SYMBIOSIS - SCDL

SYMBIOSIS
Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL)
Founder & President - Symbiosis
Dr. S.B. Mujumdar was conferred the
‘Padma Bhushan’ Award by the President of India
(April 2012)
One World - One Campus
Newsletter - 9th Issue (June 2012)

SCDL
Cover Design and Layout: Mithila Shinde
Published by:
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Pune
For Private Circulation Only

We are happy to bring out the 9th issue of the
SCDL newsletter.
The year has been quite eventful. The first
constituent of SOES, namely Symbiosis Centre
for Distance Learning has continued its
j o u r n e y i n 2 0 1 1 m a r ke d b y n e w
achievements. SCDL successfully organized
the first International Conference on Open &
Distance Learning in February 2011 to
understand and provide platform for
exchange of thoughts and ideas on use of ICT
in Education, Quality Initiatives, Sustainable
Development, Student Support Services and
Governance. More than 200 delegates from
India and abroad attended the conference.
The second constituent of SOES, namely
Symbiosis Community College has continued
its journey in 2011 to educate and train the
local population in skill development leading
to gainful employment in collaboration with
the local industry and community. One more
Director’s
Foreword
significant achievement is that SOES received
permission from the Government of
Maharashtra on 20th October 2010 to
establish the Vocational Junior College
(un-aided 10+2) at Daravali, Pune and also at
the Model Colony campus. The College at the
Model Colony campus started functioning
from the academic year 2011 - 12. The
newsletter gives details about activities,
achievements and important events about
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning and
Symbiosis Vocational Junior College. We
express our sincere thanks and good wishes
to all who have helped the Institute grow.
With Best Wishes
Swati Mujumdar
Director
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning

Last year when I was travelling by train, I met a
little boy of 5 years. Every time the train
moved after a halt at the station, he would go
near the window and clap his hands and
scream “the houses are going behind,
mamma, the trees are going behind”. After
this he would change his direction and look on
the other side of the window and scream
again “new houses are coming mamma, new
trees are coming.”
This happens in our real life too. As we move
on, we leave back many things and we realize
that we really don't get an opportunity to get
back all those things that are left behind.
That is not the case with Education any more.
It's all about changing the direction and
seeing new avenues. Thanks to Distance
Education, we can now chase our dreams
anywhere anytime. We at SCDL, constantly
strive to help you get what you must have left
behind in your journey of education.
From the
Editor’s Desk
Take a ride of the newsletter as the students
speak about their experiences. Delve in their
thoughts as they express them and get to
know more about SCDL as you go through the
happenings here.
Happy journeying through the newsletter!
Yours affectionately,
Reena Mathews
Editor
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning

Content
06
From the
Corporate Corner
08
Value Added
Case Study
12
Students’
Say
16
Expressive
Self
26
Through the
Symbiosis Glass

From the
Corporate Corner

Shashidhar Parameshwaran, ISA Brand
Identity Strategist at IBM, Bangalore talks
to Reena Mathews, Editor about SCDL's
“Corporate Program”
1. What motivated you to enroll for the C-PGDBA
program?
After working for over 10 years in Marketing and
handling a lot of brands and clients, I realized the
need to validate all the marketing knowledge I
have experienced in my years of working. This was
one of the strongest points why I wanted to enroll
for the PGDBA program.
2. After having enrolled, what did you like about
the C-PGDBA program?
First the simplicity and second the weekend
classes from experienced faculty.
3. Are you satisfied with the program structure?
Yes, and I have also recommended this program
to a lot of IBMers.
4. What's your advice for others thinking about
enrolling in the C-PGDBA program?
Please take it up as it adds value to your career
and this is a start of a journey of discovery about
your own potential. No longer are you needed to
listen to others, but discover yourself and what
you can become.
5. What's your take on distance education with the
st
growing technology in the 21 Century?
It is very essential as in today's world, learning
and skill building is always needed. It is rightly said
“a person is young as long as he or she is learning
something new all the time”, and for this, distance
education is necessary.
6. How do you manage your time for work and
studies?
It was my wife who managed time for me than
myself. The books help but the experienced
faculty classes were the best as I needed only
some time to refer the same in the books, rest was
already done in the classroom.
7. Our expert faculties deliver lectures at your
campus. To what extent does this help the
students of your company?
It did help out a lot as it's been a long time since
most of the students had taken up any kind of
learning, and the most apt learning experience
what each one of us carry with us is from our
school and college. Classes at our campus gave us
the opportunity to learn at the work place.
8. How has this program benefitted your fellow
workers who have completed C-PGDBA from
SCDL?
The biggest benefit I feel is that the level of self
confidence in our fellow workers have increased
greatly and they have started to look out for more
learning and better opportunities.
9. Where do you see yourself after having
completed this program?
For me it was a great experience which I would
cherish for the rest of my life. It took me 15 years
to get into a program like this after my graduation.
The whole classroom set up and the faculty
sessions have given me the confidence to look at
alternative career options, which I had not
explored earlier.
10. If you had to describe SCDL in one line, what
would it be?
An essential skill building partner for any and
every working professional to refresh your skill
from time to time.
7

Value Added
Case Study

Global Citizenship
Competency-Development
Sliver Wholeness Development, an organization
focused on nurturing a rich-faculty resource, rich in
ideals, ideas and effective teaming was established in
the culturally-most-rich State of India.
The organization infused a diversity-syllabus, aimed
at potentialising cultural competencies, intergroup
dialogue programs, leadership retreats and diversity
innovations. Their mission in essence and words was
clear, that 'diversity' indicated diverse in
personalities only, but not in Ethic and Vision. The
uniqueness of Sliver Wholeness Development, was
21st century Education: Global Learning; emphasis
on Interconnections and Interdependencies,
Broadening understanding; Curricular and co-
curricular pathways to connect to real-life situations
[contextual information].
Having a base of 130 faculties, the CSFs of the
organization incorporated:
Dealing with stereotypes, building trust, and
creating a positive and lasting impression when
visiting or receiving foreigners;
An atmosphere of informality, involvement,
interest, much discourse, high contributions,
acceptance of common aims to some degree,
airing of feelings without apprehensions,
constructive criticism, leadership undertaken by
suitable member and awareness of decisions;
Inter-disciplinary approach (arts, humanities,
sciences) in human development at all levels and
Shared values and creatively applying knowledge
to contexts
Resulting conversations of such a sound organization
reflects expectations of global-citizenship with the
focus on ethics, emergent knowledge dissemination
and broadened understanding rather than mere
learning.
The Challenge:
A growing and sustainable organization requires
continuous upgradation of Business and HR systems
in order to attract, retain and develop the best talent
towards the goals of profitability and brand equity.
In a new Performance Management System to be
introduced in Sliver Wholeness Development, the
employees were for the first time asked to write their
own Key Result Areas [KRAs] from the Key
Performance Areas [KPAs] provided by the
organization. During this course, the following
dialogue emerged and it was found that the
employees' satisfaction level needed a boost.
Ahuva, an employee: I am under restrain and cannot
tell my superior frankly what I think of him.
Lior, the HR Head:
Yes, in the cultural enhancement
process, often theoretical and practical aspects
conflict and we need to give ourselves more teaming-
exercises to be able to promote and maintain a
participative culture wherein everyone understood
and appreciated what we are really trying to achieve.
Ahuva: Yes, receptiveness and reciprocation are my
non-negotiables, and I look forward to co-operation
for inculcating a results-oriented culture in every
sphere of activity.
Lior: So we are settling for human-considerations…….
Ahuva: Yes indeed!
This dialogue that emerged demonstrates the visible
and invisible challenges that needed to be
surmounted towards global-citizenship.
97

The Questions that the HR needed to reconsider were:
1. In the light of the above depiction, what are your opinions and suggestions to efficiently bring about a culture-
transition from a local to a glocal to a global results-orientation?
2. Is “matter of experience” or “creativity” more important towards settling for global citizenship that is so vital
for any enterprise? Justify your answer.
The Solution:
The solution towards solving the above stated challenges involved a multi-pronged approach wherein several
measures needed to be inculcated simultaneously:
A. Identifying and Making clear to all employees the Performance and Potential Appraisal criteria that
incorporates:
1) Achievement Motivation (Drive, Innovativeness, Stability, Professional Ambition)
2) Conceptual Effectiveness (Vision, Sense of reality, Business Orientation)
3) Interpersonal Effectiveness (Communication proficiency, Networking, Negotiating Power)
4) Operational Effectiveness (Individual effectiveness, Result Orientation, Risk-Resilience, Control
tactfulness)
B. Implementing the following Performance Cycle with a focused-approach:
10
1] Setting the Vision
and Strategies
of the Organisation
6] Reinforcing
the
Performance
5] Comunicating
Performance
2] Setting Department
Objectives
3] Establishing the
Goals of the
Organisation
4] Enabling Performance

A. Coaching, mentoring and encouraging employees to be on an onward-
path of performance through transparent modes of communication and
exemplary behaviour.
B. Focusing on outcome and behaviour of individuals and teams equally.
C. Fostering a culture of :
v Co-operative attitude
v Enthusiasm displayed to complete task
v Communication proficiency
v Personal discipline
v Knowledge related to job
v Decision-making
D. Understanding that there are different sets of people in an organisation
whose expectations & perceptions may not converge, yet have to be
managed.
G. Determine and follow-up meticulously upon areas that need greater
attention, behavior trends and discover opportunities for initiating
interventions towards organizational and individual improvement.
H. Centering around an holistic perspective of the organization
It is found that the uniqueness of Sliver Wholeness Development which is 21st
century Education {global learning; emphasis on interconnections and
interdependencies, broadening understanding; curricular and co-curricular
pathways to connect to real-life situations [contextual information]} is
enhanced through a focused application of the above solutions
.
Authored by Ms. Reshma Arora Samuel
Ms. Reshma Arora Samuel is a Management Faculty in HR, Creativity and Business
Strategy. She has an experience in several national and international corporates and
management institutes, including a UN Group, GTI [Gateway to India and Israel],
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Indira Management Institutes, etc. and has
authored several books in HR and TQM.
11

Students’
Say

I had a great experience with SCDL…
I enrolled for the PGDSCM program last year and I had a great experience
with SCDL. The study material which has been provided by SCDL is very
handy and is totally relevant with the market needs. It has not only
improved my knowledge but has also helped me to grow in my company
in terms of position and monetary benefit.
As far as online examination is concerned, it is a very simple-to-
understand and user-friendly portal.
The facility of examination has resulted in tremendous interest among
students towards all the programs of SCDL.
Ajay Kumar Srivastava
Student - PGDSCM
Reg. No. 201002785
Online examination with on-demand slot
booking is very helpful…
I am presently working at L&T and also pursuing the PGDBA program in
operations. This program is very helpful for working professionals. The
SLMs provided by SCDL have helped me a lot in gaining knowledge. The
online examination with on-demand slot booking is very helpful.
Nilesh Dhotre
Student – PGDBA (Operations)
Reg. No. 201034459
It is best suited
for working
professionals
like me…
I would like to congratulate
you on your success of
establishing this great
institution and achieving a
great momentum in the
public through Distance
Learning programs. I work
as a Production Support
Manager at Barclays
Technology. It is best suited
for working professionals
like me. The exams and
assignments were designed
very well and the question
pattern is quite interesting.
Ravikumar Pabothu
Student – PGDBA (Finance)
Reg. No. 200900467
13

Everything seems simply so good about SCDL
and it is available just at a Click…
It was really nice to see such an impressive 'Newsletter', the February month
issue. Congratulations on this wonderful issue.
I would like to thank SCDL for reaching out to a number of students and for
providing the best knowledge at their doorstep. What drives me mad about
being a part of SCDL is its initiatives to make education so viable to its
students.
What is commendable at SCDL is the facilities that it provides like on-TIME
study materials, assignments & exams with your PREFERRED time/date slot,
virtual classes & chat rooms available for the students to solve their doubts
and queries, timely emails & updates and many more, which in itself gives
the students a user-friendly environment. Everything seems simply so good
about SCDL and it is available just at a Click.
Monika Momaya
Student - PGDBA (HR)
Reg. No. 201000875
14
T.C. Girivasan
Student – PGDEA
Reg. No. 201043040
He has entered in the Guinness Book
of Records on November 28, 2010
for typing English Alphabets (with
space in between alphabet) in the
fastest Time, 4.71 seconds. This
has been adjudicated by another
agency named Global World
Records also.
We are proud of you...
The learning
pattern provided
by SCDL is very
flexible…
It's been a great learning
experience with SCDL.
Distance Learning helps the
working professionals to
enhance their practical skills.
The learning pattern provided
by SCDL is very flexible.
I am working with a
pharmaceutical industry as a
Management Staff in supply
chain and working has been
really challenging. With good
study material of SCDL where
experienced people share their
experiences, the topics can be
well understood and it has
made me more capable to face
the challenges at work.
Nikhil Sunthwal
Student – PGDSCM
Reg. No. 201004506

I feel as if I am
doing a
regular
program and
not a distance
learning program…
My name is Vikram Malik and I'm pursuing Post
Graduation in Business Administration from
SCDL. I work for a Financial Organisation in
Melbourne, Australia. I am expecting a
progress in my career once I finish my Post
Graduation. SCDL's administrative staff is very
helpful and they provide immediate help and
solution to any query. I faced some issues
regarding my exams and assignments as I am
an international student, but I was really
pleased with the help provided by SCDL. I feel
as if I am doing a regular program and not a
distance learning program.
Vikram Malik
Student – PGDBA (Marketing & Finance)
Reg. No. 201008230
I have had a very good
experience with SCDL…
I'm pursuing a distance learning course of
Customer Relationship Management at SCDL.
What I liked the most about SCDL is the prompt
reply for queries and timely delivery of books. I
have had a very good experience with SCDL.
Debashree Chatterjee
Student - PGDCRM
Reg. No. 201051236
It has been a great pathway
shown by SCDL…
It has been a great pathway shown by SCDL so far. I have
enrolled in the International Business Management
Program and I can definitely say that SCDL is like tuning
to your favourite program as per your wish, it's like you
wish and we will fulfill it 24x7. The program gives us
detailed knowledge about International Business. The
books and CDs provided by SCDL are very helpful.
Rohan Bhosale
Student - PGDIB
Reg. No. 201048088
15

Expressive
Self

My Dancing Experience in
Ethiopia - 2nd Indo-African
Summit 2011
Dance has always connected me to my soul and my
inner identity all these years. It is my expression for all
the emotions that a human body can hold, show, feel
and react to. I entered the beautiful and mesmerizing
world of dance when I was just 8 and since then it has
been a spiritually growing journey for me. I did my
arangetram (debut performance as a solo artist) in
the year 2000 and since then have travelled far and
wide across the length and breadth of India and the
globe.
Every trip taught me something new and left me with
beautiful memories to cherish. This trip was no
different but yet special because it brought to me a
realization that the colour, caste, creed and
nationality of a person may be different but solidarity
of artists is so conspicuous and we believe in it as a
religion. Before I begin with my escapade details, I
would like to mention my special thanks to a few
people and one person in specific because of whom
this opportunity became a delightful and satisfying
Trust… Faith etc.....
From dusk to dawn
From creation to incineration
Trust is an indispensible part in every relation
Some consider trust as the biggest compliment
While for some it is the best supplement
Some take it as a burden
And break it all of a sudden
Some die to keep it alive
For someone life passes in strive
While some leave it behind
experience for me. That one
person is none other than
Manish, my boss & my
friend and of the few other
people it would be my
Guruji, my parents
and Sriram, CEO
of our company.
Apart from pursuing dance, I have been working
with iridiumInteractive Ltd. an interactive web
agency, for the past 4 years. The management has
been extremely supportive of my dance. I am really
grateful to them that they have been allowing me to
leave for my rehearsals whenever required and
granting me leave if my performances require
travelling whether in India or abroad. I am glad that I
have a supportive boss who understands my passion
for dance and gives me space to pursue my hobby
besides my work.
For some it's an essence
While for some it's just the silent presence
Some feel it in words
While some see them in the eyes
Janhavi Rajaraman
Student - PGDCRM
Reg. No. 201034263
While some believe that the eyes say it all............
Aditi Sharma
Student - PGDBA
Reg. No. 201017521
17
7

The Doors...
Instead of sounding immensely cocky and
overwritten, I decided to write something more
simple and understandable. Here I go. When we are
little, we are shown too many doors through which
we may pass one day or the other as and when we
choose to. I believe that these doors are none other
than people around talking endlessly with absolute
conviction in their hearts about what is right and
what isn't. “Did you know my aunt's first sister's
husband's son-in-law has a MBA? He is working in a
Multi-National Company right now, getting paid in
lakhs”. “Our neighbour's best friend's daughter's
classmate wishes to become an IAS officer. He got
through prelims last year. Everyone is pretty sure that
he will get through all of them this year”. “Doors” – to
guide us through what is right and what isn't. We are
conveniently living in a dormant world where it is no
longer essential to apply our minds in thinking what
our desires are. We are brilliantly programmed into
18
putting away all our hard work into what is
acceptable.
We produce thousands of MBAs, Managers, IAS
Officers, Doctors, Chartered Accountants every year,
there is a crowd of so much talent in this country that
we have been prophesized to be the emerging super
power. And we ought to be as we have so many
diverse yet gifted individuals as a part of our
population. But my question is “Is all of this real?” The
doors we have been showed since childhood was in
fact through externalities. There was nothing from
within that called out our names so fiercely with so
much passion. Ultimately, we have become deaf to
our own inner self, what we commonly call it as our
“inner voice”. I do not wish to offend any of those who
with great deal of drive, hard work and sincerity
earned what they have achieved but, I merely wish to
ask them a question. “You have a five star life. You
have all the amenities, every desire you ever had have
now been fulfilled with the aid of the most popular
education in town, but tell me why do you still get
that sense of peace when you touch your college
acoustic guitar or your paint brush or maybe your pen
or maybe even your motor bike?”
There might be so many answers to the question that
I just asked and I hope that there are a certain smiles
as well on faces which are dwelling on nostalgia right
now. All I want to convey is that everyone becomes
who they are destined to become, but we never gave
destiny a chance, did we? We just walked through the
doors we were shown. I ask you to ask yourself who
you listened to. To yourself? Or to the Doors?
Whatever the answer maybe, remember “it is never,
ever too late”.
“I always believed that it was better to be a fake
somebody than to be a real nobody.” - Tom Ripley
Deeksha Mamtani
Student - ADCW
Reg. No. 201024737

New World Currency - Lessons
from the Previous Global
Financial Crisis
The Euro area developed after lots and lots of
planning and set an example that in the worst of the
economic times, it won't give away.
A common currency for a certain area is simply not a
single unit of currency but a reunification in terms of
monetary policy, labour policy and fiscal policy. It's an
amalgamation in terms of the respective government
administration of the member countries.
Greece, Spain, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Hungary
failed but Europe never failed. In fact Euro never
failed. This indeed tells a different story of how
indeed a currency block can survive in the worst of
the crisis where even a superpower as big as US failed.
Some set of policies can make a particular region
break or make it to the safer side.
Economist around the world should study the policies
that led to the survival of the post crisis era and take a
unanimous stand against the falling of the world
economy because it leads to hunger, unemployment,
death and even a nation's failure (in case of Tunisia).
Post the crisis of the Great Depression in 1929, the
world was equally looking to develop a system that
would prevent such a catastrophe to happen again.
The work of the economist in conjunction with the
world leaders did fructify in creating the institutions
which will serve as safety valves in case of
contingencies like the economic disorders.
IMF is one such institution. But even countries in
Europe fear taking loans from it due to fear of losing
their economic sovereignty. This is where the IMF
fails.
WTO, World Bank and the IMF, all failed to detect and
prevent the US financial crisis to spread like fire,
engulfing every economy that came in its way. It
shattered, the Europe, the economy next door and
brought the strongest and strongest countries to its
knees, exposed the hidden debts they were in.
This was bubble much much bigger than any crisis;
similar in nature though to the Black Depression that
gave us lessons about the importance of austerity
and savings; trade deficits; consumption and
production (US consumed more than it could
produce). It brought out some new leaders also like
China, who could very well predict the real bad times
and were prepared to take on them gracefully
without even suffering from a scratch.
These leaders are the one trying to put the world in
the right order to gain financial stability for them as
well as for other countries, irrespective of their
trading partners.
Yuan is the leader and is backed by China to be the
world reserve currency. China is using it in every
transaction across the world and also mortgaging it
with the confidence that one day it will turn out to be
the real winner in terms of a dependable world
currency.
Saurabh Taneja
Student - PGDIB
Reg. No. 201012523
19

Why Do We Write?
Human beings differ from other creatures of nature
in their thinking aspect. We feel, think and express.
We experience and feel the surrounding nature and
that evokes our sense of expression. However, we
have several ways to express our feelings (music,
singing, painting, sculpture and literature); writing is
the most widely used medium throughout the world.
From the ancient time, we have known invaluable
existence of literature that provided us most of the
knowledge we have. Historical records, monument
scripts, hymns, prayers and folksongs give us
understanding of human mind. We understand the
political, social and cultural perspective of human
beings in a particular period. The current literature
demonstrates human attachments and views about
the society.
Writing is the easiest way to express feelings and
thoughts that come to our mind after we experience
a situation. No matter how you write, which language
you use and what style you adopt for writing; your
every word is the essence of what you have
experienced, felt and what reached the bottom of
your heart. Here, the process of writing begins.
“Your feelings are your god.” –
Chanakya
20
?
When you start feeling, your mind starts preparing for
its expression unknowingly. You gather words,
references and objects that relate your thought and
present it appropriately. You tend to put lot of
meaning behind every word you want to use. You may
write in a simple or difficult way. In fact, there is
nothing like simple or difficult writing style. It is the
bouquet of varied feelings, thoughts and experiences
that come together creating jumble. Most of the
people (folks with superficial thinking) do not
understand the language of multiple thoughts. I
would say that they don't put extra effort to grasp the
language with deep meaning.
We not only express ourselves by writing but
recognize our feelings also. I write when I am very
happy; I write when I feel bad. I like to mark the
delicate and joyful moments with my friends; I want
to keep a note of days when there was no one to talk.
Every piece of my writing is equally essential for me to
analyze how I grew up and what I learned from each
experience. Sometimes while reading an article, we
find the same feelings in it what we have in our mind.
It does not matter whether we know the author.
Similarly, there will be a day when people from
distant places in the world will have the same
experience after reading your piece of work.
I want you to write for yourself. You are a phenomenal
existence on this earth. Having the power of writing,
you can rule millions of minds; reach unimagined
corners of the world. You will find yourself at pure
satisfaction having cherished the Art of Writing. Enjoy
this amazing life more closely in this world of words. I
sum up here with a thought provoking quote by
Charles Haanel – “There is a world within-a world of
thought and feeling and power; of light and beauty,
and although invisible, its forces are mighty.”
Datta Ankushe
Student - PGDIT
Reg. No. 201048400

The Grip of Corruption
We say with pride that virtue and moral are human,
Then how come deceit and fraud are more common?
Honesty is best policy and loyalty is said to be
necessary,
Then how come they are occupying a place
secondary?
What earns respect for one in society is solely the
moral integrity,
Then why don't people desist from cheating their own
fraternity?
A thought leads to will and will leads to the choice of
action,
Then what is taking society towards progressive
putrefaction?
We all possess a conscience to stop us from moral
perversion,
Then how come we give sanction to the evil called
corruption?
……….Enough of this! We have to stop the system
from further decay,
Or a huge price for our negligence the future society
will have to pay.
Let us exercise strict vigil and pledge never to be party
to the slightest corruption,
It is for sure that things will improve by bounds
through our little contribution.
Let us see urgency in taking out the nation from the
grip of this evil,
Let us think on this for a while and together say “WE
WILL”.
Deepali Gupta
Student - PGDHRM
Reg. No. 200916777
My gifted angels from God !!
Mom-Dad in my life are the gifted angels from God
They both are the ones in my life, I consider to be my
award
They both are the happiness for which I've always
longed
They have loved me when I am right & guided me at
my wrong
They are the ones responsible, who have petaled my
way
With tons of roses and smiles, every single day
Happiness before asked, tears washed away
I had to do nothing and they would never delay
Never would they delay in getting a smile on my face
They both have been by my side, in each & every
phase
Mom & Dad, I love you so much - that I can never
explain
But one thing for sure what I can do, is be your
daughter again
Take a birth from the same womb I did
And just like ever, named your naughty kid
Mom, can't even imagine of life if you are not my part
Dad without you, life is so empty and always seemed
apart
I request you both to shelter me, just like how you've
been doing
And trust me my angels, always be there to just keep
me brewing
You both mean to me more than the world
I Love You Mom-Dad, simply to the core
Monika Momaya
Student - PGDBA (HR)
Reg. No. 201000875
21

Education
Education empowers our lives and introduces us to a
limitless world of opportunities and dreams. It is one
of the basic rights of a child to be well educated,
st
however even in the 21 century we are still fighting
for this basic right to reach rural Indian girls.
As a girl brought up in the city, I realize the amount of
opportunities that have been presented to me in
terms of education. Not just mental, but physical,
emotional as well as spiritual education. A balanced
education is one that develops all these above
aspects harmoniously. After all, what good is an
education which develops a person's ability only to
read and write but not critically think and to be able
to reason? Education according to me should also be
limitless. Not limited to the confines of a classroom or
home. Learning which goes beyond books, teachers
and grades is real education.
I mean look at the way education has evolved from
being where it was, to what it is today. Traditional
method was the teacher using the blackboard and
the students using their notebooks and writing
instruments. In this era, education has taken a
tremendous leap in terms of technology and thus the
methods of delivery. Blackboards are becoming
passé; smart boards have conveniently taken over.
Interactive learning has proven results and amidst all
of this, distance learning is becoming a very popular
mode of imparting education.
Technology based learning is still a distant thought for
those in the rural parts of India but distance learning
An Unforgettable Ride..
You bring me back to life
With that tiny drop on my foot,
Arouse my intense delight
When on your beloved river I am
and the sun in exile.
I behold your unheeded beauty in awe
While the wind waters my eye.
Passing by your forts, red and old
Today with joy I could cry.
Flowers in pink, yellow and white
22
is surely catching up. Inspite of this, girls in the rural
parts have to forgo their dreams of a solid education
to fall prey to an age-old custom called child marriage.
A child marriage sure does thwart the intellectual
progress of the girl because it confines her to the
kitchen and the four walls of the house. Girls are
ideally not supposed to think or make important
decisions in the family, till date this is what is thought
of them by the elders in the rural set up. So, if the
basic right or the innate ability of reasoning and
thinking is taken away from any person, it is definitely
not going to help them grow as a person.
I think it is high time we wake up and act as
responsible citizens and do our bit in helping
education penetrate through rural India right up to
post graduate level. A responsible government would
ideally look at abolishing the child marriage system
and introduce a safe and a healthy learning
atmosphere not just for children but for rural married
women too.
According to me, distance education will be at par
with the regular mode of classroom education in a
country like India pretty soon, because here women
are still required to keep the family duties as their
priority and their needs later. So, even if women are
working at home, a distance education program can
still give her the much required intellectual freedom
and strength that she needs to have so that she can be
an independent woman.
Never emerged so fine.
Your curvy clear continued road
Accorded me the best joyride.
Yes it is you my dear Delhi
None is worthier than you.
Shereen Iqbal
Student - PGDHRM
Reg. No. 201036226
Anupama C. Cowlagi
Student – PGDID
Reg. No. 201008458

A Humble Wisdom
The most awaited event of the year “WORLD CUP
2011” was on, the entire nation hoped to witness
victory. Everywhere one could see people squabbling
for who deserves the credit for victory, elders gave
their experienced views on the justified courses of
action. But sometimes the wisest of lessons come
from people who have the most simple thought
process. People who are seasoned being exposed to
the hardest of situations and who take life in the most
basic form.
It was the day of the final match, between India and
Srilanka, expectations had reached their prime.
People joined hands and prayed to see India as the
world champion. I sat glued to my telly trashing
An Ode to Life..
There's no need to hurry,
But do consider slowing down.
It's true life never stops for anyone,
Thus we have to keep moving on.
In the need to 'hurry up',
Are we missing out on the little joys of life?
Stop for a moment to look around,
And savor the blessings in disguise.
Love, thank and forgive,
The golden virtues of life.
So when was the last time that,
You used these words 'consciously' in your life?
When things start becoming routine,
And we begin to lose zest for life,
Just slow down a bit and take a peek into your soul,
Hidden within you - deep inside.
Keep aside rational explanations,
Challenge your beliefs.
Don't be afraid to explore,
The irrational and unconventional beliefs in your life!
everyone but our reverent players. Suddenly my
humble milkman emerged, after waiting for a while
he said “Didiji world cup koi bhi jeete, cup to Asia
mein hi rahega” (Whosoever wins the cup will remain
in Asia). I stood astounded as I heard my milkman
thinking so macroscopically. As we weave our
thoughts, we lose the simplicity and threads of
selfishness and the “I” syndrome starts to creep in.
Needless to say, I drew great amount of respect for
the sport, leaving the judgement to drops of
perspiration on the field.
Ritu Jalan
Student - PGDBA (Finance)
Reg. No. 200937049
We push ourselves to the limits,
To achieve a certain goal.
But in this bargain we forget that,
To be happy and calm is our real goal.
So stop now and think,
Listen to the faint voice inside.
Life's really precious, so cherish each moment,
Because nothing can reverse the fleeting moments of
time.
Anupama Cowlagi
Student – PGDID
Reg. No. 201008458
23

Tips & Tools
It is rightly said that management principles cannot
be taught within the four walls; however it can be
really learnt with the help of day to day experiences
that happen in our lives. Here are few short stories
that teach us some valuable Management Lessons.
Enjoy reading them…
Planning
One Night 4 college students were playing till late
night and could not study for the test which was
scheduled for the next day. In the morning they
thought of a plan. They made themselves look as dirty
with grease and dirt. They then went up to the Dean
and said that they had gone out to a wedding last
night and on their return the tyre of their car burst and
they had to push the car all the way back and that they
were in no condition to appear for the test. So the
Dean said they can have the re-test after 3 days. They
thanked him and said they will be ready by that time.
On the third day, they appeared before the Dean. The
Dean said that as this was a Special Condition Test, all
four were required to sit in separate classrooms for
the test. They all agreed as they had prepared well in
the last 3 days.
The Test consisted of 2 questions with the total of 100
Marks.
1. Your Name......................... (2 MARKS)
2. Which of the tyres burst?............... (98 MARKS)
a) Front Left
b) Front Right
c) Back Left
d) Back Right.....!!!
Communication
Jai and Veeru are walking at a religious service. Jai
wonders whether it would be all right to smoke while
praying. Veeru replies, 'Why don't you ask the Priest?'
So Jai goes up to the Priest and asks, 'Priest, may I
smoke while I pray? But the Priest says, 'No, my son,
you may not. That's utter disrespect to our religion.'
24
Jai goes back to his friend and tells him what the good
Priest told him... Veeru says, 'I'm not surprised. You
asked the wrong question. Let me try.' And so Veeru
goes up to the Priest and asks, 'Priest, may I pray while
I smoke?' To which the Priest eagerly replies, 'By all
means, my son. By all means.'
Work Life Balance
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers,
got together to visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about
stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the
kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an
assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal,
some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite
– telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the
professor said:
"If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups
were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap
ones, while it is but normal for you to want only the
best for yourselves that is the source of your
problems and stress.
What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup,
but you consciously went for the best cups and were
eyeing each other's cups.
Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position
in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and
contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change.
Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail
to enjoy the coffee in it."
So, don't let the cups drive you… enjoy the coffee
instead.

Self Appraisal
A little boy went into a store, reached for a carton and
pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the
carton so that he could reach the buttons on the
phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits. The
store owner observed and listened to the
conversation. The boy asked, "Ma'am: Can you give
me the job of cutting your lawn? The woman replied:
"I already have someone to cut my lawn." "I will cut
your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts
your lawn now." replied the boy. The woman
responded that she was very satisfied with the
person who was presently cutting her lawn. The little
boy was even more perseverant and said, "I'll even
sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday
you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm Beach,
Florida." Again the woman answered in the negative.
With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the
receiver.
The store owner, who was listening to this
conversation, walked over to the boy and said, "Son I
like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would
like to offer you a job." The little boy replied, "No
thanks, I was just checking my performance on the
job I already have. I am the one who is working for the
lady I was talking to!"
Vision
One day, there was a blind man sitting on the steps of
a building with a hat by his feet and a sign that read “I
am blind, please help”. My friend was walking by him
and he stopped to observe that the blind man had
just a few coins in his hat. My friend dropped a few
more coins in his hat and without asking for blind
man's permission, he took the sign, turned it around,
and wrote another message. He placed the sign by
his feet and left. That afternoon my friend returned
by the blind man and noticed that his hat was full of
notes and coins. The blind man recognized his
footsteps and asked if it was him who had re-written
his sign and he wanted to know what did he write on
it? My friend responded “Nothing that was not true, I
just rewrote your sign differently”. He smiled and
went on his way the blind man never knew but his
new sign read “TODAY IS SPRING AND I CANNOT SEE
IT”.
Dr. Shripad S. Shingwekar
Sr. Head (Human Resource & Administration) - SCDL
Source: (www.gulfgt.com, www.aaqq.net,
www.theindianstocks.com, lrd.yahooapis.com,
www.reeshabooks.com)
The End Beginning
This is the life where emotions
haunt, I do not know if it is
A blessing or a curse beyond
I am the world
I am the life
I came closer to someone I like
Everything seems unclear
Like a smoke in sphere
Nothing seems obvious
Nothing can I touch
Am I a butterfly?
Who got wings to fly
For a while when,
Darkness crept in and I die
Those shadows of memories
I can see up in skies
Once more open your arms
Cover me with your charms
Where have you gone?
Eyes don't blink anymore
Now my voice has no tone
Is this the END?
A Mystery Beyond….
Khushbu Gandhi
Student – PGDBA (Finance)
Reg. No. 201036477
25

Through the
SYMBIOSIS Glass

President of India conferred the 'Padma Bhushan' award
to Prof. Dr. S.B. Mujumdar
We feel happy and proud to inform you that the
President of India Shrimati Pratibha DeviSingh Patil
conferred the 'Padma Bhushan' award on Prof. Dr. S. B.
Mujumdar, Founder and President, Symbiosis in the
investiture held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi on
Thursday, March 22, 2012.
The Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian
award, was declared to Dr. S. B. Mujumdar by the
President of India on Republic Day.
Dr. S.B. Mujumdar is a distinguished Academician and
Educationist. He is the Founder & President of
Symbiosis – a multi-lingual, multi-national and
multi-disciplinary educational complex of
international repute. He is also the Chancellor of
Symbiosis International University. In appreciation of
his long and illustrious social contribution in the field of
education, the President of India awarded the
prestigious 'Padma Shri' to Dr. S.B.Mujumdar in 2005.
Dr. Mujumdar was also awarded 'Punyabhushan'
award in the year 2009 at the hands of Hon'ble Vice
President Shri. Hamid Ansari.
We are very proud of you Sir!
Dr. Swati Mujumdar Chairing the
Committee for Vocational Education
th
The State Government on Jan 27 2011 has set up an
eleven member committee headed by Dr. Swati
Mujumdar, Director of Symbiosis Centre for Distance
Learning for recommendations on various initiatives for
vocational education in the state. The committee was
assigned the responsibilities such as setting up vocational
university where under and post graduate courses could
be taught, reviewing the present syllabus of vocational
th th
courses at Class 11 and 12 , providing lateral and vertical
mobility to students of vocational courses,
recommending ways of accreditation for vocational
courses and introducing vocational courses at secondary
school level.
Vocational Committee
Report - Govt. of
Maharashtra
At a press conference held on 1st July in
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning,
Dr. Swati Mujumdar, Chairperson of
Vocational Committee, submitted the
Vocational Committee report to
Hon'ble Shri. Rajesh Tope, Minister for
Higher & Technical Education, Govt. of
Maharashtra. The report consisted of
some path breaking policies and
recommendations in Vocational
Education, Training & Skill Development
sector for the State of Maharashtra and
in general for our country.
27

28
SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ODL - 2011
The first ever international conference on open & distance learning organized by Symbiosis Centre for
Distance Learning in Pune from 21st to 23rd February, 2011, was a grand success. There were more than
200 participants from all over India and also about 20 developing countries. Our speakers included well
known international as well as national academicians.
In all seven key note addresses were delivered in the conference.
The Speakers on the first day were -
· Prof. G. Dhanarajan, Retired Vice Chancellor, Wawasan Open University of Malaysia
· Prof Susan Aldridge, President, University of Maryland University College
· Dr. A. W. Khan, President Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Business University, Kingdom of Bahrain
· Dr. V.S. Prasad, Former Vice-Chancellor, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Open University
On the second day, we had the following speeches -
· Mr. Sam Pitroda, Chairman of India's National Knowledge Commission and Adviser to
the Prime Minister of India on Public Information Infrastructure and Innovations (He
delivered his address from Chicago by the Video-conferencing mode)
· Prof. Tian Belawati, Rector of Universitas Terbuka, Indonesia
· Mr. Chandar Sundaram, Consultant at IIM Bangalore's Entrepreneurship Center and an
IT expert

The main theme of the Conference was Open &
Distance Learning as a Key Growth Driver for Socioeconomic
Development. The conference had five
sub-themes covering ICT in Education, Quality
Initiatives, Sustainable Development, Student
Support Services and Governance.
There was a tremendous response from not only all
parts of India but also from about 20 countries across
the world with predominance of the developing
countries. A little more than 200 persons actually
participated in the conference. The participants
included Lecturers, Assistant Professors, Professors,
Research Scholars, Heads of various Institutes and
Universities from various states of India, U.S.A, Iran,
Malaysia, South Africa, Fiji, Bangladesh, Nigeria,
China, Sweden and other countries.
We received more than 215 abstracts of the papers
for presentation in the conference. All these were
carefully examined and accepted with suggestions for
improvement wherever necessary. More than 160
full papers were received within the prescribed time
limit which were carefully examined by a team of 15
senior academics and acceptance was communicated
to the authors, except in the case of a few which had
to be rejected for want of expected standard. All
these papers were presented in 16 Parallel Sessions
held in two days. A high powered Adjudication
Committee selected the best three papers for the
award of one gold and two silver medals.
10 Years of Excellence
SCDL celebrated the completion of 10 years of
th
excellence in Distance Education on 27 July 2011.
Employees who completed 10 years and above in
the institute were felicitated by Hon'ble President,
Padmashree Dr. S.B. Mujumdar for their sincere
and loyal service with the institute.
Dr. Shashikant.K.Gandhe
5th April, 1933 - 23rd September, 2011
Symbiosis family deeply mourns the sad demise of
Dr. Shashikant K. Gandhe, Sr. Academic Advisor, SCDL
was an Academician of International repute.
He was also an economist, Senior bureaucrat &
above all a noble human being. He was a mentor, guide &
pillar of strength to all of us at Symbiosis.
The Symbiosis family deeply mourns the death of this noble
human being. We pray to the Almighty that his soul may
rest in peace..
Saraswati Pujan
Saraswati Pujan was arranged in the
SCDL campus on Friday, 30th
September 2011. The Puja was
performed by Dr. S.B. Mujumdar,
President, Symbiosis Open Education
Society, Dr. Swati Mujumdar, Director,
Symbiosis Centre for Distance
Learning. All the staff of Symbiosis
participated in this function.
Saibaba Palkhi
‘Saibaba Palkhi Darshan' was arranged
nd
in the SCDL campus on Sunday, 2
October 2011, followed by Prasad.
Many devotees gathered at SCDL to
welcome the Sai Baba Palkhi.
29

Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning
is Ranked amongst top 10 Distance
Learning Institutes in India in a survey
carried out by Careers 360 magazine
from the Outlook group.
SCDL is ranked 8th in overall ranking, no. 6 in terms of
Learning & experience and no. 8 in Results &
efficiency, which are the two most important
parameters from student's point of view. Careers 360
magazine from the Outlook Group has conducted the
first ever survey for assessing ranking of 30 leading
Next Learning Unwrapped – A Case Study
on S CDL
A case study written by Dr. Swati Mujumdar, Director, SCDL has been
published as part of a book by Dr. Nick van Dam Director Global Talent for
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL) Next Learning Unwrapped. This
field book presents new concepts 37 business cases and lessons learned by
leading organizations that use technology-based and blended learning to
achieve business goals and SCDL is one of them.
distance learning institutions across India in an
objective manner. The survey was based on
qualitative and quantitative parameters namely
Reach & Resources, Learning & Experience and
Results & Efficiency. The findings of the above survey
recognizes SCDL's constant efforts in providing quality
education and making the same accessible to every
distant learner by making use of innovative modern
Information Technology which includes Online on
demand exams, Online Chat session&
Virtual Classrooms.
SCDL is now ISO Certified
In Feb. 2012, Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) has
successfully achieved ISO 9001:2008 assessment certificate. This
certificate was awarded to SCDL for successful establishment of
“Quality Management System” by American Quality Assessors (AQA)
India Pvt. Ltd. as a certifying body. AQA India is accredited by ANAB,
USA & NABCB (QCI).
SCDL - Rated in Top 3 in Competition Success Review Survey
30
Participants from SCDL with the Director
at the Sanskrutik Mahotsav - 2012
rd
Rank in
Competition
Success
Review
Survey
Sanskrutik Mahotsav - 2012
Symbiosis Society celebrated the festival of cultural
activities called Symbiosis Sanskrutik Day (Symbiosis
th
Cultural Programme at Lavale on 19 Jan. 2012. The
event attracted all staff and faculty members under
the umbrellas of SIU from all over Pune. The variety
entertainment programme included Antakshari,
Personality Contest, Singing and Dancing contests.
st
SCDL bagged 1 prize in Antakshari Competition and
nd
2 prize in Dance Competition.

Teacher's Day
Events of SVJC
Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti / International Day of Non-Violence
Gandhi Jayanti, birthday of the Father of the nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, was celebrated on 2nd
October, 2011. Adv. Aseem Sarode Human Right activist was the chief guest of the function. The function was
started with 'Sarva Dharma Prarthana'. Principal Dr. Swati Mujumdar welcomed the guest. Students of SVJC had
given speeches on various topics like 'Gandhiji and Education, Gandhiji and Environment, Gandhiji and Women's
empowerment'. The chief guest spoke on 'Relevance of Gandhian Thoughts'. This day was celebrated as the
International Day of Non-Violence as Gandhi was the preacher of non-violence and is a symbol of peace.
World Disabled Day
World Disabled Day was one of the significant
nd
celebrations in SVJC celebrated on 2 December,
2011. Students had organized a play; the theme was
“Together for a better world for all: Including persons
with disabilities in development”.
Constitution Day and Anti-Dowry Day
th
On 26 November, 2011, Constitution Day and Anti-
Dowry Day were celebrated. Since the practice of
dowry abuse is rising in India, different thoughts were
given to the students. The students of SVJC took an
oath that they will neither take nor give any dowry in
their life.
Workshops Conducted
Ÿ “Preparation of Self Learning Materials” conducted by Prof. Hanif Shaikh,
HOD, Academics Dept, SCDL on 28th May 2011.
Ÿ “Effective Writing of Self Learning Materials” conducted by Dr. C. B.
Sharma, Professor of Education, IGNOU, Delhi on 4th February 2012.
Ÿ "Uploading of Questions" conducted by Mr. Sushant Jagtap, HoD, IT
Department, SCDL, Pune on 28th February 2012.
Ÿ "Roles and Responsibilities of the Faculty Members and Editorial Team
Members in Distance Education" conducted by Dr. Prakash Deshpande,
Former Director DEC, IGNOU on 7th April 2012.
Ÿ "Instructional Design elements required in SLMs" conducted by Prof.
Madhulika Kaushik, Prof Madhu Parhar and Ms. Pooja Nadkarni, IGNOU on
28th - 29th May 2012.
On September 6, 2011, the Teacher's Day was celebrated by SVJC students to pay tribute to teachers, who dedicate
a considerable part of their life to impart moral and academic knowledge to their students. Dr. Ravindra Balapure,
Joint Director, Vocational Education and Training Govt. of Maharashtra was the chief guest. Dr. Swati Mujumdar,
Principal SVJC welcomed the chief guest and also delivered the introductory speech. The students had arranged a
play and given various speeches on 'Role of teacher in student's life.' Some students had given the teaching lesson
note on this occasion.
31