by Cleric Ian Pinto
Eighty-five students from Divyadaan, the Salesian Institute of Philosophy in Nashik, attended a symposium at the institute on the topic 'Right to Privacy', which was organised by the first year Master of Philosophy students on January 13.
The audience comprised of religious brothers and sisters from the nearby houses and convents. 'Right to Privacy' is slowly garnering interest at various levels across the country especially after the Supreme Court's verdict on Aadhaar. Father Christopher George sdb, delivered a concise and comprehensive background to privacy during the keynote address. He touched on the historical origins of privacy and traced its roots back over 200 years.
From among the students, three speakers presented papers expounding and developing the concept of privacy. The first speaker, Cleric Ian Pinto sdb, established the foundation by clarifying the philosophical basis of privacy and briefly outlined its historical development in India. The second speaker, Cleric Felix Almeida sdb, enlightened the audience on the Supreme Court's verdict, while the third speaker, Cleric Prasanna Kumar sdb, brought out the positive and possible negative effects of the verdict.
"The symposium enlightened and educated me about so many issues that I did not know about," Molly Miranda, an audience member, said. Professor Kulkarni, added, "The topic chosen was pertinent and the issues presented and discussed are bound to have effects sooner or later on life in general." The symposium was a success and fulfilled its purpose of enlightening and challenging the audience to respond conscientiously to reality.