Discovery of the Week  
     
 

How Pooja Agarwal became a world-class parashooter

A wintry day in December 2012 turned Pooja Agarwal’s life upside down. She had gone to see off her husband at New Delhi Railway Station when a crowd pushed her off the platform onto the railway track.  She was run over by a train, and life as she knew, changed forever. Pooja lost three limbs in a trilateral amputation and was left with the use of only her right hand. Till then, the 27-year-old was in the prime of her life, enjoying her work as a college lecturer and looking forward to an exciting future.
 

 

 

 

   

Pooja Agarwal, a world-class parashooter and a banker at Gujranwala branch

 
 

She says, “It was devastating, and I asked myself constantly, “ab kya hoga” (What will happen now).”

Slowly, Pooja learnt to use her right hand to do small tasks, and her only thought at the time was how to get a job and become financially independent. Her marriage was over, and all she was left with was her determination to not let fate come in the way of her dreams and ambitions. She began studying for competitive exams from the hospital bed and continued to do so even after she was discharged. Soon, her hard work paid off when she joined Bank of Allahabad (now Indian Bank after a merger) at its Gujranwala town branch in June 2014.

Pooja’s journey had just begun. Eight months later, her friend and mentor Pragya suggested she try her hand at sports. She laughed it off saying she couldn’t even work. But when she went to the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC) and saw people playing basketball from their wheelchairs, her interest was piqued. At one time, Pooja was juggling office, table tennis, and shooting. One day she fainted at the bank and was advised to take up only one sport. She chose shooting and participated in her first competition — the pre-nationals — in 2016. November 8, 2016 — the day she returned after winning the gold — was one she will never forget. Pooja is now an acclaimed para-shooter, winning medals for the country both at national and international levels.

Her goal is to achieve more wins as a para-shooter and bring laurels for Indian Bank and the country. She says “Hum girte bhi hain, hum rukte bhi hain, hum rote bhi hain, hum teherte bhi hain, par hum chalna nahin chodte (We fall, we stop, we cry, we saunter, but we never stop walking.)” Pooja wants to continue “walking” by learning all that the Universe has to offer.

 
   
  Education News  
   
     
 

Certificate courses fulfill requirement of upskilling, reskilling

04 March, 2022

Moving beyond the formal course curriculum enables students to acquire industry-ready skills. Apart from various EdTechs  offering unique certification opportunities, higher education institutes (HEIs) are encouraging students to take relevant  courses to become job ready. 

PM e-Vidya: Adding an e to education

o4 March, 2022

If there was any good that came of the global pandemic, the digital turn towards online education would certainly be a contender. And even as the pandemic recedes, the virtue that the necessity bred now seems all set to stay. Even as students across the country return to brick and mortar schools, the classroom’s virtual avatar is not likely to vanish into the ether. Hence the serious consideration of the hybrid model, which offers the best of both the worlds—the socio-emotional bonding of a physical classroom, and broader access to education through the online medium.

UGC to allow institutes to source 40% course content externally for online programmes

02 March, 2022

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has released draft guidelines for amendments to the UGC (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulation 2020. The proposed amendments are set to promote open and distance learning (ODL) through reputable higher educational institutions across India.

 
     
  Faculty Fundas  
     
 

Music Education

Music brings out the best in you Music is a part of everyday life for most of us, ranging from passive listening to active music-making. While a select few pursue music professionally to build highly rewarding careers, the majority simply continues to enjoy the social, cognitive, and therapeutic benefits of music. Studies have shown that individuals with consistent involvement in instrumental music demonstrate significantly higher levels of mathematics proficiency (U.S. DoE NELLS88 DB).

 

    Nilesh Thomas

Dean, True School of Music

Vijaybhoomi University

 
 

Music education has also contributed to improved average SAT scores (Arts Education Partnership, 2011). This is further supported by studies that show improved attendance and graduation rates of 93.9% and 90.2% respectively in US schools with music programs, as compared to an average of 84.9% and 72.9% in those without music programs. Further, music plays an important role in social bonding, particularly when learners engage in group activities such as playing in a band. Sustained collaborative music learning makes learners happy and relaxed and improves their communication skills and confidence in a variety of social situations. It also leads to increased positive emotional experience while coping with social and professional pressure and fosters important traits such as tolerance and acceptance of peers from diverse cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Students from all walks of life should have the opportunity to learn music and engage in some form of meaningful music-making to help nurture their creative and prosocial skills.

 

 
     
  Life@VU  
     
 

Neeha's Essay

Neeha Nayak is a 2nd year Design student at Vijaybhoomi University. She is a native of Andhra Pradesh.

Neeha has a peculiar sweet voice. Her mother tongue is Telugu and she has taught me some words in her language and it’s exciting for me, being a North-Indian.  

Interested in all things Design, these days she’s reading a book called “The Non-Designer’s Design Book” by Robin Williams. She’s an artist at heart and loves to draw and sketch. You can see her drawings below. Her creativity reaches out in film-making as well, when she wrote and directed a short-film titled “Possessed Book”, as part of the Real to Reel Film-making course. Now-a-days, she is working on the story and script of her second short-film. I won’t be surprised if I got to know that she is into other creative endeavours as well.

 
   
  Readers Ask, Vijaybhoomi Answers  
   
 

What is the fee structure of Vijaybhoomi University?

 
 

Ayush Kumar, 1st year B.Tech

  1. The program fee is based on a per credit pricing.
  2. Every course is assigned certain number of credits. Every professional degree stipulates the number of credits that a student has to successfully acquire from respective course baskets. 
  3. The tuition fee of the program is determined by the number of credits a student takes in a given term multiplied by the price per credit summed up across all terms.

4. Each student is required to take a minimum load of 40 credits per year and hence the student will be priced for 40 credits irrespective of the fact that the student chooses to take a reduced load. However, if a student decides to take more than 40 credits in a year, the student will be charged extra based on the extra credit load and the prevailing credit pricing. 

5. Under normal circumstances a student would be able to graduate with a professional degree by completing 40 credits load annually.

6. The per credit pricing for courses for students admitted in the academic year 2021-22 has been fixed at INR 10000 per credit for Indian students and USD 150 per credit for students of foreign origin.

7. All the students irrespective of their program will also be required to make a one-time contribution of Rs.5000/- for Students' Council and Rs.10,000/- for Alumni Fund.

We really value your feedback. We’d love to hear back from you. Do write to us at newsletter@vijaybhoomi.edu.in

 
   
     
  About Vijaybhoomi  
 

Vijaybhoomi University is India's first Liberal Professional University, which uses the liberal-professional framework of education to build a unique curriculum aligned to Industry 4.0. The curriculum facilitates the process of self-discovery in the initial year and thereafter choice of majors and minors to prepare oneself in high-demand careers in data science, artificial intelligence, business, law, music and design. The university is located in Karjat, Greater Mumbai, and nurtures holistic, socially responsible, and continuously employable professionals who can make a positive difference in the world.

Vision

To become an independent, multi-disciplinary, globally acclaimed university which facilitates learner-centricity, builds pathways to groom holistic individuals, and fosters innovation and scholarship to impact practice and communities

Mission

Nurture holistic, socially responsible, and continuously employable professionals.

 
     
   
     
   
     
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