AIS saket student awarded Arjuna Award  

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AUR MONITORING DESK

New Delhi, 29th August: Parimarjan Negi of AIS Saket was awarded by the prestigious "Arjuna Award" for Chess, by H.E.President of India at Rashtrapati bhawan.

Parimarjan Negi

THE Omens are NOTHING!!!  

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"Neither by explaining omens and prodigies, nor by skill in astrology and palmistry, nor by casuistry and expositions of holy texts let him (a Sanyasi) at any time gain his support." (Mann, vi, 50.)


Aryan was searching for a subject to write for his column but to no use. As he was not able to concentrate well on anything. Miss Goodino always says God signals deta hai par hum samaj nahi pata similar thing happened with Aryan. you can say by luck or by chance while waiting for the bus an old man yelled on Aryan and his friend Mr. Muser "seedhe jana", but why did the old man yelled on them? Aryan was bit confused but he was happy. yes! he got what he wanted.

The belief in omens has existed in all ages and countries. Traces of it still linger in the most civilized and enlightened communities, and such belief pervades all classes in India. The most unobservant traveller cannot fail to be struck with the peculiar objects, some most grotesque and some most obscene, that are placed in gardens and fields to protect the crops from the evil eye. In order to protect her child from the same baleful influence a mother decks it with charms or some peculiar ornaments. The obscene figures that are sometimes seen over the gateways of Hindu temples are placed there from the same motive. Such superstitions as a belief in the good or evil influence of certain stars or the conjunction of certain planets have a wonderful hold upon the Hindu mind amongst men of every rank and station. The influence of certain numbers is largely believed in by the people ; odd numbers are thought to be lucky, whilst even numbers are unlucky; so it becomes a matter of very great anxiety to a candidate in any public examination whether his number in the list of candidates should turn out to be an odd or an even one. Certain gems are believed to have a good or evil influence on the wearer.

Any one who has had occasion to sell a horse to a Hindu will have noticed with what care the animal was examined to see if it had certain marks. These marks are not, as one might suppose, signs of breed or soundness ; but certain configurations of the hair, showing whether the animal is a lucky or an unlucky one. The position and number of certain natural twists in the hair are taken as an indication of the real value of the animal. A horse with unlucky marks is thought to be certain to bring misfortune, and hence it is very difficult to sell one to a Hindu if it is deficient in these marks. These and numerous similar things which might be alluded to, serve to show how superstition-ridden the Hindu is, even in these days of intellectual progress.

A knowledge of omens is considered an art or science amongst the Hindus generally, and there is a book in Telugu, translated from the Sanskrit, upon this subject. The three divisions of this book are palmistry (smudrikam), or the interpretation of spots on the body and of creases in the hands ; enquiry (prashnam), or divination tried by dipping the hand into the " Ramayanam "; and omens. There is a class of people who are learned in omens and kindred subjects ; the chief of these are the astronomers or astrologers (jyotishka) who, as their name implies, are learned in the stars and occult matters.

There are no less than forty-three different things enumerated as prognosticating good and thirty-four evil, if any of them should happen just as a person sets out on a journey. For instance, it is a good omen to overhear a pleasant conversation, to hear musical instruments; to see a good. blaze of fire ; to meet a company of dancing girls, or a few young women, to meet an elephant, a horse, or a bullock, or even a corpse, to meet two Brahmans, or four Komaties, or a Sudra with a stick in his hand ; to see in front of one an umbrella, fans, mirrors, a harp, diamonds, gold, weapons, fruit or flowers; to bear the braying of an ass from the east, south, north or north-east. It is lucky, if a crow, a parrot, a stork, a heron, or a jackal. passes from the left to the right ; if a brahminy kite, a hawk, an owl, an iguana, a deer, a musk-rat, a dog, or a mongoose passes from right to left ; and if a lizard's cry is heard from the right, or from overhead.

It seems strange that it should be a good omen to meet a corpse, but it is the case. To dream of a corpse, of a blaze of fire, of flowers, of fruit, of having stepped into filth, or of having any filth fall on one's body is considered to be a good omen. To dream of any thing red, such as red flowers, a red cloth or blood is bad.

It is a very anxious time when a good Hindu leaves his ,home to start out for a journey. He will naturally look and listen carefully for some good sign. A pandit friend tells me that there is no definite distance laid down beyond which bad omens have no effect ; but perhaps twenty or twenty-five yards, or even less, may be considered enough as a test. After the traveller gets out into the main street, if the house started from is in a side street, it will not matter much if anything of the nature of a bad omen happens. The setting out, therefore, is the anxious time. It is a bad sign, if any one tries to persuade the departing traveller not to go, or says he had better take some food before starting, or offers to accompany him, or enquires as to where he is going, or pulls his garment to keep him back. It is considered a bad omen when a person sets out, to meet, or to see in front of him, any of the following :—a woman with plaited red hair 1, a widow, a new pot, a whirlwind, drops of rain, a bundle of firewood, a single Brahmin, an oil-monger, a pariah, a lame man, men quarrelling, men in suffering, men with dishevelled hair, a hunchback, a leper, invalids, buttermilk, oil, empty pots, grass, bones, a bundle of dirty clothes, smoking fire or various other things which are mentioned. It is not a good sign to see an ass either to the west, the north-west, the south-west or the south-east with its head hanging down and braying ; or to see a crow, a parrot, a stork, a heron, or a jackal pass from the right to the left.

If any of these bad omens appears to a pious Hindu when he is setting out on a journey, especially if the journey is an important one, he will certainly turn back home again. On entering his house he will carefully wash his feet and then perform achamanam, which is sipping of water three times, repeating the following names of Vishnu, Keshava Svala! hail Krishna, Narayana Svaha hail Narayana, Madhava Svaha ! hail Madhava. After this is over, and after spending some time in quiet meditation, he will again set forth. If after a succession of attempts he still meets with bad omens the journey will be deferred entirely for the day, if not altogether given up. If the traveller is a Sudra, he will not be able to repeat the words mentioned above, when performing his achamanam, as they are taken from the Vedas, and none but a twice-born must take such holy words within his lips. The Sudra will sip the water and say Govinda! Govinda! or Siva! Siva! according as he is a Vaishnava, or a Siva, a worshipper of the god Vishnu, or of the god Siva.

SNAKE OMENS.

In a country like India where serpent worship is so common, the movements of these reptiles are looked upon as ominous. The vital statistics of the Indian Government show an annual loss of life by snake bite alone, averaging from twenty to twenty-five thousand. It is not then to be wondered at that the serpent should inspire a dread which leads on to propitiatory worship. They thus form a natural subject for omens.
To see two snakes fighting denotes a quarrel between the beholder and his relatives ; to see two snakes making off in the same direction forebodes poverty. One snake swallowing another is a sign of famine. It is a good omen to any one who sees a serpent climbing up a green tree, for he is sure to be an emperor. It is a sign of coming misfortune to a king, if he sees a snake climbing down from a tree ; but the same thing is to other than kings a good omen. The entrance of a snake into a house denotes wealth to the householder ; but just the reverse if it is seen departing from a house. If a cobra is seen with its hood expanded and its tail erect, going across from the left to the right, it is a good sign ; if only its hood is expanded as it thus proceeds, it denotes a good meal for the beholder. If a snake comes towards a person from the right side it foretells success ; but it is a bad sign if it should come from the left. If anyone sees a snake crawling about in the road in front of him, it denotes success to his projects ; but evil will follow if the person halts. If when the snake sees anyone it expands its hood and erects its head, it foretells wealth and prosperity ; but, if it crawls into its hole, it denotes wealth to the poor, but poverty to the rich. To see a dead snake lying on the ground foretells news of death. Should a farmer on arriving at a field see a cobra with hood expanded and head erect, it shows that the field will yield a good crop; but if it should crawl away on seeing him, it denotes a bad crop. It is a sign of a good crop, if a cobra is seen with hood expanded and head erect when the farmer is sowing his seed. A snake crawling into the entrance of a village denotes good to the villagers ; but it denotes evil to them if it is seen running away from a village. To hear a serpent hiss on entering a village is a good omen ; but when on a journey it is bad to hear it hiss. If any one sees the trail of a snake on the ground, he must walk backwards along it, rubbing it out with his foot.
CROW OMENS.
To one at all acquainted with the Indian crow, it is not at all a matter of surprise that the ways of that wily bird are thought to be highly ominous. The very glitter of its wicked beady black eye is suggestive of evil. The Hindus think, from the peculiar squinting way the crow has of looking at a thing—turning its head from side to side in a most uncanny fashion—that it can only see with one eye at a time, but that it has the power of transferring vision from one eye to the other at will. According to this theory, one eye must, for the time, be only a dummy. As may be. expected, the crow is a proverbial bird amongst the Hindus. They say, for instance, " The crow's chick is dear to the crow," or, as the English proverb has it, " Even a beggar loves her brat " ; " The crow is black at birth and black when grown," or, " What is bred in the bone will come out in the flesh" ; " To kill crows and throw them to kites," or, " To rob Peter to pay Paul."
Though the crow is certainly interesting from some points of view, and perhaps in personal appearance somewhat deserving the high sounding name (corvus splendens) with which naturalists have endowed him, the moral character of the Indian crow is truly of the lowest. He is a very Ishmaelite amongst birds. For cunning craftiness, for untiring pertinacity, for fiendish cruelty, and outrageous impudence, perhaps no feathered creature in existence is its equal. The jackdaw of Rheims would be far behind in competition with it, either in cleverness or in wickedness. It is, therefore, perfectly natural that the crow should be placed in the Hindu list of creatures of augury. Thus, if on setting out for a journey a crow comes in front of a person and caws, it denotes the defeat of the object of the journey. If it caws first on the left hand side, and then on the right it shows that robbers may fall upon the traveller in the way ; but if it caws first on the right side and then on the left, it foretells wealth and the accomplishment of one's designs. If a crow caws on the left hand, and. then follows after the person, it prognosticates an access of riches ; but if, after cawing on the left hand, it comes towards one from the front, it foretells difficulties on the journey. On the other hand, this last omen is good for those who are not setting out on a journey. If a crow coming towards a person caws and then goes behind to the right, it foretells suffering from ulcers. If anyone is fortunate enough to see one crow feeding another, it bespeaks happiness to the beholder.
DOG OMENS.
The dog of the country, the ordinary " pariah " dog as it is called, is such a poor miserable thing that it is rather surprising to find so much space occupied with them in the book on omens. There are good dogs in India and sometimes specimens of really well-bred creatures are seen. A thoroughbred brinjari dog or a really good poligar is an excellent animal and suits the country ; but the dog of the East is a miserable creature, and the word dog is univerally used as a term of contempt. Such terms as " a lucky dog " or " a jolly dog," with the implied strain of compliment rather than reproach, are unknown in India, and probably the same may be said for the East generally.
It is a good sign, if a dog comes near anyone with a piece of old shoe in its mouth ; and it bespeaks wealth to a person who sees a dog with some flesh in its mouth. If a dog passes by with a raw bone in its mouth it is a lucky sign ; but if a dog has a burning stick or a dry bone in its mouth, it foretells death. If a dog enters a house with a dry bone in its mouth, the householder will be in great danger of death ; if on so entering it has ropes, or leather straps in its mouth, it shows that the householder will be put into prison. It is good, if a dog comes from the right towards a person about to start on a journey ; or if it should come towards him from the front when actually on a journey. If a dog shaking its ears jumps upon a traveller, or walks behind him treading in his footsteps, it denotes that difficulties may happen. When a dog stops a traveller in the way and prevents his proceeding, it means that he will fall among robbers or be stopped by enemies. If any one sees a dog scratching itself, it denotes disease to the beholder. Evil also will happen to anyone who sees a dog lying down with its tail cocked up. A journey is foretold to a person whose shoes a dog smells. It also predicts danger from enemies or from robbers if a dog smells a person's shoulders.
CAT OMENS.
A cat is evidently not thought to be such a very portentous creature, as but little is said about it in the book on omens. The following is all that is said :—" Should a cat be in front of anyone when he may be considering any business, that business will not prosper. If anyone sees a cat, just on awaking in the morning nothing he may do that day Will prosper. A cat coming towards anyone who is leaving home shows that the object he had in view will fail. Should a cat follow anyone who is leaving the house, the object in view will be accomplished without any hindrance. It is a good omen to hear a cat cry from the side towards the west."
SNEEZING REGARDED AS AN OMEN.
A sneeze at the important rite of a marriage ceremony is regarded as an unpropitious sign.' If a good Hindu sneezes he snaps his fingers and then makes some earnest exclamation like chiranjeeva (live a long life) or shatayussu (live for a hundred years) in order to avert any evil. It is said that to sneeze many times denotes the accomplishment of one's desires ; it is also a good sign to cough after sneezing. On -the other hand, it is a sign of evil to sneeze just once and then stop. A person must not blow his nose immediately after sneezing, as that would be a sign of death. After a single sneeze, or if a man unwittingly blows his nose immediately after sneezing, it is well to cease thinking about any business that may have been occupying his attention and immediately to lie down and be quiet for a time, having first expectorated ; in this way the evil may be nullified. It is a good omen to hear sneezing when taking betel, or when about to take food, or upon going to bed. If when thinking about some important business, any one hears a fourfooted beast sneeze, or if such a thing occurs when he happens to be contemplating a journey, it would be a sign of death, or some equally great calamity. It is a good thing to get up whilst sneezing ; but it is an omen of delay in one's business to sit down whilst doing so. It is a sign that his object will be accomplished, if he sneezes whilst holding in his hand bell-metal, copper, or gold ; but it is the very opposite, if the metal in the hand should be of iron or silver.
It is good to hear young children, infants, prostitutes, pariahs, or the lame sneeze ; but it is a sign that many troubles will happen to any one unfortunate enough to hear any of the following women sneeze:— a married woman, a widow, one who is blind, dumb, or maimed, a washerwoman, or one of the toddy drawer caste, a Madiga (workers in leather) woman, a woman of the Yerukala caste (gypsies), -or one carrying a burden. It is also a bad sign if a person when sneezing should -happen to see a woman.
YAWNING.
Yawning is not properly speaking regarded as an omen, but Hindus have some very peculiar ideas about it. It is thought that when a person yawns, the life may leave the body ; whether merely from the effects of the spasmodic action, or from any other cause is not clear. Hence it is usual on yawning, to snap the fingers and say Krishna! Krishna! or Siva ! Siva! in order to avert any evil that may otherwise result: So strong is the belief that the life may leave the body through a hearty yawn, that. to yawn' is sometimes used as a euphemism for 'to die.' If a baby yawns, the mother, or someone near, who has observed it, snaps the fingers saying, Krishna! Krishna! or Siva! Siva!
It is probable that the superstitious ideas with reference to yawning, and sneezing' also, had their origin in the fact that any spasmodic action may be of itself physically somewhat dangerous. This presumption is strengthened from the fact that a slokam on the subject also includes falling down. It is as follows :—
"On sneezing, falling, or yawning,
Snap the fingers and say, live arise
It is fit even for a younger to do this to an elder.
This is for the reviving."
The third line in the verse is an allusion to the well-known impropriety of a younger person presuming to bless an older one. In the three possible events mentioned, the danger is considered such as to warrant this departure from what is ordinarily considered to be right and proper.
There are many more omens ; but I have given enough to show how the Hindu people are tied and bound with the chains of superstition. Doubtless there are many who pay little heed to these things ; but, taking the people as a whole, this belief in omens is universally prevalent throughout the country, and exercises great sway over the daily life of the masses. The material harm this superstition does is great, for a fatalistic belief in impending evil often brings about its own fulfilment by paralyzing the endeavour that might prevent it.
Though, Aryan hardly believes in superstions and omens but yesterdays incident made Aryan to think and update himself along with his esteemed friends. just chill my dear friends...





Outing and Me  

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Hey everyone….hope the unpredictable weather hasn’t taken much off your moods! Well this certainly isn’t my favorite season, but not something I could hate too! Anyways, this week Saturday turned out to be a working day for us, and for hostellers like me, it certainly wasn’t a very good news…I had plans to go down to the city! Never mind, I shifted plans to Sunday and off we went for a break we always deserve! Now, many of the newcomers (and some faculty too) here think that why do we students keep running to Jaipur every weekend?? Well I could tell them aplenty reasons but to put them all in a nutshell, here are the reasons numbered:

1) Pet Puja! No matter how good mess food is, we have a tendency to always like the dhabe ka khana down the city road.

2) Academics! Its only every Saturday that we realize that we need to buy our course books (that we always postpone for the next week1)

3) SHOPPING!!!! We students have to go the market every other weekend cause we need to buy some essentials always, only to realize that we already have a stock of it

4) Birthdays! Every other weekend, there is a birthday or some other occasion coming up, so who wouldn’t want to buy gifts and cards and cakes and chocolates?? Everyone of us. Only to realize that the occasion is either over or yet to come in like 10 days!

5) Family! We have to stay connected with our families right, so every second weekend, we are striding to jaipur to meet our relatives, who we never end up meeting with!

6) Theatre! What will happen of the box office if we don’t go watch the latest flick? We can’t be so hard hearted can we?

7) Health! It is only on Friday that some of us suddenly notice how sick our roommate/friend is and seeks immediate medical attention, hence Saturday goes for doctors appointment. Once we get down that bus, all sickness vanishes suddenly!

And the list could go on and on….hehe!! Well honestly, one of the many things that I shall miss is standing in those long queues for out passes and giving some lame reasons for getting one! Ah, stepping in 3rd year has certainly made me nostalgic! Anyways, you all keep enjoying life, and keep commenting! Tada!!!!

My sweet n salty Freshers  

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Friends!!! You might have thought that I have forgotten you or I have been fired from the job. Hmmm but that was not the case, actually I was busy in discovering my rather your best friend who will talk to you. He knows me well, I know him well, he is among you rather one of you; he is one and only ‘Mr. Muser’ of ‘Tuesday Musings ’. He will entertain, amuse you and will also discuss your problems. So cheer up friends your muser is here. Mr. Muser, “what a great day to start with. HAPPY RAKHI to one and all”.
Mr. Muser was standing alone waiting for a friend, near the pathway junction rather PMC (Piya Milan Chohraha) as we call it. All of a sudden, a modest cluster passed and wished Mr. Muser “Good Evening sir” and Mr. Muser got little confused rather bewildered but he soon gathered his senses with a calm response. 
Well, the new batch has just joined and thus our campus has turned more lush and green. I must say marvellous. Mr. Muser hates nonsense, so now no more bakwas bus sedhi baat. Mr. Muser is a super senior now as such with maturity and experience; advice also comes to action. Let’s see what he has for his super juniors.
“We (seniors) welcome you (Freshers) to our undifferentiated world of Amity Universe. We even advice you that before you indulge yourself in any kind of lafda think twice as such activities are not entertained in the campus.  And it’s the time for raksha bandhan so relax and celebrate this “Rakshah bandhan” with all your new batch mates and wonderful seniors.  Well, humour aside and coming back to business, there are a few informal set of guidelines especially for you my dearest fresher’s:
i.         Divide your brain into 3 parts- a larger part for studies, another part for your extreme field of interest (which include sports and other healthy activities) and the last one for the FUN.
ii.       No fooling around!! Never misbehave with anyone around, as it’s definitely going to harm you; especially not with your teachers and seniors because ultimately they are the one who will be besides you come what may in addition with the healthy knowledge and grades.
iii.      For any educational or emotional assistance use library, green box and psychology department.
iv.     Now, at last but not the least as the saying goes on “No ‘she’ or ‘he’ factor must affect you, whether it is mentally, physically, emotional or still financially”. Have a stone heart if you are student of journalism.
Now finally, this is Mr. Muser signing off with the wish that my sweet n salty fresher’s should have fun around and in the campus, enjoy the weather but not at the cost of academics... 

Nos Vemos!!! 

Day 3- Morning session  

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Altamash Memon/Sandra Joseph

The session, chaired by Dr. Sajjan Singh(Chinmaya Mission, Rewa), started with an evoking thought of Prof.C.R.Mukundan(Former Prof. and Head, NIMHANS, 
Bangalore) on Brain Interface of Free-Will, which was explicated as-“If you are a driver, and you know how your car works, then you’ll drive the car well”. Citing man as a rational animal in aspect of neuro-cognitive evaluation, he further stated quotes of Sir William James, as “When murders and treacheries cease to be sin, regrets are theoretical absurdities and errors”.
Divulging further intricacies, he highlighted certain aspects of Preattentive emotions and stimulus, Free Will, etc. Recognizing Response Inhibition as an extraordinary ability, and an effective way of improved stimuli, he defined it as “terminating, delaying, and finally executing the response, at the right time”. On an optimistic note, he concluded, that creating a better future, in the present is a sign of true learning.
Bringing theory to actual lifetime experiences was Prof. Rajbir Singh(Ph.D, Dept.Of Psychology, M.D.University, Rohtak).Defining positive psychology, from past experiences, as scientific study of virtues and strengths, and using it as an umbrella term for study of positive emotions, character traits, and institutions enabling them. Throwing light on strengths, and their role in success, he explained how to own, and express signature strength, which is a vital attribute of every individual.
 Having a graduate’s degree in Psychology, Dr. Sanjay Srivastava(Amity Business School, Noida) pictorially represented the “Diminishing returns in Pursuit Of Happiness”. He defined all aspects of well being, with the universal truth that, an auto locus (“Swastha”) person enjoys harmonious life. He wrapped up the session with the fact that true happiness lies in the learning of our virtues.
At this juncture, all the speakers were presented with a token of gratitude, and a momentum of rememberance.

Welcome Juniors!!!!  

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Finally, Aryan is back that too with a different style and vogue. What is he up to? What is he going to write? Questions were troubling me but Aryan had decided something good. Aryan joined college some two years back; joined as a junior, and then he became senior and now a super senior. Things and time both have changed but Aryan still misses those humble days of his first year when he was a fresher rather junior himself. Kya baat le ke baith gaya tu Aryan aaj kya hua woh bata?? Oh! Okay, what happened today really made Aryan to get lost in the thoughts of thoughts...

Aryan was just wandering with his friends when a humble, unrecognised sweet voice greeted with a sentence that brings dignity, pride and responsibility in you.... yes friends you guessed it right -‘Good Morning Sir’. Aryan was so confused who is wishing him in this manner  as all  his  juniors now wish him very informally usually ‘bhaiya’ but  ‘sir’, who this can be?   Any way Aryan responded to the voice but still with the confusion.

In the afternoon, one of Aryan’s junior told him about the arrival of the juniors. At this Aryan spoke out ‘oh! I see’. Any way it was really good to see your juniors becoming seniors in other words getting matured. Aryan’s expectations from the young guns have also now taken wings. But where is that excitement, zeal and that fire? A difficult question for Aryan to answer but the things will not remain same always, time will take a turn. New torch bearers of Aryan’s department will soon realise it. At the moment Aryan’s juniors are offering all sorts of help to their juniors exactly what Aryan wanted. So cheers!! My dearest juniors rather betas, as I often call them.  

Now a small piece of advice from the Aryan to the fresher rather his super juniors. First of all ‘tension lene ka nahi denay ka’. Secondly, be happy. Thirdly, follow all the university protocols and lastly, if any problem or difficulty arises consult your mentors or your seniors. It’s just the beginning of your college life so just chill and do whatever you like but not at the cost of your academics. You will be spending the best days of your life in Amity University Rajasthan so my dearest ones make them really the best. It is you who can make your university great, be a proud student of this marvellous university. Once again welcome to AMITY.  Live it to the full ‘jo hoga dekha jaye ga’.... are Aryan bhul gaya kya kal rakhi hai ... are haan “Happy Rakhi” to all brothers and sisters... 

HAPPY RAKHI  

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Amity University Rajasthan wishes you a bright future ahead on the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandan... HAPPY RAKHI

Juniors and ME  

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“Good evening ma’am!!” For the people who are oblivious enough, this ain’t any scene of some classroom; this is what is happening in the campus from the past 2 weeks! Oh before anything else, a very warm welcome to the freshers from Bubble’s side…the coming years are surely going to include many twists and turns that will help you shape up your life for better…wait! Did I just go philosophical at that??!!

Ah, so getting back at this “wishing” business…it is this kind of a ritual here at the campus to wish our seniors whenever and wherever you see them and address them as “sir/Ma’am”! So for the juniors who find all this weird, well guys let me just tell you that this is exactly what most of us feel as sophomores! Looking at the scene around I am so reminded of my first year...those evening walks when we would go around wishing every senior we would see!! *nostalgic*.

I still vividly remember the times when we joined here and had this terror of seniors and ragging in our minds…it was a relief though when that fear turned out to be just something unreal; we could not have expected something better than what we got! So much did I wish my seniors back then that now even if I have become a ‘super senior’ and they ‘super duper seniors’ I still can’t help myself from calling them Ma’am/Sir! Silly enough but then as they say that old habits die hard. Oh and the first time that we became seniors, gosh that was absolutely crazy! My batch mates and friends would remember how many of us had this craze of becoming seniors and trying to boss around the campus, only to be pulled down by the ‘anti-ragging’ affidavit!! Haha…I should have clicked pictures of some my friends when they had that alarming expression on their faces!!

And now that our juniors are seniors themselves, just a little piece of advice (why is Bubble more like Aunt Marge type today?!!!): please do not try to practice your ‘senior’ rights in the wrong ways...it could just back-fire and put you into some deep trouble! Enjoy your time to the fullest because that’s what life expects us to do. As for the super senior and super-duper seniors…relax and enjoy the scenario is all that Aunt Marge a.k.a. Bubble can say ;)……..au revoir!!!

Poster Presentation  

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SUCHARITA BASU ROY

7th August, 2010: While speakers spoke in the concurrent sessions, there was also a poster presentation conducted. The aim of this Presentation was to create an atmosphere of positivity all around which it did with utmost conviction. The posters presented came in all possible sizes and colors and aptly depicted the principles of “Positive Psychology”. Few of them consisted of studies conducted on topics like “Mental Disorders in Students, Spiritual Intelligence among students, Dialectical Thinking and their practical use while there were others which contained brilliant quotations on psychology in vibrant colours. In a nutshell, the presentation proved to be highly informative and motivating.

Welcome Freshers- 2010  

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Amity University Rajasthan 
Wishes you a happy and prosperous career ahead!

Concurrent technical sessions  

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AUR NEWS DESK

7th August, 2010: After the lunch break, the concurrent technical sessions began that got eminent speakers to speak on various topics of Positive Psychology.
Session-IV had the speakers talk on “Current Therapeutic Practises in Counseling”. Chaired by Prof. T. B. Singh and Mr. Vinod from AUR, psychotherapists and scholars from different parts of the country briefed the audience about the practices that have helped their patients to bring about a change in their lives. An impressive presentation was made by Prabhasini Appalsamy from Rhodes University (South Africa) where she spoke about a patient Megan, who came over her depression by connecting herself with quantum physics and Buddhism.  While Megha Pushkarna emphasized on the role of family members in the lives of drug abused and alcoholics, Atasi Mohanty spoke about her case study on the poor mental health of the Tea-garden workers in north-east India. The session ended with the chairpersons congratulating the speakers on their work and presentin them with certificates.

The parallel session-V chaired by Prof. Ghalib Hussain and Dr.Soundarm Arul had the speakers expressing their thoughts on various topics like  Positive psychology in Context with Spirituality and Indian Heritage, Education: Challenges and Expectations in New Millennium, Positive Psychology at Work to Reiki and Happiness and Ecological Attitude of Village and City Dwellers. The common conclusion of the session was the need to explore all the facets of positive psychology to help improve the quality of human life. At the end of the event certificates were handed out by the chairperson to the speakers.

Session-VI was chaired by the eminent Prof. M. P. Sharma and Prof. R. M. Dungawat and had the presenters speaking on psychiatric illness. Mrs. Usha Rani talked on the sensitive topic of social acceptance of mental retardation and said that social integration can be made possible through positive psychology. The presentations varied from talking about depressed Nepalese women to teenagers in slum.the session ended with Prof. Dungawat talking about positive psychology from the legal point of view. Mrs. Shashi Singhal thanked the chairpersons for their presence and asked them to hand over the certificates to the participants.

Session-VII had Dr.Prashant Bhimani as the Chairperson and was coached by Dr. Sharda, heads language cell in Amity University. Researchers and Scholars from various organizations  discussed on the major topics of research like Gender Differences in Evaluation of Characteristics; Impact of Androgyny and Self-Esteem on Happiness among Working Women; Subjective Well-being, Locus of Control and Self-Efficacy among University Students; Is Self-esteem related to marital relationship in IT professionals with a working spouse became the highlights of the session.
Dr.Bhimani expressed his viewpoints on the basic needs of a common man and also mentioned that in the era of Nanotechnology, no one should follow the old orthodox methods relating to the facts and ideas, humorously adding  further to conclude-“Believe in God because everything cannot be believed on google.com.”


Plenary Session:3 on Positive Psychology and Well-being  

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SANDRA JOSEPH/SUCHARITA BASU


AUR, 7th August, 2010: The plenary session was headed by Prof. S D Sharma (IHBAS, New Delhi) where the keynote speakers expressed their views on topics related to Positive Psychology and Well Being. Prof. Shiva Gautam started off the session by a Sanskrit shloka conveying the message : “Let all be happy, let all be without an ailment and let all be without any misery in life.” His presentation revolved around Psychotherapy in India and threw light on the rich history of India wherein he described Lord Krishna as the First Psychotherapist who guided Arjuna in the battle of Kurukshetra. The next speaker Prof. Uday Jain spoke at length on well being in the current Psychological thoughts. He introduced the theory of Rasa which is a non-ego state in Meta -emotions and Bhakti- a way to experience bliss. He lastly stated that the concept of well being is rooted in our culture and that positivistic psychology is a medium to attain happiness. Finally Prof. N.K Chadha took over and discussed the impact of maintenance bill on family and society. The main objective of his presentation was to provide a sense of security in elderly people and responsibility for a younger generation. At the end of the session Prof. S.S Nathawat presented mementos to the speakers of both the plenary sessions.

Plenary session on the Perspectives of Positive Psychology  

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SARIKA NAIR


AUR, 7th August, 2010: The second day of the International Conference commenced with the Plenary Session-2: Perspective of Positive Psychology initiated by some eminent personalities of Psychology. The session was chaired by Prof.C.R.Mukundan, Former Head of Dept.: Clinical Psychology, NIMHANS, Bangalore.
Prof.Manas K.Mandal, Director, Defence institute of Psychological Research, DRDO, Delhi, shared his views on the topic: Envisioning Positive Psychology for Tomorrow. His primary motivation was to see how he could gather inputs from the services for Indian forces and to maintain the morale of these forces. He highlighted the major points related to Operational Psychology and Clinical Psychology, emphasizing on the fact that although Ayurveda is far more effective than the modern medicine yet it lags behind since it isn't promoted much. He also discussed the advantages of meditation, where he informed that a person who is involved in meditation has activation in the front end of the brain where he/she is more concentrated. Amygdala responses to fearful and happy faces in normal humans. He concluded his speech that” People are identified on the basis of attitude rather than aptitude”.

Dr. S. D. Sharma Speaking on the Psychology (Photo:ABHISHEK/ASCO)
Prof. Manas Mandal Speaking on the Occassion (Photo:ABHISHEK/ASCO)
Ms. Pui San Whittaker, Dr. Ashok K. Chauhan, Prof. Girishwar Misra, Prof. S.K. Kiran Kumar (Photo:ABHISHEK/ASCO)
Audience at the international Psychological Conference (Photo:ABHISHEK/ASCO)

The next speaker, Ms.Pui San Whittaker, Senior Consultant, mental Health Commission, Western Australia expressed her viewpoints on the topic: Promoting Mental Health through Living Libraries.  She introduced the audience to the Western Australia (WA) Mental Health Commission’s background and history. She defined LIVING LIBRARIES as “a library that facilitates one-to-one conversations with people from all walks of life, hence helping in breakdown stigma and discrimination. It has a partnership with the local libraries and local government.”  People are highly satisfied with the event from the books and readers.would represent a human.  Ms.Whittaker  winded up her talk with a short  documentary video where she showed the strategic ways to develop an individual’s mental health and the changes after inculcating living libraries in their lives.
After the living libraries, Prof. S.K.Kiran Kumar, Prof, University of Mysore, Mysore, shared his ideas on the topic: Indian Traditions and positive Psychology-Research Possibilities. He said that the  conference would give a new approach to the outlook into the context of Positive Psychology. According to Upanishads, state of consciousness is a state of waking up. Indian thoughts have different perspectives than Modern Psychology. He emphasized on the Indian thoughts that are still surviving in this world. He further proceeded his lecture with the postulates of Indian Traditions, where he explained various terms like Adhakara, Atman, Svadharma, Ashrama Dharma and Varna dharma, and gave real life examples. He also stated that within the framework of Santana Dharma, attainment of well being through spirituality can involve hardships and emotional states. . He concluded his talk and the session with the thought that “Life is not  about only being happy...it is a mixture of happiness and sorrows which has to be handled with pride.”

Dr. S. D. Sharma talks on Spiritualism  

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Prof. (Dr.) S. D. Sharma speaking on the Conference (Photo: Abhishek/ASCO)
MD.AFROZ/SARIKA NAIR
AUR, 6TH August, 2010: Prof. (Dr.) S. D. Sharma, Ex-Dir, IHBAS delivered a very informative, encouraging and impactful lecture on Spirituality and Mental Health. He made it pretty clear that spirituality is all about psychology. Adding to that, he vividly put forth an idea that religion and spirituality are not the same; while religion paves way for doubts, spirituality with its autonomy soothes minds and souls without any false thoughts. 
Citing the famous quote of Plato “Man is not only conscious but he is conscious of his consciousness”, consciousness is the very window tool where we perceive reality. Dr.Sharma added humorously that scientists believe that there is no spiritual source for mystical experiences. Body and mind are inseparable and interlocked. For a healthy living and mental health, balance of both is necessary and essential. Satisfaction leans towards the pleasure of the hedonists. Being self actualized is more important than anything for a human, saying this he quoted -“Better is Socrates dissatisfied than being a fool satisfied!” Social emotions help to break the out the ego cage of Iand MINE. Sigmund Frews quoted that “Religion is related to people’s psychological makeup.” Spirituality is concerned with soul and it is directed towards the pursuit of personal meaning that gives purpose & meaning to life. 
In the end, Dr. Sharma concluded that spiritual experience is eternal and permanent. In spiritual life, a person develops his power of concentration through self actions, gains, discrimination between the spirit and humans.

Concurrent Technical Sessions chaired by honourees  

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AUR News Desk
AUR, 6th August, 2010: The agenda of the 1st session:Paper Presentation on Spiritualism, Meditation and Well-Being was to make everyone aware of psychotherapy and the discussion of the conceptual and empirical issues regarding the relationship between Yoga and Quality of Life.15 speakers presented their study on various topics like positive psychological effects according to Al Ghazali, improving quality of life through Yoga, Changes in Life by Sudarshana Kriya Yoga, Meditation and Mental Health and Reformation through Self-realization in Criminal Youth. The resounding conclusion of the event was: Cognitive therapy is efficacious as a medication in treating depression and stress hence improving the quality of life. At the end of the session certificates were handed out to all the speakers by the chairperson, Prof. Manas. K. Mandal, Director-DIPR, DRDO, Delhi and the co-chairperson, Dr. S. Sitaraman. 
Simultaneously another session; Paper Presentation on Value Based Quality of Life and Happiness was held in which the speakers spoke on the various aspects of positive psychology, especially on adolescents’ lives.The chairpersons for the event were Dr. S. P. Bhatt and Dr. Jitendra Mohan. Topics like changes in adjustment level of teenagers, the happier way to total living, mood state and quality of life of hostellers etc. were talked about extensively.
Man is the only animal to whom his existence is the biggest problem.” This old proverb formed the crux of the 3rd parallel session:Paper Presentation on Geriartric Psychology/Psychiatry and Ageing Gracefully. The session was chaired by Prof. Shiv Gautam , Additional Principal, SMS Medical College, Jaipur along with Prof. R. Arul . The topic of the discourse revolved around the phenomenon of ageing and its consequences on man.The speakers talked at length on the various ill-effects of ageing and the ways of tackling them. The session concluded aptly with a stress on the positive Indian psyche.

Symposium on the perspectives of Positive Psychotherapy in 21st Century  

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Mr. Aseem Chauhan felicitating Prof. Henrich (Photo: Abhishek/ASCO)
SARIKA NAIR /SANDRA JOSEPH
AUR, August 6th, 2010: Prof. Christian Henrichs, International Trainer of positive Psychotherapy & Board member of the World Association of Positive Psychotherapy and, Peseschkian Foundation, Germany, discussed the perspectives of Psychotherapy in the 21st century. Peseschkian’s Approach to Psychotherapy in the Time of Globalization. He said, “Positive Psychotherapy will enable a person to relate himself to the past and connect him with future.” According to him, today a person can only be successful if we are connected to the future. If we want to do something we never had before, we will have to do something that we have never done before. According to a renowned scientist, Prof. Peters, “To be successful today, we need to connect ourselves with our brain.” We should be able to relate ourselves to the future rather than our present or past.
It’s very important that we relate to facts. It’s not only important to ace but also very important to look back and learn from our mistakes. Prof. Henrichs conveyed that if anybody goes up to the mountain and decides to climb; the foremost thing needed is the will power and courage. In every problem, learn new depths and new solutions for it. Main idea is that we not only relate ourselves to the problems but also relate to the ability of solving them.
Prof. Henrichs introduced to people the basic capabilities, like to grow or to develop, are required to have in an individual. They are continuous process that helps an individual to move forward and to be concrete. He also highlighted the facts of being an obedient individual. Obedience to oneself and God is one of the highest station that human can ever acquire. For instance, being obedient to an unjust ruler is wrong. We actualize basic capacity at various levels and we are the victims of relationships. Having secondary capabilities like honesty, punctuality, honesty, sincerity and fidelity are needed to cope up our anxiety. He gave an example on how Illness and death of a person is considered in east and west. In west when a person is sick, he would like to rest. He is visited by a few people. Visits are perceived as social control. In east, when a person is ill, the bed is put in the living room. The sick person is the center of attention and is visited by family members, relatives and friends. For visitors to stay away is seen as lack of sympathy. Where in case of death; in west, people ask you to abstain from sympathy calls. They have to deal with very own fare by themselves. Now they must bear so much suffering alone. In east, for between 8-40 days, all the relatives, friends and acquaintances visit the survivors, thus giving a feeling of sincerity “Shared suffering is half the suffering”.
On a visit to China, Henrichs told his students that-“It’s not even enough to give knowledge but it’s also important to use wisdom.” Different people have developed different strategies to cope up with the problems. Balanced model is not only related to concepts but also deals with the basic areas of life.

International Conference on Positive Psychology Commences  

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Prof. Christian Henricks, Mr.Aseem Chauhan, Prof. S.D. Sharma, Prof.(Dr.)Raj Singh at International Psychology Conference at Amity University Rajasthan(Photo: Chirag/ASCO)
Mr. Aseem Chauhan with Prof. S.D. Sharma launching a Journal of Applied Psychology (Photo: Chirag/ASCO)

Mr. Aseem Chauhan, Chancellor, Amity University Rajasthan speaking on the conference (Photo: Chirag/ASCO)


Prof. (Dr.) Raj Singh, Vice Chancellor Amity University Rajasthan and Prof. S.S. Nathawat lighting the lamp (Photo: Chirag/ASCO)

 SUPRIYA BOHRA/MOHAMMAD AFROZ
AUR, August 6th, 2010: It’s the day all of us have been waiting for. The first International Conference on Positive Psychology: a New Approach to Mental Health begins today in Amity University Rajasthan amongst great excitement and fervor. The program commenced with Mrs. Jayati M. Sharma welcoming the delegates and participants and thanking them for their immense support and zeal for the conference, followed by a presentation on the Amity universe by Dr. Shashi Singhal. The hon’ble Chancellor Aseem Chauhan, Vice Chancellor Dr. Raj Singh and Prof. S.S. Nathawat welcomed the eminent guests, Prof. Christian Henricks and Prof. S. D. Sharma with floral greetings. With the welcome note delivered by Dr. Singh, Prof. Nathawat expressed his gratitude towards all the guests present and was indeed glad to see such  a huge crowd turning up for this conference.  The honorees then officially launched the Amity Journal of Applied Psychology, along with the Abstract and the souvenir for the Conference.  Mr. Chauhan then shared with the audience his views on positive psychology and how is it such an essential part of the current scenario.  He also applauded the efforts of Prof. Nathawat and everyone involved who brought this conference into existence. With his words of wisdom, he officially declared the conference open.