Author: blog

Placed with Eazy Diner

Coming from an entirely different place, Patna in Bihar, I had an amazing experience with Shoolini University. I came to know about Shoolini University through one of my friends and through internet. It has a diverse and friendly environment, a world-class infrastructure, an experienced faculty as well as a great study module.

Shoolini University puts in a lot of efforts for the placement of its students. I have been placed with “Eazy Diner”, a 3 years old start-up which will provide me with ample opportunities to grow in the marketing field.

Looking at myself two years back, I see a lot of positive changes. I have enhanced my public speaking skills, my stage fear has lessened to a great deal, along with the enhancement of my technical skills in the field of marketing.

VAISHNAVI SOOD

Thyroid is a chronic disease that’s becoming increasingly common. The potency of medications increases for a patient with time. However, there is no permanent cure for the disease. Experts at Shoolini University are working on yoga techniques for thyroid. Dr Subodh Saurabh Singh and Dr Mala Tripathi of Shoolini University have filed a patent titled ‘Specific yoga protocol effective for hypothyroidism patients’.

What is Thyroid?

Caused by a small gland in the neck that makes thyroid hormones, Thyroid is a common health concern. Generally, these hormones are necessary for all the cells in the body to work normally. Sometimes the thyroid makes too much or too little of these hormones. Too much thyroid hormone is called ‘hyperthyroidism’. It may cause many of your body’s functions to speed up.

Thyroid disorders are common and tend to occur in women. However, men, teenagers, children and babies can be affected too. Data shows that one in 20 persons has some kind of thyroid disorder, which may be temporary or permanent.

The 23-minute yoga techniques for thyroid is a protocol that includes four asanas. These include Ustrasana, Marjariasana, Singhgarjanasana, Suptavarjasna (or Matasayaasana), and Sarvangasana and one pranayama, Ujayi Pranayama.

What is the Yoga techniques for thyroid Protocol?

Dr Subodh said, “This yoga protocol has shown positive results in patients with thyroid levels below the threshold.” He added that patients are asked to start yoga exercises along with their prescribed medications. “In many cases, patients are also able to regulate the thyroid levels with the decreased dosage of their medicines over time,” he added.

While these yoga techniques for thyroid have long-term effects, it is strongly recommended to continue yogic exercises even after the initial results, he said. That is because the effects start diluting after an individual stops regular practice.

Further, Dr Subodh said, “Yoga is very effective but is very sensitive too. So, people should practise yoga in the presence and guidance of a good yoga expert to avoid reverse side effects.” Moreover, he also noted that yoga is the only discipline that fulfils all the six dimensions of well-being. It is known to prevent diseases and promotes mental and social well-being as well.”

About the researchers

Dr Subodh and Dr Mala Tripathi have completed their master’s in Yogic Science and holistic health from Dev Sanskriti University, Haridwar and PhD from Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakot University, Satna. They have worked in Morarji Desai National Institution of Yoga, New Delhi for eight and six years respectively and joined Shoolini University as Assistant Professors in the School of Yoga and Naturopathy in May 2018.

VAISHNAVI SOOD and RONIKA ANGELINA

We are also the sum of stories we have grown on and stories we have lived,” said the well-known storyteller Nikhil Taneja while interacting with students at Shoolini University. Nikhil is a writer, producer, entrepreneur and a teacher, who likes to refer to himself as a storyteller.

He has a wide experience of working in the media field and has worked with Hindustan Times, MTV, Yash Raj Films and has now started his own organisation, ‘Yuvaa’. Yuvaa is a story telling platform that aims to listen to and share stories of the Indian Youth and make people feel less alone.

“Yes, everyone’s story matters. Everyone has something or the other thing to narrate. Before we live our stories, we post them. We are always in a rush to be somewhere. Let’s not be harsh on ourselves. Let’s be patient”, he said.

Hailing from Baharain, Nikhil initially joined an engineering course on his parent’s insistence but soon realised that engineering was not something that he wanted to do. He jokingly remarked, “A successful engineer has to do two things i.e. – to leave engineering and to find a partner and I did both so then I started writing as it gave me true happiness.”

He said that stories empower people while identities and labels given to individuals without a choice by the society constrains and divide people. He shared many anecdotes from his own life including stories behind his various professional choices as well as their destination wedding stories and the usual fights between the in laws. He recalled that his perspective changed completely after his mother explained why a son’s marriage is so important for his mother as it is the last time a mother gets to take decisions for her son.

He said, “One-Late-Night-Conversation makes the shift from good friends to best friends as stories that we share in those moments leads to empathy and brings people closer. This empathy and all these stories make us human.”

Nikhil also shared many inspiring stories that he has come across from his classrooms and how these stories would suddenly change the perspectives of classmates for each other helping them to raise above their initial and superficial judgements. He said that every story is important and encouraged the Shoolinians to respect and to take time to listen to each other.

In the end, he invited students to share their stories in which a few students came up and shared their stories of choosing different career paths, adjusting to the university life in a new state to their concerns for their friends from their native states.

The Yuvaa team goes around nationwide to hear each youngsters’ story. The team has been to Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Chandigarh, Shimla, North East, Indore, also Port Blair. It has covered over 30 cities and about 100 colleges to encourage all the youngsters, who have their own story, inspiring story, to tell.

NAINA SINGH

A recent survey by Nielson revealed that Indian women are the most stressed out in the world – 87 percent of our women feel stressed out most of the time! This statistic itself caused me to stress out. Even in the workaholic America, only 53 per cent of women feel stressed.

What are we doing to our women? I may be biased, but Indian women are the most beautiful in the world. As mothers, sisters, daughters, colleagues, wives and girlfriends, we love them. Can you imagine life without these ladies? It would be a universe full of messy, aggressive and egomaniacal males running the world, trying to outdo each other for no particular reason. There would be body odour, socks on the floor and nothing in the fridge to eat. The entertainment industry would die. Who wants to watch movies without actresses?

Children would be neglected and turn into drug addicts and psychopaths by the age of ten. Soon, all male world leaders would lose their tempers at the slightest provocation and bomb the guts out of each other’s countries. In short, without women and their sanity, the world would perish.

Yet, look at how we Indians, a land of spiritual people treat them. At an extreme, we abort girls before they are born, neglect their upbringing, torture them, rape them and honour kill them. Of course, these criminal acts are performed by a tiny minority. However, a majority of us are involved in lesser crimes. We judge our women, expect too much out of them, don’t give them space, and suffocate their individuality. Imagine, if you did this to men, wouldn’t they get stressed out?

At a broader level, this isn’t just about our women. We Indians have a habit of exploiting anyone without power. As a flip side, we are suckers for anyone with power. We look up to the corrupt politicians, keep voting them back and feel they are entitled to loot us silly, just because they are in power.

In fact, we love power so much that when the power comes to a woman, we automatically begin to regard her well, too. Goddesses, female politicians, senior mothers in a household with a firm grip on family power – they all get our respect. Anyone else doesn’t.

Women have to become more ambitious, dream bigger and have a fire in their bellies. Perhaps because of the way the Indian society is structured, our women are not encouraged to be as ambitious as men. However, for their own sake and the nation’s sake, all Indian youth must have ambitions and aspirations to do well and reach their maximum potential in life.

Many Indian women have done much better than men. Women can be truly capable and talented as men are and sometimes, even more so. And yet, when a woman sacrifices her dreams and career for a man, it is expected of her. It is time that all this changes. Indian men need to keep their dominating, inflated male egos aside and assist them in their dreams. After all, a woman’s life is not all about making hot chapattis and spending her entire life in the kitchen.

In some ways, women endure disguised slavery. In the civilized, developed world, where women have choices, they do not choose to live like this. We need to be more comfortable with the idea of an Indian woman expressing herself. We think we care for them, but we suffocate them in the name of security, safety, morality, tradition, or culture.

Ask some questions. Where have we gone wrong in our traditions and what do we need to change? We need to unshackle our women. As a woman, it is very important to feel empowered. She needs to be capable, independent and career oriented. Being successful and strong is what will make Indian men respect women more. Help them play their part. Don’t just tolerate, but accept and celebrate our successful women. They take our homes ahead and our countries forward. Every girl deserves a journey of self-discovery. Let’s present a better India for our little girls.

Dean-cum-Professor at Faculty of Basic Sciences, Shoolini University, Dr Adesh K Saini is one of the most experienced teachers associated with Shoolini University and deals with the research and scholarships. Dr Saini talked to KHYAATI SHARMA on a wide variety of topics. Here are excerpts from the interview:

How long have you been associated with Shoolini University and what all institutions have you worked with?

I’m with the University since August 2011. I completed M.Sc. Zoology from Kurukshetra University and then I cleared the NET JRF exam after which I joined IGIB in Delhi for research. Subsequently I completed my PhD. from University of Delhi and thereafter I joined NIH for Post Doctorate. I was there for five years during which I also worked with John Hawkins Medical School. Then, I joined Shoolini University as an Assistant Professor in Biotechnology.

How was working with Shoolini different from other educational institutions?

I think it is pretty much the same but the kind of work which I do here revolves around genetics and hence I feel much comfortable here. I also get funding from Government of India and hence I have four projects currently with me.

What opportunities are there for Shoolini to operate on the global stage in terms of research ?

Shoolini is located in the Himalayan region which is the biggest benefit we have. We can use Himalayas as a resource. There are many challenges Himalayas are facing right now starting from socio economic and health related issues. In a way I would say, Himalayas give you topics of research. For example the cancer Biologists have the material and the plants that cure cancer here. Shoolini has another advantage that it is an institution where cross thinking takes place. The different schools work together which is a great thing.

What are the issues or concerns in conducting research?

There are certain challenges and issues that deal with research. The most important aspect for any institution is to have the right faculty which I think, Shoolini has it all. We have great faculty from diverse fields. Coming back to the issues dealing with research, the biggest challenge is funding. Irrespective of any size of the lab, the issue is that if your lab does not have funds you will lag behind. Government of India is very fair and generous in giving proper funding to every situation based on their research capabilities. Innovation is the other major challenge in research. You cannot work on the topic or question that is already been chosen by somebody else. Also, labs are run by funding as well as great students. Developing research ethics in a student is very important.

What are the steps involved in Research Process? How can a student proceed with the idea of research in the university?

For a researcher, based on their interest and training, he or she needs to develop questions and then eventually find out what he or she can work on. Show the first steps by asking the right questions and then eventually designing the correct experiment for answering the question and then also looking to how the world is answering the question. And at last, the conclusion you draw from your research is very important as well.

What are the types of research?

There are different kinds of research. One is the descriptive science where you observe things different phenomenon and try to describe them. Then there is research to discover in which you come forward with some inductive idea. Similarly, some resources are hypothetically driven. Also, there are other kinds of researches which engineers do where they try to solve the real world problems. In Shoolini, all these four kinds of research are doing really great.

What experiences does a student get during his/her academic career that will benefit them for a career in research and development?

As a career, research is passion driven. I would like to quote one of my Post Doc superior’s lines that resources are already difficult and unless and until you are driven with passion, it will become more complicated. So, my advice to every student is that that he or she should be passion-driven and once you enter this field, then sky’s the limit. Failing is also an important part of research as when you fail, you also develop as a researcher. Research is not merely early experimenting – rather it is solving the problems of the mankind.

What does leadership mean to you? What are your views on making a strong team?

For me, leadership means making the team happy, full stop. If your time is focused and you are heading in the right path, then you are developing is a leader. If your team is not inspired to work with you, then you fail as a leader. And a leader should grant specific goals to every team member which they should work on.

What is your message to the students?

Student should find a good leader for themselves whose interests match theirs. Write interpretation and being honest with the results are very important for students. It is really alright to fail; it will develop you as a good person.

KHYAATI SHARMA

Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) have attained major significance in the modern day world and the 2nd Annual IPR workshop to be held in the campus on March 15 would focus on filing patents and exercising these rights.

The workshop is aimed at creating awareness of IPR and how it can help the students and the faculty for patents searching and drafting. The Chief Guest and Guest of Honour for the workshop are Dr. A Mukhopadhyay, Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi and Mr. D C Rana, Member Secretary, HIMCOSTE respectively.

Dr R.S.Paroda, Dr R.C.Mahajan, Dr Mukhopadhyay Ex-Advisor DST and Dr Dinesh Singh, former VC Delhi University have been invited to chair different sessions during the Workshop. Dr Suman Bala Beri has also been invited as a resource person.

Mr. Shashi Dharan, in-charge, HP Patent Information Center, HIMCOSTE will be talking on the topic of overview of IPR with special reference to Geographical Indications. Also, a workshop on Prior Search and Patent Drafting by Mr. Somitra Kumar, Advocate and Patent Attorney, Delhi will be held in the afternoon.

Shoolini University had made its mission clear from the very beginning to be among the top 200 global universities. In the last nine years, it has made rapid strides in establishing appreciable good infrastructure, adequate quality faculty, reasonable teaching curriculum and delivery system, SPRINT for aptitude change and employability of graduates.

In citation research, its findings have outclassed even the ten best Indian Universities as per the NIRF ranking. Nevertheless, there are many gaps at the criteria of different ranking system of global universities. Therefore, it has been decided to organise a workshop vis-?-vis to discuss the methodology of different ranking systems, status of Shoolini University in comparison to different criteria regarding teaching, research, citation, income generation, international outlook, industry-academic outlook, career development of students, etc.

Placed with ICICI Bank

The experience of studying in Shoolini University is fairly enriching. After doing B.Sc. Biotechnology from Shoolini University, my sister inspired me to join MBA programme of Shoolini. So, I applied for MBA programme and grabbed the scholarship for the same. The kind of professional as well as personal development that I have gone through during MBA is phenomenal.

I also got an opportunity to work with LG Electronics and Federal-Mogul during my internships. Recently I got placed in ICICI Bank as a Deputy Manager. I want to dedicate my success to my parents as well as to my teachers. I am really glad that I took the decision to do MBA from Shoolini University.

LAKSHAY PARASHAR

Whatever you are doing, just give it your best shot so that there are no regrets in the future,” said Lakshmi Gondal, an alumnus of Shoolini University who is now working with Vivo as a VBA Service Manager.

She said that grooming at Shoolini University helped her a lot in pursuing her professional career. She explained that SPRINT sessions gave her the knowledge on how to attend an interview and taught her what to say and how much to say.

She said, “I had done an internship in IDBI bank. I was confident about my learning and tried different companies during my placements. I got placed in Vivo as a management trainee which included the k n o w l e d g e of things like the branding of the product, how to train others, etc.” She added that they were trained on how to manage various departments from branding to HR. In the end, she got the job to train other promoters all over Himachal Pradesh about the new products and got a position as VBA service manager at Vivo, HP.

She said that she now trains the new joinees and guides them to do their jobs perfectly. She hails from District Kangra and completed her schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya Pathankot. Her hobbies include watching movies and travelling. She added that her father is a retired Captain from the Indian Army and her mother is a housewife.

She had completed her BBA from Pathankot and joined Shoolini in 2013 to pursue her MBA. She said, “My favourite teacher in Shoolini was Mrs Poonam Nanda as she was the one who used to control SPRINTs and one of the most memorable moments for me was the cultural programme held after SPRINT”.? Lakshmi further added that she learned a lot of things from SPRINT like how to talk in any formal place like an office or in a meeting or interview and manage things professionally in such an environment.

VAISHNAVI SOOD and MANSI GUPTA

“We need to be sensitive and it is our responsibility as a human being to stand up for justice and support the victims,” said Supreet Dhiman, Director Projects and Research at End Incest Trust in an interaction with students at Shoolini University about incest on March 11.

She has been researching on the incidence, occurrence, impact and awareness of incest in India and talked to the students on various aspects of the problem including its signs and symptoms, psychological impact on the individual, safety measures that one can take and also sensitized the students on how to react when a victim shares their experience.

She shared that during her postgraduate diploma human rights from Panjab University; she chose incest as her topic for research. Initially everyone tried to persuade her to change the subject as everyone thought she would not get any respondents to talk on the subject. But, she persisted especially because of the social stigma attached around the subject.

 “It took one girl to die a horrifying death for no mistake of hers for our society to accept the word ‘rape’ in our dictionaries and to end the silence on the subject at our homes,” said Supreet while mentioning the Nirbhaya case while talking about the ill consequences of the social stigma and taboo around such subjects like rape, molestation and incest.

She added that incest is even more horrifying than rape as the abuser is not an outsider but someone closely connected to the victim, someone who is supposed to protect the victim.

She defined incest as sexual contact between family members in direct blood relations. She emphasized that not only rape but any inappropriate touching, hugging, caressing or petting also amounts to incest.

She told the audience that they received a huge response on their online forums and were shocked at the widespread of the issue.

She said, “The feedback we got was so traumatic that I decided to close the forum and quit research on the very day I received my diploma.”

But, she added that on the same day, they received a message from an incest abuse victim who shared that he was raped by his own father when he was 8 and noted that he is a boy.

Supreet could not help but think about his own nephew who was around the same age during that time. The research conducted by their organisation is the largest research ever done on incest in the country. 

She said that incest can often be a continuous series of abuse on multiple occasions as a result of manipulative dependence. She shared some of the findings of their research which included the shocking statistics that 18 per cent of the respondents have been victims of incest and 92 per cent of the incest abuse victims could never share it with anyone.

She noted that most perpetrators themselves can be victims too as abuse itself is a learnt behaviour and shared another incident where the victim and abuser were only five and six years old.

During the interaction, no one raised their hand when asked if they knew how to deal with a situation when a victim shares their experience of abuse. She told the students to be sensitive and not to laugh or walk away. She further added that encourage them but don’t force them to take action as it should be their choice and do not that power of decision making away from them once again and let them know that you believe them and are there for them.

SHAINA CHAUHAN

Divyanshi Bajpai and Tanvi Chaudhry students of B.Tech Biotechnology 3rd year share their experience as exchange student in South Korea in Inha University. Tanvi is a native of Uttarakhand while Divyanshi belongs to Lucknow.

Speaking about their subjects they mentioned that they are studying Enzyme Engineering, Cell Culture Engineering and Cultural Pschology. They said that they are learning new things every day in South Korea and are loving the newly experienced environment.

So far, these both have made friends from countries such as Kinga, Pinia, Diana, Chi-E, Hungry, Fineland, Russia and China. The difference in teaching system which they are experiencing is more about Online teaching of subjects and more access to I-Class.

“Students have to be very punctual and no late entries are permitted in class” they said. The most memorable moment for both of them was their first day as they were welcomed and when they were provided with food without asking for it.

They further added, “Talking about the food habits they are very different from Indian food habits. People here mostly eat noodles. We are still adjusting to the Korean food taste. But for every Indian, Indian restaurants are the only survivors abroad.”

Korean dishes which both of them have loved so far are Topoki Dumplings and Bibingbum. However, as a vegetarian, Divyanshi shared that she is still struggling to find vegetarian food. They both said that they are indeed grateful to Shoolini University for providing them this opportunity of cultural exchange.