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Priyasi Parmar

Every Raga defines a mood; it can be sad, happy, emotional, or romantic! An accomplished composer can use it to portray different kinds of timelines, tempos, and articulations.

Anirban Bhattacharya, an accomplished vocalist and musician, a gold medallist and mentored by none other than the Gods of Raga themselves, Pandit Ajay Chakrabarty and Pandit Birju Maharaj, majorly spoke about how “Bandish” came into play, what was Raga and how it defined any music composition and Indian Classical Heritage.

Enlightening the audience at the Yogananda Webinar, he began with sharing that Raga was a principle that bound all musical notes in a scale — in simple words — a visual, an imagination, and an emotion. Seasoned musicians realised the potential of Raga but they were of the view that it could not be passed on to the generations, as there was a vast variety of Ragas and every Raga had a different relationship between notes. The question was, how to pass on the knowledge that had been gathered through generations and keep it alive forever? This is when “Bandish” came into play.

“Bandish” has been derived from “Band”, meaning close, but Anirban preferred to call it a closest, just like a safe, where essential qualities and principles and the essence of Raga was preserved.

“Bandish” was like another sound but it carried all the qualities and essential rules that a particular Raga preserved into it, and indeed, all true properties of Raga were presented by “Bandish”.

At the start of the Indian film industry, music and film directors recognised the true and exact potential of “Bandish” and started making more sound sequels of it, so as to spread the richness of the great Indian Classical Heritage. This was how “Bandish” became a part of films and music composition. Giving an instance, Anirban conveyed how great films like Rani Rupmati (1957), Sur Sangam and Amar Prem got instant fame through the composition of “Bandish”.

He further spoke about “Raga Smaj” and its arrival in the Hindi Cinema by giving the most prominent example of Kishore Kumar in the film Amar Prem (1972). “Kuch toh log kahenge, logon ka kaam hai kehna, Choddo bekar ki baton mein khahin beet na jai Raina”.

Nikita Shahi  

Shoolini Academic Progression Scholarships (SAPS) scheme, initiated by Shoolini University for its students, has evoked keen interest among the students and has led to a jump start in admissions for the next academic session. The University has already moved its new admissions procedure online through which prospective students can apply and register for admissions.

Despite the lockdown, more students have registered for admissions so far this year than during the corresponding period last year. The admission team, led by Shoolini University Vice-President Avnee Khosla, giving details of the SAPS scheme, said these scholarships were meant for the currently enrolled students who wish to pursue higher education in the University.

“We give scholarships to the existing students and offer them opportunities to enrol for higher studies within the University,” she said and added that the same scheme was applicable to the current students of Shoolini Institute of Liberal Sciences and Business Management (SILB) located in Solan.

Avnee Khosla said in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, getting internships and jobs are going to be very difficult and students should invest this time in pursuing their Masters and Doctoral studies, thus preparing for better opportunities in future. She said the response so far is good. More than 50 students have already registered for the scholarship and half of them have already taken admission. The last date for MBA SAPS is *May 15, and for all other Post Graduate programmes, the last date is *May 30.

During these challenging times, Shoolinians maintain positivity of mind and spirit with meaningful activities

Manish Malik

During these challenging times, when the entire world has come to a grinding halt, our fellow Shoolinians are not sitting idle at home. They have found something meaningful and constructive to engage in. From working out at home to cooking, they have been busy trying their hand at all kinds of new activities that they always wanted to do but could never make time for. Here, Shoolinians share the new hobbies and skillsets they have picked up to rejuvenate themselves from within.

Abha Soodan, a BSc Physics (second semester) student from Jammu, aiming to be a theoretical physicist, is learning to play the guitar. She finds it very exciting to play with the chords for the first time. What’s more, she can already play a handful of tunes to perfection.

Shruti Rana, a student of BCom Honours (fourth semester) residing in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, said she hasn’t picked up a new hobby as such but is doing regular workouts, which keep her positive and mentally strong as well. She wants to be an accountant.

Sarthak Bhardwaj of Shimla, pursuing BBA (fourth semester), said he wants to try his luck in either banking or being an artist, as he is “extremely good” at Mandala Art. He has been busy learning to bake and fry food as well. This is not all, he is practising Yoga and painting also.

Nitika Sharma, a BCom Honours (fourth semester) student from Solan, is working towards setting up a clothing business of her own. Along with working out, she spends her time writing blogs on her account ‘Light the World’. She wants to make the best use of her time, packing each day with fruitful activities.

Anamika Verma, an MSc Biotech (fourth semester) student, wants to be a scientist and contribute to building the world. She completed her BSc from Chandigarh University and is doing her final semester here. Thanks to Shoolini, she has already been placed at Roots Analysis, Mohali. Adding to her skillset, Anamika has learnt to make delicious pizzas and has completed reading her favourite book ‘The secret’ during this lockdown.

Arshit Dhir, another student of MSc Biotech (fourth semester) from Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, is looking to make waves in the Biotech industry. Good at academics, he is ready to take on the world. A gym freak, Arshit took full advantage of the lockdown to keep himself in shape more than ever!

Abinesh Raj VM, a B Tech (ME) (second semester) student who has come to Shoolini all the way from Kanyakumari, is spending his time practising Auto CAD software for 3D designing. A lover of bikes, he has quite a few mean machines in his garage back home. His passion? To design an engine for a superbike.

Adarsh Singh, his fellow mate from B Tech (ME) (second semester) belongs to Delhi. His dream is motor designing for Auto Expo and running a motor company of his own. Now, he is using his free time to read ‘3 Mistakes of my life’ by Chetan Bhagat. This new hobby keeps him fresh in the mind and spirit, he smiles.

Daily Yogananda Webinar Guru Series shares the fascinating journey of some of the best brains of the nation from diverse fields through virtual interactions

Ronika Angelina

The daily Yogananda Webinar Guru Series, conceived to bring you some of the best brains from diverse fields through virtual interactions, has become a big draw. The webinars conducted through various online platforms, including YouTube Live, are getting hits even from those not associated with Shoolini University.

Among others during the past fortnight was a session with Sourabh Gupta, a well-known architect and designer who took the students through the fascinating journey of architecture and design, inspiring the audience to build a career in design.

Kunal Nandwani, CEO at Utrade Solutions and entrepreneur, gave valuable insights and effective tips on how to build a career. Rajendra Abhange, Chief Technology Officer at Gabriel, a global speaker, addressed enthusiastic future engineers of the department of engineering and technology, taking them through the history and evolution of automobiles, and the growing complexities and challenges in technology in the world of the automobile industry.

Vinay Kanchan, a brand storyteller, bestselling author, and innovation catalyst, shared that creativity needed “witty”, the wit of being creative, thus forming a pun word “CREATI-WITTY”. Wit, along with humour, can elevate ideas and infuse a sense of play in the thought process.

Namrata Joshi, noted film critic and cinema editor, The Hindu, discussed film criticism and film journalism in the time of COVID-19. She had an interesting conversation with Vikas Chandra, a Mumbai-based director, screenwriter and showrunner.

Subodh Kerkar, an artist, the founder of The Museum of Goa and a follower of Gandhian principles, narrated the story of Bapu through the lens of an artist, an idiom.

MR Madhavan, president, co-founder of PRS legislative research, a guru of legislature practices and policies, spoke extensively on the importance of Parliament reforms and highlighted some major reforms needed to make the key institution of democracy extra effective.

Anuj Sharma, CEO at Sportwizz Ltd, in his session, addressed the students’ curiosity, unfolding the sportive adventures, which most sports enthusiasts have in their minds.

Naveen Soni, senior vice president at Toyota Kirloskar Motors, revealed how big companies managed a crisis and worked towards nation-building. Beyond Corporate social responsibility, he spoke on what it took to provide for the larger cause of the economy.

Nandan Mishra, alumnus IIT Kanpur, founder of Algo8, Artificial Intelligence enthusiast and singer, took the audience on a fascinating journey of Artificial Intelligence through music. He spoke about the convergence of ragas with Artificial Intelligence.

All these Webinars can be viewed on Youtube – www.youtube.com/c/shooliniuniversityindia

Relevance of Shakespeare explained

Not just the daily webinars, students of various departments are also being exposed to experts from diverse fields during the period of lockdown so that they can make the most of the time.

The English Department of Shoolini University invited Dr Natasha W Vashisht to speak to the students on ‘The Relevance of Shakespeare Today’.?

Dr Vashisht, an Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Drama, University of Toronto, whose area of expertise is World Drama, said Shakespeare had travelled down the ages, across borders of time and space.

During her well-attended webinar, she focused on the undying popularity of Shakespeare and explained how there was something in his plays for everyone, even today.

In another such webinar for journalism students, well-known publisher Mr Sanjay Sethi explained the intricacies of publishing and the future of publishing in the modern era.

Another first from Shoolini University: Virtual Academic Council meet

Vishakha Thakur

In another pioneering step, Shoolini University conducted its Academic Council meeting online and took several significant decisions related to academics and research in the University.

The prestigious Council meeting, which was chaired by Vice-Chancellor Prof P.K. Khosla and conducted by Director (Academics) Dr Sunil Puri, was attended by about 30 members, including some external members.

It was decided at the meeting, which lasted for over three hours, that mid-term and end-term examinations would be conducted online, and practical examinations would be conducted once the campus reopens.

It was also decided that the new academic session would comprise virtual classrooms as well as physical classes for all the faculties of the University. The Council recommended that the facility of virtual labs would be created for practical subjects.

Another important decision the Council took was that in view of the coronavirus outbreak, the final viva voce of PhD students would also be conducted online and would include subject specialists from abroad. Online viva and meetings were organised to examine the thesis of PhD students and 15 students got their PhD degrees approved in the Council meeting.

The University is already conducting all classes through interactive internet tools, including those developed by Aaddoo, a software development wing of the University. It also decided to conduct online examinations from May 5.

“I am pleased to inform you that the University has gone totally online in its teaching and examination system,” said the Vice-Chancellor. “The Academic Council has decided that university would finish its academic session as per the academic calendar of the university, that is, positively by end of May,” said Prof Khosla, adding that the results would be out by June 10, so that successful final year students can qualify for jobs and higher studies.

The daily Yogananda Webinar Guru Series, conceived to get some of the best brains from diverse fields through virtual interactions, has become a big draw.

In the fascinating session with Yashodeep Deodhar, creator of 21Notes Valmiki Ramayan, we come to know about the relevance of Ramayan in the world of today and whether it is based on fact or fiction. Yashodeep read out some excerpts from the first Ramayan, which was published in Europe. The original edition of the Ramayan was printed and published in Paris from 1843 to 1867.

Talking about fact and fiction, if Valmiki just wanted to write poetry, why would he create a bullet point list? If this was just a thriller or war story, why war readers with a list of names. There are lists of all kinds, like “astrass” and “shastraas”. Out of 500 chapters, there are two chapters with just names, one after another. Giving an example, Yashodeep said, “I would like to take you to a place near Mumbai called Alora. There is a temple which was built out of a mountain and it’s a huge temple which took around 600 years to be completed.” He further added, “Inside the temple, right in the middle, there are two sides and two stories are painted on these two sides, which are Ramayan and Mahabharat.” If we think about it, were our ancestors so inspired by these stories that for 600 years they were chipping away rocks so that they could paint them into pictures of those stories? 

Yashodeep asked why Valmiki wrote Ramayan. “Because,” he said, “Valmiki wanted to set the highest example of good behaviour, the perfect human behaviour.” And today, bad behaviour in society is certainly a problem that we are battling. It was essentially called ‘Rakshasa Pravriti’ at that time. ‘Rakshasa Pravriti’ was prevalent then and is prevalent now. And in order to overcome that, we need an ideal of what is right behaviour and that is the ideal which Valmiki put in front of us.

If you replace the word ‘Dharma’ with some other phrase when you try to translate it in English, the phrase that fits best is ‘Righteous Behaviour’.?

‘Vanaras’ were one set of people, whose identity is largely misunderstood over time. The other set is ‘Rakshasas’. Very clearly in Valmiki’s Ramayan, ‘Rakshasas’ were not a different race. They were not only in South India or Sri Lanka. There was nothing geographical about it. In fact, the first ‘Rakshas’ was Tadka, a woman. She became ‘Rakshasi’. And that is what happens, people change!

“The important aspect is getting people to learn about how to learn, as learning is a lifelong process which never ends.”

Dinesh Singh is former Vice Chancellor of Delhi University, an inspirational speaker, Padma Shri, and a brilliant academician and internationally acclaimed mathematician. Choosing the topic, ‘Unleashing the Power of the Web,’ he began the Yogananda Guru Webinar Series by projecting the ambition of unlocking pedagogies and by utilising the online platform as a medium of learning and exploring.

Why did he choose such a topic? “Because,” he said, “We all seek and look for Gurus in our lives.” He wonders what exactly it means to find a great Guru and why he considers the Internet as the best Guru. All the power that it holds within reminds him of the sort of Guru we would all aspire to have.

Talking about the concept, he explained his thought process. “There is no Guru who can just give us enlightenment, a true Guru no matter who he/she is, can show us the way, sometimes inspire us, but the hard work has to come from each one of us and the Guru won’t do the hard work for us,” he elaborated. Internet is a big platform, one has to make the effort to be worthy of it and strive hard to be worthy of it, as it will reward us just as a true Guru would.

He suggested that people should try and approach the net, the web, the technology with a positive frame of vibe and with a sense of humility. “We must use it cleverly and very judiciously. A search engine with the right key words will offer us everything, exactly in the same way we must use our sense of abilities to realise what it has to offer us in good or bad way to find an exact medium and source for pursuing our learning process.

Dinesh emphasized the concept of learning, how one must learn, and learning as a life-long process. Quoting Ghalib, the great poet, he said, “Jana ki kuch na jana wo bhi ek umr mein” (Accept that we will never learn everything there is to learn in one lifetime).

He shared the best use of Internet by giving examples on how he gathered information about something specific by entering the exact words into the search engines and relying on authentic sources.

Well known Pakistani singer, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, who has delivered several Bollywood chart busters,shared hisjourney and gave glimpses of his geniusthrough some of the songs he rendered on the request of Shoolinistudents and faculty during the Yogananda Guru Web Series last week.

Shafqat, who joined the webinar from Pakistan, belongs to the Patiala gharana. Some of his biggest hits in recent times include ‘Mitwa’(Kabhi Alwida Na Kehna), “Ye Hausla” (Dor), “Allah wariyan” (Yaariyan), “Teri jhuki Nazar” (Murder 3), “Zindagi se” (Raaz 3), “Bin tere” (I hate Love Stories) and “Jaane kyun” (Always Kabhi Kabhi).

Besides he has sung for several albums. The highly acclaimed but equally humble singer shared details of his struggle during the webinar hosted by entrepreneur, author and creativity coach, Dr Ashoo Khosla from Abu Dhabi.

He recalled how his initial albums did not do well but he continued to put in hard work through riyaaz (practice) and ultimately got recognition following the release of his album ‘Sagar’.

He was highly impressed by a short video feature made on him by students and staff of Shoolini University.

In a subsequent message, Shafqatsaid he was delighted to interact through the webinar and said he would look forward to visiting the campus one day

Singer, lyricist, performer and actor, Jasbir Jassi, whose song “Dil Lae Gayee Kuri Gujarat Di”, propelled him to being one of the most popular singers in recent years, enthralled viewers with his songs at a special Yogananda Guru series webinar.Jassi, whose real name is Jasbir Singh Bains, is the heart
throb of millions and the songs sung by him are inevitably played at all functions – like marriages – particularly in north India.

Some of his most popular numbers are “Koka Koka,” “Laung Da Lashkara,” “Mahiya, Tere Thumke” and “Mel Karade Rabba.”

He has also rendered several Sufi songs. Speaking at the webinar, which was moderated by entrepreneur Komal Sharma Talwar, Jassi asked students to remain grounded and connected to one’s roots. Replying to questions during the live webinar, riyaaz (practice) is the key and he himself does it for several hours every day.

End-term exam plan

Theory part to be conducted online while practical examination to be conducted after special practical lessons over the weekends or extended University hours after lockdown is lifted.

All steps were being taken to ensure that students did not lose out on studies and special arrangements were being made to conduct end-term examinations online in view of the continued lockdown and curfew in the state, assured Vice Chancellor Prof PK Khosla.

He said the University would like to complete the semester on time so that students, particularly those in the final semester, did not suffer. Examinations would be divided into two parts: The theory part would be conducted online while the practical examination would be conducted after special practical lessons over the weekends or extended University hours after the lockdown is lifted.

In view of the closure of the campus due to the coronavirus outbreak, no festivities on the Foundation Day could be organised, but the Vice Chancellor greeted the students, faculty and the staff to mark the occasion. Prof Khosla said he was happy to share that the University had taken a lead over most other institutions in the country in quickly adopting e-learning through virtual classrooms.

Daily Yogananda Webinars to enhance learning experience

In order to enhance the learning experience of students, the University has also introduced daily Yogananda Webinars for students and faculty. Eminent persons from various fields throw light on subjects of their expertise through interactive media tools. Among those who have participated in webinars so far are former Delhi University Vice Chancellor Dr Dinesh Singh, former IAS officer and motivational speaker Mr Vivek Atray, film critic and technocrat Mr Pavan Jha and the 21Notes Valmiki Ramayan creator Yashoodeep Deodhar.

He said such webinars through Facebook Live and Youtube would be held six days a week. Thanking the students and their parents, as well as the faculty for cooperating during these difficult times, the Vice Chancellor said measures were being taken to ensure that other significant activities of the University, such as placements and admissions, continued smoothly.

Time for Shoolini 2.0 to lead the way to digital learning: Mr Vishal Anand

Greeting the students, staff and faculty of the University on the 16th Foundation Day, Founder and President, Mr Vishal Anand, said these were “challenging times and as always, we will take this as an opportunity to come out stronger as a team. It’s time for Shoolini 2.0, a fully digital University, to lead the path of digital learning.” He further stressed, “We must collaborate and work together more aggressively to empower our Institution and make it stronger.”