Incubating ideas and the Fablabs in Barcelona

Proud to say, that the Somaiya Vidyavihar entry, 'Ecomappers', through our incubator RIIDL, has been chosen as one of the winners at the Global Fab awards. Congratulations to them. They will be going to Barcelona next week. See more about the competition at http://www.fab10.org/

Gaurang Shetty and Dhiraj Gehlot will be going to Barcelona to participate in this. THe whole idea is, how do we create an environment, in which teaching, the classroom, the world around us, seamlessly come together, so that we can Research, Innovate, Incubate, and Design (RIIDL) a better world for all of us.

On meeting Yogita (student of Somaiya Vidya Mandir, Sakarwadi) and her husband

Met Yogita, a student who passed out from the 10th standard, from our school, Somaiya Vidya Mandir, at Sakarwadi.  This school is located in rural Maharashtra, and much of the community that comes to study here, are quite poor.

She stood first in the school.

She was married early, but still went on to pursue her diploma, and now wants to do engineering.  I asked her, what she would like to do next, and she mentioned that she would like to join the civil service.  Amazing.

And her husband, a polite and small farmer, was there, behind her.  Supporting her.

Too often, we here stories about people being obstacles.  Here was a quiet man, fully supporting and standing behind the dreams of his wife.

On Dr. Mrs. K. Shankarnarayan

I have just returned from Bangalore, where I went this morning,hoping to see Dr. Mrs. K. Shankarnarayan, our Founder Director of Buddhist Studies, before she 'left'.  But she had passed away already, in the morning.

I have known her since the K. J. Somaiya Centre for Buddhist Studies was founded.  It was the same year I joined my father in the family business (1993).  In the past few years, after my father's passing, I had worked with her more closely.

In the past few weeks, there was a particular occurrence that I would like to share.   I mentioned to her, that we would run a competition for a new building for the Centre for Buddhist Studies, and that we would ask His Holiness to lay the foundation stone when he came to campus.  She came back to me, and said, that it would be better to have a building that would house all the three centres, Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham (Hindu Studies), the Jain Centre, and the Buddhist Centre, along with the centre for Interfaith Dialogue.  She did not have to volunteer to add these centres in this new building, the new building, as I had suggested was for her centre to keep.  But she generously suggested, that the building house all our centres of spiritual learning, and that learning spaces would be better used, if shared.

What a wonderful memory, and what an example.

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, laid the foundation for the new building 'Sanskriti', when he visited us earlier this month.  

His Holiness at Somaiya Vidyavihar - Post 1

It was amazing to have His Holiness The Dalai Lama on our campus for 4 days and 5 nights.  

The was he connected with all of us was superb, and even more so, was the way he connected with students.  The questions they asked, and also the questions we all asked, reinforced my feeling, that our education system, weak as it is is, only focuses on the vocational and skill aspect of eduction.  And it does little to address the emotional or psychological aspects of learning.

Students, and indeed all of us, are in need of guidance and teaching.  His emphasis on compassion, and the cultivation of patience, was particularly motivating.  He mentioned that the cultivation of patience and the elimination of anger, are things that have to be worked on.  Continuously.  

His emphasis, that we must separate the actor from the action, that we must view the actor with compassion, but if his action is wrong, then the action deserves a counter.  But never to develop an ill will towards the actor.

Lessons similar in many religions, but he connected and communicated beautifully.  He asked us to investigate everything, then experiment, and then, only then if it makes sense, to accept.  And that our beliefs in the concept of a creator, or Brahman, or no creator (or anatman), were our personal business.

Thank you for your guidance.  This was his third visit to Somaiya Vidyavihar.  We hope he comes again soon.

Rotary helps us start a new and modern blood bank

Yesterday, we inaugurated a new and modern blood bank at the K. J. Somaiya Hospital, Somaiya Ayurvihar.  The Rotary Club of Mumbai Queen's Necklace gave us all the financial assistance to buy the equipment necessary.  We are grateful to Sanjiv Mehta the President of the club, the Om Kher Charitable Trust, other members of the same club and other Rotary clubs or their support.

We hope that this facility will be a much needed service to the people of the city and beyond.  In keeping with our tradition, the service will be available to those who cannot afford at very reasonable costs.  

I was reminded of my grandfather, who had said, that if the work is worth doing, then go ahead and do it, the means will follow.  Even then, it is difficult to take that leap of faith.  When Sanjiv Mehta came forward, and said that his club would lend full support, I remembered my grandfather's promise.  If you find purpose, means do follow.  

Sanjiv Mehta echoed the same thoughts in his speech, when he mentioned that similarly,his members came forward to lend support to him, as he built on the vision of his past Presidents.  

Lata Subraidu, the District Governor also spoke beautifully.  

Sendurai Mani, Co Director of the Metastasis Research Centre of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas Spoke on the public health causes of cancer, and what measures we could take to prevent the same.  

Sanjiv Mehta was the first blood donor.  Followed by Anita Shantaram, and later by Sendurai Mani.  What a way to inaugurate the blood bank.

Dr. Niyogi, our Dean of the medical college echoed the service mission of Ye institution. My grandfather always quoted न मानुषात् परो धर्म  - no religion other than service to mankind.

Thank you all.

On lifelong learning

Started the Somaiya Centre for Lifelong Learning a couple of months ago.  Supriya Rai really helping wonderfully, and shouldering the responsibility to get it going and keep it running.

Ten years ago, when in Cambridge MA, I had a chance to take courses at the Cambridge Centre for Adult Education (Ten years ago, when in Cambridge MA, I had a chance to take courses at the Cambridge Centre for Adult Education (https://www.ccae.org), where so many interesting courses were taught.  And in the same manner as Amrita and I started Kitabkhana (after seeing wonderful bookstores all over the world),  We have now started the Somaiya Centre for Lifelong Learning.

In the past few weeks, we have started a course on Yoga, Tai Chi, Spoken Sanskrit, the Upanishads, A study trip to Patan and Modhera, Sailing, Photography, Spanish Literature, and much more.  In fact, Justice SriKrishna delivered the last lecture on the course on the Upanishads.  What a treat, and what an honour. 

I am myself taking a course in spoken Sanskrit.  My sister and nephew are also taking the course.  Professor Pendse is wonderful.  Really enjoying the course.  I hope I can speak Sanskrit fluently some day.  What a language!!

The Somaiya Centre for Lifelong Learning is located on the second floor of Somaiya Bhavan, Fort, Mumbai.  Above Kitabkhana.

Dean Soumitra Dutta, Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University visited Somaiya Vidyavihar earlier this week

Although he was in Mumbai for only a few hours, Dean Dutta made it to the Somaiya Vidyavihar campus, and spoke to the students and faculty of the K. J. Somaiya institute of Management Studies and Research.  

He described how Cornell is spearheading the creation of CornellTech, in New York City.  Mayor Bloomberg invited Universities to put forward their idea for winning a 10 acre parcel of land, on which to create a hub for education, innovation and entrepreneurship. Msp as to create a Silicon Valley type of environment in New York City.

If only our leadership would encourage us, or only help create an enabling environment where we could accomplish so much more.

He mentioned that Cornell University has created one program, where the School of Management, Engineering, and Computer Science will have one admissions, one Programme, common faculty, and one administration, to create a degree without 'boundaries'.  He mentioned that their faculty will not sit in traditional cabins, but in open offices, and will also be required to teach in local schools.  He further mentioned, that entrepreneurship as a subject is being elevated to the same status as traditional feldspar such as marketing, finance, etc. 

When he was asked, what distinguished a USA MBA Programme from an Indian one, he mentioned that Indian programmes had younger students. And almost very little international students and/or faculty.  He added, that to have more meaningful interactions in class, and to get a greater sense on the global world we live in, we should also have class composition that is older, and more international.

In the future, he felt that MOOCs would threaten lower quality programs.  He felt that good education would have to be high quality, and delivered at a big scale. 

It was great to have his perspective.  He really liked our campus, and promised to come back and spend more time.