Pimpri Chinchwad's Science Centre

91,000 people visit PCMC Science Centre in five months
- CAMIL PARKHE Sakal Times Tuesday, 9 July 2013 - 05:23 PM IST
Tags: PCMC, Science centre, children, education, Pimpri, Camil Parkhe http://www.sakaaltimes.com/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsId=5124568466014487464&SectionId=5171561142064258099SectionName=Pune&NewsTitle=91,000%20people%20visit%20PCMC%20Science%20Centre%20in%20five%20months

PIMPRI: Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporations's (PCMC) Science Centre has received an overwhelming response and a total of 91,000 children and adults have visited the Centre since it was inaugurated five months ago.

It has fetched the civic body a revenue of Rs 43.18 lakh.

The Science Centre, with an aim to provide knowledge with fun, has an automobile gallery and a planetarium as its major attractions. The Centre, established on a seven acres of land, had witnessed heavy rush during the recently concluded summer vacation. During the day-long visit, the students are taken to various sections of the Science Centre and are guided by the education officers on various exhibits and scientific equipments.

Now the civic body's education department has arranged daily visits for students of the PCMC-run secondary schools to the Science Centre.

A batch of 250 students accompanied by their teachers will visit the Science Centre from Tuesday to Friday every week till September 19.

The Centre's Education Officer, Saudagar Shinde, said that it is one of the 42 regional science centres established by the National Council of Science Museums of the Union Culture Ministry in the country.

"It takes about four to five hours for an individual to visit all sections and exhibits,” he said, adding that the Centre receives highest number of visitors on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The Centre is closed on Monday.

AT THE CENTRE

The Science Centre has automobile, energy and fun science galleries, an exhibition hall, an inflatable dome planetarium, a library, an auditorium and 270 exhibits. The entry fee for adults is Rs 50 and for children is Rs 30. Students coming in groups have to pay Rs 20 per head. On an average, 800 people have been visiting the centre daily.

St Anthony’s Shrine in Pune Camp is 75 yrs old

St Anthony’s Shrine in Pune Camp is 75 yrs old
- CAMIL PARKHE Thursday, 6 June 2013 - 11:57 PM IST Sakal times, Pune
Tags: St Anthony’s Shrine in Pune

Pune: Established by a devout couple as a private place of worship, St Anthony's Shrine in Pune Camp has completed 75 years.
The diamond jubilee celebrations of the shrine, now elevated as a Pune diocesan shrine,  will conclude with a mass to be celebrated by Bishop Thomas Dabre on St Anthony's feast on June 13.

St Anthony's chapel was elevated to the status of diocesan shrine by Bishop Dabre in November 2011. It is the only recognised shrine in Pune Catholic diocese.

The shrine's director Fr Anthony Paul told Sakal Times said that a place of worship is accorded the status of a shrine after taking into account the devotion of the faithful and the charitable activities undertaken at the religious place.

The shrine located on St Vincent Street was built by Henry Williams and his wife Constance at their bungalow in 1938. Williams, an accounts officer in the controllerate of defence accounts, had found a statue of St Anthony of Padua while digging for the construction of his bungalow. The couple built a shrine in honour of St Anthony and the devotion to the saint. Prior to her death, Constance had handed over the shrine to Pune diocese.

The  number of faithfuls visiting the shrine is highest on Tuesday, the day of the saint. The shrine volunteers also distribute weekly rations and clothes to 70 adopted families on this day.

Pune Diocese has now undertaken construction of a spacious shrine at the site. 

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Pune churches to join June 2 prayers to set world record

Pune churches to join June 2 prayers to set world record
- CAMIL PARKHE Saturday, 1 June 2013 - 11:09 AM IST Sakal Times, Pune
Tags: prayer, Bishop, catholics, christian community, Corpus Christi, world record, Pune Camil Parkhe

PUNE: Bishop Thomas Dabre will lead Catholics in Pune diocese in prayers on the feast of Corpus Christi on June 2, as a part of the simultaneous global prayers to be presided over by Pope Francis at the Vatican. The feat is likely to create a world record.

Parishes in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, along with parishes all over the world, are slated to simultaneously hold prayers on that day.

Pope Francis will lead the prayers to mark the feast of the body and blood of Christ at St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican on Sunday evening. In India, churches have been asked to join the prayers on Sunday at 8.30 pm to coincide with the Roman clock (5 pm local time).

Bishop Dabre will celebrate a mass at St Xavier's Church in Pune Camp on June 2 at 5.30 pm, followed by an adoration service at St Anthony's Shrine.

Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) president, Mumbai's Cardinal Oswald Gracias has appealed to Catholics in the country to join in the prayers. The global prayer is also being held to celebrate the ongoing Year of Faith and the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council which introduced many reforms in the 2000 year-old church.

The Feast of the Corpus Christi is observed to commemorate Jesus Christ's suffering with bread and wine that symbolise his body and blood.

Apostolic Nuncio, 12 bishops to attend Pune meet

Papal delegate, 12 bishops to attend city meet CAMIL PARKHE Wednesday, August 29, 2012 AT 11:59 AM (IST) Tags: church,   catholic church,   bishops,   conference,   FABC,   christian community,   Pune,   Camil Parkhe To participate in 'Asian conference of new evangelisation' PUNE: In what could be a rare occasion, Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Salvatore Pennacchio, the highest ranking official of the Catholic Church in India, and 12 bishops of various dioceses in the country and Asia, will be in the city next week to attend a conference. The senior members of the church hierarchy will participate in a three-day 'Asian conference of new evangelisation' at the Ishwani Kendra in Vadgaonsheri from September 4 to 6. The apostolic nuncio is also the ex-officio Vatican's ambassador to India. Mumbai Cardinal Oswald Gracias, secretary general of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference (FABC) and president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India, FABC chairman Thomas Menamparampil and Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre will speak at the inaugural ceremony of the conference on Tuesday morning. The Pune meet is being conducted as an Asian and Indian contribution to the Synod of Bishops which is scheduled to be held in Rome from October 7 to 28, this year. The theme of the synod is 'The new evangelisation for the transmission of the Christian faith.' The other senior church officials attending the city meet are Cardinal George Alencherry, major archbishop of the of Syro-Malabar Church, Moran Mor Baselios Cleemis Thottumkal, major archbishop of Catholicos, Syro-Malankara Church, Nagpur archbishop Abraham Viruthakulangara, Delhi archbishop Vincent Concessao, Varanasi bishop Raphy Manjaly, Bishop Jacob Mar Barnabas, Manila auxiliary bishop Broderick Pabillo. Priests and nuns of various congregations as well as members of the laity will also attend the three-day meet, Fr Joy Thomas, Director of the Ishwani Kendra, has said. The papal delegate will also concelebrate a mass along with the visiting cardinals, archbishops and bishops at St Patrick's Cathedral at 12 noon on September 4. Join Sakal Times on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SakaalTimes

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Comments On 29/08/2012 05:21 PM diago almeida said: Hi Camil It is encourging to see you write in your papers about the imp. events about the Christians and Catholics , I am one of the laity from Pune who will be attending the meet. On 29/08/2012 05:09 PM Fr.Joe Gaikwad,s.j. said: Thanks for the information regarding the conference.

Journey of Fr Gurien Jacquier — a French missionary

Faith and humanity

Sakaal Times

Monday, May 17, 2010 AT 12:00 AM (IST)

Tags: Literature,   book,   Camil Parkhe,   Linda Polman,   missionary

Journalist Camil Parkhe has retraced the journey of Fr Gurien Jacquier — a French missionary, who arrived over a century ago in Ghogargaon, Auranagabad, to sow the first seeds of Christianity there in the book Fr Gurien Jacquier of Ghogargaon. The revered missionary made that place his home and did his best to uplift the downtrodden in the region.

Parkhe offers anecdotes about the missionary’s early life and how his contemporaries portrayed him. There are also chapters on missionaries, like Fr Forel and Archbishop Doering. Along with some rare photographs of the missionaries and places, the book tells us how Fr Jacquier dealt with the prevalent social malaises in Marathwada — the exploitation of the tamasha artistes, and the humiliation of the dalits. In all, it is an interesting book about faith, humanity and a noble soul.

Fr Gurien Jacquier of Ghogargaon

By: Camil Parkhe

Publisher: SFS

Pages: 144

lated News Bestsellers that were game-changers Preamble for little ones On a new page Second edition of Nadkarni’s book out Raising questions on State

Comments On 31-05-2010 20:00:50 robert Das said: hi Camil, It's great to hear ab the review on the catholic Missionary. It shows ur love fo the Missionary, and a tribute to ur journalistic talent. I must say that u have matured as a Journalistic with a substance. i am proud of u. Keep it up. waiting to meet and relax with u, or come over to Sangamner. love, robert sj. On 5/31/2010 10:17 AM Joseph Pithekar said: Dear Camil, Congrats. It is a wonderful service. The missionaries were not interested only in converting the masses or the untouchables. They were interested in making them bette human beings. this could be frihgtening for the prejudiced indians. Hope many of the readers will think differently. j m piithekar. On 5/30/2010 6:40 PM Rahul P said: This is books gives very good insight to the christians missionary work in maharasthra - people who have heard the name of Fr Gurien Jacquier but didn't have much information about how he worked in this region being a foriegner &lived with common people. I have been looking for this kind of information for a very long time. I would recommend this to all the readers & my best wishes to the author to come up with many more books.. Thanks Rahul

Khadki's St Ignatius Church set for Vailankanni feast

		Khadki church set for Vailankanni feast CAMIL PARKHE Sakal Times Monday, August 27, 2012 AT 11:10 AM (IST) Tags: church,   St Ignatius Chuch,   Vailankanni feast,   Mother Mary,   Khadki,  Pune,   Camil Parkhe PUNE: St Ignatius Church in Khadki is all set for the 10-day long novena in honour of Our Lady of Vailankanni, commencing on Wednesday. Six bishops from different dioceses are scheduled to concelebrate the masses at the church during the novena and the feast of Mother Mary. A huge pandal accommodating around 5,000 faithfuls has been erected near the 135-year-old church for the novena and the feast. Bishop Emeritus Valerian D'Souza will hoist the flag and concelebrate the mass on the first day of the novena on August 29 at 6.30 pm. Pune Bishop Thomas Dabre will be the main celebrant at the mass in Marathi on August 31 and also at the feast celebrations on September 8. The other bishops concelebrating the evening masses during the novena are Nashik diocese Bishop Lourdes Daniel (Hindi language, September 1), Belgaum diocese Bishop Peter Machado (September 2), Sindhudurg diocese Bishop Alwyn Barreto (Konkani, September 4) and Aurangabad diocese Bishop Edwin Colaco (September 5). Masses will also be held every day at 12 noon, followed by blessing of the sick. This is the 40th year that St Ignatius Church is celebrating the feast of Our lady of Vailankanni, the church's parish priest Fr Clement Raj told Sakal Times. Join Sakal Times on Facebook: www.facebook.com/SakaalTimes

SWaCH, waste pickers body, takes its struggle to citizens

SWaCH takes its struggle to citizens

CAMIL PARKHE

Sakal Times

Saturday, August 25, 2012 AT 05:17 PM (IST)

Tags: PCMC,   SwaCH,   garbage,   waste pickers,   Pimpri,   Camil Parkhe

Launches signature drive to save jobs of wastepickers

PIMPRI: SWaCh, which has terminated its contract of garbage collection within the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) jurisdiction citing unfair treatment, has now launched a signature drive. It is approaching citizens to ensure protection of livelihood of its waste picker members.

SWaCh, a cooperative society of waste collectors, was appointed by the PCMC for door-to-door waste collection in A and D wards. The agency issued a notice to terminate the contract alleging that the PCMC was not interested in continuing its eco-friendly garbage collection model. The civic body is now planning to appoint a new agency for the purpose in the two wards.

In an open letter, SWaCH has said that it had taken taken up garbage collection with an understanding that its waste pickers in the remaining B and C wards would be given the jobs after a year.

The agency alleged that the PCMC betrayed it and tendered out the work to another agency, BVG Group, on different terms. Pointing out that the BVG model does not require collection of user fees.

SWaCH says that the civic body has created a situation in which some citizens have to pay for waste collection and others do not.

The PCMC had recently issued notice to SWaCH about giving minimum wages and other benefits to its members.

SWaCH said its struggle is not over after terminating the contract. "We have to feed and clothe our children, we have to educate them. So we need work. We will approach the same officials who have issued us a notice. We will ensure that they protect our livelihood with the new contractor they appoint and ensure they give all the benefits," the letter says.

It has asked citizens to sign the pamphlet, condemning the PCMC's discriminatory approach in garbage collection in two parts of the city and demanding the integration of the displaced waste pickers in any waste collection model introduced by the civic body.

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