Latest news with #UrmiNandaBiswas
Time of India
20-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Lady Shri Ram College launches online course on Bhagavad Gita and Psychological insights
Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) held an inaugural session for its second short-term certificate course titled, 'Timeless Lessons – Gita & Psychological Insights'. Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) held the inaugural session of its second short-term certificate course titled 'Timeless Lessons – Gita & Psychological Insights'. This 10-day online course is part of LSR's Summer School 2025 programme, 'Virasaat: Tapestries of Indian Culture', and aims to promote self-awareness and mental well-being through the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. Chief Guest Pavan Kumar Varma and Guest of Honour Professor Urmi Nanda Biswas and Acting Principal Dr Kanika Ahuja. The session began with a welcome and a token of appreciation to Chief Guest Pavan Kumar Varma and Guest of Honour Professor Urmi Nanda Biswas, presented by Acting Principal Dr Kanika Ahuja. Dr Ahuja spoke about the relevance of the Gita in modern life, especially in the context of recent global events. She said the Gita offers psychological support in uncertain times, encouraging strength and reflection. Varma, author and former diplomat, highlighted the importance of cultural identity and called for the younger generation to reconnect with India's intellectual heritage. He said ancient texts like the Gita offer guidance for both personal and professional challenges. 'The Gita's lessons on identity and detachment are not just spiritual—they are also psychological tools,' he said. The learning objectives of the course are to develop an appreciation of the need for culturally informed systems of knowledge within our education system, an understanding of the linkages of psychology with Indian texts, and understanding how the lessons of the Bhagavad Gita can help to enhance psychology's acceptance in India. Professor Urmi Nanda Biswas, Head of Psychology at the University of Delhi, connected the Gita with positive psychology. She emphasised that its teachings can help regulate emotions and reduce material anxiety. The course is open to students and early career scholars. It covers Indian psychology, dharma, meditation, and the Gita's application in daily life.
Time of India
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Overrepresentation of Western ideas': No Kashmir, Palestine in DU psychology syllabus
NEW DELH: Several key topics, including the Israel-Palestine conflict, issue and suicides linked to dating apps, were allegedly removed from DU's psychology syllabus proposal during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Academic Matters held Friday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Faculty members present at the meeting claimed the chair of the committee, Prof Shri Prakash Singh, objected to what he called an "overrepresentation" of Western thought and insisted on replacing Unit 4 of the 'Psychology of Peace' paper. Panel to rework DU psychology syllabus, bring new proposal The paper covered the Israel-Palestine and Kashmir conflicts, with Indian epics like the Mahabharata and Bhagavad Gita. According to them, he said 'Kashmir is resolved' and 'we don't need to teach Israel-Palestine'. Another proposal to include the psychology of dating apps under the digital media section was struck down by the committee chair, who argued that 'our Indian family system is strong' and there is no need to adopt 'Western ideas'. This was despite Urmi Nanda Biswas, head of department, psychology, arguing that understanding dating apps is vital in light of recent suicides linked to their misuse, the faculty members claimed. Other topics objected to include the Minority Stress Theory and the psychology of Diversity. While some committee members stressed the importance of teaching about caste discrimination, misogyny and prejudice in Indian society, they alleged the chair dismissed such topics as overly negative. There was no immediate response from Prof Singh. Biswas could not be reached for a comment. 'It is concerning that the autonomy of the department seems to be overlooked, as the chair's actions appear to be politically motivated and represent unwarranted interference in academic decision-making,' said Dr Monami Sinha, a member of the Academic Council and the Standing Committee. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sinha said a panel has now been formed to rework the syllabus and bring a new proposal before the Standing Committee. According to the proposal document, the paper Psychology of Peace (DSE 13) aimed to help students understand concepts and relevance of peace, analyse peace processes and models, and explore psychological perspectives and frameworks for peacebuilding. Unit 4, which the Chair allegedly insisted on removing, was titled 'Conflict and Conflict Resolution'. It proposed to cover topics like the nature of international and ethnic conflict, direct aggression and structural violence, and their psychological impact. It included case studies on Israel-Palestine, Kashmir, IndiaPakistan conflict and the Northeast, specifically Nagaland and Manipur. All the papers are discipline-specific electives (DSE) proposed by the department to be taught to students as supplementary knowledge to their main study. Another discipline-specific elective, titled 'Relationship Science', included a unit on 'love', with topics such as passionate and companionate love, Sternberg's triangular theory and Indian perspectives on love. Under this, the department had also proposed to teach about attraction, dating scripts and dating apps. The objective of the paper was to help students understand the science of close relationships and explore how to foster healthy ones. The proposal document also outlined a DSE paper titled 'Diversity and Inclusion at the Workplace' (DSE 12), which included teachings on the psychology of Diversity and the Minority Stress Theory — frameworks widely used in understanding the mental health and experiences of marginalised groups in the workplace. According to Sinha, these topics are vital to understanding contemporary Indian society and the psychology of marginalised communities. 'Understanding the psychology of oppression and prejudice, as well as the evolving mass psychology of youth in the age of AI and online relationships, is crucial for the development of a comprehensive psychological framework,' she said.
