COVID-19 continues to impact the world severely. From the very beginning, Ashoka’s response to the pandemic has been swift. The University took a series of actions to ensure a safe and hygienic campus. Since March, the university transitioned from classroom teaching to the online mode seamlessly with total commitment from faculty, students, and the administration. In the new COVID-19 microsite, one can see the University's comprehensive response to the pandemic. From faculty excellence to new initiatives and collaborations to research to Ashoka Centres’ and individual contributions and digital learning - the microsite is an amalgamation of the contributions Ashoka has made through research and other modes of intervention to the fight against COVID-19. Read more... |
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Visiting Professor Neha Dixit wins One Young World Journalist of the Year Award 2020 Journalist Neha Dixit, Visiting Professor at Ashoka has been chosen as One Young World Journalist of the Year 2020 along with Ben Hunte from the UK, Hamoud Al-Mousa from Syria, Kiki Mordi from Nigeria, and Paola Ramos from the US. Neha is an independent journalist who has been teaching at Ashoka for the past five years. She has won over a dozen international and national journalism awards in 13 years of her career, including the Chameli Devi Jain Award for Outstanding Woman Journalist (2016) and the CPJ International Press Freedom Award (2019). |
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YIF Podcast | Season 1 The diverse Alumni lineup includes civil servants, social entrepreneurs, young corporate leaders, writers, filmmakers, and more, each with a transformative story to share with our community and beyond. Read more... |
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CfE Podcast | Ashoka ChangeMakers Radio On the International Podcast Day on September 30, the Centre For Entrepreneurship (CfE) has launched their own creative podcast - "Ashoka ChangeMakers Radio". The theme for the first season is Passion, Pandemic and the Pivot. The first episode was with Shreya Soni, Founder DSSC.co - a reputed Delhi-based marketing agency. Listen to the first episode here. |
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Events happened in September |
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Biology Colloquium 1. A talk by Dr. Sudipta Tung, Postdoctoral fellow, Harvard University on Dispersal evolution: Life-history, Behavior, and Metabolom. 2. A talk by Professor Sudha Bhattacharya, INSA Senior Scientist, Ashoka University on The wondrous world of Transposable Elements: Lessons from an early-branching protozoan. Date: September 03 & 15, 2020 |
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CWC | One-On-One Sessions Ashoka's Centre for Writing and Communication (CWC) resumed its one-on-one sessions for the new academic session in full flow. |
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Ashoka History Monsoon 2020 Webinar Series 2020 1. A talk on The Yogī or the Bhakta: Hanumān Worship in the Deccan (10th-14th Century CE) by Dr. Prachi Sharma, Independent Researcher. Date: September 09, 2020 Time: 1.40-2.45PM. 2. A talk on Rethinking the Histories of Rural Development: Satellite Broadcasting and Managerialism in Western India, 1960s-1970s by Dr. Kena Wani, Postdoctoral Fellow with the University of Göttingen’s ICAS-MP programme. Date: September 23, 2020 Time: 1.40-2.45PM |
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OSL | Clubs' Fair The first-ever online Clubs' Fair saw participation from 40 Clubs and Societies across various platforms such as Google Meet, Zoom, Discord, Tutturu, and so on. With an average participation of over 120 students in each session, the virtual iteration successfully introduced freshers to the diverse and vibrant campus culture of Ashoka. The annual event organised by the Office of Student Life saw participation from students across academic programmes as well as staff, faculty, and founders this year. Date: September 10-12, 2020 |
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Office of Sports & Exercise Online Sessions 1. Repetitive Stress Injuries: Sandesh Rangnekar - On September 13, the session was organised by the Office of Sports & Exercise focussed on avoiding repetitive stress injuries that players develop while playing over time. Mr. Sandesh Rangnekar shared his experiences as a strength and conditioning expert with the students, having worked with professional athletes and sports teams at the international level. He also discussed how athletes can get back to their routine post-COVID especially the amount of physical load that can be taken upon by the athletes when they resume training. Mr. Rangnekar also briefed the students on the importance and role of physiotherapists in sports. 2. Mindset of Champions: Dr. Anjum Padyal - On September 19, Dr Padyal discussed the importance of setting goals, self-belief, and having a positive attitude in life during the session organised by the Office of Sports & Exercise. A mental training expert, she briefed the students about the kind of mindset and dedication showcased by champion athletes especially how they train themselves to navigate the highs and lows of their journey. Drawing on her vast experience of working as a mental trainer and mindset coach for various athletes of international renown, Dr. Padyal helped the participants formulate short-term and long-term goals. She also emphasised the importance and benefits of staying positive for achieving these goals. |
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CSIP Research Fellowship The Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) received more than 300 applications for its new CSIP Research Fellowship, a 9-month opportunity to study Indian philanthropy and giving trends. Shortlisted candidates are being contacted and accepted proposals will be announced in late October. To learn more, visit here. |
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Adapting Research to COVID-19 Times On September 14, CSIP Director Ingrid Srinath moderated a global discussion on "How Are You Adapting Your Research in the Time of COVID?" This webinar, hosted by Worldwide Initiatives for Grantmaker Support (WINGS) and the International Society for Third-Sector Research (ISTR), featured Dr. Una Osili from Indiana University's Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Dr. Sarayu Natarajan from Aapti Institute, and Dr. Bhekinkosi Moyo from Centre on African Philanthropy and Social Investment. Together, they shared perspectives on the coronavirus pandemic's impact on social sector research methods and projects around the world. |
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Mathematics Colloquium 1. A talk by Biswajit Basu, Professor, School of Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, on the topic On a three-dimensional nonlinear model of Pacific equatorial ocean dynamics. 2. A talk by Nishad Kothari, Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT Madras, on Matching Theory: $K_4$-based and $\overline{C_6}$-based Planar Graphs. Date: September 15 & 29, 2020 |
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Biology and EVS Joint Colloquium A talk by Dr. Nishant Kumar, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, on Human Dimensions Modulate Urban Commensalism: (Beyond what meets the eye in tropical megacities). Date: September 17, 2020 |
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CWC | The Mappila Verses CWC Writing Tutor Ajmal Khan's poetry collection titled "The Mappila Verses" was published by Hawakal Publishers in September 2020. Click here to view. |
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Social Stock Exchange Gains Momentum CSIP Director Ingrid Srinath has been named to SEBI's new Technical Group on the Social Stock Exchange (SSE), aimed at helping develop a framework for onboarding nonprofit organisations and for-profit enterprises as well as prescribing disclosure requirements on financials and governance for this proposed social impact funding mechanism. The group, led by Harsh Kumar Bhanwala, former chairman of NABARD, also includes Pushpa Aman Singh CEO of Guidestar; Santhosh Jayaram, Partner, and Head- Sustainability and CSR Advisory at KPMG; Roopa Kudva, Managing Director of Omidyar Network India; Shaji Krishnan V, Deputy Managing Director of NABARD; and Sanjeev Singhal, chairman of sustainability reporting standards board at ICAI. For more information, visit here. |
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CWC | Plagiarism and Citation Workshops CWC conducted the series of mandatory Plagiarism and Citation Workshops which focused on academic integrity, plagiarism, and citation, among other aspects and initiated the students on these themes. The workshops were held on September 19-27 and will continue into the first week of October. |
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ACWB Events 1. Cohort’s leader gatekeepers training - During the cohort leader training week, ACWB trained cohort leaders in being the first responders to any kind of mental health concerns. 2. World Suicide Prevention Day - On the World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10, 2020, Dr. Arvinder Singh, Director, ACWB encouraged people to come out and speak. 3. ACWB Helpline - ACWB extended its additional support to all the members of the Ashoka Community through the helpline services from 5 pm - 7 pm, 7 days a week. Along with this, in order to reach out to students on campus with the ongoing testing and some students in quarantine, the Centre reached out to support them in these difficult times through helpline services from 9 am-11 am in addition to the regular 5 pm to 7 pm slots, for one week. 4. Open House for the students - On September 23, 25, and 29, ACWB was part of an open house as a panel organised by the Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) to address any queries related to mental health and academics. |
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Statutory Committee Elections (Online) The election for the student representative positions in Anti-Ragging Committee (ARC) was held on September 25-26, 2020. The Office of Student Affairs facilitated the electoral process including hosting a 'Meet the Candidate' session to help students make an informed choice. Aniruddha Methi (UG '23) and Mehr Shaw (ASP '21) were elected to the ARC from the fresher and senior categories respectively. Soumya Jha (YIF '21) was elected unopposed to the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) as well. |
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Freshers' 2020 (Online) The Undergraduate Cultural Ministry organised the Fresher's Event for the incoming students on September 27, 2020. The fun-filled evening saw a rib-tickling stand-up comedy act by Rahul Dua as well as a series of sign-up based activities and games. Prizes worth 50k were awarded to the winners by the event sponsors CounterCulture. |
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Social Sector Responds to FCRA Amendments In response to the FCRA Amendment Bill, which imposes significant legal and fundraising restrictions on India's civil society organisations at a time when community needs are escalating due to the coronavirus pandemic, CSIP Director Ingrid Srinath has published a BloombergQuint op-ed, "FCRA Amendments Hurt India’s Development and Democracy" and participated in a media call with Voluntary Action Network India (VANI) that resulted in coverage by The Indian Express, The Wire, The Times of India, and others. As a civil society expert, she was also featured among the panelists for the Financial Service Management Foundation's Sept. 29 webinar on "FCRA Storm: Decoding the FCRA Amendment Bill, 2020." You can watch the Livestream here. |
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CWC | Publications 1. CWC Writing Tutor Uday Kanungo's book review of David Mitchell's novel Utopia Avenue was published in The Hindu. It can be read here. 2. CWC Writing Tutor Shalim M Hussain's article was published in Scroll. You can read it here. |
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Upcoming events in October |
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Behind the Scenes with a Documentary Filmmaker The first Baithak of this academic year being organised by the Office of Student Life will be a free-flowing insight into the filmmaking processes behind the award-winning documentaries "The Unreserved" and "Borderlands", with their director Samarth Mahajan. The conversation will explore the different hats filmmakers wear to project their dreams on a screen - interpersonal relationships with the crew, fundraising for independent films, and the creative process itself. Date: October 01, 2020 | Time: 6:30 pm |
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CSGS talk | Private Parts: Censorship and Sexuality in the Digital Age CSGS is organising a talk by Subha Wijesiriwardena, Manager, Programs and Innovation, CREA on Private Parts: Censorship and Sexuality in the Digital Age. This talk will examine a historic feminist faultline: the debate on pornography and sexual content, and link to ongoing regulation, surveillance, and censorship of sexuality in the digital age. We will seek to make links between colonial legal frameworks such as Obscenity and Public Decency and see how these shape practices and discourses around sexual expression even today, and identify who the actors are, who are involved in present-day censorship and regulation. Date: October 05, 2020 |
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Book event in Ashoka History Book Discussion Series Book under Discussion: Climate of Conquest: War, Environment, and Empire in Mughal North India Discussant: Srinath Raghavan, Department of History and IR, Ashoka University Chair: Upinder Singh, Department of History, Ashoka University Date: October 07, 2020 Time: 1.40-2.45PM |
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ACWB Events ACWB is planning for two events, first for World Mental Health Day on October 10 and the other events with the students, Ministry of Community Well-Being on October 12 and October 22 respectively. |
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Third Lecture in Ashoka History Monsoon 2020 Webinar Series 2020 1. A talk on Rethinking a Pan-Asian Nonhuman: The 'Travelling Monk with Tiger' From Dunhuang Caves to the Bengal Delta, by Dr. Annu Jalais, National University of Singapore. Date: October 21, 2020 Time: 1.40-2.45PM |
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By the Office of Communications and Media Relations |
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