Student Mobility Programme for Western Sydney University, Australia concludes at Panjab University

Chandigarh, November 16, 2016: The Student Mobility Programme for Western Sydney University (WSU), Australia concluded today at Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh Campus. A contingent of students and staff from the School of Social Sciences and Applied Psychology, WSU was participating in the 15 days Student Mobility Programme with the Centre for Human Rights and Duties, PU, Chandigarh. The programme was dedicated to the theme, Understanding Diversity: Identity, Advocacy and Well Being Project.
PU Registrar Col G. S. Chadha (Retd.) was the Chief Guest at the valedictory function. He highlighted how the university attempts to represent diversities in its admission policies. Col Chadha also referred to the latest decision of the University to create separate toilets for transgender and insertion of one additional category in the admission forms. He also highlighted the measures taken for providing disability access by construction of ramps in the new and old buildings. He also applauded the efforts of Dr. Renu Narchal from Australia and Professor Swarnjit Kaur from PU who coordinated the programme on behalf of their respective universities with the full support from Dean International Students PU, Professor Deepti Gupta.
The Dean International Students, PU Professor Deepti Gupta shared how a lot of hardwork and dialogues have been put to organize this programme and would contribute to strengthening the MoU with WSU.
The mandate of the programme was to dwell on various forms of diversities in India such as religious, linguistic, cultural, caste and sexual orientations. A number of academic and professional luminaries from within and outside PU interacted with the visiting students and students from the Centre for Human Rights and Duties to focus on historical, political, economic, geographical and socio anthropological manifestations of diversity.
The students gained valuable insights from eminent resource persons including Padma Shree Awardee Professor B. N Goswamy, Professors Emeritus such as Professor Jitendra Mohan, Professor Indu Banga, Professor Bhupinder Brar, eminent
scholars like Professor Neelam Grover, Professor Shalina Mehta, Professor Sherry Sabbarwal, Professor Rajiv Lochan, Professor Ashtosh Kumar and Dr. Reeitika Khera from IIT Delhi, Dr. Jaskiran Mathur from Brooklyn College New York City and Dr.
Sandeep Mittal, Deputy Director Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society.
During the programme, pressing issues of seminal importance that cut across all diversities were also addressed. These included Right to Food, Rights of HIV AIDS affected and inflicted people were also taken up. The programme entailed
workshops and activities to understand diversity and to create a platform for cultural exchange.
The Australian students visited the rock garden, museums, Sukhna Lake and other significant places in and around Chandigarh. They also visited a self help group in Fatehgarh Sahib and sites of historical significance from the point of view
of diversity. Interaction with students from PU-ISSER, Department of Psychology and B.R Ambedkar Centre and the ENACTUS group was another highlight of the interaction.
A series of cultural immersion activities were held throughout the programme during which the Australian students practiced the art of rangoli making, folk dances and enjoyed eating Punjabi food. A short outstation visit to New Delhi included the
famous Baha’i temple as a symbol of religious diversity.