Monday, November 30, 2015

‘YOU ARE NOT YOUR BRAIN!’ A TALK AT ONE OF THE BEST ENGINEERING COLLEGES IN HARYANA

A talk at one of the best engineering colleges in Haryana, THE NORTHCAP UNIVERSITY, on 23 November 2015, on a unique topic ‘You are not your brain’was delivered by Brother Neville Hodgkinson, former medical and science correspondent of several national newspapers in the UK, including The Sunday Times, Sunday Express, and Daily Mail. He is now a student and teacher for more than 20 years with the Brahma Kumar is World Spiritual University and Chairman of the ‘Janki Foundation for Spirituality’, a UK-based charity.




Br Neville’s interest in mind-body medicine led him to take up the practice of meditation and spiritual study in the early 1980s.  He said that science is supportive of spirituality and to support his statement he quoted several research studies. Br Neville observed that just because we cannot see the spiritual aspect of reality with our physical eyes, it does not mean it is not there. You cannot see radio waves, but you can listen to the radio. It is the same with our brains. We can experience spiritual vibrations internally, and send them out to the world. 

In the field of Neuroplasticity scientists have discovered that the brain changes with every thought and feeling. It is believed that the left side of the brain controls positive thoughts and the right side, negative thoughts. “You are what you think! Whatever you are -changes your brain and it keeps changing all the time, with every thought. So in effect, you are the master of your brain and you must nourish your brain with positive thoughts”, says Br Neville.

The energy of the human mind is one of the greatest but the least understood energy resource of the universe. When we understand and harness this energy, we possess the key to happiness and contentment.Discoveries in the fields of brain science, quantum physics, mathematics and biology are enabling us to explore consciousness in greater depths. Consciousness is a universal phenomenon which is guiding the brain to learn ways of the materialistic world. This theory is supported by near death experience and meditation of yogis and he quoted from the book ‘Consciousness Beyond Life – the science of the Near Death Experience’ by Dr Pim van Lommel.He said that we never lose consciousness, even when in coma or deep sleep.

Silence and meditation can be a wonderful tool to reconnect with one’s self. “Silence is when we allow the mind to be still, loving and peaceful. This helps us to develop awareness of the flow of the spiritual dimension and its unique strengths and powers.” He said that successful scientists have been able to strike a balance between public discussion followed by withdrawal and contemplation. 
The audience was deeply interested in Br Neville’s talk as was evident from the interactive session that followed. A practical meditation session was later conducted by Sister Urmil to give an opportunity of feeling the power of silence. NCU’s student Akanksha, a follower of the Brahma Kumar is, rendered a beautiful song to the accompaniment of music which mesmerized the audience.
Post your comments or contact us at http://www.ncuindia.edu/                                        

Written by Rekha Mathur

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

HOW SWACHH CAMPAIGN IN AN ENGINEERING COLLEGE IS HELPING ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE

We clean, discard the redundant, put things in order and make our place clean, pleasing and swachh at Diwali. If places of learning keep their place in order and swachh every day they will be able to enhance the productivity not only of their students but thereby raise the productivity of their institution as a whole. One such institution is THE NORTHCAP UNIVERSITY (NCU) which recently organized a ‘swachh department drive’ or as the Japanese say5S system (seiri, seito, seiso, seiketsu, shitsuke).
It is a methodical way to organize the workplace and work practices so that there is continuous improvement of the working environment, leading to enhanced competency of each individual, department and thereby of the institution. The Japanese introduced the system in the 1970s and found it of enormous benefit. It came to India in the1980s, but we still have a long way to go.  The recent call of Swachh Bharat by the Government has certainly focussed the attention of the nation on this important aspect but see how the Japanese achieved it.
‘To change things we have to do things differently’
5S is the foundation for any improvement culture in the work area, whether it be the manufacturing industry or the education industry. It works at five levels.

Level I: Seiri or Sort: Identify and separate the needed from what is not needed. Discard what is not required and remove the clutter. This will save precious time later, when finding something.

Level II: Seiton or Simlify:Needed items stored according to frequency of use, systematically, ‘A place for everything and everything in place, clean and ready for use’. Simplifying arranges the workplace to ensure safety and efficiency. As tools and equipments etc. are limited in the work area and are project-based there is no wastage of time in finding the required material quickly.

Level III: Seiso or Shine: Work area, equipments, files, storage area etc. cleaned and labeled for visual control. Inspect and clean the work area and equipment daily, corrective and maintenance actions should be taken forthwith and performance level of items documented.

Level IV: Seiketsuor Standardize: Make routine check sheets and manuals that are standardized and easy to understand.

Level V:Shitsuke or Sustain: Everyone should be involved in the 5S methodology to prevent backsliding and to foster continuous improvement. This brings in self-discipline and a sense of responsibility and belongingness amongst all the individuals of the institution.

5S is outcome based and, therefore, measurable and what can be measured is achievable - leading to excellence in all teaching-learning processes in an engineering college. It infuses energy, builds team spirit, inculcates discipline, gives clarity of thought and satisfaction of a job well accomplished. When the team addresses problems, they improve the sustainability of 5S and, more importantly, they improve safety, morale, and productivity of all processes. When people see that they have eliminated wasteful practices, removed the clutter, simplified processes, and what they do makes a difference, their pride grows. As they say, “Successful people don’t do different things, but do things differently”. It makes life simple. This is perhaps the greatest benefit of 5S, as a first step in India – Swachh Bharat.
Written by Rekha Mathur

Thursday, November 12, 2015

HOW INDUSTRY-ACADEMIA COLLABORATE AND INNOVATE IN ENGINEERING COLLEGES IN INDIA

Creativity and innovation are buzzwords today and multidisciplinary, socially relevant projects meeting industry needs are highly encouraged in premier engineering colleges in India. One such institution is THE NORTHCAP UNIVERSITY (NCU). With the Government’s ‘Make in India’ policy gaining momentum, industrial collaboration will greatly facilitate academia in knowing what is happening new in the industry as they are in direct contact with the market/customer. The industry is the biggest source for the application of the latest knowledge, tools and techniques. Today’s manufacturing has become highly-automated, IT-driven and‘smart’ along with prime focus on energy conservation, emission reduction and environmental protection.

Project competitions by the industry encourage innovation, promote application of scientific and technological knowledge in students. They offer opportunities to apply theories into practice, showcase their talent, find solutions to problems by pooling different disciplines together and arriving at a holistic approach in terms of practicality and ingenuity. It is also a time to identify and fill the gaps between the professional skills of students and industry requirements. Industry collaboration enhances student employability and also builds their confidence for entrepreneurship - a bridge between the classroom and the real world. For the industry, collaboration through competitions brings in fresh innovative ideas and a time to shortlist prospective employees, on the basis of their potential. It’s, a win-win situation for both!With this objective, Mitsubishi Electric India launched a science and technology competition ‘Mitsubishi Electric Cup’ a national level automation competition for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Mr Makoto Yokoyama, Director and Division Manager, Mitsubishi Electric India says, “As a prominent player in Factory Automation in India, it is our duty to transfer knowledge and share information with students in the technical domain. Through this initiative, we aim to introduce them to the latest technology and knowledge, based on practical application.”

NCU’smultidisciplinary team ‘Electrotech’ has been shortlisted in the top 24 teams from amongst 100 teams across India after having clearedthe First Stage ‘Basic Knowledge Test’ (a closed-book exam with group discussions),Second Stage ‘System Design and Presentation’.The team comprises of four students: Chaitanya Jhanji and KulbhushanGogia (Dept. of Mechanical Engg ) Sahil Saini and Karan Malhotra (Dept of Electrical and Electronics Engineering), faculty members: Mr. Pradeep Rohilla, Principal Advisor & Coordinator (Dept of Mechanical Engg), Ms Anjali Garg, Co-Supervisor (Dept of Electrical, Electronics &Communication Engineering).‘Electrotech’ will competein the Finals at Pune from 10-13 February 2016.

‘Electrotech’is developinga working model of an automated car parking system for efficient utilization of the car parking area to address the topical issue of shortage of vehicle parking area in the metropolitan cities like Delhi. The project is socially relevant as it will provide a cost effective automated car parking solution for the benefit of society (India is projected to be theworld’s most populous country by 2050. It is also estimated that India’surban population will constitute nearly half of the country’s total population,straining an already stressed infrastructure.In context to the urbanization the number of private vehicles in India is expectedto grow by more than 3 times by 2021by a Survey Report by IBM).

Today it is efficient energy use using Smart, Safe and Sustainable Manufacturing, what will it be ten years hence?

A schematic diagram of the proposed project is shown below:



Written by Rekha Mathur

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

WHY ONE OF THE TOP PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN INDIA EMPOWERS THE POWERLESS

Social service or service to humanity is what differentiates us from animals.Our mission should be to help the vulnerable, powerless and the neglected and empower them to lead an independent and dignified life.In India, Government policy, legislative actions, schemes and provisions are in place to protect human rights and offer equal opportunities to all. But,unless it is a mass movement, not much change can be brought into the large sections of society that are under-privileged, marginalized and require help to join the mainstream and lead a productive life.

What does the University do?

Education is a powerful tool in fostering social change and creating a more hospitable and tolerant world.Colleges and universities have the potential to inculcate social values in the youth. The goal should be to have students go back to society and create value for themselves and others; students with a strong intention to make a difference in the lives of the less privileged and help them to live with dignity.
 
The social service club of THE NORTHCAP UNIVERSITY (NCU), one of the top private universities in India, considers it an essential part of education to help the sick, aged, deprived, disabled and the needy. It aims at the well-being of all Indians, irrespective of their religion, race, caste, creed or sex, so that they may lead a respectable life. It focuses on spreading happiness amongst different sections of society by regularly organizing activities such as:

• Blood donation camps on the University campusfor the benefit of the sick. 

• Slum Childrens’ Day through competitions (painting, singing, dancing etc.); movie shows; gifts; refreshments etc. 

• Invite young students of Government schools tosee aUniversity and get inspired topursue higher education. On one such occasion, on being asked what she wanted to do when she grew up,a girl replied, “Now I definitely want to become an engineer!”

• Student volunteers take forward the ‘Swachh Bharat’ campaign for a clean and healthy India and thereby a more productive India.
While most of us grumble about the lack of cleanliness and hygiene in our city or the absence of civic sense, how many of us take a lead to change the way things are? 

NCU’s Pro Chancellor, Professor PremVrat says, “As an educational institution of higher learning, we do not simply focus on academics but also in grooming responsible citizens for our country who possess good social and civic values. We are proud that our students not only recognize their duties as responsible citizens but put up compelling contribution by setting personal example.”

• Distribute clothes to the economically weaker sections through the Vastradaaninitiative.

• Provide basic amenities, medicines etc. to the old and the disabled inmates of the Old Age Home.Spend time with them, be empathetic listenersand make them feel wanted 

• Invite children from the orphanage and encourage them to participate in cultural programmes in the University. It’s a treat to see them happy and wanted!

Put your ego to one side and open yourself up to new experiences. It's worth thinking about the aged and the deprived. India has the largest youth population in the world. What if each one volunteers to give a little of their time every week to empower one needy person? NCU’smantra is ‘Empowered individuals make an empowered Nation’.

Post your comments or contact us at http://www.ncuindia.edu/ 

Written By: Rekha Mathur