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Manish Malik

The closing round of placements at Shoolini University was yet to take place, but the figures for placements and internships for final year students in various departments already looked better than last year. This was stated by, said Director General in charge of placements, Mr Arvind Nanda.

He pointed out that despite strong recessionary trends in some industry segments, like the automobile sector, prospects appeared good in other sectors, like IT, Banking, FMCG and Insurance, which were cautiously expanding their offerings and businesses.

“Accordingly, we changed our approach to reach out to those sectors and companies, which are growing and expanding their business plans,” Mr Nanda said.

He said the placement season began at the end of last year with the participation of over 30 companies. They hired over 130 students, including 74 out of the total strength of 165 eligible MBA students. In addition, 104 out of 187 MBA 1st year students have been made offers for paid internships with leading companies.

As far as other departments were considered, he confirmed that 35 future engineers had found successful placements, besides eight from Bioengineering and 16 from Pharma and Sciences.

Roles and pay packages offered to students were according to the programmes, but at present, MBA students secured better packages. The average Cost to Company (CTC) offered to MBA students was around Rs 6 lakh with the highest being Rs 12 lakh per annum, he underlined.
The next round of placements was scheduled to start from February 24, which would continue till March 6.

Over 90 per cent of our eligible and interested students obtained placements last year. This year, he said, the aim was for a higher success rate. The highest package offered to a student this year was a CTC of Rs 12 lakh plus benefits by a European MNC, Hilti, which developed, manufactured and marketed construction material.

Among the companies that have already picked up students for placements this year were, Hilti, ICICI Group, Hughes Systique, Goldman Sachs, Citrix, Dabur, Cremica, Abbott, Cipla, Genpact, Unilever and Nestle, to name a few.
The companies expected in the forthcoming campus placements drive included, Sundaram Finance, Life Cell, Bharti AXA, McKinsey, HDFC Bank, ICICI Lombard, IFFCO Tokio, Hero Moto Corp, Alkem Labs, Jubilant Group, Havells, Bajaj FinServe and Tata Hitachi.

Alisha Garg*
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The age-old tradition of worshipping female Goddesses, including respecting a woman’s role in society, such as mother, aunt, wife, and other female relatives or friends, has always been honoured in India. But, does it mean that the country can grow and prosper just by respecting or honouring women? No, it needs equality in every sphere of life for the other half of the country’s population.

Over time, great improvement and development have been witnessed in the condition of women, but real empowerment has eluded them. When a woman’s income is at par with a man’s, it means she has “developed”, but is she “empowered”? No, this happens only when she becomes capable of taking her own decisions, gains mental strength, is more confident, and is in complete control of her life.

In India, many women have successful careers, with salaries running into six-seven digits every month. However, very few of these women are capable of taking independent decisions about their lives without any interference from their fathers or husbands.

Empowerment should permeate all spheres of life and not be restrictive. Right from the time a girl is born, she should be treated equally competent as a boy, because the mindset of every individual develops right from the beginning. Girls should be given the same tasks as boys, without any differentiation. This will make them more confident and secure as adults. Just like a potter moulds clay to transform it into a vessel of his choice, our confidence, our strength, and our weaknesses take root in our childhood. When children are not discriminated against but provided the same opportunities, irrespective of their gender, it will definitely change their attitude and approach to life by the time they attain adulthood.

Times are changing, but despite the trend towards greater equality, some countries still ban women from certain jobs. In Russia, women aren’t allowed to drive trains or pilot ships. In Kazakhstan, women cannot cut, eviscerate or skin cattle and pigs. General safety concerns also limit and regulate a woman’s working hours. Women shopkeepers in Mumbai cannot work as late as their male counterparts, and Malaysian women are not permitted to transport goods and passengers at night.

Swami Vivekananda rightly said, “It is impossible to think about the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is impossible for a bird to fly on only one wing.” The world can no longer neglect half its population. Women empowerment is definitely happening in India, slowly but surely. In 2005-06, it was reported that 76.5 per cent of married women exercised decision-making in their households. Ten years later, in 2015-16, the proportion increased to 84 per cent, according to the National Family Health Survey – 4.
This brings to fore another problem — Only one section of the women population (rich, living in urban areas) are enjoying the benefits of it. Women and girls in rural areas of India are yet to be exposed to equal rights, women safety, empowerment, etc. When you educate a woman, you educate the entire family!

We learned so much from our mothers. A mother is the first teacher of a child. If you can read this piece of writing, there are high chances that you must have been either taught or motivated to read and write by your mother.

It is an established fact that women empowerment is primary to the socio-economic and political development of a nation. It will be meaningless if women who constitute half the population of the planet, do not have access to education, healthcare, employment and political decision-making bodies. A nation benefits fully when both men and women contribute rigorously to social cohesion, economic growth, peace, and prosperity. The World Economic Forum recently reported that across the 135 countries examined, greater gender equality correlates positively with per capita gross national product. Countries with greater equality between women and men have economies that are more competitive and fast-growing.

Hence, we can say that removing barriers to empowering women stimulates economic development.

* (The writer is a Semester 2 student of BJMC)

SNL Team
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Shoolini University has emerged as the top university in Himachal Pradesh, as per the latest Nature Index rankings. The Nature Index rankings comprises is a database of author affiliation information collected from research articles published in an independently selected group of 82 high-quality science journals. The database is compiled by Nature Research.

The Nature Index provides a close to the real-time proxy of high-quality research output and collaboration at the institutional, national and regional levels. Out of the 100 top institutions across the country, in Life Sciences, Shoolini University has been placed at the 19th position. It has been placed at the 53rd position in Physical Sciences and 76th position in all subjects throughout the country.

Nature Index rankings provide a perspective on high-quality research on the basis of published articles. It is intended to provide one of a number of methods to assess research excellence and institutional performance.
Dr. Dinesh Kumar Chatanta, Head Bioengineering, and Food Technology, Shoolini University, said, “Shoolini University is growing fast and will soon claim its place among the top Global Universities.”

“The latest rankings reflect our continuous efforts for excellence in research,” said Vice Chancellor Prof P.K. Khosla.

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.