India is a land of rich heritage with ancient infrastructures that have evolved with time. All the cultures have guided human beings to the better living style. Every culture invented some of the greatest innovations, yet India has been a torchbearer with its culture woven with innovations and inventions. Much has evolved. There are many such aspects which needs to be preserved and practiced.
In the modern era, many experts highlighted this need and they started to practice the ancient theories for mental as well as physical well-being. India has offered the sciences of yoga, Ayurved, and a spiritual way of living which has been celebrated by millions across the globe. Many institutions have tried to reflect upon the ethos of this most ancient culture. Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (DSVV) is one of the torchbearers with a unique confluence of preserved and practices ancient Indian culture as well as curated and cherished modern scientific outlook.
It is an exceptional creation, which was born out of the unique vision of sage, scholar, and visionary of recent times, Pt Shriram Sharma Acharya Ji, who is the Founder of All World Gayatri Pariwar. It has 150 million members and 5000 centres worldwide. Pt Shriram Sharma Acharya ji said, “There is a need for an educational institution, which could refine its students into selfless, warm-hearted, compassionate, kind, noble, and enlightened human beings.”
Founding Stone
The university was established in the year 2002 on the basis of an act, passed by the state legislature of the Uttarakhand and notified in the gazette. The university is duly recognized by the University Grants Commission and is privately sponsored by Shri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj – the world-renowned headquarter of the All World Gayatri Pariwar. The lush green 90-acre campus of the university is set in the Himalayan surroundings and is both beautiful and state-of-the-art.
The university has well-equipped infrastructure in the form of adequate number of lecture-theatres with modern ICT facilities, laboratories, central and departmental libraries, auditoriums, sports and gym centre, health centre, amenities centre, student and faculty cafeterias, offices, full Wi-Fi connectivity, adequate security arrangements, yagyashala, herbal gardens, cowshed, museum, multi-modal polyclinic, etc.
It is a fully residential campus, with co-education facilities, having separate hostels for boys and girls, along with the residential facility for international students and all the faculty and supporting staff. As a state private university, Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya has reached unimaginable milestones in the short journey of over 19 years.
Exploring the Vision
The vision of the Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya is to unite contemporary education with spiritual training to cultivate well-rounded, competent, and personally uplifted graduates, who possess a scientifically grounded understanding and experience of spiritual transformation, and a powerful drive to use their gifts to promote the greater good of society.
The motto of the university is aptly framed as ‘A University for the Global, Cultural and Spiritual Renaissance’. The mission of the university is as follows:
- Confluence of traditional education with science and spirituality
- Creation of devoted, righteous, and learned students
- Infusion of scientific spirituality into lifestyle
- Creation of citizens that are well-endowed with nationalistic ideals
- Guiding future leaders by developing human values and oneness towards all
- Conducting non-conventional research in the conventional disciplines
From the Box
The university offers undergraduate, post-graduate, and post-doctoral programs in a wide array of subjects such as Yoga, Human consciousness, Psychology, Indian history, Theology, Computer Science, animation, holistic health, tourism, mathematics, entrepreneurship and rural development, environmental science, life management, scientific spirituality, linguists, education, journalism and mass communication.
The university provides a unique course in the form of life management, which aims to unleash the hidden potential of the students and bring excellence in their lives, by teaching them subjects like personality refinement, time management, interpersonal skills, disaster management, and environmental awareness. This module is mandatory for all students and hence, it provides an opportunity to create morally sound, conscientious citizens, who can lead the society and are well-endowed with nationalistic ideals.
Sports facilities, National Service Scheme (NSS) camps, NCC, and adventure camps provide further avenues for nurturing the creativity of the students. In addition, creation of an exclusive internship program for the students that allow them to perform social services for socially disadvantaged individuals, is an outstanding feature of the university. Additionally, opportunities for active engagement in social services are facilitated by the outreach work of university’s parent organization.
The USP is a blend of science and spirituality in programs and activities of DSVV. The core module is promoting shiksha (formal education) and vidya (wisdom) together. Yagyaopathy is promoted as an alternative treatment for diseases.
The extra-curricular activities of DSVV are based on the themes of Indian Culture. Unnayan, Utsav, Utkarsh are some of its programs, which DSVV celebrates with vigour and zeal. Additionally, weekly classes conducted by the honourable chancellor on Gita and meditation serve as an inspiration for all the students.
Appreciation of Excellence
DSVV is recognised by Indian Association of Yoga as a leading Yoga institute. It is NAAC accredited institute and recognised by the IYA two times as a leading Yoga institute. Also, it is nominated as Yoga expert by WHO. The institute is a member of Association of Commonwealth Universities and AIU. DSVV has been awarded the ‘University of the Year, 2019’ for holistic education.
First ‘International Festival on Yoga, Culture and Spirituality’ was introduced in the year 2010 and so far, dozen such international events have been hosted witnessing participation from overseas spiritual seekers and aspirants of Indian culture. DSVV holds a UNESCO chair with University of Opole, Poland. Under its social internship program, 5 lakhs schools and colleges have been covered. Two Presidents of India honoured as chief guests at convocation ceremony – Hon. President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in the year 2006, and Hon. Shri Pranab Mukherjee in 2012.
Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya has international collaborations with more than 60+ universities worldwide. Two of its faculty members, Prof. Radhey Sham Chaturvedi and Mr. Prakhar Pal, have been honoured by the President Award. More than 100 gold and silver medals are bagged by DSVV’s Yoga students. Asia’s first ‘Centre for Baltic Culture & Studies’ was established in 2016. DSVV is also a recipient of world-renowned Erasmus+ Scholarship, since 2016.
Other Accolades by Members of Management:
- Core committee member of International Day of Yoga.
- Director of GCR (a UN security council initiative)
- Member of Judge in Templeton prize committee.
- Honorary member of the senate of University of Latvia
- Member ICCR Governing Council
Pedagogical Adaption into the Pandemic
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunities” – inspired by this quote, DSVV came up with the innovative ways of having a great learning experience with its students. When offline classes shifted to online, the institute started taking regular classes though various online meeting platforms. In order to provide students proper notes, tutorial, guidance, and support, google classrooms were used.
To have individual and group focused interactions, WhatsApp groups were created. It looks quite normal to see but this was a way forward for customized learning for every student. Teachers mentored students individually and ensured that maximum lessons are delivered. One to one tutorial removed hesitation and students could discuss openly, which was not the case with offline classes.
Innovative ways of taking attendance were created using google forms. Online sessions gave opportunities to connect to the alumnus, and students-alumni speaks-sessions were hosted regularly. Similarly, students were provided the opportunity to collaborate with industry experts through ‘Industry Speaks, Learn from Leaders sessions.’ Various hands-on workshops and webinars were organized for students.
Open book method of written examinations was conducted, and evaluations were carried out with the help of ERP setup of the university, ensuring a complete online process. Viva and projects were conducted via innovative presentations, quizzes, individual interviews, and group discussions. Multiple co-curricular competitions were hosted, which were interdisciplinary in nature. Collaborative work, individual responsibilities and outcomes were reported, and progress graph was tracked. Through LMS and digital tools, university tried its best to come closer to students.
What Lies on Next Page?
Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya is committed to produce value-based educators and to equip state of Uttarakhand with quality education. The university is working for a rich legacy of founder-patron in the field of value-based education, which needs to be propagated across the educational fraternity. Also, DSVV is committed to provide a comprehensive model of education encompassing conventional wisdom and modern teaching methodology. It is one of the priorities of the university to provide adequate infrastructure for publication purposes and hence, promote research on quality education, and value-based education needs to be furthered.
