Head of the Department: Dr. Vibha Kumar, Associate Professor

Profile: The Department of Geography was established in 1966. Given the inter-disciplinary nature of Geography, this department has been the integral part of the Arts as well as Commerce faculties of Smt. CHM College, Ulhasnagar – 3. It is one of the oldest full-fledged under-graduate Departments of Geography of the University of Mumbai. Mr. F. S. Tharwani (1966-2002) laid the foundation of this one of the oldest full-fledged Department of Geography. Later, Prof. Dr. S. V. Chavan (2002-2009) played a vital role in growth of the Department, sports, NSS and WSC. Currently, Dr. Vibha Kumar (2009-till date) is heading the Department.

Department of Geography envisions to be at the centre-stage of the geographical discourse and to make geography-environment conscious learners and productive citizens. It also determined to realise this vision by enabling learners to discover, interpret, transmit and apply geographical knowledge and skills so as to foster awareness of environmental and socio-cultural issues, and to achieve professional success. Department of Geography displays a satisfactory performance in this context till now.

The Department is equipped with lots of academic and reference books in the college central library as well as department library. It also has an impressive collection of topographical maps, thematic maps, weather maps, surveying and weather instruments, stereoscopes etc. The department also has a GIS Lab.

Objectives: The objectives of the Department are stated below –

• To discover, interpret, transmit, & apply knowledge concerning the natural & social processes that pattern the earth’s surface
• To foster awareness of environmental and socio-cultural issues and to provide the theoretical and technical skills necessary for professional success

Programmes Offered: The Department offers following programs –

• B.A. Geography Program
• Course on Environmental Studies in B.Com. Program

Activities: With the support from the institution and the IQAC, the Department conducts various co-curricular and extra-curricular activities. It adopts student-centric approach by adopting experiential, participative and problem solving pedagogies. The Department celebrates Geography Day on 14th January every year, and conducts geographically relevant activities on the occasion. Field visits, guest lectures, and workshops are regular activities of the department.

In recent past, the department had organised field visits to Bhiwandi Power Looms, Maharashtra Nature Park, Saguna Bag, Vishnu Bag, Barvi Dam Forest Area, etc. Occasionally, Department organises Geography Exhibitions to display the geographical resources of the department. The Exhibition’ was organised by TYBA & SYBA Geography students under the guidance of the teachers. Department conducts Workshop on Global Positioning System every year. The Department also organised workshop that dealt with how climate change can be addressed by Gandhian methods, giving a value-based and indigenous approach to the global issue. Workshops on mirror stereoscope, methods of online data collection, etc. were also organised.

The Department adopted multiple ways to make learners environment-conscious. One of the ways was organising guest lectures on themes like climate change, smart cities, mangroves, devrai, sustainable tourism, agro-biodiversity, etc. The Department also organises subject based competitions. Recently, it organised “Kani Memorial Inter-Collegiate Competition” in collaboration with the Bombay Geographical Association, one of the oldest academic bodies in Mumbai. It tested the PowerPoint presentation skills of the students on one hand and inter-disciplinary understanding on the other. The Department also conducted an online poster-making competition on ‘Waste Management’. Department also organises Tree Plantation Activity to sensitize the staff and students towards their role in maintaining greenery in the college campus.

The efforts of the Department in imparting theoretical as well as skills-based knowledge and in developing practical approach to learning are reflected in students’ results. The five-yearly average of the final year results is 96.5%

The alumni of the department contribute significantly to the development of the department through donations-in-kind and other support services. Nine alumni of different batches had donated 22 books to the departmental library. Recently, few alumni together donated the book shelf. Alumni also visit the department regularly for delivering lectures, conducting workshop and seminars on career guidance.

Faculty: The Department of Geography has 2 full time faculties –

• Dr. Vibha Kumar (MA, PhD, SET) is Associate Professor. She has a teaching experience of over 25 years. She is a recognized teacher of the University of Mumbai for the MA degree (By Papers) in Geography. Regional planning, Urban Geography, & Environmental Geography are her areas of research interest.
• Dr. Dipesh Karmarkar (MA, PhD) is Assistant Professor. He has a teaching experience of 20 years (incl. 11 years in the current institution). He is a recognized teacher of the University of Mumbai for the MA degree (By Papers) in Geography. Historical Geography, Cultural Geography, and General Semantics are his areas of research interest.

The departmental faculty is involved in the publication of books and research papers as well as research paper presentations. They are also invited as resource person for delivering guest lectures, syllabus guidance talks, and workshops. Other than routine mandatory duties, the faculty is also involved the functioning of the university level bodies like the Board of Studies, Syllabus Framing Committees, Selection Panels, LICs, etc. with the support of the institution. Faculty is also involved in up-skilling themselves by participating in the Training Programs, Certificate Courses, FDPs, Workshops, etc.