Address by Governor at the release of the Golden Book on Zoology authored by Dr Vinayak Dalvie and others

Address by Shri CH. Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra at the release of the Golden Book on Zoology authored by Dr Vinayak Dalvie and others at Raj Bhavan, Mumbai at 10 am on Monday 23 July 2018

Dr Suhas Pednekar, Vice Chancellor, University of Mumbai, Dr Ravindra Kulkarni, Pro Vice Chancellor, Shri Deepak Mukadam, Chancellor’s nominee, Dr Vinayak Dalvie other co-authors and other distinguished invitees,

We are meeting on the very auspicious day of Ashadi Ekadashi. This day also happens to be the birth anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak and I pay my respects to the memory of the great leader who gave us the slogan of ‘Swarjya is my birthright’.

I am pleased to release ‘Animal Physiology’ – the Golden Book on Zoology authored by Dr Vinayak Dalvie, Captain Nilima Prabhu and Dr Mrinalini.

I congratulate the authors for their excellent, and I would say, timely initiative in bringing out the University Textbook on Zoology.

I am sure, the student community will welcome the book wholeheartedly.

I take this opportunity to congratulate the University of Mumbai for encouraging its best academicians, researchers and professors to prepare study material for students and more particularly for keeping the prices of books affordable.

Quite often, our students have to rely on books authored by foreign writers. Sometimes, universities and colleges continue to prescribe such books even though they appear outdated or less relevant.

On this day, when we recall the lines ‘Swarajya is my birthright’, we must resolve to bring out more books ‘Written in India and Made in India’.

The field of higher education is witnessing radical and far-reaching changes. Students are expecting international learning experience from colleges and universities. In the near future, colleges and universities not caring much for quality and excellence will lose out and may close down.

We are witnessing, with concern, how students are turning their backs on certain engineering colleges and especially on certain engineering courses.

Whatever is happening to engineering stream can happen to other streams also. Colleges and universities will have to work with students closely. They will have to understand aspirations and expectations of students and offer them programmes that will give them the best learning experience and also make them fit for employment.

Private and foreign universities are offering attractive options to students; and therefore our colleges and universities will have to work hard to attract and retain students. We will have to make administration student-friendly. Technology will have to be harnessed to make administration efficient.

I understand from newspapers that more students are today opting for the Commerce stream in comparison with Science and Arts. We will have to make Science and Arts equally attractive to students. After-all, these are streams that produce teachers for schools and Colleges.

The Board of Studies in Zoology deserves wholehearted compliments for its numerous initiatives such as creating a database of all teachers; conducting workshops for teachers and students; appointing researchers from abroad, meritorious alumni and current students on syllabus committees; Introducing Flexible syllabi, and others. We must encourage faculty members to activate and rejuvenate all departments and Colleges.

I wish and hope that under the leadership of the new Vice Chancellor and Pro Vice Chancellor, the University of Mumbai will reclaim its glorious position as the premier university in India. I do hope that like the Oxford University Press, the University will produce many more such books that will be prescribed by other universities and even by foreign universities.

I congratulate the authors and wish the University all success in its future endeavours.

Thank you !