Latest news with #LaxmidharBehera
Indian Express
7 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
IIT-Mandi's new batch begins with ‘higher students' intake, women enrolment increases
As many as 592 students have joined the undergraduate programmes, compared to 514 in 2024, as per the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi). The 2025-26 batch is the highest ever undergraduate intake figures since its inception, the institute informed in a statement. Of the total students admitted this year, 394 are men and 121 are women. 'The intake 121 female students in 2025 from 96 female students in 2024 is a reflection of the ongoing efforts of IIT Mandi towards rising gender equality and providing more access to education in the field of STEM among women,' an IIT Mandi statement issued in this regard said. Prof Prof Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi on the orientation programme held at the institute said: 'The class of 2025–26 undergraduates too is a diverse mix of courses, with enrollments in 13 different courses of study, including the recently introduced Integrated MBA (IMBA) and popular branches such as Computer Science and Engineering, Data Science and AI, and Microelectronics & VLSI, etc.' The orientation programme featured detailed presentations by Dr Venkatesh H Chembrolu, dean academics; Dr Tushar Jain, dean students; and Dr Ramna Thakur, chief warden. They provided important information about the academic structure, student welfare schemes, hostel life, institute rules, and the co-curricular activities offered at IIT Mandi. The session concluded with a Q&A segment, where students and parents interacted directly with the faculty and administration to clarify their queries and gain deeper insights into the academic and residential ecosystem of the Institute. In addition to the orientation programme, IIT Mandi is conducting a 10-day induction programme for students, which began on August 1 and will continue till August 10. During this period, students will get the chance to engage with experts on technology and motivation. The programme will be followed by super sports Sunday activities, sessions on mental health, well-being and nutrition, and gender sensitisation. The programme also includes physical activities, beginning each day with a yoga session. Over the course of these 10 days, students will participate in significant interactions, cultural events, and a variety of other activities. The induction programme will conclude with a tree plantation drive and nature walk in the serene IIT campus, the statement added.
India Today
7 days ago
- Science
- India Today
IIT Mandi welcomes largest ever UG batch with yoga, gender talks and green walks
IIT Mandi has opened its doors to the largest undergraduate batch in its history. The orientation programme for the 2025-26 cohort began on campus this week, marking a new chapter in the institute's year, 592 students have joined the undergraduate programmes, up from 514 in the highest intake since the institute's inception. The rising numbers, according to the administration, reflect both the growing trust students place in the institution and the continued efforts to make technical education more new class includes 394 male and 121 female students. The increase in the number of female students, from 96 last year, is seen as a sign that outreach efforts and support systems for women in STEM are beginning to show Mandi has been taking deliberate steps to make engineering education more accessible, and the changing gender ratio is one such at the orientation, Director Professor Laxmidhar Behera told students, 'This is a turning point in your academic life. You are not just here to study, but to explore and shape your future. The increased enrollment, especially among women, is a sign that we are moving in the right direction.'YOGA AT DAWN, SPORTS ON SUNDAY IIT MANDI'S NEW BATCH BEGINS WITH BALANCEThe new undergraduate batch is enrolled across 13 courses, including new-age offerings like Integrated MBA (IMBA), Microelectronics & VLSI, Computer Science, and Data Science & the orientation, a 10-day induction programme began on August 1. Each day starts with a yoga session, followed by talks from invited speakers on motivation, technology, and mental are also attending sessions on nutrition, gender sensitisation, and self-care. A 'Super Sports Sunday' has been planned to encourage physical activity, and cultural events are being held in the programme will close with a nature walk and a tree plantation drive, both set on the green hills that surround the a time when higher education faces growing challenges, IIT Mandi seems to be focusing on building not just skills, but also community and perspective. With numbers up and new courses on offer, the Institute appears to be moving steadily towards a more inclusive and forward-looking model of learning.- Ends advertisement
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
IIT Mandi, PU to collaborate on mental wellbeing
Vadodara: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi and Parul University (PU) signed an MoU to promote holistic mental wellbeing by integrating modern neuroscience with ancient Indian knowledge systems. "We set up a dedicated centre for Indian knowledge systems and mental health. Through this collaboration, IIT Mandi and PU will work together to deepen research and promote practices rooted in Indian traditions for better mental wellbeing," said Professor Laxmidhar Behera, director of IIT Mandi. Behera, along with renowned scientists including Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awardee Dr Vijay Bhatkar, widely known as the architect of India's national initiative in supercomputing, was in the city to attend BLAIM 2025, an international conference on mindfulness, behavioural science, legal innovation, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. "In the Indian knowledge system, the mind holds a central place in achieving holistic health. Ayurveda and Vedic texts speak of three forms of energy — physical, mental and spiritual — that reside within us. We aim to explore and balance these energies through a scientific lens," said Behera. "We are also setting up a brain and behaviour lab at PU," said Dr Mohammad Nami, a cognitive neuroscientist and director of BrainHub, UAE, who is associated with Canadian University Dubai. "This lab will be a hub for hands-on neuroscience research, brain profiling, and studies on cognitive functions. Students will be directly involved in research activities, making this a truly immersive learning experience," he said.
The Hindu
05-07-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Indian Raga therapy: How IIT Mandi study links classical music to brain and emotional health
IIT Mandi conducted a study that connects ancient India's musical heritage with modern neuroscience. Research led by Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, has shown how listening to Indian classical Ragas can influence brain activity by enhancing levels of attention, emotional regulation, and mental stability. The researchers, however, say that translating Raga Therapy into a clinical or commercial offering will require further systematic investigation. Research procedure The study, conducted in collaboration with IIT Kanpur, involved 40 participants who were exposed to Indian Ragas. These 40 right-handed male participants were aged between 19 to 29 years, with a mean age being 23.10. They had no formal musical training and were recruited via an electronic announcement. All the participants were healthy college students. Exclusion criteria included neurological or hearing disorders and recent use of psychotropic medication. Each participant was exposed to approximately nine minutes of music, standardised across the cohort to ensure consistency in data collection and comparability of results. The research spanned over 2.5 years, with each participant undergoing a single experimental session. The study is ongoing, and follow-up experiments with 15 female participants have shown consistent results. The study utilised advanced electroencephalogram (EEG) microstate analysis, a real-time brain-mapping technique that captures momentary yet significant patterns of neural activity. Participants' brain activity was recorded using EEG under two conditions: listening to Indian classical ragas and resting silence. 'This design allowed for a clear comparison of the neurological impact of music versus a passive, quiet baseline', the researchers said. The EEG test employs small metal electrodes, known as Microstates, that often last only a few milliseconds and are used to represent the brain's transient modes of operation, such as attention, emotional engagement, or mind-wandering. Brain cells communicate through electrical impulses, and this activity is represented as wavy lines on an EEG recording. The researchers chose two Raagas: Raga Darbari and Raga Jogiya. Raga Jogiya is associated with deeper, reflective emotions, based on their emotional profiles in the Nav Rasa framework. Darbari is known to enhance focus and tranquility, while Jogiya is known to activate emotion regulation and introspection. The participants were not informed of the study's intent, minimising expectation bias. Additionally, in another study, a control experiment was conducted with noise instead of music. Unlike Indian classical music, noise did not lead to significant improvements in attention or reduction in mind-wandering, reinforcing the specific effects of Raga therapy. What the study showed Following the experiment, the research revealed that Raga Darbari, known for its soothing qualities, was found to increase attention-related microstates while reducing those associated with mind-wandering, indicating deeper focus and cognitive clarity. In contrast, Raga Jogiya, a melancholic melody, not only enhanced attentional networks but also activated emotion-regulation microstates, enabling listeners to process emotions with calm and composure. It was concluded that listening to traditional compositions, such as Raga Darbari and Raga Jogiya, can alter EEG microstates, fleeting but powerful neural patterns that reflect attention, emotion, and cognitive processing. The researchers say, longer durations of musical exposure are likely to further stabilise EEG microstates. Even in the limited-time protocol, significant increases in microstate duration and stability were observed. The researchers say these results are consistent and can be replicated. 'We experimented on three separate occasions with different participant groups, and each time the results have consistently pointed to the same conclusions. This consistency reinforces the reliability and replicability of our findings regarding the positive impact of Indian Ragas on attention and emotional regulation', the researchers said. Prof. Laxmidhar Behera, Director, IIT Mandi, informed, 'EEG microstates offer a window into how the brain operates at the moment, attention, mind-wandering, or emotional engagement. What we found was that Ragas don't just evoke feelings, they actually reprogram the brain in real-time.' Dr. Ashish Gupta, Assistant Professor, IIT Mandi and first author of this study, emphasized that the shifts observed in neural activity were not random, stated, 'The data showed repeatable, consistent transitions after exposure to the Ragas, suggesting Indian Classical music can serve as a powerful tool for mental wellness. EEG data consistently showed how music exposure, compared to silence, shifted the brain into more stable and functional patterns'. Prof. Braj Bhushan of IIT Kanpur is also the co-author of the study. Health benefits? The researchers conducted a similar study in 2018. That early research primarily demonstrated that listening to Indian Ragas can significantly enhance cognitive performance. The researchers cite several independent studies that have reported the beneficial effects of Raga therapy in managing hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Rao and Nagendra (2014) demonstrated that both active and silent music interventions positively influenced energy fields in type 2 diabetes patients using electron photonic imaging. 'While these studies do not claim a definitive cure, they do demonstrate the therapeutic value of Raga listening as a secondary or supplementary intervention', the researchers said. The way forward 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. The study doesn't just underscore how people feel in response to music; it demonstrates how the brain structurally responds, offering new potential for music-based interventions in cognitive and emotional health. The researchers say translating Raga Therapy into a clinical or commercial offering will require further systematic investigation. The next steps involve designing and validating structured, music-based therapeutic modules—tailored for diverse settings such as educational environments, workplace wellness programs, emotional support, and clinical treatment. Rigorous clinical trials will be essential to optimise dosage (duration, frequency), select the most effective Ragas for specific conditions, and establish standardized protocols before broad implementation for patient care. In comparison with Western classical music The researchers say several studies on Western classical music have reported similar outcomes. They conducted a follow-up investigation using Western classical music with international participants. The findings revealed comparable effects on EEG microstate modulation, reinforcing the idea that structured classical music—whether Indian or Western—has a cross-cultural capacity to positively influence brain dynamics. Researchers say, however, that Indian Ragas offer a uniquely emotionally structured and mood-specific experience. Rooted in the Nav Rasa framework, each Raga is crafted to evoke a particular emotional landscape. The therapeutic use of Raga, often termed 'Raga Chikitsa,' has existed in India for centuries. While these results are promising, more rigorous and systematic scientific studies are needed in this domain, researchers say. Both studies have been peer-reviewed and published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, a global journal.
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.
