By Ms Nicole Saldanha for BISMumbai

Don Bosco Institute of Technology (DBIT), Kurla, organised their annual technical festival, Colosseum, on 15 and 16 March 2023. The theme for this year’s event was ‘Celestia’. 

The event commenced with a grand theme reveal ceremony on the 3 March followed by an enthralling and illuminating stargazing excursion at Pawna Lake over the weekend of 4 and 5 March, which impeccably complemented the overarching theme of 'Celestia'. The excursion has provided students with the opportunity to observe and appreciate the stars and constellations in the night sky. Overall, the stargazing excursion was a unique and memorable experience for all those who participated. With the grand theme reveal ceremony and accompanying stargazing excursion, Colosseum 2023 began in a truly spectacular fashion.  

In the run-up to the main event, Pre-Colosseum was organised from 10 to 14 March, featuring eight meticulously crafted educational workshops conducted by professionals. On March 10, an extensive finance workshop was conducted by Mr Tayyabali Sayyed who covered essential concepts of various financial topics, including stock markets, NFTs, and other pertinent areas of finance. A 'Paper Magic' workshop was also organised to teach participants how to make handmade paper out of used paper. The ‘CANSAT’ workshop and post-competition, conducted on 13 and 14 March facilitated hands-on experience in designing, building, and testing small-scale satellites, while developing critical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. The ‘Robowars’ workshop provided participants with a comprehensive introduction to robotics, covering the essential components of a robot, programming languages, and sensors. The Spark AR Workshop presented an all-encompassing overview of Spark AR and its vast potential. The Warli Painting Workshop showcased the unique style of Warli Painting and highlighted the stories that are conveyed through each painting. The ‘Web 3.0 and Blockchain’ workshop provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of the concepts and technologies involved in the decentralised web. The ‘Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity’ workshop provided participants with an in-depth understanding of the tools, techniques, and methodologies used by ethical hackers to protect organisations from cyber attacks.

During the days of Colosseum, 15 and 16 March, amidst a plethora of interactive stalls and exhibitions, the Colosseum team orchestrated a series of captivating and informative talks by distinguished dignitaries and experts across various domains, such as IPS officer Hon. Pravin Kumar Padwal, Mr Kunal Dani - an entrepreneur, sustainability talks by Ms Sweta Jhunjhunwala - founder of Tulsipatra, and Mr Suvha Lama - CSIR of National Environmental Engineering Research Institute. A workshop on ‘Why women need better designs’ was conducted by the Principal, Dr Prasanna Nambiar. An HR conclave was arranged where distinguished guests shared their valuable insights, career guidance, and motivation with the students.  Additionally, the Domain Club of DBIT presented a mathematical skit on “The Zeno of the Domain World”. Furthermore, an array of technical and non-technical competitions, ranging from maths quizzes, treasure hunts, escape rooms, Valorant, FIFA, Coding Premier League, digital art, and stock market simulations were also organised.

During the valedictory function The Executive Director of DBIT, Fr Mario Vaz commended the organization team of Colosseum for the increased number of technical events this year. He said: “This year, we have successfully managed to increase the ratio between technical and non technical events”. Celestia 2023 unequivocally upheld the illustrious reputation of Colosseum, the technical festival of DBIT - Bigger, Better, Crazier!