submitted. Those stages will be completed. Situations would be different. There will be differences. But the things will happen. When I realized this, things became mild and the stress reduced. There will be a delay, but it will happen. Video summary of this article.
✪ College gathering and fun with friends ✪ Research deadline is missed, finally! ✪ Villages near Narmada river! ✪ Badvani and 1 Rs- poha ✪ Heart of the hostel- Santosh Rathod
January 2008! Time of the college gathering. The gathering was a relief from the stress of all submissions and tasks! I could enjoy it well as I was sufficiently socialized by hostel friends since last one and a half year. Friends did many performances- the tradition attire, traditional songs and dances! Many wonderful performances were there. Povada, Bharud, folk songs. I remember the attire of Avinash Ravate. Of course, by then he had lost his long hair, like Dhoni of 2006! The new faces- the first years- they were quite known by this time and they also performed well. Everyone was so energetic and zestful. Sandeep Barve's songs- everyone liked them. And the last jamming session! We hostel boys had a jumping dance! Even after feeling tired, we did not stop. And there were those ones who were dancing with minimal movement so as to avoid fatigue! Those were the days!
✪ Street play- an effective medium for social awareness ✪ Joy of participation in a street play competition with friends ✪ Six sixes by Yuvaraj and "health for all!" ✪ Dialogue of field work guide with village women ✪ "Submission" days and race against time ✪ The hostel world!
December 2007! Around one and a half year completed in Karve Institute. Somewhere back of the mind, one feels that oh, now last six months remaining! And then it would be a tough time. In case work discussions, we were taught that conclusion of any partnership such as counseling should be done properly and in certain stages. It was the same feeling- Last six months. And then this- "कब कहाँ सब खो गई जितनी भी थी परछाइयाँ, उठ गए यारों की महफिल हो गई तन्हाइयाँ..." Of course, before that, there were plenty of things lined up. Many milestones were remaining. Slowly things started to become difficult. Submissions became slow. In a way, war fronts increased. As a result, along with the field work, research work also slowed down.
आज तुझा बारावा वाढदिवस!!! १२!!! चक्क चक्क १२!!! १२ म्हणजे किती हे मलाच कळावं म्हणून वेगवेगळ्या प्रकारे लिहून बघितलं! बारा वर्षं!!! आणि म्हणून हे पत्रसुद्धा बारावं! नाही, १२ वर्षं म्हणजे किती दिवस होतात हे काही मी तुला विचारणार नाहीय. पण जितके किती दिवस असतील तितक्या आपल्या आठवणी आहेत! मागचं वर्ष तुझ्या बुद्धीबळाने गाजवलं. आपण अक्षरश: शेकडो बुद्धीबळाचे डाव खेळलो. म्हणजे मी बुद्धीबळाचे डाव खेळत होतो आणि तू जास्त (कराटेच्या) बळाचे डाव खेळत होती! तुझं बळ खूप वाढलंय. आणि आता बुद्धीबळसुद्धा छान झालं आहे. गेल्या २० डावांमध्ये तू मला ८ वेळा तरी हरवलं आहेस.
Wonderful
occultation of Venus by the Moon. Venus was so bright and easily visible
in the daylight. Enjoy photos and videos captured through my binocular
and telescope. Moon obstructed Venus for some time and later on Venus
emerged from behind the moon. Clouds played a great role! Wonderful sky
event! Sky watching season is coming soon. Stay tuned. Thank you. 14 September 2026.
Today evening on 14th September 2026, we can observe a wonderful hide and seek of Moon and Venus. These days Venus is close to Earth and it is shinning brilliantly as a crescent. It is just about 29% illuminated but very bright that it can be observed in daylight also. Yes. If we pin point at Venus, we immediately notice a tiny glow in blue sky. Today, by around 4:45 pm, Venus will come so close to the dark portion of the Moon and by around 5:00 pm, it will be obstructed by the Moon when observed from India. Then by around 6:15 pm, it will reappear from the illuminated portion of the Moon. Exact timing will depend on each location. Its disappearance and reappearance will be in daylight, but it can still be observed. With the reference to the Moon, Venus can easily be observed in daylight. If you have a binocular, you can enjoy it. Just take care to observe it from shadow/ avoid Sunlight. I will observe it and will try to post photos. Fingers crossed for the clouds.
✪ Visits to organizations, discussions, question- answers till late night and songs! ✪ Grass root level organizations and dialogue with activists ✪ One member "time keeping committee!" ✪ Shikshantar organization in Udaipur- "स्वपथगामी" (Self path finder) ✪ Beginning of the tough stage of the course ✪ Experiences, villages and learning in the field work ✪ Fifth draft of the plan of work
"Study tour" is a tool that is used in many organizations. It is very useful for new learning of members or activists and also for their collective work. Many things are not understood after reading in books or listening. They are understood when one practically observes them. Due to this, this study tour was an important component of this 2- year MSW course in Karve Institute of Social Service. The study tour of our specialization- Community Development was planned and we were going to visit organizations in South Rajasthan. We were going to cities such as Udaipur, Chittorgarh and villages such as Chhoti Sadri. We were visiting the grass route organizations there. This tour was memorable from many angles. The learning that we had there, introduction to work of those organizations, many ardent discussions about many topics and company of the friends! Favourite faculty for guidance. So we enjoyed a lot and also experienced deeply.
✪ नाझी जर्मनी आणि युद्धासंदर्भातील वेगळी बाजू ✪ भूगोलाबरोबर इतिहासातही वेगळं स्थान असलेला देश ✪ आसुरी महत्त्वाकांक्षा असूनही एकही वसाहत नसलेला देश ✪ लोकशाहीवादी देशांनी केलेली आक्रमणं, जुलुमशाही आणि छळ ✪ महायुद्धाचा खरा सूत्रधार कोण? ✪ रशियामध्ये जर्मनीचा पराभव होण्यामागचं वेगळं कारण ✪ ब्रिटन व अमेरिकेचं नंतरच्या काळातलं वागणं
३ सप्टेंबर १९३९! दुसरं महायुद्ध नावाचं अग्नीकुंड ह्या दिवशी पेटलं. पोलंडमध्ये युद्धाला तोंड फुटल्यापासून हिरोशिमानंतर जपानने शरणागती पत्करण्यापर्यंतचे हे २१६३ दिवस! आधुनिक इतिहासातलं महाभारत आणि अतिशय नाट्यमय कालखंड. पराक्रम, क्रूरता, अमानुषता, स्वार्थ आणि जागतिक वर्चस्ववादाचा विलक्षण अविष्कार. दुसरं महायुद्ध हा माझ्यासाठी अतिशय जवळचा विषय. गेल्या ३ सप्टेंबरलाच युद्ध आणि हिटलरबद्दल एक वेगळा दृष्टीकोन सांगणारं हे पुस्तक वाचण्यात आलं. पराग वैद्य ह्यांची शैली आणि विषय मांडणी अशी आहे की एकदा सुरू केल्यावर थांबवता आलं नाही. त्या पुस्तकाबद्दलची ही प्रतिक्रिया.
✪ Villages in Mawal, Khed and Bhor blocks of Pune ✪ Field work as a team member for Nirmal Gram Inspection Committee ✪ Power dynamics in villages and participation of women ✪ Data collection in Latur for field work ✪ Visit to Kavalgaon, Nanded ✪ Immovable and movable property- A dog! ✪ Eve of the examination- "Code book" instead of study
Days of "Karve Institute of Social service"! The second year field work was very unique. I was placed in one organization working for rural development. It was working in villages of Pune district. From Karvenagar, I would aboard a bus till Akurdi. There its office was located. After discussions there, I would go to Kanhewadi Tarfe Chakan village near Talegaon Dabhade. Sometimes I would need to walk 7 kms from Induri village. In 2007, those villages were peaceful. Industrialization was not that deep. So despite of this ling walk and vehicle problem, it was enjoyable to roam there. The villages still had the village- look. Initially I had gone to Mawal villages and then Bhor and Khed villages.
In the first half of the field work, I was made a member of Nirmal Gram Inspection Committee. The placement organization was working as the inspecting body in many villages. There were some criterion- how is sanitation in entire the village, are there toilets in hamlets and communities, are trenches closed etc. We would discuss with people. I had great to learn. There was so much to enjoy also. The guide from the agency and other colleagues were there. I learned about working of this organization. I prepared its agency profile and also understood its structure. Nagmani Rao madam was there to guide. Those discussions were interesting. She would stress that one should observe and understand village power dynamics, approaches of work. One should understand this from many angles- how this work is built, how much women are involved (are they involved) etc. I came to learn many things with her. Report writing was as interesting as the field work was. Visiting Bhor villages such as Ashimpi, Devghar, Nigudghar etc. in rainy season and staying in Bhor were beautiful memories!
Hello. Chess is known to strengthen intellect of the children. It is useful for imagination, thinking, patience and determination. I have had hundreds of chess games with my daughter- Adu. Right from the days when she was too small and after her defeat, she would do an air strike on my King to these days when she occasionally defeats me! We have played at least 300 games. Some games were so memorable! We also had one tie. When she started playing it regularly, she learned the things and the tricks. Now onward it is difficult for me to defeat her. I still recall one unique game. The one which I had almost lost. Its story is this.
✪ Second year- the major stage in the social work learning ✪ Best year in college times ✪ Beginning of field work related to rural development ✪ New interesting study topics ✪ Fun to submit the report till 9 am ✪ Student forum meetings and the coffee! ✪ Junior friends and group assignments
Beginning of the second year in "Karve Institute of Social Service"! July 2007! The first year was more generic- basic aspects of social work were taught. The second year was specialized. It was different for each specialization. More lectures belonged to the specialization topics. Common subjects and collective content got reduced. Henceforth, the specialized study, field work and research based on this process got pace. I was told to do field work with an agency working towards rural development. I started traveling to villages in Pune district. I came to know about new places and new dimensions of work. The field work days were hectic. Friends from other specialization got engaged in their own routine. The Community Development (URCD) Department's field work would take place on consecutive days- Monday- Tuesday. Others mostly would go on Tuesday and Friday. As a result, the Fridays would feel very lonely. We became seniors and now we had juniors.
✪ Acceptance of all students: Principle of acceptance ✪ Student- centred assessment and examination ✪ Bullying by close friends and warmth ✪ Those golden days! ✪ "हां यही रस्ता है तेरा!" ✪ Short cut to the campus- memorable trek!
The first year in "Karve Institute of Social Service" was about to end. Even after 20 years, things are crystal clear before the eyes. The time has flown. In those days, mobile phones were new. Coin boxes would be there everywhere. We would insert a 1 Rs coin and talk for three minutes! Internet was limited to netcafes. It was not available yet in the mobiles. While going for field work, we would need to interact a lot with the people for the address, directions etc. Teaching and learning was manual- one has to do every thing.
The hostel was in the college campus. But for meals and breakfast, we had to go to Hingne Home colony. While returning to the college, there was a short cut path. It was a ascending trail. Later on even after trekking to many mountains and treks, that trek remains special! In the morning, we had to have a breakfast in a hurry and then reach the college till 9 am. For lunch also, we had the window of 1 to 2 pm and so had to rush.
✪ Learning atmosphere- one would not want to miss ✪ Beginning of research ✪ Visits to unique organizations ✪ Conference and presentations ✪ Encouragement from the seniors ✪ Fabulous gathering ceremony and new found art! ✪ Field work in communities, report writing and conferences with the faculties ✪ "You should not work with children."
Hello. November 2006! I had gone to Parbhani during Diwali holidays. Karve college schedule was so tight, so we had just four days break. But still we badly missed the college. There was the study momentum of 3-4 month. All things had fallen in place. We just missed the affectionate atmosphere, like the one the corporate people have in their offices. So the holidays did not feel like that. Not only the vacations, but also Sundays would be difficult on the hostel.
I got good marks in the first term examination. Also in the Research paper. I was slightly worried about the field work. There marks are given differently. Agency conferences and review meetings for the field work continued. The next semester started and the study continued. Once theory of Research was taught, its practical started. For this, entire the class took one project through the Research lab. It was decided as a survey of city bus commuters in Pune. Entire the class jointly prepared its questionnaire, scope, sampling universe etc. Small groups were formed to divide tasks. We went at some places and interviewed the commuters. Later on the data was collectively analyzed and its report was written. While this was taking place, everyone started to think about their subjects for research and started making the proposals. For this, there everyone was assigned guidance of one faculty.
“It was about thousands of small decisions not to give up!”
Do you know where is Karakoram pass? It is in Northern Ladakh, near DBO! Sufia Sufi, 5 times Guinness World Record holder ran from Kanyakumari to Karakoram- 5000 kms in 86 days (daily average ≈ 58 kms)! Yes. What you just read is right. It is a pity that very few people know about her. Just imagine, you are standing for 1 hour outside in harsh heat, high humidity and continuous rain. And now again think. 86 days and daily 58 kms average distance running across entire India in rain, heat, winds, floods and high mountains! She finished it on 6th August.
Sufiya Sufi, an ultra-distance runner from Ajmer, Rajasthan, spent nearly a decade in the aviation industry before discovering her passion for running in 2017. What started as a fitness journey soon became one of India's greatest endurance stories.
Her earlier 5× Guinness World Records:
* Fastest woman to run *Kashmir to Kanyakumari* (4,000 km in 87 days, daily average ≈ 46 kms) She herself broke this record during this run and completed this distance in 68 days! * Fastest woman to complete the *Indian Golden Quadrilateral* (6,000 km in 110 days, daily average ≈ 55 kms) * First woman to run from *Siachen Base Camp to Kargil* * Fastest overall runner on the *Manali to Leh* route (430 km in 98 hours i.e. in just 4 days across those high mountains!) * First woman to run the *entire length of Qatar*
✪ Difficult subjects- Case work, Research Methodology and Public Health ✪ इतना अच्छा मौसम है और इन बीमारियों के अलावा... ✪ Really need a great luck to get such teachers! ✪ "This is to be remembered!" ✪ Encouragement to raw talent ✪ Field work in the community, report writing and conferences with the faculty ✪ Notes and xeroxes in demand on the eve of the paper!
The second room on the second floor of the hostel of Karve Institute- the room no. 15 became my home! Sagram Kadam from Nagar and Pravin Chokhandre from Nagpur were my roommates. Sangram was like a bodybuilder. Pravin was slim and he would speak Nagpur styled Marathi with Hindi spice! He was cheerful and he would speak English to practice spoken English! I still recall the instructions of “Parade Savdhan- Vishram” given by Sangram in NCC uniform on 15th August.
In the first year, three subjects were slightly difficult. First, Public health. Its concepts and social aspects were okay. But those Diphtheria- Malaria- Tetanus and their elaboration, parameters etc! It was like- so cozy atmosphere is there and we are talking about these illnesses! Anuradha Patil madam would teach this subject beautifully. I still remember her gentle narration, explanation and cheerful face! New friends made me wander in an unknown territory of Ghulam Ali, poems and mehfils! My fixed routine also was broken. Here, my French and German were also discontinued. I had learned French for three years and German for two years. Initially I had thought that I could continue my German. But considering the syllabus, the schedule and expected study, I left the thought of pursuing it further.
✪ Welcome programme for the first year students ✪ When I will have this stage courage and when I could do presentations! ✪ Bhushi dam picnic, rain and friendships take off ✪ Amazing hostel, little bullying and various talents! ✪ Togetherness, participation and experiential learning ✪ Quality content to learn with absorbing environment ✪ Introduction to various components of social work
That fabulous journey started in July 2006. In many ways I felt “Karve Institute” close to my heart. Because I came from a small city in central Maharashtra. I had done my BA in Wadia College. Although it is good, it has a cosmopolitan environment and influences English culture. I never felt at home there. I had only a handful of friends- boys and girls. I always felt a bit like an alien there. But when I came here to Karve, I felt extremely homely. Simple- cordial environment. Although here too some students and professors spoke English, the environment was Marathi. Also Marathi friends- boys and girls. Also nature and composition of the curriculum was suitable to me- plenty of study and discussions- brainstorming and question- answers.
As a result, not only me but other students from even distinct backgrounds slowly got adjusted here. Actually the students with diverse backgrounds and different levels of preparedness were rather raw pots! Rather, they were unorganized. The faculties had to tell them even small things- make a file in this way, keep such notes, participate in groups. But the faculties- most of them lady professors did it most cordially and respectfully. "I am not your teacher, I am your colleague. We all are equal and together here," was the tone of all faculties including my favourite Nagmani Rao madam.
In the initial orientation lectures, outline of the syllabus, scope of the subject and major topics were told. Later on the General lectures and the Specialization lectures started. In the first year, there were 8-9 General papers and only three specialization papers. So, the collective class of 60 students would be mostly together. The syllabus included discussions about all social groups- workers, rural people, tribals, landless, women and children, physically disabled etc. It also includes many methods of social work such as group work, case work etc. It also included aspects such as counseling, principles, values, methodologies, psychological aspects, communication skills, Government schemes, public health etc. It also included aspects such as gender inequality, many types of inequalities, exploitation of the vulnerable, environment etc. My specialization was URCD (Urban and Rural Community Development). There were 13 students and our topics included Cooperatives, Rural Development, migration etc. By August, two- three students from the 60 left and an equal number of students on the wait-list joined a little later.
I had one visually impaired friend with me in Wadia college- Gunjana. She joined here also! I did not know any other students. But the environment was so thriving and there were plenty of activities- group assignments, presentations and all that- so we all got introduced to each other soon and quickly friendships developed! The college started in July and the Bhushi dam picnic took place in August. Actually friendships were just blooming. But that’s why it was planned. The Student Forum planned it. The first years and the Second years went together. We also developed friendships with seniors. They had a nice welcome programme for the first years. The environment was informal and assuring acceptance to everyone. Such things were helpful for releasing inhibitions present in our minds. It created a sense of belongingness. In such a programme, the students as well as the faculties sang songs! On one such occasion, Sandip Barve wonderfully sang one song. A Marathi children's song he sang. But he sang it to the tune of R. D. Burman, "“मेरे नैना सावन भादो” and "कुछ तुम सोचो कुछ हम सोचे!" Such a great performance it was!.
The classroom lectures got momentum. Along with the lectures, the skill labs started. I would envy others in those days- I would wonder, when I would get this stage- courage and when I could present that way! Most of the students were like me only, so I did not feel any pressure. As I knew Marathi and English, I started getting opportunities to suggest Marathi synonyms for English terms. If a faculty wanted a particular word in Marathi, they started to ask me.
Here, the entire learning process was participation oriented. Nagmani Rao madam herself would say, instead of learning in the class, the outside rainy environment is so exciting! But for this very reason, efforts were made to make the classroom environment equally joyful and pleasant. As a result, studying was never boring. Rather, my appetite for study was satisfying in a beautiful manner. I got plenty of intellectual stuff to consume. And for difficulties, the seniors were there in the hostel. Once, I did not understand what IEC means. Then one senior immediately told me, it indicates- Information, Education, communication! With such experiential learning, not only it became easy, but it was deeply internalized.
Regarding the hostel, initially I had fear of ragging or bullying! It did not happen. All the boys were diverse. Only a few were from cities, the majority were from rural areas. Some belonged to middle- class families and the majority were from the deprived communities. Someone was the son of a person breaking stones, someone was the son of an agricultural labourer. Therefore, for everyone it was slightly new. Consciously or unconsciously we had some biases. But they were washed out in no time. We all became only the co- learners, the college students staying together.
Still, the initial hostel days were difficult! I would sleep early in the night and there was much noise around me. In those days the mobiles were few and they were not noisy like the case today. But FM radios were there! They were always going on till late at night. I had to sleep with cotton in my ears and handkerchief on my eyes! Some students would bully a little! Some would make funny sounds! Some would speak in such a great style that one would like to listen to them! Some had their favourite bad words! Such were the days! Such hostel boys!
And the girls too! In Wadia college, I did not have any close female friends. Some Marathi girls were there, but still I felt a gap. All this dramatically changed here! Many girls from the college would stay in hostels which were not far. Some were in the same mess! So we would meet regularly! Me and boys like me coming from small towns got female friends who would message "Miss you" and would hold hands while crossing a road! It was also a minute cultural shock! But the most enjoyable one! It helped to remove inhibitions and shape personality in a proper way.
Me and my three friends were placed in “Pratham” organization working for children’s education in slums. The students would be placed after assessing their capacities and aptitudes. Bawikar madam was my field work guide. Twice in a week we would go there, understand their work, meet the children and the teachers and do small tasks. That was the field work. Karve alumni Tatya Ghanwat was doing his job there. After the field work, we would write our reports and keep a diary. Some friends were given rather challenging agencies. For example, a palliative care agency for the last stage cancer patients. Or schools working with intellectually challenged children. Other friends would share their experiences. Thus, so much was there to learn and also to enjoy. Within the first two months, I felt great to join it and was sure that the two- year journey was going to be a dream ride!
Next part: Karve Days 3: Tense silence in the hostel on the eve of the Examination
-Niranjan Welankar 09422108376. Date of writing- 4 August 2026.
कर्वेतले दिवस २: भुशी डॅम सहल आणि फिल्ड वर्कची सुरूवात
✪ पहिल्या वर्षाच्या विद्यार्थ्यांच्या स्वागताचा कार्यक्रम ✪ मला असं स्टेज करेज आणि प्रेझेंटेशन कधी करता येईल! ✪ भुशी डॅम सहल, पाऊस आणि मैत्रीची सुरूवात ✪ हॉस्टेलची मजा, दादागिरी आणि कला गुण! ✪ सोबत, सहभाग आणि सहभागातून शिक्षण ✪ शिकण्यासाठी दर्जेदार घटक आणि मन गुंतवणारं वातावरण ✪ समाज कार्याच्या विविध आयामांचा परिचय
२००६ च्या जुलै महिन्यात त्या विलक्षण दोन वर्षांच्या प्रवासाची सुरूवात झाली! अनेक अर्थाने मला "कर्वे महाविद्यालय" खूप जवळचं वाटलं. त्याचं कारण म्हणजे मी परभणीसारख्या छोट्या शहरातून आलो होतो. आणि बीए वाडिया महाविद्यालयातून पूर्ण केलं होतं. वाडिया कॉलेज चांगलं असलं तिथे कॉस्मोपॉलिटन वातावरण आणि इंग्रजी संस्कृतीचा प्रभाव असल्यामुळे मी तिथे मनाने कधीच रुळलो नाही. अगदी थोडे मित्र- मैत्रिणी झाले. पण मी तिथे स्वत:ला परकाच मानत राहिलो. पण कर्वेमध्ये आल्यावर अगदीच घरच्यासारखं वाटलं. अगदी साधं- आत्मीयतेचं वातावरण. इंग्रजी बोलणारे प्राध्यापक- विद्यार्थी असले तरी वातावरण मराठी. मराठी मित्र- मैत्रिणी. शिवाय अभ्यासक्रमाची रचना व स्वरूप माझ्या स्वभावाला अनुकूल असं- भरपूर अभ्यास आणि चर्चा- ब्रेनस्टॉर्मिंग- प्रश्नोत्तरं.
त्यामुळे मीच काय पण जे विद्यार्थी जास्त वेगळ्या पार्श्वभूमीचे होते, तेही तिथे हळु हळु रुळले. खरं तर खूप वेगवेगळी पार्श्वभूमी आणि अध्ययनाची तयारी घेऊन आलेले विद्यार्थी म्हणजे तशी कच्ची मडकी! चांगल्या शब्दांत सांगायचं तर अनेक जण unorganized असायचे. छोट्या छोट्या गोष्टीसुद्धा फॅकल्टीजला सांगाव्या लागायच्या की, अशी फाईल बनवा. अशा नोंदी ठेवा. गटामध्ये सहभाग घ्या. पण फॅकल्टीज- बहुतांश प्राध्यापिका अगदी मन:पूर्वक ते सगळं सांगायच्या आणि खूप आदर करायच्या. "मी तुमची शिक्षिका नाही तर सहकारी आहे, आपण इथे बरोबरीचे आणि सोबत असतोय" असा सूर माझ्या लाडक्या नागमणी राव मॅडमसह सर्वांचाच असायचा.
सुरूवातीच्या ओरिएंटेशन लेक्चर्समध्ये अभ्यासक्रमाची रूपरेषा- विषयाचा आवाका आणि मुख्य विषय सांगितले गेले. नंतर जनरल लेक्चर्स आणि स्पेशलायजेशन लेक्चर्स सुरू झाले. पहिल्या वर्षी ८-९ जनरल पेपर्स आणि तीनच स्पेशलायजेशनचे पेपर होते. त्यामुळे ६० जणांचा वर्ग मुख्यत: जास्त वेळ एकत्र असायचा. अभ्यासक्रमात सगळ्या प्रकारचे सामाजिक गटांची चर्चा होती- कामगार, ग्रामीण भागातले लोक, आदिवासी, भूमीहिन, महिला व बालक, शारीरिक विकलांग इ. त्यासोबत समाज कार्याच्या पद्धतींची चर्चा होती- गट कार्य, केस वर्क इ. शिवाय त्यासह समुपदेशन, तत्त्वे, मूल्ये, कार्यपद्धती, मानसशास्त्रीय पैलू, संवाद कौशल्यं, सरकारी योजना, सार्वजनिक आरोग्य इ. इ. घटक होते. शिवाय लिंगभेद, अनेक प्रकारची असमानता, वंचितांचं शोषण, पर्यावरण असेही घटक होते. माझं स्पेशलायजेशन युआरसीडी (Urban and Rural Community Development) होतं. त्यात आम्ही १३ जण सहकार, ग्राम विकास, स्थलांतरण अशा विषयांवर चर्चा करायचो. ऑगस्ट सुरू होईपर्यंत ६० जणांमधले दोन- तीन जण सोडून गेले आणि वेटिंगवर असलेले दोन- तीन जण उशीरा आले.
माझ्यासोबत वाडिया कॉलेजमध्ये असलेली दृष्टिहिन गुंजना इथेही आली! बाकी कोणीच ओळखीचं नव्हतं. पण वातावरणच असं होतं आणि वेगवेगळे उपक्रम- ग्रूप असाईनमेंटस, प्रेझेंटेशन्स असे होते की, अगदी सगळ्यांसोबत हळु हळु ओळख झाली आणि लवकरच मैत्रीही झाली! जुलैमध्ये कॉलेज सुरू झालं आणि ऑगस्टमध्ये लोणावळ्याच्या भुशी डॅमची सहल झाली. खरं तर फार जास्त जणांशी मैत्री नव्हती झालेली. पण कदाचित म्हणूनच ती सहल ठेवली गेली असेल. स्टुडंट फोरमनेच तिचं आयोजन केलं. पहिल्या वर्षीचे व दुसर्या वर्षीचे एकत्र त्यात होते. सिनियर्ससोबतही हळु हळु मैत्री झाली. त्यांनी पहिल्या वर्षीयांचं वेलकम छान केलं. अनौपचारिक आणि सगळ्यांचा स्वीकार असलेलं वातावरण. प्रत्येकाच्या मनात असलेल्या शंका (inhibitions) जाव्यात ह्यासाठी अशा गोष्टी उपयोगी पडत होत्या. आपण कुठेतरी belong करतो हा भाव निर्माण होत होता. अशाच एका कार्यक्रमामध्ये मुलं- मुली आणि फॅकल्टीजही गाणी म्हणत होती. त्यावेळी संदीप बर्वेने ये रे ये रे पावसा हे गाणं अफलातून प्रकारे गायलं! अगदी आरडी बर्मन शैली, “मेरे नैना सावन भादो” आणि "कुछ तुम सोचो कुछ हम सोचे" च्या चालीमध्ये! खूप जबरदस्त! अशी खूप कलागुणांची उधळण बघायला मिळाली.
वर्गातल्या लेक्चर्सनी वेग घेतला. लेक्चर्सबरोबर स्किल लॅब सुरू झाल्या. सुरूवातीच्या दिवसांमध्ये इतरांना अगदी सहजपणे समोर येऊन बोलताना बघून हेवा वाटायचा की, मला हे कधी जमेल! मला कसं सगळ्यांपुढे येऊन सलग असं प्रेझेंटेशन करता येईल! अर्थात् माझ्यासारखे जणच जास्त होते, त्यामुळे दडपण असं आलं नाही. मराठी आणि इंग्रजी येत असल्यामुळे इंग्रजीला मराठी शब्द सुचवण्याची मला संधी मिळायला लागली. फॅकल्टीजला एखादा शब्द मराठीत हवा असेल तर माझं नाव घ्यायची सुरूवात झाली.
कर्वेमध्ये सगळी अध्ययन प्रक्रिया खूप सहभागावर आधारित होती. शिकवणार्या नागमणी राव मॅडम स्वत: म्हणायच्या- इथे वर्गात असं शिकण्यापेक्षा बाहेरचं पावसाचं वातावरण किती जास्त आनंदाचं आहे. पण म्हणून वर्गामधलं वातावरण तितकंच आनंददायी व्हावं, तितकीच मजा तिथे यावी असाही प्रयत्न केला जायचा. छोटे रोल प्लेज, ग्रूप टास्क्स किंवा रीडींग असाईनमेंटस ह्यामुळेही मजा यायची. अभ्यास त्यामुळे कंटाळवाणा कधीच वाटला नाही. उलट एक प्रकारे माझी अभ्यासाची भूक छान भागायला लागली. खूप वैचारिक खाद्य मिळालं. आणि कुठे काही अडलं तर हॉस्टेलवर सिनियर्स होतेच. एकदा IEC हा शब्द अडला. तेव्हा एका सिनियरने लगेच सांगितलं- Information, Education, communication! असं अनुभव आधारित शिकणं असल्यामुळे ते सोपं तर झालंच पण मनावर ठसलं.
हॉस्टेलबद्दल मनामध्ये सुरूवातीला नक्कीच भिती होती. की इथे रॅगिंग तर होणार नाही किंवा इतर मुलं त्रास तर देणार नाहीत ना अशी शंका होती. तसं काही झालं नाही. मुलं सगळीच तशी खूप वेगळी होती. काही थोडे शहरातले तर जास्त ग्रामीण भागातले. काही थोडे मध्यमवर्गीय कुटुंबातले तर बरेच जण वंचित समुदायांमधले. कोणी दगड फोडणार्याचा मुलगा तर कोणी शेतमजुराचा मुलगा. त्यामुळे सुरूवातीला सगळ्यांनाच थोडं नवीन होतं. कळत नकळत मनामध्ये पूर्वग्रहही होते. पण हळु हळु ते सगळे वाहून गेले. आणि एक सोबत शिकणारे विद्यार्थी असं नातं तयार झालं.
अर्थात् तरी हॉस्टेलची सुरूवात जडच गेली! रात्री मी लवकर झोपायचो पण बाजूला गोंधळ सुरू असायचा. मोबाईल तेव्हा बरेच कमी होते आणि इतके आवाज न करणारे होते. पण एफएम रेडिओ खूप चालायचे! ते उशीरापर्यंत सुरू असायचे. मग कानात कापूस आणि डोळ्यांवर रुमाल ठेवून झोपायचं! काही जण दादागिरी करायचेच! काही जण मजेशीर आवाज काढायचे! ऐकत राहावं अशा रांगड्या शैलीत बोलायचे! काही जणांची प्रेमाची शिवी ठरलेली असायची! असे ते दिवस. असे नवे मित्र आणि मैत्रिणीसुद्धा!
वाडिया कॉलेजमध्ये जवळची मैत्रीण अशी कोणी मिळाली नव्हती. काही मराठी मुली होत्या पण परकेपणा होता. पण इथे ती सगळी कसर भरून निघाली! बर्याच मुली जवळच्याच हॉस्टेलवर राहायच्या. काही मेसवरही सोबत असायच्या. त्यामुळे भेटी छान व्हायच्या! माझ्यासारखी लहान गावातून आलेली जी मुलं मुलींशी जवळून कधीच बोलली नाहीत त्यांना "मिस यू" म्हणणारी किंवा हातात हात धरून रस्ता ओलांडणारी मैत्रीण मिळाली! हासुद्धा खरं तर सूक्ष्म असा एक कल्चरल शॉक होता! पण मजासुद्धा होती. व्यक्तिमत्वात असलेली भिती- इनहिबिशन्स त्यातून दूर व्हायला लागले.
मला व इतर तीन जणांना फिल्ड वर्कसाठी "प्रथम" ही वस्तीमध्ये मुलांच्या शिक्षणावर काम करणारी संस्था मिळाली. विद्यार्थ्यांचे कल आणि क्षमता लक्षात घेऊन अशा संस्था त्यांना दिल्या जायच्या. बावीकर मॅडम फिल्ड वर्क मार्गदर्शिका मिळाल्या. आठवड्यातून दोनदा तिथे जायचं, त्या संस्थेचं काम समजून घ्यायचं, तिथल्या मुलांशी- शिक्षकांशी बोलायचं आणि छोटी छोटी टास्क्स करायची असं स्वरूप होतं. तिथे तेव्हा कर्वेचेच पास आउट- तात्या घनवट होते. फिल्ड वर्कनंतर त्याचे वृत्तांत लिहायचे. डायरी ठेवायची. अशा गोष्टी होत्या. कोणाला खूप अंगावर येणार्या संस्थाही दिल्या होत्या. जसं शेवटच्या टप्प्यात असलेल्या कँसर रुग्णांची शुश्रुषा करणारी संस्था. किंवा बौद्धिक अक्षम मुलांसोबत काम करणार्या शाळा. इतरांकडून तिथले अनुभव कळायचे. असं खूप शिकायला आणि तितकंच एंजॉय करायलाही मिळायला लागलं. अगदी पहिल्या महिन्या- दोन महिन्यातच खूप छान वाटलं- हे दोन वर्षं अगदी स्वप्नवत असणार आहेत ही जाणीव झाली!
पुढचा भाग: कर्वेतले दिवस ३: परीक्षेच्या पूर्वसंध्येला हॉस्टेलवरची तणावपूर्ण शांतता
-निरंजन वेलणकर 09422108376. लिहीण्याचा दिनांक- 4 ऑगस्ट 2026.
