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Bhavna

The enchanting and progressive environs of Shoolini University attracts students from all over the world, bringing together talented minds from various cultures, heritage and ethnicity. One such person is Mohammad Siddiq Sadeq of Kabul, Afghanistan, who joined Shoolini University in August 2018.
After completing his BBA from Rana University and graduating in 2016 from Kabul, he enrolled in the MBA course at Shoolini University in August 2018.
When asked to describe Shoolini, his prompt response was that Shoolini University was an idyllic place where an inspired person could identify and explore his strengths and also apply his innovative ideas. He said he loved the picturesque and charming environs of Shoolini University that instilled in him a feeling of safety, love and harmony. “It is like paradise, a dream place to pursue higher education,” he quipped.
The best part of Shoolini was the love and respect people had for each other. “They were always ready to help out,” he smiled.
A cheerful and fun-loving person, Sadeq loves making new friends. His best friend is Yatin Dedha and he carries fond memories of Prof Kuldeep Rojhe and Prof Narinder Verma, his favourite teachers.
His wish, he said, was to help achieve peace in his country and success in life. He loves to travel and visit new places. His recent visits to Shimla, the Lotus Temple in Delhi, Taj Mahal in Agra, had moved him immensely. Next on his itinerary was Jaipur in Rajasthan and Mumbai.
He concluded with the thought that the university newsletter was the best medium for students to share their research and innovative ideas and the most important part was that everyone had direct access to it.

Vanshika Nagar*

Change is a crucial part of our life. Every stage of life brings some kind of change in a person but change is also a choice. All of us have two faces, one that we show to the world and the other that we have for ourselves behind the veil. Some people, however, prefer to stay behind the veil.

We all go through various phases of life which changes our perspective towards life. We enter school and that is the first learning phase in a child’s life where we start interacting with people around us.
Since childhood I have been a notorious member of my family but was exactly opposite while in the school. I still remember I had little interaction with my classmates. I also probably had no close friend. I used to overthink over petty things and was never a part of any extracurricular activities. In short, I was an extrovert at home and an introvert in the school.
I gradually became a student who neglected attending classes and avoided going to school and also lost interest in the subjects which I liked studying and it made me much of a less confident person.
Instead I loved going to my coaching classes and then I came across a teacher and a friend  who made me believe in myself, who supported me throughout and also guided me to take things in a positive way rather than taking the matters negatively. From then onwards I started improving myself. During the later phase of my school life I started accepting things as they were.
And now, my college days are much better than my school days. I love being around the campus with my friends who never judge me for what I am or what I used to be. They always inspire me and motivate me to participate in other activities as well. I started regaining self confidence and revived my hobbies that I had lost interest in years ago.
My dream of a college life is becoming true in some sense as I am studying what I always wanted. I have started interacting with people more often and understood the very basic idea that no one’s judgement matters if we are strong enough. It is in the nature of society to pass comments or judgement on others. Sometimes even now I overthink the scenarios and get nothing except wasting my time. So I always tell this to myself, “believe in yourself” and “you can do this”. This has helped me a lot to increase my confidence and build myself as a better person.

*The writer is a Semester 2 student of BJMC

SNL Team
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Ten-year-old Shoolini University, which has made huge strides since its inception, has found a place among India’s ‘best places to work’ by the global organisation, Great Place to Work.

Shoolini University is proud to be one of the two universities in India that have been awarded this certification. The others are corporates and different institutions. It is also the first organisation from Himachal Pradesh to claim the honour.

Congratulating everyone for their contribution towards earning this distinction, Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Atul Khosla said, “A great university cannot be built without great faculty. Apart from our focus on research and education, at Shoolini University we are also building a professional, caring and learning organisation,” he said. “The university’s mission,” he reiterated, “is to attract and retain the best talent.”?

According to a communication received from the prestigious international organisation, Great Place to Work, the Certification Programme “is the first step for an organisation in its journey to build a High-Trust, High-Performance Culture and your organisation has successfully accomplished this milestone”.

The certification is awarded after a comprehensive, independent and highly confidential survey conducted by the organisation, Great Place to Work, which is not accessible to anyone connected with the institution or corporate concerned. The survey includes questions on the way the organisation treats its employees, opportunities for professional growth, encouragement and compensation for good work, credibility, HR policies and monetary compensation.

Criteria for selection

The survey includes questions on:

• How the organisation treats its employees
• Opportunities for professional growth
• Encouragement & compensation for good work
• Credibility
• Human Resource policies
• Monetary compensation

The certificate is valid for one year and if an organisation wants a renewal, it must go through the entire procedure again. Congratulations once again to everyone at Shoolini University!

Aarushi Mishra

“It was a life-changing decision for me to join Shoolini University. It helped me become a better person, personally and professionally, both,” says Deepash Kumar, alumni of B Tech Biotechnology (2013-14), who hails from Jammu and Kashmir.

Deepash Kumar: Placed with Iceland Foods

Working as a Territory Manager of Sales with Iceland Foods for the entire Goa region, he says the friendly environment and systematic approach towards education made him a competent individual. “The time spent on the campus is truly memorable and I still miss the simple and fun-filled life,” he laughs with a twinkle in his eyes.

Fond Memories

Reminiscing his university days, he remarks that the faculty was very supportive. He said that they encouraged every student to push boundaries and rise above expectations. He believes that the best part of the University was the stress on the overall development of every student — be it education, cultural awareness, or practical exposure to industries.

Talking about campus placements, he said the placement activities were phenomenal. He said it came with a training programme called SPRINT, which helped students enhance their personality and face interviews confidently. “I think these activities prepared me to face the challenges of the corporate world with conviction and presence of mind,” Kumar remarks.

His favourite teacher was Dr Pankaj Chouhan, who taught him Biochemistry. The Old Library on the campus, which is now the Administrative Block, holds a special place in his heart.

Also Read: Shoolini University joins AWS Academy to offer cloud computing courses

One of his fondest memories of university life was the class visit to Chitkara University for a fest, which turned out to be an unforgettable day. He said he had high ambitions and aspirations and was working hard to bring more laurels to the University.

Radio Shoolini, the campus radio which was inaugurated on the Prerna Divas last year, celebrated its first anniversary in style.

Run by the students and for the students, it produced more than 450 shows under the guidance of station head Ms Richa Devesar and has also mentored dozens of talented Radio Jockeys (RJs).
These include RJ Bhuvnesh, RJ Dheeraj, RJ Nancy, RJ Vaishnavi, RJ Pushpgandha, RJ Sahil, RJ Mansi, RJ Yashoda, RJ Chandani, RJ Rahul, RJ Vicky, RJ Bharti, RJ Aman, RJ Komal, RJ Shivam, RJ Kunjali, RJ Pooja among others who presented shows of different genres, such as Yaadon ka karwan, ’90s special, Star’s life, My journey, Pyaar tune kya kia, Goof up show, etc.

Ms Ranjna Thakur, Assistant Professor in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication said that her journey and experience with Radio Shoolini have been astounding and she had a great friend and mentor in the station head, Ms Richa.

Assistant Professor Dr Anita Chauhan, who had contributed to a series of programmes on psychology, said ‘Radio Shoolini gave me a platform to express my ideas and reach out to the students, faculty and other employees of the university”.’

RJ Yash Chandra said he had a great experience in recording shows. RJ Alisha Garg said the Radio station is providing a wonderful experience and that she was looking forward to more contributions.
RJ Pushpgandha Tiwari, who has produced several programmes, said ‘it is a time of new beginnings, of infectious imagination, dynamism, and energy”.’

RJ Aman Kumar said he had got a golden opportunity to research celebrities, films and music. ‘The Classic Radio show has been my personal favourite since day one as it increases my knowledge about movies and I get to know more about many famous personalities”.’ RJ Neha Sharma said she had learnt a lot and gathered experiences like narrating stories on-air and writing scripts.

RJ Ronika Angelina said the studio has helped hidden talents to blossom and that she was already aspiring to be an RJ.

It was started by the department of journalism and mass communication but now students from other streams are also recording shows.

‘There is immense talent among students and faculty members and we are working towards having a full-fledged community radio station in the future’”, said the Station Head, Ms Richa Devesar.

Mansi Gupta
 
Lemongrass is a wonder plant used for a variety of purposes. However, the long and time-consuming process of Citronella Oil extraction from plants is a major challenge.

This is where Shoolini University researchers Dr Rajesh Kumar and Dr Mamta Sharma stepped in. They came out with a miraculous solution named ‘Rayansh’. This miraculous solution is an innovative, solar-based Essential Oil Extractor. Now, it is not only easy to extract the oil, sold at Rs. 6,000 per litre, but the solar-based process will also increase the production of oil manifold.

Solar-based Oil Extractor

Rayansh is economically viable. Hence, it will help small farmers across the country. A patent has been filed for the same as well.

This new technology is for effective, cheap and harmless extraction for secondary metabolites and oil extraction from plants materials, while using solar energy. It is also meant to frame flat plate solar air collectors with packed bed thermal energy storage.

The innovation, says Dr Rajesh Kumar, will have numerous benefits. It will not only save energy but oil can be extracted in less time and it will help reduce carbon emission with the utilisation of solar energy and solar storage system. 

“Earlier,” he said, “we used the traditional lab method to extract the essential oil from the lemongrass plant. About 12ml of oil was extracted in 15 hours.” Dr Rajesh added that the Soxhlet instrument used in the traditional method requires electricity for its operation.

Benefits of the model

Dr Rajesh said that they repeated the same extraction procedure with the solar method. With this method, the results were very encouraging, and the same amount of lemongrass produced 18ml of essential oil in merely 45 minutes.

Another important benefit of the model was its portability. It is convenient for farmers to carry it to their fields. They can place the raw material in the unit and procure essential oil within an hour. Yet another advantage is that farmers can grow lemongrass that will not attract monkeys, as most farmers have stopped the cultivation of other crops due to the monkey menace.

Dr Rajesh Kumar said the new technique would help farmers raise their income more than five times. The manufacturing expenditure on one unit will be approximately Rs 30,000, requiring a one-time investment and zero maintenance. The same unit can be used to extract essential oil from jasmine, lavender, etc.

Researchers have already contacted Him Saur Pvt Ltd, a solar energy-based company for its manufacturing and marketing and hope to get some subsidy on its per-unit sale to farmers.

Benefits of solar-based extractor

• Saves energy
• Less time consuming
• Helps reduce carbon emission
• Portalbility boon for farmers
• Will help farmers raise income 5 times
• One-time investment
• Zero maintenance

Lemongrass is used in the treatment of digestive tract spasms, stomachache, high blood pressure, convulsions, pain, vomiting, cough, rheumatism, fever, common cold, and exhaustion. It is also used to kill germs, keep mosquitoes at bay and is also a mild astringent.

Lemongrass: The miracle plant

• Treats digestive tract spasms, stomachache, high blood pressure, convulsions, pain, vomiting, cough, rheumatism, fever, common cold, exhaustion, insomnia
• Kills germs
• Keeps mosquitoes at bay
• Vibrant flavouring agent in exotic cuisines
• Is a mild astringent
• Used in soaps, as insect repellent in sprays, candles, aromatherapy
• Lemongrass tea is refreshing, healthy

What’s more, it tastes great, smells great, and when you cut it, the plant grows right back! It is used for the production of Citronella Oil, which is an antiseptic, and used in the production of soaps, as an insect repellent in sprays and candles, and in aromatherapy. Lemongrass is also used for culinary purposes, as a flavouring agent.

Aayushi Sharma

For Ishwar Das Singh, a library is the best place in the world. No wonder, this MSc Biotech student spent about 100 hours at the Yogananda Knowledge Centre (YKC) in the month of January alone.
Hailing from Janjehli, Mandi district, he completed his higher schooling from his native place, and then moved on to graduate from Panjab University, Chandigarh.

The calm and serene environment of the library, apart from the fact that it was open *24/7,, was what appealed to this avid reader the most. Ishwar said he always wanted a peaceful place for study and research, and his experience at Shoolini had been heartwarming. The inspiring clean and green environment, high tech research laboratories and highly motivating faculty was what made the university a perfect place, considering all parameters, he said.

Though every book is a world waiting to be discovered, this young researcher is fond of books and magazines related to science and research. ‘Lehninger Principles of Biochemistry’ and ‘Immunology’ by Kuby are two of his favourite books. Michael Cox and David Nelson are the authors he admires the most. Ishwar is now preparing for CSIR NET and spends most of his time in learning and academic work at the Shoolini library.

He is totally devoted to research in the field of Biotechnology and believes that the inspiration for scientific research was much more personal than anything that could be triggered by someone.
Apart from brushing up on his knowledge, he likes playing and watching cricket. Ishwar loves reading science fiction and watching Bollywood movies, his favourite including ‘3 Idiots’ and ‘PK’.
Asked about his friends, he said Lalit Dogra and Randhir were among his close friends. When asked about his favourite teacher, he said every teacher was prominent in his or her own way and he found greatness in all of them.

Priyasi Parmar

Shoolini University’s Asst Prof & research scholar Ms Radha has been awarded the ‘Young Scientist Award’. She was at an international conference held at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Ms Radha also bagged the ‘Young Woman Scientist’ award last year.

Sharing about her research work, she said her favourite subject is Ethnobotanical, a study of local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for many aspects of life, such as plants and medicines, food and intoxicants. She wants to explore the unexplored area of the Western Himalayas and to carry out studies of wild medicinal plants for scientific research.

She has explored several untouched areas of Kinnaur up to the height of 4,000 meters. In fact, she has travelled all the way from the high altitudes of Chitkul, Rakchham, Batseri, Sangla, Kamru to the mid altitudes of Churdhar wildlife sanctuary, Chopal forest division to lower altitudes of Renuka and Paonta Sahib during her research project.

The winner of the Young Scientist Award thanked her guide Dr Sunil Puri (Dean of Academic cum Registrar), Prof PK Khosla (Vice-Chancellor) and Prof Adesh Saini for providing her moral support system. She said her mother and father have been the key persons to encourage her in this journey.

Also Read: Houston, Shoolini Tie-Up For Research and Academics

Ms Radha’s future plans include studying the socio-economic aspects of shepherds and their livestock. She has 19 research papers published in international journals and has also collaborated with professors from Germany and Mexico regarding her research work.

Vishakha Thakur

Prof Ashutosh Mohanty, Prof and Director, Disaster Management and Climate Science Department, is a widely travelled expert in disaster management. Here are excerpts from an interview :

What is disaster management all about?

Disaster is something when we are faced with a major situation that can lead to huge destruction for life, livelihood and property. For instance, in the Himalayas we are placed in two titanic plates and?when they collide there is a huge risk of earthquakes in the entire Himalayan region. With disaster management preparedness, there is a good potential to reduce the chances of vulnerability.

What is the potential for employment for students taking up Disaster Management as a subject?

Disaster management experts are in much demand because, as we know, disasters keep happening in various parts of the world. So if students want to pursue a career in disaster management and climate change they should also go for a master degree or a PG diploma in disaster risk management. On completion of the course, there is a number of NGOs like Care India and others which they can join for their career. Even the mass communication students can take up a course in disaster communication as it has a good scope for media students. Students can also go for research. I’m currently conducting two projects on the Himalayas. One of these is a study on the Indus river basin where students can opt. There is vast potential for students to make a career in the fields of disaster management and disaster risk management.

What is your disaster perspective for the Himalayas?

As per various studies conducted over the last many years, a big disaster is expected in a few years or maybe any time in the Himalayan region. Geologists have been keeping a close watch on the movements of Himalayan plates in the region and believe a major disaster is in the offing.

Which International tie-ups have you done for Shoolini University?

There are several. These include those with the University College London and the National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan. I have also worked with various universities in China and the United States besides Stanford University. We are in touch with more universities for collaboration and student exchange programmes. Recently we had a zero-waste management programme with the University of Portland, US.

What are your future plans?

I have a specialisation in disaster risk management in the Himalayas so I want to have an integrated disaster plan. I am also a member of the National Institute of Disaster Management of the Government of India. I plan to make a pool of research scholars so that in future if some disaster happens, they will have a good potential to reduce the chances of vulnerability.

How is your experience at Shoolini?

Shoolini is a very good University. Its location in a natural environment gives its several advantages. It has done very well in the last 10 years but there is still potential for much more in terms of international exposure and we are working towards that.

Shoolini University campus in Solan was abuzz with spirited activities and excitement on February 18 during ‘Prerna Diwas’, celebrated enthusiastically every year on the occasion of varsity Vice-Chancellor Prof P.K. Khosla’s birthday. The day was special for everyone this year as he turned into an octogenarian.

Celebrations began with a ‘Hawan’ ceremony on the campus temple as Prof Khosla thanked the Almighty for 80 joyous years of triumphs and victories. Prof Khosla’s family members and Shoolini staff, present for the special prayer service, greeted the Vice-Chancellor.

This was followed by the inauguration of Baker’s Hub, a bakery-cum-caf?, and a fire control room. Taking forward the university’s endeavour towards a cleaner and greener campus, Prof Khosla also planted a sapling. This was followed by a ‘Dham’, which all staff members and students enjoyed at the Milkha Singh Indoor Sports Stadium.

The competitive spirit took over at the sporting event as the Vice Chancellor’s XI and Registrar’s XI clashed on the cricket field amidst robust cheers by the audience. The VC XI team won after a tough competition that everyone enjoyed tremendously.

After day-long festivities, Shoolini students and staff gathered at the Open Air Theatre for a cultural programme, where the talented students presented scintillating dance and singing performances. This included a rap by Advik, besides a special dance-drama enacted on the life of Prof Khosla.

Certificates were also presented to students who taught underprivileged children under the Parivartan project.

Prof Khosla warmly thanked the students, faculty and staff members for their heartfelt birthday wishes and for making the special day truly memorable for him. He highlighted the various achievements and milestones accomplished by the university since its inception 10 years ago. The road had been laid, he reiterated, and the university would soon claim its place among the top universities of the world. Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Atul Khosla presented a vote of thanks at the conclusion of the function.

‘To Sir With Love’ for VC birthday

The highlight of the day was the launch of the book, ‘To Sir With Love: Decoding the DNA of Prof P.K. Khosla’. This surprise gift for the Vice-Chancellor as he turned an octogenarian weaves an interesting tapestry of memories and anecdotes shared by over 100 of his associates, colleagues, students, friends and family members.

The purpose of this compendium is to motivate young and impressionable minds, who could inculcate some of the values and learnings from the life of a brilliant researcher, teacher, administrator, entrepreneur and above all, a wonderful human being.