SPPU celebrates Diwali with about 600 hostel students who could not go home

Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) celebrated Diwali this year with about 600 students who could not go home for the festival. All of them live in the university's hostels.

The university held a special programme to distribute Diwali snacks, the traditional festive fare, to these students. The aim was to let students living away from their families also feel the joy and warmth of the festival.

The programme was held on November 7 in both the girls' and the boys' hostels. It was organised jointly by the university's Student Development Board and its hostel department.

Many students come to the university in Pune from different parts of the country for higher education. For various reasons, some of them are unable to return home during the Diwali holidays. The university held the programme with their emotional well-being and the festive spirit in mind, so that they would feel part of a larger family.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Suresh Gosavi, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Dr Parag Kalkar and Registrar Dr Praphulla Pawar distributed the Diwali snacks to the students. The senior university officials also spoke with the students and extended festival greetings to them.

Senate member Dr Rajendra Ghode, hostel warden Dr Geeta Shinde, Student Development Board in-charge director Dr Savita Kulkarni and National Service Scheme (NSS) in-charge director Dr Ganesh Bhame were also present.

On the occasion, Vice-Chancellor Dr Suresh Gosavi wished the students a happy Diwali. The initiative showed that the university values students' emotional well-being, happiness and overall development along with their studies.

In all, 600 students from the two hostels who could not go home for Diwali benefited from the initiative. Through the distribution of snacks and the chance to meet and talk with university officials, the programme aimed to strengthen the students' sense of belonging. It also sought to convey that the university is not just a place of study but a home away from home.