‘Cyber Warriors’ Spread Cybersecurity Awareness Amid Gokulashtami Celebrations
Dance, street play and shayari used to educate citizens about digital safety; participants take cyber awareness pledge
Dombivli: Amid the festive spirit of Gokulashtami, the ‘Quick Heal Cyber Warriors’ of Pragati College, run by Thane District Agri Education Prasarak Mandal, organised a special public awareness programme to educate citizens about the growing threat of cybercrime. The initiative was conducted under the ‘Cyber Shiksha for Cyber Security’ campaign and received an enthusiastic response from citizens.
As part of the programme, students used dance performances and an awareness-oriented street play to highlight the increasing incidents of cybercrime and their impact on the public. The presentation focused on threats such as photo morphing, fake emails, scams using artificial intelligence (AI), and fraud involving suspicious links used to steal citizens’ personal and financial information.
Through the street play, the students demonstrated various tactics commonly used by cybercriminals. Citizens were advised not to click on unknown or suspicious links, never share OTPs or confidential banking information with anyone, verify suspicious emails and messages, use strong passwords and remain particularly cautious while carrying out online financial transactions.
The cybersecurity message delivered through shayari was also well received by the audience.
Former corporator and district chief for Kalyan Rural, Dombivli and Kalwa-Mumbra Assembly constituencies, Dipesh Pundalik Mhatre, and Pragati College president Jagannath Patil were present as chief guests. At the conclusion of the programme, citizens and students took a ‘Cyber Awareness Pledge’, promising to follow safe and responsible digital practices.
The programme was conducted under the guidance of college principal Dr. Dhananjay Wankhede and IT department head Rupali Patil. Gurunath Patil provided special support for the successful organisation of the event.
Anupama Katkar, president of Quick Heal Foundation, along with co-director Ajay Shirke, Gayatri Keskar and Dipu Singh, also extended valuable support to the initiative.
By combining the festive celebrations with an important social awareness campaign, the students’ initiative proved to be an effective effort to promote cybersecurity awareness and digital vigilance among citizens, particularly in view of the increasing number of online frauds and cybercrime incidents.
