SPEAKERS - DAY 3,
5TH APRIL 2022
Session 10 - Theme : Academic Leaders Session: “Need to Transform Universities into Centres’ of Excellence of Spiritually Oriented Scientific Research and Innovation for the Creation of Peace Loving Holistic Global Society”
Dr Bhushan Patwardhan, PhD, FNASc, FAMS
Professor and Former Director, Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences
Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, INDIA
Dr. Patwardhan is a biomedical scientist who is Fellow of National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medical Sciences India. Currently, he is Chairman (Additional Charge), Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi and member, National Board of Examination. He worked as academic head of Manipal Education Group; Director, Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, Bengaluru; Vice Chancellor, Deemed University in Pune, and visiting Professor at Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla. He has worked on Boards of several Universities and member of important national committees of the University Grants Commission, Council for Scientific & Industrial Research, Department of Science & Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences and Indian Council of Medical Research. He has worked on several policy making committees and Taskforces of National Knowledge Commission, Planning Commission, NITI Ayog and Ministry of AYUSH. He has made original contributions in evidence-based Ayurveda especially in Ayurvedic biology, ethnopharmacology, natural product drug development and integrative approaches to improve public health system.
His pioneering work on novel concepts such as Therapeutic Adjuvants, AyuSoft, AyuGenomics Reverse Pharmacology, Network Pharmacology are widely recognized. He is founder Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine published by Elsevier and is on Editorial Boards of many reputed Journals. He is recipient of many orations and awards including Sir Ram Nath Chopra Oration, Waldemar Haffkine Oration, Dr C. Dwarkanath Oration, Dr P.K. Devi Oration, and V K Joag Best Teacher Award. The WHO, Geneva awarded him a study on the role of traditional medicine in public health. His recent scholarly books ‘Integrative Approaches for Health’ and ‘Innovative Approaches to Drug Discovery’ both published by Academic Press Elsevier have received excellent reviews. His World View article on predatory journals published in NATURE has been widely appreciated. It is noteworthy that his 20 articles have been cited more than 100 times. He has received several research grants and has guided 20 PhD students and holds 8 Indian Patents, 2 US Patents with over 8500 citations.
Prof.Sushma Yadav
Member, University Grants Commission & Former Vice-Chancellor, BPSMV, Haryana, Former Professor of Public Policy & Governance, Indian Institute of Public Administration, Former Member, Press Council of India, Former Pro Vice-Chancellor, IGNOU, Haryana
MR. VIVEK SAWANT
Chief Mentor & Former MD, Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation
Mr. Vivek Sawant is the Managing Director and CEO of Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited (MKCL) since its inception in 2001. Under his leadership, MKCL has emerged as a high-tech initiative of the Government of Maharashtra and 10 universities in Maharashtra for development and delivery of Education, Governance and Empowerment technologies, solutions and services to masses. In MKCL, he has successfully integrated a network of about 5420 Authorized Learning Centers spanning over the Maharashtra state. This is the single largest private-public-partnership network of its kind in India. About 9 million (90 Lac) learners from metros to rural and tribal areas have taken a low-cost, high-quality IT Literacy eLearning experiences leading to MS-CIT certification through this network in last 11 years. This venture has provided employment and self-employment opportunities in the field of IT to about 25,000 youngsters in the state at their own native places. Under his leadership, MKCL with its popular brands such as ERA, Digital University, OASIS, etc. has offered its Digital Empowerment services to more than20 million (2 Crore) common people in several states of India as well as abroad. Today while MKCL has emerged as a self-sustaining, wealth creating and ever growing enterprise it is firmly committed to its social responsibility and social accountability. Soon after completing his school and college education in Nasik and Post-Graduate education in Pune, Mr. Sawant served as a teacher of Physics, Electronics and Computer Science at the Fergusson College, Pune from 1979 to 1987 and as the Deputy Director of Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research from 1987 to 1988. Later he participated in design and development of India’s first indigenous Supercomputers PARAM at C-DAC from 1988 to 2000. There he served in various leadership roles in the fields of: • High Performance Computing Architecture • Supercomputing Applications Development • Modeling and Simulations • e-Governance Solutions Development • IT Applications Development for Rural Areas • National Supercomputing Computing Facility Development • Intellectual Resources Development. During his tenure at C-DAC, he developed the nationwide network of 20 Advanced Computing Training Schools (ACTS). Under his leadership at ACTS, more than 25,000 engineering graduates from various disciplines were rigorously trained in software engineering and state-of-the-art software development tools and methodologies. All of them were placed in leading IT industries in India and abroad and are now serving in leadership roles all over the developed world. Later he also served as the founder Director of International Institute of Information Technology at Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park at Hinjawadi, Pune.
Prof. Dr. Sandeep Sancheti
Vice-Chancellor (Provost),Marwadi University & Former President, AIU, New Delhi
Dr Sancheti has more than three and a half decades of experience in the field of teaching, research, and academic administration. He holds a PhD from the Queen’s University of Belfast, UK, and served as the Vice-Chancellor of SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during his last stint. He is the Past President of the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), New Delhi, and is currently the Executive Council Member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) London, UK. Dr Sancheti succeeds Dr Y P Kosta, who served as Marwadi University Vice-Chancellor for the past 5 years.
Well known as a reputed institution builder, Dr Sancheti has served as the President of Manipal University, Jaipur. Driving the vision of several institutions of national importance, he has also been at the helm of the matters as the Director – NITK Surathkal, Director – NIT New Delhi, Director Incharge – NIT Tiruchirappalli, NIT Calicut, School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, and Mentor Director – NIT Goa, NIT Puducherry, and NIT Sikkim.
“Dr Sancheti has a phenomenal experience which makes him an organic fit for what we envision at Marwadi University. His leadership skills and experience will prove to be the biggest asset for the sole purpose of supporting educational reforms and the timely evolution of higher education in India.
Dr Sancheti is actively involved in policy making and advisory roles and is a Member of Court & Council of IISc Bangalore. He has also worked as a Principal Coordinator of QIP (Poly) Programme of AICTE in 2005, Chairman of NIMCET-an All-India MCA entrance test in 2008, Chairman of Central Counselling Board (CCB), 2011 Chairman, and Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) from 2010-12 schemes of MHRD under the Government of India. He has received numerous scholarships and fellowships and has contributed as a Member of Microsoft India Academic Advisory Board, Member of Kakodkar Committee for Review of NITs, Member (Visitor’s Nominee) on Distance Education Council (DEC), and member of several other UGC, AICTE, NAAC committees, planning boards, and professional bodies.
Dr. Sunil Rai
Vice Chancellor at University of Petroleum & Energy Studies, Dehradun
Dr. Sunil Rai is the Vice Chancellor at MIT ADT University, Pune and a former Vice Chancellor of the Assam Kaziranga University Jorhat and Director of Maharashtra IT Corporation, Got of Maharashtra, Mumbai. He is the co-founder of Cambridge Global Partners, Edinburgh UK, which provides strategic consulting to several industrial and academic organizations. He has served as commissioned officer in the Indian Navy for twenty years and has served on ships INS Vikrant, Nilgiri, Himgiri and Oil tanker Shakti. He had served DGM (MIS) of Goa Shipyard Ltd Vasco, Goa.
In his career in academics spanning over fifteen years has held leadership positions in top educational institutions that include Jt. Director at SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Dean MPSTME at NMIMS University, Mumbai Pro-Vice Chancellor at NIIT university, Neemrana, Rajasthan, Director Goa Institute Management, Sanquelim Goa and Director Regenesys Business School South Africa, Mumbai division.
His academic credentials include Ph.D. in Business Continuity Management (BITS Pilani), Masters in Business Administration with HR Specialization (IGNOU), M. Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering (IIT, Mumbai), Masters in Marine Engineering from Naval College of Engineering (NCE), INS Shivaji – Lonavla and BSC Honours from JNU New Delhi. He is a prolific speaker at various Management Seminars and Conferences. His research interests include Technology enabled-People driven Change Management and Organizational Development.
He has twenty years of experience in the field of IT that includes Design and Development of Integrated Enterprise Solutions for Corporate Organizations, Infrastructure Management and Execution of Information Security and Networking projects. He possesses twenty-two years of experience in managing Ships and Technical establishments of Indian Navy in various capacities and retired as Commander in 1999. He also developed and commissioned ERP for Navy Wide Logistics Management.
He has successfully headed Administration and Growth and Development of Large and Leading Academic Institutions in India and has served on several governing boards as Director. He has steered setting up of large campuses, developed organization and processes and created state of the art technically enabled teaching learning infrastructure. He has crafted the pioneering relationship with renowned internal institutions including Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA; Ulster University in Northern Ireland, ITIN France and Kennesaw State University, Atlanta USA for offering joint programs in India and conducting research.
Dr. BVK SASTRY
Dr. BVK Sastry (Bevoor Venkatakrishna Sastry) is the Founder –President of Yoga-Samskrutham University’, Florida, USA. established to facilitate higher education to fulfills Yoga-directive from Srimad Bhagavad Gita (6-46)- Tasmat Yogi Bhava :: Therefore, become and be a Yogi. An Educator with three decades of teaching experience, a visionary researcher, on-line Education Technologist and On line Techno-Course-Content Developer, a Language Technologist, by research passion, invited- member for the 'Vedic Unicode proposal', holds a US Patent on Samskruth and Computer applications related product productized as innovative english accommodative Brahmi Indic multilingual keyboard for All Indian Languages, promoter of many innovative initiatives like 'shruti-Kranti'-Language-Appropriate Technology (L.A.T) using Paninian Samskrutham for building Voice primary A.I/ HMI -Interfaces for Non-English like Languages, for applications in IVR (Interactive voice response), IoT, Robotics and Physical Cyber security systems aiming de-romanized indic langauge representation and develop de-anglicized natural language programming to avoid global threats of techno- corporate-colonization and digital death of classical languages.
Dr. Sastry has several initiatives emerging on the platform of Yoga-Samskrutham University, as an American Religion Research University. The prominent ones being: (i) Elevating the call on 'Yoga for Health' to focus on 'Applied Yoga's for Nation-Citizen Total Wellness Culture (ii) Unify Yoga with Samskrutham: The language of yoga (iii) Integrate Vedic Yoga-Traditions to deliver 'Ayur-yoga' education programs to train Total Wellness Professionals. (iv). Restore the Yoga-Science of Conscious -Matter (Chit-Padartha) to advance research in the areas of mind-brain systems, consciousness and healthy spirituality. (v) C-School initiative of MBA (Applied yogas), an effort for infusion of Yoga values in management to train the Raja-yogi's and Karma-Yogi's to enrich human-excellence resources of Nation as 'Agile-Leaders with Requisite Agility' to manage change dynamics. Yoga -Leadership education is applied wisdom programs to manage wealth for welfare and total wellness. Ethical Yogic Culture is antidote for virus of corruption.
Dr.Sastry promotes Vak-Yoga teaching: the Yoga way of learning-practicing Samskrutham, the language of Yoga. The teaching is developed using the directive in Gita(17-15) to build Vedic mindfulness meditation for freedom from emotional stresses for total wellness. Dr. Sastry is the master of Vak-Yoga, the deeper yoga tradition from Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, Patanjali and Yogopanishads. Vak-Yoga is an advancement over 'hatha-yoga' practices with body and breath anchors to the next level of 'Thought-Articulation as Talk'. Vak-yoga is dynamic yoga-meditation remedial techniques to overcome emotional stressors affecting mind and personality. Vak-Yoga practice promotes yoga-wisdom for peaceful togetherness for relations, prosperity and productivity.
Dr. Sastry is an invited member of India Didactics Association of Vice Chancellors for social transformation through Education planning for Universal Progress. He is recipient of Sir J.C.Bose Memorial Award (2017) from Indian Science Monitor), Honors at International conference on access in leadership and management merging Eastern and Western perspectives (2017) and many prestigious awards.
Dr.Sastry has many publications, conference proceedings, book chpaters and articles, teaching programs to his credit. Dr. Sastry, hails from Karnataka, South India. He holds a Ph.D in Sanskrit. He is a recipient of Presidents award for innovations in Sanskrit teaching. Dr. Sastry has been honored on many platforms by institutions recognizing excellence of contributions in the field of Samskruth and Yoga.