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Time of India
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Delhi government to train teachers in Indian Knowledge Systems at IITs: Education Minister
New Delhi: Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Monday said school teachers in the national capital will soon be trained in India's traditional knowledge systems through a specialised programme at two Indian Institutes of Technology. The initiative, expected to roll out in September, aims to familiarise educators with Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), covering subjects such as philosophy, Sanskrit, arts, sciences, and ancient texts, including the Vedas and the Upanishads. It will also feature modules on Ayurveda, Yoga, and other aspects of India's cultural and intellectual heritage, Sood said. In the first phase, at least 50 government school teachers will be shortlisted and grouped into batches of five. They will be trained over five to seven days at IIT-Mandi in Himachal Pradesh and IIT-Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The programme is designed to bridge the gap between modern education and India's age-old knowledge traditions, Sood said. "By training teachers in these areas, the aim is to foster a stronger connection between students and their cultural roots," Sood said. (PTI) Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Dreams don't rust: Hisar junk dealer's daughter lands tech job in Microsoft with Rs 55 lakh pay; now earns Rs 15,000 a day
HISAR: When her father braved the harsh Haryana summer, going from door to door as a junk dealer in Hisar's Balsmand village, Simran dreamed of a life where money wasn't a constant worry - a life where she could buy her parents a gift without checking the budget. That dream came true this Monday, when the 21-year-old electrical engineering graduate from IIT-Mandi landed a job at Microsoft with a Rs 55 lakh annual package. From a family where her father earned Rs 300-500 a day, Simran now brings home nearly Rs 15,000 a day. She cracked the AIEEE in her first attempt at 17 and, driven by a passion for coding, chose computer science as an additional subject during her engineering course - always keeping her eyes on one goal: a job at Microsoft. She achieved her first goal when she was selected for an internship at Microsoft's Hyderabad campus. "During the two-month internship, I was named the best intern among 300 students. The overseas head of Microsoft flew in from the US to present the award. It was his first visit to India for such an occasion," says Simran. Her father, Rajesh Kumar, had been using the little that he earned to support Simran's three siblings. Her story is an inspiration within the family, as her two younger sisters, Mamta and Muskan, are studying in Class XII (non-medical) at the village's senior secondary school. Her younger brother, Harshit, is in Class VIII. Simran's mother, Kavita, is a homemaker and has studied up to Class XII. Rajesh says he never imagined his daughter would reach such heights. "I earn just enough to keep the family going," he says. Kavita taught Simran at home up to Class VII, never burdening her with household chores so she could focus on studies. "She never needed tuitions. After Class VII, we sent her to a good school in Hisar. Now she has fulfilled her dream and has become an inspiration for her younger sisters. They too will try to achieve something big in life," she adds.
NDTV
02-07-2025
- Health
- NDTV
Indian Classical Ragas Transform Mind And Emotions, IIT Study Finds
Indian classical Ragas can influence brain activity, a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT-Mandi), in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, revealed. The study, published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, found that the Ragas enhance attention and provide emotional regulation and mental stability. Stress, mental overload and emotional disconnection are becoming common across all age groups, with people seeking meaningful and sustainable ways to find emotional balance. "This is where the Indian classical musical system stands out-not just as an art form, but as a highly refined, structured science of emotion and consciousness," Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director of IIT Mandi, told NDTV. "Each Raga is crafted to evoke specific emotional states (Nav Rasa), guiding the mind from tension to tranquillity, and from heaviness to clarity and joy." The study, which included 40 participants, found that Indian classical music guides the brain into more stable and focused patterns, and exposure to Ragas leads to consistent transitions in neural activity, suggesting music's potential as a tool for mental wellness. The research employed advanced EEG microstate analysis, which is a real-time brain-mapping technique that captures momentary but meaningful patterns of neural activity. These "microstates" often last just tens of milliseconds and represent the brain's transient modes of operation, such as attention and emotional engagement. The study highlights the therapeutic potential of Indian Classical music, rooted in cultural wisdom, for developing personalised music-based mental health support tools. The measurable impact of specific Ragas on these brain states makes this study exceptional. For example, Raga Darbari increases attention-related microstates while reducing mind-wandering, indicating deeper focus and cognitive clarity. Recommended for improving focus before exams or important meetings. Raga Jogiya, on the other hand, enhances attentional networks and activates emotion-regulation microstates, enabling listeners to process emotions with calm and composure. The research team suggests that listening to Raga Darbari before exams or important meetings may improve focus, while Raga Jogiya could help manage emotional overwhelm or grief. Ashish Gupta, the first author of the study, emphasised that the shifts observed in neural activity were not random. "The data showed repeatable, consistent transitions after exposure to the Ragas, suggesting Indian Classical music can serve as a powerful tool for mental wellness," he said. Is it a workable model? Prof Behera told NDTV that it is "absolutely" a workable model, with its foundation already strong. "The therapeutic use of Raga, often termed " Raga Chikitsa," has existed in India for centuries," he said. "What's new today is the scientific validation of its effects on the brain and emotions through tools like EEG and neuroimaging. The core science is robust and shows consistent patterns of cognitive and emotional benefits." Prof Behera said that now a "structured implementation" is needed, such as designing music-based therapeutic modules that are customised for different contexts-education, corporate stress, emotional care, or clinical support. "With thoughtful scaling, collaboration between scientists, therapists, and musicians, and integration into digital platforms or wellness apps, this ancient practice can become a globally accessible and scalable tool for mental well-being," he added. Professor Braj Bhushan of IIT Kanpur, co-author of the study, said in a press release, "This work reveals the remarkable capacity of Indian Classical music to engage cognitive and emotional systems. It opens a new path for developing personalised, music-based mental health support tools rooted in India's cultural wisdom." A parallel study on Western participants confirmed similar effects of classical music on brain microstates, indicating the universal neurological power of classical music.
