Aanandam

An Act of Community Service

Author
Dr. Shuchi Sharma, IAS (retd)
Former Secretary Higher, Technical & Sanskrit Education,
Government of Rajasthan

Reviewed by
Shri Anil Swarup, IAS (retd)
Former Secretary School Education,
Government of India

Assistance in Editing and Research

Dr. Pramod Sain Er. Neelabh Krishna
Govt. Khaitan Polytechnic College, Quality Assurance Consultant, Salesforce
Jaipur

Dr. Seema Kashyap Er. Shambhavi Shriya

Associate Professor, MBA Candidate at Warwick
Commisionerate College Education Business School, UK
Jaipur

Dr. Snigdha Sharma

Principal
Govt. College Jaipur

All India Council for Technical Education

Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi, 110070
BOOK AUTHOR DETAILS

Dr. Shuchi Sharma, IAS (retd), Former Secretary Higher, Technical & Sanskrit Education
Government of Rajasthan.
Email ID: [email protected]

BOOK REVIEWER DETAILS

Shri Anil Swarup IAS (retd), Former Secretary School Education Government of India.
Email ID: [email protected]

BOOK COORDINATOR (S) – English Version

1. Dr. Amit Kumar Srivastava, Director, Faculty Development Cell, All India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi, India
Email ID: [email protected]
Phone Number: 011-29581312
2. Mr. Sanjoy Das, Assistant Director, Faculty Development Cell, All India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi, India
Email ID: [email protected]
Phone Number: 011-29581339

February , 2023
© All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)

ISBN : 978-81-960386-2-5
All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form, by
mimeograph or any other means, without permission in writing from the All India
Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
Further information about All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) courses
may be obtained from the Council Office at Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, New
Delhi-110070.
Printed and published by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi.

Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0

International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Disclaimer: The website links provided by the author in this book are placed for
informational, educational & reference purpose only. The Publisher do not endorse these
website links or the views of the speaker / content of the said weblinks. In case of any
dispute, all legal matters to be settled under Delhi Jurisdiction, only.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The author is grateful to the authorities of AICTE, particularly Prof.
T. G. Sitharam, Chairman; Prof. M. P. Poonia, Vice-Chairman;
Prof. Rajive Kumar, Member-Secretary and Dr Amit Kumar Srivastava,
Director, Faculty Development Cell for their planning to publish the book
on “Aanandam” - An Act of Community Service. I sincerely acknowledge
the valuable contributions of the reviewer of the book Shri. Anil Swarup
(Founder Chairman Nexus of Good); Former Secretary School Education
(2016-2018) & Coal (2014-2016) Govt. of India. Author of “Ethical
Dilemmas of a Civil Servant”, “Not Just a Civil Servant” and “No More a
Civil Servant”.
Acknowledgements are due to AICTE members, experts and authors
who shared their views to further develop the holistic education in our
country. I am grateful to the contributors and different workers in this field
whose published books, review articles, papers, photographs, footnotes,
references and other valuable information helped me at the time of writing
the book.
This book is a consequence of a series of the deliberations held with
the Vice Chancellors of the universities in Rajasthan, academicians and the
group of NGOs led by Mrs Neelima Khaitan (CSR & Social Sector
Advisor) for formalising the concept of Aanandam as a subject. My
heartiest thanks to Lt. Gen. (Dr.) MD Venkatesh, Vice Chancellor Manipal
Academy of Higher Education for sharing their experience in volunteering
in the form of a chapter written by Dr. Anup Naha (Associate Professor
MAHE) in this book. I am also thankful for the contributions of Khaitan
Government Polytechnic college, Government College Bundi, Shri
Keshvanand Institute of Technology and Apex University who have shared
their community service project reports for the book.
My deep gratitude is due to my parents, family and friends for their
whole hearted support in writing the book. Lastly in all humility I have to
submit that the conception of the idea of Aanandam and its translation into
the form of this book is an outcome of the divine grace of the Almighty.

Dr. Shuchi Sharma

v
 PREFACE
The book titled Aanandam an Act of Community Service is an
outcome of a long thought process that started since I was a student. My
experience as a parent and administrator further compelled me to think
about some fundamental shortcoming in our education system. When I got
the opportunity to serve as Secretary of Higher Technical & Sanskrit
Education Department in Government of Rajasthan I took an initiative to
introduce a new subject in the name „Aanandam‟ with a sole aim of
making education holistic. The purpose of writing this book is to expose
the faculty and the students to the idea of meaningful education, the
education which is not limited to text books, rather beyond textbooks.
Keeping in mind this purpose I‟ve tried to explore the real meaning of
education and its role in making the student a socially responsible
individual. As this is a new concept it was a big challenge to concretize it
in the shape of a subject as a part of the curriculum of education. There had
been various attempts before also, NSS is one example which emphasizes
on community service. But it's a voluntary activity which is taken up by a
small number of the students. Aanandam is beyond that. It stimulates the
inner world of the student to bring out the goodness hidden inside. While
writing the book on this new subject, I have endeavoured to make it
acceptable to the faculty and the students. It was necessary that the
chapters are written in a way that makes it easy for the faculty and students
to grasp and embrace the concept of Aanandam. The two important parts
of the subject - Aanandam Diary and Community Service project have
been dealt at conceptual as well as implementational level. How to do a
community service project and how to write the project report have been
explained with real life examples. Rajasthan experience has been added as
the appendix in the book. Based on the experience in the educational
institutes of Rajasthan I am quite confident and hopeful that the students as
well as faculty will be enthusiastic to welcome this new subject which
would provide them an opportunity to enter into a world of creativity and
happiness.

Dr. Shuchi Sharma

vi
 Syllabus of Aanandam - An Act of Community Service

NEP 2020 (11.8) states that... “value-based education will include

the development of humanistic, ethical, Constitutional, and universal
human values of truth (Satya), righteous conduct (dharma), peace (shanti),
love (prem), nonviolence (ahimsa), scientific temper, citizenship values,
and also life-skills; lessons in seva/service and participation in community
service programs will be considered an integral part of a holistic
education”.

Aanandam aims at evolving a young student into a socially

responsible and happy citizen. Of course, it is clearly understood that for
these efforts to be meaningful, the basic understanding and feeling has to
be there. Therefore, the pre-requisite course has been kept as UHV-II:
Understanding Harmony and Ethical Human Conduct.

Prerequisite: UHV-II: Understanding harmony and Ethical Human

Conduct
Desirable: UHV-IV: Vision for Humane Society

Course Objectives
1. To help the student to relate to the community of people around
them and sharpen their feeling of empathy toward them
2. To tap the student‟s hidden leadership and creative potential for
addressing the day-to- day issues faced by the community leading to
greater harmony in the community
3. To help the student refer to their Natural Acceptance in problem-
solving

vii
Course Methodology
The methodology of this course is learning-by-doing. The student is
expected to be involved in a one-semester long group community-service
project and keep a record in his/her daily Aanandam Diary. Each week, a
faculty mentor will guide each group of students on their group
community-service project and provide observations on the diary entries
made by the students.

Course Contents
Aanandam course has two major components: -
1. Daily Diary of Aanandam.
2. Group Project of community service.

1. Daily Diary of Aanandam

Each student will have to do, observe and record an act of goodness
in the Diary of Aanandam every day. Any act which reflects caring,
sharing, helping attitude of the students will be recorded by the students in
the Aanandam Diary. Any act of kindness to humanity, environment or
animal world will be recorded daily in the Diary.

There will be a period of Aanandam daily in the colleges. As

Aanandam is a subject which does not require any specialisation, every
faculty in the institute can be a mentor of students Aanandam. The period
of Aanandam can be an extended period of any subject.

The students will discuss the act recorded in the Diary in the class of
Aanandam with the mentor faculty. The mentor will tick the names of the
students who have done this task of recording a good deed done by them.

viii
The Diary writing is a mandatory activity to qualify for evaluation in
Aanandam.

2. Group Project of Community Service

The students will have to do a group project of Community Service.
The size of the group depends upon the kind of the project taken up by the
students.

Subjects for the projects can be related to all kinds of Community

Services related to environment protection, energy conservation, water
conservation, women empowerment, literacy, child nutrition, health,
hygiene and sanitation, cleanliness of the institute premises, disaster
management, heritage restoration, developing indigenous local technologies
etc. The duration of the project is one semester.

The group project will be based totally on field activities. The

mentor of the project will be a faculty who will act as facilitator and help
the students in providing necessary assistance like liaisoning with the
Government Agencies, good NGOs, Corporates and the like.

The project report will be submitted with photographs and news

clippings of the field work done by the students. A Project evaluation
committee will be formed to evaluate the projects done by the students.
The evaluation of the project will be done in terms of marks or credits
which will be an essential part of the student's report card.

ix
 COURSE OUTCOMES
1. Aanandam Course has been devised in consonance with the motto of
the ancient education system – 'Ya Vidya Sa Vimuktaye' i.e. the
main purpose of education is liberation. Aanandam will let the
students introspect the goodness hidden inside them.
2. In Diary of Aanandam, the students will be writing a good deed
done by them daily. This will generate happiness of giving.
3. The students by taking up projects of Community Service and
interacting with the community will try to identify and understand
the problems of the community. This will enhance their emotional
interdependence quotient and empathetic attitude.
4. While coming across the community problems the students will try
to find out the solutions. This act will tap the creative and
imaginative faculties of the students. While trying to solve the
problems of the community they will make the community happy
and in turn they will get satisfaction and happiness.
5. The students will be more oriented towards being job providers
instead of being job seekers.
6. They will realise the key of happiness is not in acquiring more and
more but it is in giving and sharing.

x
 CONTENTS

Foreword iv
Acknowledgement v
Preface vi
Syllabus vii
Course Outcomes x

Chapters 1 1
Why Aanandam?

Chapter 2 9
Ancient Indian Education System and Aanandam

Chapter 3 11
Volunteering and Benevolence

Chapter 4 15
Volunteering Immersions for Students at MAHE Manipal

Chapter 5 25
Aanandam and Environmental Sustainability

Chapter 6 28
Aanandam Diary

Chapter 7 31
Aanandam and Community Service

xi
Chapter 8 35
Aanandam Day - How to make learning a celebration

Chapter 9 36
How to do a group project work

Chapter 10 53
Aanandam: A Roadmap for the future

Conclusion 60

Appendix 62

Implementation of Aanandam in Higher & Technical Education

in Rajasthan 63

References 87

xii
 Chapter 1
Why Aanandam?

Our education system is focussing on the external and material

world only whereas the source of happiness lies within. Aanandam is a
holistic course that emphasises the development of the innate soft qualities
of a student to make a better world. In reality, there is limited learning
from the textbooks, a student learns the most while doing and when they
apply their learning to real-life situations and share it with the people
around, then only they understand the problem, this is real education.

Aanandam provides the students an opportunity for interaction of

● Self with Self
● Self with Nature
● Self with Community

Aanandam has been modelled to tap the inner world and holistically
link life with education. All the discoveries and inventions happen only
when a person gets deeply involved with a problem, Aanandam gives that
opportunity to the students. It is certainly going to be a source of creativity
and innovations. In the group projects of Aanandam by interacting with the
community or by getting involved with any problem a lot of churning
happens in the mind. The student while understanding the problem will
apply his or her whole learning and information gathered from the
surrounding. This way the student will be using the learning for making
lives better. Such a process will also help in the spiritual development of
the students.

1
 Many of us have heard about Ubuntu - the essence of being human.
Ubuntu is based on the fact that we cannot exist in isolation, we are not
mere individuals rather we are all interconnected and our actions affect the
whole world. Aanandam has been introduced with this basic understanding
of a human being to make our human society healthier and happier.

The world has already faced two world wars that resulted in the utter
destruction of humanity and t we are apprehensive of such wars even
today. Education can be used as a platform to make people more loving,
more friendly, kinder, and more human. Aanandam has been introduced
for this purpose. Happiness does not lie in acquiring rather it is in sharing
with people around us. There is a Bahai saying - “When a thought of war
comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must
be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war bring
the destruction of all harmony, well-being, restfulness, and contentment.
Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship, and
happiness.”

A happy and cheerful person can create something; a miserable

person would always aim at destroying something. Aanandam aims to
make the student happy and creative.

National Education policy 2020 envisages a holistic education which

involves intellectual, aesthetic, social, physical, emotional and moral
development of the student. It aims at encouraging creativity and
innovation, critical thinking and higher order thinking among students. It
emphasises problem solving attitude, team work, communication skills, in-
depth learning and mastery of curricula across fields, social and moral
awareness, etc. besides general engagement and enjoyment of learning.

2
 A holistic and multi-disciplinary education would aim to develop all
capacities of the students to bring out all-around human beings that possess
critica21st-centuryry capacities across arts, sciences, social sciences,
technical and vocational fields. The students should have real-lifefe
exposure through interaction with the communities around them.

At each stage of learning, skills and values should be imbibed

through engaging processes. Aanandam gives the opportunity for
experiential learning while utilizing the knowledge gained in different
subjects throughout the academic career.

In Aanandam the classroom transactions will shift towards social

sensitivity-oriented learning. The assessment/evaluation tools as desired in
the new education policy will shift from conventional written examination
to the assessment of social sensitivity, empathy, and dispositions. The
whole emphasis will be on bringing out community leadership qualities as
an outcome, ultimately aiming at the generation of happiness in the
society, surroundings, and the learner.

Aanandam will give the opportunity to the learner for greater in-
depth study real-life problems, critical thinking and greater attention
problem-solving instead of complaining.

It is a concept of joyful learning. While interacting with the

community groups, the students get to know the socio-cultural and
economic realities of the community. They get the opportunity to be aware
of the hardships of deprived sections of theiety in villages and slums. The
students while doing the project work of Aanandam interact with people of
all the generations, creeds, classes and genders. They get to

3
have a broader and in depth understanding of gender specific problems.
They can know more about the status of women, conditions of the old
people, specially abled persons, children, girl child in different pockets of
the society.

Aanandam adopts a cross curricular approach that utilises various

aspects of arts and culture also in executions of the group project work.
During Aanandam Diwas the students will demonstrate their project work
in various forms - Nukkad Natak, songs, poetry declamations etc. This will
give an opportunity to the students for public performance. Thus
Aanandam will also upgrade their speaking skills with the added advantage
of joyful learning with full involvement.

Aanandam would evolve the goodness hidden in the students,

turning them into socially responsible, happy human beings. Aanandam
would lay a strong foundation of a happy society.

The world today is countenancing volatility and uncertainty in the

system on almost all fronts, whether it is social, economic, political or
medical. During the global pandemic almost all families in the world faced
the worst of the times. This has changed the world view of most of the
people living in the world. Almost everyone underwent despair and
depression during the covid pandemic when the whole medical world was
in fix about the cure of the disease. Growing inclination towards war to
settle scores like Russia - Ukraine war, has made things worse in terms of
peace and stability. Similarly, the world is facing the ever growing
problem of climate change, increasing pollution and depleting natural
resources. The students need to know the gravity of the problem and try to
find solutions to the problem. The students would use their imaginative

4
and creative faculties to give certain solutions for water conservation,
energy saving etc.

The crisis situation created by pandemics demands a collaborative

approach towards the pandemic management. The pandemic has not only
affected the people physically but also mentally. People who lost their
loved ones, who lost their jobs and business during this crisis period are
facing lots of mental problems.

They need support, love and care. The students can collaboratively
give some solutions at such critical periods. Aanandam gives such
opportunities to the students to evolve their human side which is hidden
within and which never comes out due to our stress on theoretical
knowledge and exams and evaluation based on that. World now needs
more aggressively good human beings. Therefore, Aanandam is certainly
going to help the society by grooming human qualities among the students.
Students need to be aware and inquisitive towards day to day problems of
the community, of the family and they need to develop a problem-solving
attitude.

Their empathetic quotient has to be enhanced. Aanandam assesses

students not on the basis of theoretical knowledge but on the basis of their
compassionate empathetic socially responsible attitudes.

The human qualities are nurtured through the contents of this course:
Aanandam Diary, Aanandam Day and Community service-related group
projects. People equate happiness with short term immediate gratification
of needs but that happiness is not long-lasting. It is short-term and sensory
happiness also termed Hedonia. Self-fulfilling happiness is

5
long lasting. It lies in giving, caring and kindness. These attributes are
valued in the material world also. As only one who is compassionate,
collaborative, empathetic problem solver is an asset for any organisation
also.

Aanandam course will let the students connect with the inner world
of consciousness, will let them discover their own potential which gives
real self- fulfilment and happiness. Aanandam thus tackles the problem of
increased mental illnesses due to a stressful lifestyle.

To achieve the aspirational goals of the 21st Century including SDG

4 it is necessary that the youth of our country should be groomed through
education into socially responsible citizens as well as one who understands
the problems of the country, who tries to give indigenous solutions to the
problems using modern technology and know-how. Aanandam will not
only tap the creative potential but will also help in the development of
cognitive capacities i.e. critical thinking problem-solving. It will harness
the hidden emotional and empathetic quotient of the students in
community interactions.

In our Ancient wisdom - Vidya has been defined as that which

liberates – “Ya Vidya Sa Vimuktaye”. Here Vimukti has a deep meaning,
though in simple words it is self-realisation.

Aanandam is in consonance with this definition of ‘Vidya’ or

education. Achieving happiness is the ultimate aim of life. Whatever we do
is for getting happiness only, but with the passage of time and the progress
of civilization, most of us have put happiness on the lower rung of the
ladder of aspirations. Our youth is caught in a mad race of getting
higher and

6
higher packages of salary and instead of getting happiness they end up
getting stressed out and frustrated. They are cut off from their
surroundings. They don't have any idea about the problems of the
community. They are enticed towards the glamour of the virtual world.

Lot of examples of Ancient Indian wisdom, our rich cultural

traditions remain simply unobserved. While interacting in the village or
mohalla the students will spend some time there. They will come across
such examples; they will learn about them while doing the study for their
projects.

Aanandam is an amalgamation of the courses the student is learning

in his degree course and whatever is learned in school and from the
surroundings.

Aanandam recognises the uniqueness of every individual student.

Through this course the student will be able to identify his capabilities and
will harness that in doing the project work in real-life situations.

Aanandam compliments the academic content of any course by

providing a non-academic platform to express the creativity and utilising
the knowledge earned in different subjects.

Aanandam provides a platform for the assimilation of the knowledge

acquired in different subjects, by bringing it down to utilising it in the
field. While doing the project a multi-disciplinary approach will be used
for solving the problems in real-life situations - For example - A
community problem has sociological, ecological, economic, cultural,
political, historical, and anthropological aspects. The students in a group
would try to understand the problem holistically and then would suggest a
solution.

7
 Thus Aanandam is not limited to one subject but it involves
multidisciplinary interaction.

Aanandam would help the students in conceptual understanding of

real life situations. The problems around us need critical thinking that will
leads to creative solutions.

Aanandam focuses on real happiness generated through giving,

sharing and caring. Over the years we have learnt that ethics cannot be
taught from the books. Ethics cannot be instilled by solely emphasising on
its academic aspect. Ethics can be long lasting only when it evolves from
within. When the students interact with the community, try to understand
their struggles, their lifestyles, their deprivations, the divisions on the basis
of class, caste, gender, a n d religion, then they realise the realities of
life and this serious interaction helps in making them more human.
Empathy, pluralism, equality, justice, social responsibility, respect for
public property, scientific temper, respecting the dignity of everyone etc.
are the natural outcomes of this course.

The project work would also give the students an opportunity to

learn the local language, empowering them linguistically.

It will result in better communication skills, teamwork, proactive

leadership qualities, cooperation, and resilience.

Aanandam gives flexibility in choosing the subject of project work

and autonomy to the group to decide how to do a project.

Aanandam ensures universal participation of the students.

8
 Chapter 2
Ancient Indian Education System and Aanandam

In Ancient India the purpose of education was liberation. Our

ancient education system aimed at holistic development of the student
which took care of the inner and the outer world. The holistic education
included physical, intellectual and spiritual aspects of life of an individual.
It consisted of three main components:
1. Shravan (Listening) i.e. acquiring the knowledge through listening
2. Manan (Reflection)- Learning through deep thinking, analysing and
inferring
3. Nididhyasana- Application of assimilating and applying the
learning in the real life

In Gurukuls the education was imparted in the vicinity of Nature.

The students thus got holistic education that had equal emphasis on the
external as well as internal world. This type of education led to character
building mastering the art of self-control. It made the students socially
empathetic also. Students in the ancient education system could understand
the importance of nature and environment. In the Gurukul there was a
great respect for the gurus (teachers). The Guru and Shishyas lived
together and they had a very strong relationship. The guru imparted
education in various subjects which are necessary for life as well as for
spiritual progress of the student. The ancient education system gave due
importance to complexities of life and thought about how to survive in
adverse circumstances. The whole ancient Indian wisdom related to
political, social, technical or cultural has in fact evolved after
experimentations done for survival. Since the emergence of human

9
civilization different sets of people have contributed differently in science,
technology, art, craft, architecture, agriculture etc. After deep interactions
with the people, nature and environment. Medical treatises of Charak,
Sushruta, Arth Shastra of Kautilya, Ashtadhyayi of Panini, Yog Sutra of
Patanjali and many more treasures of knowledge were outcomes of holistic
education system. Our ancient Indian knowledge is a treasure trove of
science, medicine, technology, architecture, various arts & crafts, dance &
music. This knowledge was not achieved in man-made laboratories but it
was achieved through deep meditation and using all the inner faculties by
the seers.

By introducing Aanandam in the curriculum of education today we

try to revive and re-introduce our original traditions of learning. Inspired
by the ancient education system of learning, Aanandam provides
interaction-based learning for the students. It provides the platform for
application of the knowledge gained in different subjects in the classroom,
through peers and surroundings in solving real life problems. While doing
the project work there are chances that some innovations, inventions or
discoveries happen which will in turn solve the problems of the
community.

“The school should help its young people to discover their

vocations and responsibilities, and not merely cram their
minds with facts and technical knowledge; it should be the
soil in which they can grow without fear, happily and
integrally.”
- J. Krishnamurti

10
 Chapter 3
Volunteering and Benevolence

Benevolence is the characteristic element of humanity

- Confucius

Dalai Lama says “The intelligent way to be selfish is to work for the
welfare of others.”

Small acts of benevolence when done by many are sure to solve the
multiple problems of the world. We see all around so many people who are
less fortunate to live a comfortable life. There are people who are still
struggling for basic needs of life namely food, shelter, clothing and health.
World economic surveys point out at glaring income disparities. Such
socio - economic inequalities have a potential to disturb the equilibrium
and peace of the society. Therefore, to enjoy a peaceful life it‟s necessary
that the people around us should also be in a comfortable position. This
explains the pragmatic need of volunteerism by those who have skill,
ability, time or resources.

Kofi Annan (former UN Secretary General) says “If our hopes of

building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful
thinking, we will need an engagement of volunteers more than ever.”

Our youth has the capacity as well as intention to use their creative
abilities in the larger interest. Natalie Portman (an eminent Hollywood
actor) says “Our generation has the ability and the responsibility to make
our ever more connected world a more hopeful, stable and peaceful place.”

11
 Aanandam course majorly emphasises on proactively volunteering
for making our society healthier and happier. It has four basic features:
1. Karuna (Kindness)
2. Maitri (Friendliness, Benevolence)
3. Sahridayam (Heartful)
4. Srijanam (Creativity)

Karuna and Maitri are the most important virtues of a human being.
Upanishads as well as Patanjali Yoga Sutras highlight these virtues.
Karuna and Maitri are interdependent. It signifies benevolence, kindness
towards everyone and compassion towards the sufferings of others as one's
own. Karuna and Maitri promote Srijanam (Creativity) and Srijanam leads
to ultimate Aanandam (Peace). A person gets empathetic joy in the
happiness of others. When the student interacts with the community when
they try to understand their way of life and their day to day problems then
their empathetic quotient is going to increase, in other words attributes of
Karuna and Maitri will evolve. This unconditional, unselfish friendliness
will generate mental equanimity and acceptance. This will reduce the
negativity and the habit of cribbing for any unfavourable circumstance.
Chanakya says he who nurtures benevolence for all creatures within his
heart overcomes all difficulties and will be the recipient of all types of
riches at every step. Every act of benevolence or Maitri and Karuna
generates deep satisfaction and joy. Mahatma Gandhi says the simplest
acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in
prayer.

Everyone in this world wants to enjoy life. All the philosophies have
evolved in search of happiness. But we also know that happiness cannot

12
flourish in isolation. The whole universe reflects interdependence. Every
living being is an inseparable part of the ecosystem interdependently
connected to each other. Therefore, it’s necessary that students should
understand their role and duties towards society, humanity and the
environment as a whole.

Volunteerism among youth have a number of benefits:

It gives the opportunity to the young minds to use their skills and
attributes for helping others. It promotes positive belongingness in the
community. The students who volunteer proactively become more
empathetic. Such young persons are more productive members of society,
they are in really happier and more contented. Thus volunteerism
simultaneously is beneficial for the society and the person who volunteers
for helping others. There are studies which show that youth volunteerism
contributes to identity development, enhanced self - esteem, evolution of
an empathetic personality and overall development of the attributes that
contribute to enhancement in employability. Voluntary activities expand
the plain of interactions as while doing such activities they meet a variety
of individuals from different backgrounds.

Volunteerism is the core of Aanandam. We firmly believe that the

young minds are full of untapped energy. This energy needs to be
channelized. The youth should be given the opportunities where they can
express their hidden feelings of kindness, love and sharing and use their
untapped energies. Aanandam provides them this opportunity of
volunteerism. In our education system we have a tight schedule of classes
of different subjects followed by exams. So there is no time for
volunteering and therefore our students are deprived of the chance of
volunteering. Aanandam has been included in the curriculum of technical

13
education to provide a structured scope for volunteerism. The faculty
acting as mentors of Aanandam are the facilitators and guide for helping
and choosing a voluntary activity, for solving the practical difficulties and
logistics and making the whole voluntary activity a joyful experience.
There is also provision of rewarding good volunteering activities in
Aanandam.

The volunteer experience of the student is going to add great value

to the CV. The employers of good companies prefer people who have
volunteering experience. Even for higher studies also volunteering helps
and it’s an important factor in securing admission and a scholarship. The
scholarships are generally awarded to students who show community
leadership skills. Volunteerism generates generosity among the youth.
There is no dearth of examples of volunteerism around. It is an act of
sharing and giving whether it is time, once abilities or skills or wealth. In
the words of Opportunity Nation, “There is mounting evidence that
volunteering, participating in service projects, and other forms of
community involvement are more than feel good activities. They can
contribute to better outcomes for youth and for communities.”
Volunteerism brings inner transformation amongst youth. In this fast
changing world where every year the speed of internet is changing, we
need to protect our society from maladies of the speed. This is not possible
without involving our youth who are filled with fresh ideas. Therefore,
there should be a platform where the young students interact with the
problems of the community and apply their minds to solve it.

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of

creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness
- Martin Luther King Jr.

14
 Chapter 4
Volunteering Immersion for Students at
MAHE Manipal- An Institute of Eminence

There’s a social responsibility every institution must fulfil, not

merely to better public image but to genuinely do something for the less
fortunate. No institution can turn a blind eye when it comes to social
responsibility particularly when those in need are in close proximity.
Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), a global education hub
and an Institute of Eminence, was always committed to serving the interest
of the needy communities around the University. In 2007, it was decided to
take University’s commitment to social cause in a more organized manner
and therefore, the endeavour to reach out to more and more people became
simpler and effective.

That was how Volunteer Services Organization (VSO), the social

unit of MAHE came into existence on September 14, 2007. The purpose of
starting VSO and what it meant for all those who would join it was amply
clear – serving voluntarily. With that in mind, VSO took shape rather
quickly. Students, faculty, staff and their spouses all joined the
organization to serve a cause selflessly. It became a platform to help the
needy in various ways. In the process, it also provided the volunteers an
opportunity to gain new skills, work as a team and, most importantly, to
become a better person.

With a strength of over 7000 registered volunteers from various

constituent colleges at Manipal & Mangalore, VSO undertakes projects
which cover community, social, organizational and soft skills avenues.

15
Clean Manipal Campaign, visit to slums of Udupi and Mangalore, blood
donation camps, visit to paediatric wards of Kasturba Hospitals, Kannada
classes (spoken), birthday celebrations at orphanages, organizing fund
raising shows and organizing Daan Utsav-joy of giving week are some of
the programs which have had a tremendous impact on the communities in
and around Manipal and Mangalore.

Mission Statement
VSO aims to develop the spirit of selfless service by responding to
the community‟s needs, addressing the issues of society, and developing
the leadership and learning skills of the volunteers. Students, faculty, and
staff strive to ameliorate the conditions of the impoverished and the less
fortunate. We come together in hopes of forging a path to a better society.

Objectives of the Practice

Volunteer Services Organization is the social upliftment umbrella of
MAHE which aims to provide a platform for students, faculty and faculty
spouses to volunteer in and around Manipal. It aspires to inculcate the
spirit of selflessness, nurture the ability to give, and mold future leaders.
The organization provides volunteers for various University events
throughout the year, and is instrumental in carrying out multiple, weekly
community outreach visits to slums, old age homes, orphanages, schools
and hospital wards. Additionally, beach cleaning, cleanliness drives around
Manipal, health awareness camps and blood donation drives are also
carried out. Through these visits, VSO has continued to create a difference
in the lives of people in the Udupi-Manipal community through sustained
interactions as well as instill empathy, kindness, sensitivity and courage
among its volunteers.

16
The Context
Volunteer Services Organization employs a unique and easily
replicable model to any college or University intending to involve its
students in various acts of giving. It firmly believes that the essence of
education is to be of service to the community. As per the National
Education Policy, 2020, VSO aims to integrate the concept of United
Nation‟s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in each of its activities.
Every visit is curated keeping in mind at least one of the 17 SDG‟s, with
the most prominent being quality education, and clean water and
sanitation. Being University students, most of the volunteers are involved
in technical or health-care research and VSO hopes to harmonize
volunteering and innovation to provide a unique platform to apply research
and formulate practical solutions towards serving the community at large.
It exposes volunteers to the extraordinary domain of social
entrepreneurship, with the aim of bringing the youth together in an
endeavour to develop a more caring and a successful nation.

The Practice
The Volunteer Services Organization (VSO) started on September
17, 2007 with an aim to provide opportunity to students and staff to
volunteer and to instill a sense of responsibility in them towards the
society. The core objectives of VSO are to respond to the community
needs; to address the issues of the society; to develop leadership potential
of students and to enhance student learning through collaboration. The
goal of learning through community service in VSO is to combine service
and learning objectives with an intention of changing both the recipient
and the provider of the service. Service tasks and organized opportunities
that relate the service task to self-reflection, self-discovery, and the

17
acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge material
result in changes in the provider. Every college keeps a slot for VSO
presentation during the orientation of the course. During the presentation,
the details about the organization, its structure, process of joining and
benefit at personal and professional level is shared. Following that,
students register at the website and after an approval from the chief
coordinator, they get their user Id and password. Using this user Id and
password, they can login to their profile and register for any project which
takes places during the weekend. These volunteers, after a specific number
of volunteering hours and based on project need, can apply to become a
project coordinator. These volunteers are selected to become project
coordinator, based on their motivation letter and a personal interview. The
project coordinators upload the projects (which are aligned with a specific
sustainable development goals (SDGs)) on the website with the details of
the project and manage the activities on the day of the project along with
the registered volunteers. These project coordinators can later apply to
become the student head of the organization as VSO student ambassador.
All the activities in VSO is coordinated by the students and mentored by
the faculty coordinators from the constituent institutions. The uniqueness
of this social wing of the university is 7000+ active volunteers. Every
week, 200+ volunteers participate in more than 10 various community
projects and contribute 400+ hrs. of volunteering every week. All these
volunteering hours are recorded on the VSO website and each volunteer
can see the number of hours contributed by them in their profile. Once the
volunteers are about to complete their professional course, they can apply
for the certificate stating the number of hours. contributed to volunteering.
VSO has a sustainable volunteering engagement and has evolved a system
over the years for academic volunteering in higher educations in India.

18
Through this unique opportunity of structured academic volunteering,
student gain opportunities to meaningfully engage in community service
that benefits the community and also instill a sense of civic and social
responsibility within them. This best practice of the university is in line
with the National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) which lays strong
emphasis on community engagement and community service for
community building.

Regular Programmes
Weekly Programmes
Jyothi - Visit to ASARE, school for special children (Sunday, 4 pm-6 pm)
Sanjeevani – Visit to Paediatric Ward of Kasturba Hospital (Sunday, 4 pm- 6 pm)
Aarambh - Sri Krishna Balaniketan, An Orphanage (Sunday, 4 pm- 6pm)
Clean Manipal Campaign (Sunday, 5pm-7pm)
Blood Donation Camp (Sunday, 9 pm-5 pm)
Parivartana- Visit to Udupi Slums (Sunday, 9 am – 11 am)
Beach Clean Up Drive (Sunday, 6.30 am – 9.30 am)
Khushi- Visit to Nittur Balamandir for girls (Saturday, 3 pm – 5 pm)
Village Adoption Programme (Sunday, 9 am – 11 am)
Visit to Academy General School (Saturday, 3 pm – 5 pm)
Vidya – A visit to Namma Bhoomi, home for underprivileged (Sunday, 9 am – 11 am)
Yodha – Visit to Paediatric Cancer Ward of the hospital (Sunday, 4 pm-6 pm)
Akansha – visit to home for cancer affected children (Sunday, 4 pm-6 pm)

Special Programmes
Spoken Kannada Classes
Birthday Celebration at Orphanages (every month, last Sunday)
Health Camps for underprivileged people
Collection drives (clothes, stationary, toys)
SPARSH – fund raising cultural show
TARANG – a kite flying festival

19
DaanUtsav – a joy of giving week
Appreciation
Volunteering at VSO is a selfless service but appreciation through a
certificate for the service plays a big motivation for volunteers to go an
extra mile. At VSO, all projects are time defined, and the time spend by a
volunteer are documented through an in-house online system designed &
developed by volunteers. Once a volunteer participates in a project, a
certain number of hours (as defined for that particular project) gets added
to his VSO account. Once he completes 32 hours of volunteering, the
volunteer can apply for a VSO certificate in the online system. The
certificate also gives an option to mention any two projects of their choice.
Further VSO certificate are categorized under the following categories:
>=32 hours to < 63 hours: Bronze Certificate
>=64 hours to < 95 hours: Silver Certificate
>=96 hours: Gold Certificate
Volunteers having >=96 hours of service are also eligible to receive a letter
of recommendation (if required) from the head of VSO.

Volunteer can apply for a VSO certificate once during their entire
academic year of study. However, volunteer can download their
contributions (date, projects, time spent) at any time if they require the
credentials from the online portal.

Evidence of Success
The evidence of success can be seen in growing number of active
volunteers in VSO which meaningfully engage themselves in community
activities in spite of their busy academic schedule. Over the years, the VSO
alumni received international study scholarships, have joined and worked

20
in social and development sectors and have ventured into social
entrepreneurship. They all attribute this to the exposure they receive in
VSO where silos were broken, and they learned collaboratively with, from
and about each other. This engagement gave them an opportunity to see
the world with the different lens and contribute back to the society. VSO,
MAHE is seen as frontrunner in academic volunteering by the leaders of
social and development sectors where it sets an example of constant
volunteer engagement in delivering the collaborative projects. The
volunteering journey which volunteers undertake in VSO, gives them an
opportunity to connect, an opportunity to develop, an opportunity to grow,
an opportunity to self-discover, an opportunity to build a career in social
work, an opportunity to make someone happy and an opportunity to create
a better tomorrow time.

Problems Encountered and Resources Required

As a division of MAHE, VSO operates on the Manipal and
Mangalore campuses and recently started in Bengaluru. Our activities are
restricted to the areas surrounding these locations. VSO has yet to explore
partnerships with local NGOs that might strengthen its efforts. Sadly, there
are very few NGOs working on social and environmental concerns around
these campuses. VSO has collaborated with national-level NGOs on a
number of projects, including Daan Utsav and the National Youth
Conference. These partnerships should be continued and extended to
weekly projects.

The secret to the volunteers' long-term development is consistent

mentorship. At the moment, each institution has a college coordinator who
serves as a mentor. The time offered by the mentors to carry out different

21
initiatives is being constrained by their various duties and responsibilities
as well as their personal and professional priorities. College coordinators
should have regular chances for training and development along with
monetary benefits.

Impact of VSO activities (Average 3 years)

Sl. Target Project Name & Outcome of the impact

No. Group Details (Impact) (Number of people
benefitted)

1 Sick Children Sanjeevani – Weekly 100 visits (2hr each) were

admitted in volunteering activity at arranged over 3 years
hospital Paediatric Ward of involving 2,000 volunteers and
Kasturba Hospital targeting nearly 10,000 people.
Sick children actively
participated in all feel-good
activity. Parents & children
look forward to volunteer visit
every week

2 Special Jyothi – weekly Nearly 1800 volunteers

people volunteering activity at participated in 90 visits (2 hr
(Mentally Asare home for special each) to home for special
retarded children home and conducted
people) vocational training for well-
being of the people and to
remove their social stigma.
Inmates became more
confident and mingle with
students and started working at
various places

3 Orphan Arambh & Sandhya – 100 visits were conducted by

children weekly volunteering 2500 volunteers to orphanages
activity at orphanages to conduct computer
education, soft skills training,
English teaching. Children
become more confident, fluent
in English and handling
computers

22
4 Socio Muskaan - Weekly 64 visits to nearly slums
economically activity at Slums by involving 1280 volunteers
deprived volunteers were conducted for training
people the slum kids, imparting
education. School enrolment
increased and healthy practices
were observed among slum
dwellers
5 Old people Asha – weekly activity 300 volunteers visited old age
residing in at old age home by home nearly 30 times and
Old age volunteers interacted & spend time with
home inmates. They actively
participate in activities and
look forward to the visit
6 Students, Spoken Kannada Classes 8 courses were conducted
Faculty conducted by volunteers involving 1200 people to
impart spoken kannada
education and promote the
culture of the state
7 General Clean Manipal 60 visits involving 1200
Public Campaign – weekly volunteers cleaned the
Swaccha Bharat surrounding areas, spread
Abhiyan by volunteers awareness & installed
dustbins.
8 Students, Come and Donate blood Nearly 900 volunteers donated
Faculty - Blood Donation Camp blood
every week by
volunteers
9 Haemophilic Tarang – annual fund Nearly 2 Lakh rupees were
patients, raising kite flying fund raised and donated for the
Premature activity by volunteers patients benefit. Awareness
babies, was spread during the events
special
people
10 General DaanUtsav – joy of Nearly 70 projects involving
Public giving week between nearly 20,000 givers were
Oct 2-8 planned and implemented over
1 week duration (Oct2-8) over
3 years

23
Compiled by
Dr. Anup Naha
Chief Coordinator, VSO
Associate Professor
MAHE, Manipal
[email protected]

24
 Chapter 5
Aanandam and Environmental Sustainability

“The Greatest Threat to Our Planet is the Belief That

Someone Else Will Save It”
- Robert Swan

Today the world is grappling with the outcomes of modern notions

of growth and development. Since the industrial revolution we have been
made to think that more and more industrialization would lead to economic
development and the happiness of society. But while evaluating the
development we didn’t take into account the cost in terms of depletion of
natural resources and harmful gas emissions that pollute the environment
which is disastrous for all living beings. Climate change is a big
environmental challenge. It has affected the lives of millions of people,
flora and fauna. The frequency of droughts, forest fires, floods,
earthquakes is increasing continuously. Steps are needed to sustain with
such environment. Pollution problems are ever increasing and are
adversely impacting the health of everyone. Interventions are needed to
reduce the causes of the pollution like minimising the use of plastics,
chemicals etc. There is need to conserve energy. According to the UNO
calculation, 13% of the world population lacks access to electricity and
three billion people are dependent on fossil fuels for their day to day needs.
Therefore, energy efficient equipments are needed and also the ways to use
the renewable energy sources have to be searched. The availability of food
and drinking water is also getting scarce. Sustainable solutions are needed
to solve this problem. So there is no dearth of problems which demand
immediate solutions. The Nobel Peace prize winner the first African

25
women Wangari Maathai rightly says, “The environment and the economy
are really both two sides of the same coin. If we cannot sustain the
environment, we cannot sustain ourselves.”

Traditionally Indian society had always valued scarce resources like

water, soil or energy. We had been in the habit of reusing, recycling and
reducing to preserve our resources. Philosophically we always emphasised
on the notion of „Aparigrah‟ i.e. not collecting more than what we need for
living a life. There are examples of prudent ways of conservation of water,
conservation of soil through rotation of crops and the like. We need to be
aware of our strong traditions of understanding the environment and
preserve it.

With this background in mind Aanandam course has been

formulated in an all-inclusive manner so that in Aanandam Diary as well
as in Group Projects the students become conversant with the
environmental problems and can imagine and think creatively about
resolving them.

Individual and community efforts can result in large scale positive

impact on the environment. One can take up a patch of wasteland lying in
the college campus or anywhere in the locality. By small and consistent
efforts that patch can be turned into a beautiful green area full of trees with
birds and butterflies perching on them. Some other can take up a task of
developing some alternatives to the plastics which are used in day to day
lives. If the young minds are perturbed by scarcity of water, energy or
some other environmental problem and are determined to solve them, then
there might be many innovative solutions. We come across so many good
environmental stories in newspapers and media. Recently there was a story

26
of a person from Samastipur Bihar. A 33-year-old Shri Rajesh Kumar
Suman started a unique coaching centre which charged from its students
18 plant saplings as fees. What a way to give back, educating the children
and protecting the environment at the same time! In another story a
visually challenged person every monsoon does rain water harvesting for 1
lakh litres of rain water. Similarly, in Mumbai an artist Haribabu Naatesan
used 25 tons E-waste for his art work. Such stories are the examples of
creativity that contributes to environmental sustainability.

Aanandam gives ample opportunity to the students to be sensitive

and observant about the environmental issues. The students can take up
any of the environmental problems as a topic of their project work and can
use their mental capabilities to give certain solutions for environmental
sustainability.

“The unselfish effort to bring cheer to other will be the

beginning of a happier life for our ourselves”
- Hellen Keller

27
 Chapter 6
AANANDAM DIARY

Today abundant knowledge is easily available simply by pressing

some keys on a smartphone or a computer. Very less scope is left for
expressing ourselves through our original thoughts. So something is left
frustrated within. Writing by hand in a diary helps in boosting the creative
urge. Aanandam diary is a very important part of this course. It requires
that one should observe his / her deeds daily. In fact, everyone does some
good deed every day, but it is overlooked. The students will keep a watch
on their deeds and pick up one good deed done to be recorded by hand in
the Aanandam Diary. This task will be done on a daily basis. The Diary
will be discussed in the Aanandam period. The Aanandam period should
be there in the time table every day. It can be a short period of 25 minutes
and will be kept as an extension of any of the subject periods. This way
Aanandam course will not require any special faculty or any particular
dedicated period.

There are a number of benefits of observing a good deed and

recording it by hand in Aanandam Diary. Writing by hand helps in
increasing mindfulness similar to meditation. When the student observes
his / her deeds and records one good deed in the Diary, it gives a sense of
self fulfilment and joy of giving. When it becomes a habit of doing a good
deed and writing it by hand it will tap the hidden goodness concealed
within. This helps in evolution of Karuna and Maitri i.e. Kindness and
Friendliness, turning a person into a compassionate human being. At
present the whole system focuses on punishing the wrongdoings, making
laws and prisons for punishments but nothing has been done to tap the

28
goodness which is already there and evolve a person into a good human
being. Aanandam Diary provides this opportunity to our students.

There were also suggestions that the student can record their good
deeds on a smartphone or a laptop using the keyboard but then the purpose
of this part of Aanandam would have been defeated as it would have
reduced the sense of ownership and belongingness. When the person
writes by hand then a particular part of the brain is used and thus the
thought of good deeds gets endorsed and imprinted there. Another great
benefit of Aanandam Diary is that when one sits to read it at leisure he /
she will be impressed by his / her evolution into a good human being.

Recording an Individual Act of Goodness – Each student individually

does an „act of goodness‟ per day and that is recorded in the „Aanandam
diary‟. That Diary is shared with the mentor and other students in the
assigned time slot.

Glimpses of ‘Aanandam diary’ maintained by a student

29
 Aanandam Diary will be discussed in the period of Aanandam. The
teacher in the class will simply listen to what the students have written in
the Diary but will not evaluate and judge any of the incidents written by
the students. The role of the teacher is to facilitate and not preach about
anything. The purpose behind this is that the student's original ideas should
be fostered instead of being suppressed. Students are free to write what
they feel is good and in the interest of the society. This will help in
bringing out the good human qualities hidden inside a student.

The Aanandam diary is mandatory. The mentor in the class will only
record whether the student has recorded an incident of good deed done.
There won‟t be any marks for Aanandam Diary.

30
 Chapter 7
Aanandam and Community Service

“Without Community Service, we would not have a strong

quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well
as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and
develop.”
- Dorothy Height

Today we live in a world where we have access to the remotest

corners through the most advanced technology of communication. A huge
virtual world has been created by the modern means of communications.
Everyone is seen engrossed in their smartphones. But at the same time
there is a great neglect of human interaction physically. This abundance of
virtual communications has also led to a hollowness in real lives. Our
youth, mainly residing in cities, is today deprived of personal touch with
the community around them. Most of them have scanty knowledge about
the problems of the communities living in slums and small villages. There
is a necessity of bringing our students face to-face with the stark realities
of community life. There should be exposure to the problems and
hardships faced by the deprived sections of society. This is possible only
when the students are sensitised towards them by involving them into
personal interaction with such groups. Interaction with the community and
an exposure to the harsh realities will make the student more imaginative
and creative because this will give them the opportunity to think about
solving their problems. Interaction with the community and efforts to solve
their problems will also increase the empathetic quotient of the student. In
fact, their interaction with the community is a win-win situation for both. It

31
will be mutually beneficial. Any invention or discovery originates from the
problems of people.

There is an African proverb “If you want to go fast, go alone; but if

you want to go far go together”

No education can be complete without involving the community

around us. Education has to be linked with life to make it a meaningful
education.

How to Interact with the Community for a Community Service

Project
For doing a Community Service Project the students should try to
build a comfortable level of communication with the members of the
community. The first step is to break the ice and build rapport with the
persons who are influential in the community.

They should try to understand a general socio- economic

background of the community, their day-to-day life through conversations.
They should try to create a sense of connection by sharing about
themselves and why they are doing a certain project with them. The
students should build an understanding about their lifestyle, culture and
habits. They should listen to their problems carefully and also should
discuss with them about various solutions of the problems. They should be
good listener: Listening carefully and without interrupting instantly builds
rapport. They should be empathetic to their problems. It‟s necessary that
the conversations with the community should be in an appropriate
language. They should also try to pick some prominent dialectical words to
build a good rapport with the community.

32
 Using appropriate and layman's language could be one of the best
ways to kick-start a conversation and may help in building rapport faster.
Try to inject an element of humour during the conversations to make it
lighter.

Body language: Body language is an important element in any

communication that uses physical gestures. While talking to various
stakeholders and target groups, one should maintain their body posture,
eye contact, facial expression in a manner that does not make the other
person feel uncomfortable. One should be wary of their body language that
signals disinterest, judgement, bias, or any other behaviour that may
become a discomfort for the stakeholder or target group into further
sharing their thoughts.

Reserve judgement: Withhold your criticism towards any of their

thoughts towards various issues and concerns. Share advice only when
they request you for that. Emphasise positivity and facilitate openness to
their opinion.

Organise group meetings/discussion forum: organise meetings with

various stakeholders and provide them opportunities to ask questions,
provide testimonies and raise concerns.

Define their role in the collaboration: defining their role and

appreciating their presence will develop a feeling of ownership towards the
collaboration.

Be visible in local communities: be part of their local events,

meetings and forums and engage in their conversation. Be a part of them.
Being visible in the community fosters a sense of transparency and trust.

33
 While interacting with the community and discussing their problems
with them, the community members learn how to prioritize their problems
and find their solutions. They learn to work together for the common good.
They would know how to mobilise resources which are already available
in the community. In short the community service project done by the
students will side by side empower the community also. This will ensure
the sustainability of the outcomes of development programs of government
and non-government agencies. The entire community service project will
thus be an educational process for the students as well as the community.
The students would come to know about the scarcity of resources and
would learn to value them. They would learn the importance of
conservation through community participation. No wonder community
service project might result in great discoveries, innovative ideas for future
startups and enterprises.

34
 Chapter 8
Aanandam Day
How to make learning a Celebration

“I slept and dreamt the life was a joy. I awoke and saw that
life was service. I acted and behold, service was a joy”
- Rabindra Nath Tagore

Aanandam in reality makes learning a celebration. The students

work in teams in tandem with Nature. They use their creative potential.
They imagine the ways to solve the problems. They learn a lot while
interacting with the community.

Celebrating Aanandam Day

Aanandam day will be celebrated once in a month in the college
campus. All the students and the faculty will participate. If the institution
wishes, it can invite some persons of repute and NGOs also to show the
activities of the students done under Aanandam. The students will display
their work done in their respective group projects in the form of charts,
nukkad natak, declamations, paintings etc. They would use their talents to
exhibit their work. Aanandam day will be full of fun and celebrations. The
projects displayed on Aanandam day would be given marks by an
evaluation committee made by the head of the institution. Aanandam day
will be celebrated every month and thus there will be continuous
evaluation of the group project. Aanandam day also gives the opportunity
to the students and mentors to discuss the problems, if any faced while
doing the project work.

35
 Chapter 9
How to do a Group Project-Work

Aanandam is a holistic course that will help in the evolution of the

student into a human being with a balanced outlook towards the external
and internal world. It helps in Growth of the individual in harmony with
the community and the environment.

It is a course that uses the faculties of a student for the healthy

growth of a society. It gives opportunity for experiential learning,
explorations of community life, its problems and using the learned skills in
solving the problems. It provides a vast scope for critical thinking and
innovative solutions. If the students want help or guidance regarding some
problems in execution of the project work, then the mentors should give a
wholehearted support.

The findings of some of the Aanandam projects may also result in

some great sociological and economic surveys of a particular pocket of the
community or social group.

The solutions suggested by the students in their project works can be

precursors of some important inventions, innovations, startups and some
policy decisions.

The Project work will have five phases:

(i) Introductory phase - preliminary interaction with community.
(ii) Inquisitive phase - inquisitive about the problem.
(iii) Discussion & Analysis phase – Discussing & Analysing the
problems with the community and among the group members.

36
(iv) Discovery phase - discovering the indigenous solutions.
(v) Solution phase - innovation, idea generation, critical thinking with
focus on concepts, ideas applications and problem solving.

Every individual member will have a piece of the task. The

Members will work collaboratively towards the object of the project.
Every student member will get a sufficient chance to show their leadership
skills. Project work will be an example of collaborative leadership.

Interacting with the community

The students will do a brief study of the community group they take
up for the project. They will try to understand the cultural aspects. They
will pick up the local dialectics, to make their communication effective.
They will observe the eating habits and other aspects of routine life. They
will try to understand the economic aspect of a family - the sources of
livelihood, consumption pattern, daily expenses. Their awareness about
Government Welfare Schemes etc. This brief study will form the 1st
chapter of the project report.

Selection of the problem

Methodology - (i) interaction with community – the interactions with
community leaders, women groups, youth, elders need to be discussed in
the report substantiated with photographs.
(a) Picking up the problem.
(b) Defining the problem.
(c) Discussion about the problem.
(d) Analysing the causes.

37
Solution - Suggesting the solutions:
Procedure, Planning, Execution should be explained in the project
report.

Project Examples -
(i) Studying the artisans and craftsmen in an artisan community.
(ii) A village ward - problem of electricity/water/roads etc.
(iii) A slum - Problem of sanitation and hygiene.
(iv) Problem of livelihood - suggesting some solution like formation of
self-help groups, skill training, computer literacy etc.
(v) Problem of addiction to tobacco on the college campus.
(vi) Problems related to malnutrition - spreading awareness about
anaemia and other deficiencies - eating the right food. The project
can be taken up in an Aanganwadi.
(vii) Problems related to physically challenged persons.
(viii) Problem of barren land - it can be the college campus itself.
(ix) Agricultural students can take up the project of teaching organic
farming to the natives of a place.
(x) Understanding the problems related to old aged persons. Old age
homes can also be taken up as a subject of the project.

38
Project Report Writing
The project will be written in two parts:
(i) Synopsis
(ii) Main Project Report

(i) Synopsis: - The synopsis of the project to be undertaken will be

written before actually starting the project work. It will contain
a. Introduction
b. Objectives of the project work
c. Area of the project work
d. Targeted beneficiaries
e. Problem selection
f. Methodology / Procedure Adopted
g. Help from Government / Non-Government Organisations

The synopsis will briefly explain their project work in 15-20 pages. It will
be signed by all the students in the group. The mentor teacher will be the
guide of the project.

(ii) Main Project Report:-

The main project report will be written under following heads:
1. Preface
2. Acknowledgement
3. Chapters
● Introduction of the project
● Objective of the project
● The procedure adopted
● Activities and Timeline

39
 ● Description of Social Interaction Observation and Experience
while doing the project substantiated with photographs and
media clippings (if there is any)
● Achievements of the project - Benefits to the community
● Individual Contribution of the Group Members
● Conclusion and Learning outcome of the project

The report will be signed by all the participants, students. The

mentor teacher will sign the project report before submission.

It‟s necessary to give a brief description of the community where the

project work is being undertaken. This introduction about the community
will be discussed under the following heads:
A.(i) Socio cultural Background of the community including - status of
women.
(ii) Geographical location mentioning river, nala, conditions of the
roads, plantation etc. other dominant features.
(iii) Economic condition - sources of livelihood, substantiated with
photographs.

There can also be some projects which don't involve community

interactions like some technical / engineering projects. In that case a brief
description about the usefulness of the project for the community or any
other larger entity should be made a part of the project report.

There is no restriction in selection of the topics for the projects. The

purpose of the group project is basically to develop the leadership qualities
and problem-solving attitude among the students. The teachers will act as
facilitators and not as judgemental entities. The group project work in
Aanandam aims at evolving the imaginative and creative faculties of the
students.

40
 Model Project Reports

Project Report I

1. Introduction: - This Group Project has been undertaken in

Aanandam. Ten students will work together on this project in the
current session with the aim to bring about positive social change by
impacting the lives of poor women of Devpura area of Bundi. The
student group shortlisted 50 poor women with basic literacy to carry
out the Project objectives. The aim was to empower the selected
women by imparting a variety of entrepreneurial skills such as
accounting, internet access, and personal financial management with
the aim that these sessions would enable the women to improve the
sustainability of their micro-businesses and help them become more
economically independent.

2. Objectives of the Project: -

a. Understand the challenges that the poor women of Devpura Kachhi
Basti, Bundi face in their daily lives.
b. Teach them a variety of entrepreneurial skills such as accounting,
internet access and personal financial management.
c. Enable the women to improve the sustainability of their micro
businesses and help them become more economically independent.

3. Area identified for the work:- Devpura Kachhi Basti, Bundi

4. Target beneficiary: - 50 Poor women of Devpura Kachhi Basti,

Bundi.

41
5. Methodology/Procedure to be followed: -
a. The student group will work in collaboration with an NGO I-India.
b. The group of ten students will further divide into 5 pairs. Each pair
will adopt 10 women from the 50 shortlisted women. Each student
pair will interact with the 10 women of their group for one and a half
hour on a daily basis and teach the women a variety of
entrepreneurial skills such as accounting, internet access and
personal financial management

6. Name of the Government body/ NGO involved:- in collaboration

with an NGO I-India.

Signature of the Students

1. …………………..........
2. …………………..........
3. …………………..........
4. …………………..........
5. …………………..........
6. …………………..........
7. …………………..........
8. …………………..........
9. …………………..........

42
Project Report II
1. Introduction: - This Group Project has been undertaken in
Aanandam. Ten students will work together on this project in the
current session with the aim to bring about positive social change
through innovations in ways of growing vegetables at the College
level. The student will experiment with the Hydroponic technique. It
is a new age technique to grow crops at a 30% faster rate and with
80% less water and the most interesting part is, the crops do not
require soil to grow.

2. Objectives of the Project:-

a. Growing seasonal vegetables in College Botanical Garden
b. Growing hydroponic vegetables which require minimum water,
fertilizers and can be grown without soil.
c. Supplying the produce to the Red Cross Society, Bundi runs a
charity kitchen for poor patients and starving people.

3. Area identified for the work: - Growing vegetables for the poor in
the College Botanical Garden.

4. Target beneficiary: - Poor people who are fed by Red Cross

Society, Bundi.

5. Methodology/Procedure to be followed: -
a. The student group will work in collaboration with an NGO I-India.
b. The group of ten students will further divide into 5 pairs. Each pair
will develop 2 suitable vegetable beds and one hydroponic space to

43
 experiment, innovate and grow vegetables requiring less water and
fertilizers.
c. Each student pair will put in at least one hour of labour on a daily
basis and tend to their vegetable beds. They will choose seasonal
vegetables for better results. As mentioned an innovative step would
be to grow some vegetables using the Hydroponic method. For this
students on the campus will be asked to bring waste plastic bottles
and containers from home.

6. Name of the Government body/ NGO involved:- in collaboration

with an NGO I-India.

Signature of the Students

1. …………………..........
2. …………………..........
3. …………………..........
4. …………………..........
5. …………………..........
6. …………………..........
7. …………………..........
8. …………………..........
9. …………………..........

44
Project Report III
1. Introduction:- This Group Project has been undertaken in
Aanandam. Ten students will work together on this project in the
current session with the aim to bring about positive social change
through innovations by providing accounting solutions to local
vendors and small storekeepers in the Sabzimandi area of Bundi by
training them to use the app “bill buddy.”
The app is helpful to generate bills on the voice input mode
for small vendors and make records of purchases of customers. The
interesting part of the app is that Purchase Bills can be transferred to
customers through an e-mode via SMS, email, etc. on the spot, with
which customers can track the records of their purchase bill.
Vendors can select payment mode during purchases and can see
daily, weekly, monthly and even an all-time record of overall usage
pattern of payment mode.
The Student group has chosen to work on this project so as to train
and help the vendors in billing, accounting, book keeping and filing
taxes thereby mitigating the need and cost to go to an accountant.

2. Objectives of the Project:-

a. Train the selected local vendors and small store keepers to download
and learn to use an app “bill buddy.”
b. Help them to resolve problems related to accounting, billing, book
keeping and filing taxes.

3. Area identified for the work: - Local vendors and small

storekeepers in the Sabzi mandi area of Bundi.

45
4. Target beneficiary: - 25 Selected local vendors and small-store
keepers in the Sabzi mandi area of Bundi.

5. Methodology/Procedure to be followed: -
The student group will work in collaboration with volunteers of
second and third-year Commerce students and an NGO I-India, of Bundi.
a. The group of ten students will further divide into 5 pairs. Each pair
will identify five (05) local vendors and small-store keepers in the
Sabzi mandi area of Bundi. The pairs will meet the selected groups
for an hour on a daily basis. They will train them to learn to use an
app “bill buddy.” The student groups will help the vendors in
billing, accounting, book keeping and filing taxes thereby mitigating
the need and cost to go to an accountant.

6. Name of the Government body/NGO involved:- in collaboration

with I-India, an NGO.

Signature of the Students

1. …………………..........
2. …………………..........
3. …………………..........
4. …………………..........
5. …………………..........
6. …………………..........
7. …………………..........
8. …………………..........
9. …………………..........

46
 EVALUATION OF THE PROJECT WORK

Aanandam emphasises on tapping the hidden potential and evolution

of the students instead of learning a subject by rote selective study for
exams and getting marks based on role learning. The Aanandam project is
to be assessed by the Project Evaluation Committee. The progress of the
project would be continuously assessed on the basis of monthly
performance on Aanandam Day which will be held every month. No
student has to fail in this subject. No concept of competition or
comparisons among the students, as every project done and every
contribution made by each student is unique. The mentors are supposed to
encourage and incentivise the students for their work.

The evaluation system in Aanandam is not based on competition or

comparisons. It is based on the belief that competition destroys love and
friendliness. Competition involves race against each other and it results in
reduction in joyfulness. In Aanandam nobody fails or passes. Every
Aanandam project is unique in itself and is valued for the idea and efforts
behind the execution of the project. No project is inferior to other projects.
There is no concept of an exam for evaluation in Aanandam. It is based on
continuous evaluation. Progress of Aanandam projects will be watched
every month on Aanandam Day. In a semester there will be six Aanandam
Days. In their project reports the students will be showing their activities
substantiated with the news clippings and photographs. Grades will be
given in the projects. The evaluation will be done to promote creativity,
originality and problem-solving approach reflected in the project work.

47
THE CBCS (CHOICE BASED CREDIT SYSTEM)
The CBCS system offers three types of course choices to the
students which are: core, elective and foundation. Of these, the elective
subjects have more generic content and aim to increase the student’s skills
thereby tapping the full potential of the students. The evaluation process of
projects undertaken under Aanandam need to be based both on qualitative
and quantitative methods. Thus mentors evaluating projects undertaken
under Aanandam need to assess and evaluate projects of student groups so
that students are made aware of which types of community services were
useful or not. Evaluation of community service projects will help to impact
the community in strategic ways.

Mentors or evaluators should base their evaluation by first looking

for answers to the following questions: -
1. Did the participation of students in a given project lead to an
increase in their interaction levels?
2. Was the project in which students engaged one of their choice?
3. Did working in the project reveal any hidden potential or talent or
creativity in any/some students?
4. Did working on a project develop the ability of introspection among
students for making their lives more socially engaging?
5. Did the service extended by the student groups actually help the
target group?
6. What percentage of support did the target group experience?
7. Did the project move in the it was planned?
8. Did the project help in the way it was intended to?
9. On which steps did the project fall short?

48
 The Community service projects undertaken by students should
consistently pass through three important steps in the entire duration of the
project. For this Aanandam day on any working day had been fixed. On
this day students as well as Mentors will discuss their projects on the
following 3 steps to evaluate.

Stage 1: Synopsis
This is the most vital stage for a future project that will be
undertaken by student groups and will be mentored by their teachers. In
this stage the students will required to:
1. Identify one or more local problems that need to be solved
2. Set goals which should be specifically divided in short and long
term goals
3. They should discuss how they can change or solve the problem by
identifying the cause of the problem.

Stage 2: Act
1. In this stage the students will chalk a baseline which will be created
by making a project proposal, meeting minutes and incorporating
suggestions of all participants
2. They will also consider the most practical an effective way to
change the problem this can be done by breaking the broad long
term goals in short and medium goals
3. Visualize an anticipate the outcome or result off the project to be
undertaken
4. Consider what steps will bring about the desired change
5. What resources will be needed to solve the problems identified.

49
6. In this stage the students may require to design a questionnaire for
the target groups regarding a specific problem
7. Before undertaking the project, the student groups need to interview
the target groups or hold interactive discussions with different age
groups, gender and social groups. This will help them to make clear
cut customized goals.
8. Revise the short medium and long term goals if required
9. Determine specific steps that will bring about the desired change

Stage 3: Evaluate
Evaluate the extent to which the student group was able to achieve
the short medium and long term goals

Compare the nature of the problems at the beginning and after a

project reached its completion

Organise the information collected during the project and see how
closely the specific goals were met a list of obstacles and problems faced
by the student groups that made achieving the set goals or targets difficult
to achieve or achieve partially satisfactorily also should be made how
certain problems which were not anticipated earlier where resolved list
other successful outcomes not figuring in the objectives but attained by the
student groups in the course of the project.

Analyse if the success in achieving goals set earlier pertains to the

problems identified earlier

50
 Observations should be shared on Aanandam day each month to
monitor contribution of each member and his or her potential or expertise
for a certain job this will help in work distribution of the project.

In this stage the case studies of earlier projects undertaken on similar

issues can also be discussed to compare the success rate. Important
indicators to measure the success of a community service project would be
Self-evaluation of student groups themselves

Number of people the student groups were able to reach. (For

employment, health check-ups etc.)

Response of the target groups through feedback forms or personal

interaction to record the opinion of people their views and experiences of
the programme photos of before and after percentage of people who were
not benefited.

Sharing the findings an observation will help the groups to recognise

and identify problems or issues that prevented the progress of their projects
sharing will also help to learn from mistakes and use successful ideas of
other projects sharing will also help students to use their findings to make
practical changes they had visualised

In this stage of evaluation, the mentors as well as students will be

able to identify the factors that affected the achievement of the objectives.
Such factors may be external or internal.

External factors: change in situation related to a problem (say poor

rains affecting a project on plantation) or Supporting groups from the

51
community withdrawing financial or infrastructural support. (pandemic,
local pressures, politics etc.)

Internal factors: Key members leave the group or do not make the
mandatory field trips, or devote enough time or resources. Project departs
from the original plan.

All members not doing their tasks satisfactorily. Work done was
satisfactory but not recorded well in project writing. The targets or
objectives set were not realistic or appropriate. Project members could not
work in unison.

52
 Chapter 10
Aanandam: A Roadmap for the Future

With the progress of the time accompanied by the growth of the

population, our civilisation is finding itself entrapped in the VUCA
situation- where there is too much volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and
ambiguity. To minimise its impact and to survive in this world our next
generations need to be prepared. They should be empowered with velocity,
unusual solutions, clarity, adaptability, and stability. Textbookish
knowledge is justnot sufficient for making our youth resilient and robust to
face the ups and downs of life. At least some part of the total time devoted
to the routine type of education should be spent on community interactions
and interaction with self.

The New National education policy 2022 envisions transformative

changes in the present education system to make it more meaningful.
Introduction of the new subject Aanandam is expected to bring such
changes.

Outcomes of the Group Projects

1. Movement for literacy
The focus is on encouraging adolescent girls in tribal communities
to go to school. Due to the heavy responsibilities of the household and
stark poverty the girls in backward tribal communities are not sent to
school, they sit at home doing household chores and taking care of their
siblings. Their parents simply discourage them from going to school,
whereas they have a great desire to study and go to school. The students
will try to understand the realities of tribal life and will focus on the issues

53
of adolescent girls. They will conduct a small survey to identify out-of-
school girls. They would interact with the elders of the community. They
would try to convince them about the importance of education.

This task can be a little challenging but the students will try to
understand their dialects and use all their communication skills to make
them understand how the education of the adolescent girls in the
community can help in making their lives happier.

The group of students who take up this project will also help the
girls in ameliorating their conditions by coordinating with the village
administration, NGOs in the field, philanthropists, and political leaders. By
doing this the students will use their communication skills, leadership
skills, and other faculties in bringing the adolescent girls in the tribal
community out of their homes and enrolling them into the school. This
project can be continued further for the empowerment of adolescent girls
by discussing with them the health-related issues: sanitation, hygiene,
nutrition, and financial issues.

2. Taking care of Stray animals

The students can plan a project to take care of stray animals such as
cows, dogs, etc.

They can involve the community to make them aware of the

condition of the stray animals with the help of the community, they can
feed them, they can take care of their health, and can help the injured birds
and animals.

54
3. Plantation
A group of students can take up a project related to planting and
converting a wasteland into a beautiful green area. The students will
coordinate with local authorities and the community to procure the plants
and plant them properly in the targeted area, they will learn how to take
care of the plants, which fertilizers to be used, how the seeds are sown, and
how different plants need different kinds of attention. This activity will
contribute to the ecology of the area and will also make the students and
the community happy.

A group of Students under the mentorship of a lecturer can take up a

task to make a patch of barren land in the college campus, green. The
purpose is to make the environs of the college campus look beautiful.
A green area acts as Oxyzone.
Now this work can be turned into four projects under Aanandam
Making the undulated land plain for the purpose of plantation.
Planting and maintenance of the trees
Arranging water for irrigating the plants-activate rainwater harvesting
system, its maintenance, using water saving techniques like drip irrigation
system.
Surveillance of the plants -using innovative and imaginative skills -

The mentor would guide the students. The groups for the project
work can consist of a mix of students from different streams or it can be
from the same stream-it is the discretion of the students and mentor
teachers.

55
4. Organising blood donation camps and arranging the blood for
the needy patients
This project will also be done by involving the community around
the students to spread awareness about the importance of blood donation.
They would coordinate with the blood banks, they would act as liaisons
between the blood bank and the needy patients. For this, they can also
think about some digital solutions. This activity is surely going to help the
community and the needy people and in turn, will make the students happy
and empathetic.

5. Improving the conditions of the Aanganwadis

The students can choose a village or slum as an area of the project
If college so wishes it can decide upon the area after consultation with the
students

Students will go to the site and will interact with the concerned
persons for studying the Anganwadis. Then they will decide upon which
Aanganwadis they would like to choose for the project work.

An Anganwadi caters to children up to 6 years and pregnant

ladies and lactating mothers of deprived sections of society.

The task can be divided into a brief study of the community around
the Anganwadi. The student will get familiar with the food habits, status of
women, sources of livelihood, belief system, etc. of the community.

This brief study about the community will be an essential part of the
project report.

56
 An Anganwadi is run under Integrated Child Development
Services.The scheme envisages taking care of the child before and after
birth till six years of age.

The students can contribute to the proper implementation of the

scheme, by encouraging the community to send their children to
Anganwadi, by supervising the immunisation program and healthcare
of the beneficiaries, by involving themselves in early childhood education
that’s imparted to 3-6yrs children. By contributing to improving
Anganwadi building, and other articles that are necessary for the
anganwadi. By contributing to the poshanvatika of the anganwadi. By
coordinating with well-off people of the locality to support the anganwadi
by providing clean drinking water, vessels, mats for children and other
necessary equipment.
So a number of groups can take up different anganwadis for ameliorating
and make them Model Anganwadis. The students will interact with the
ICDS officials, the village head, ward members, NGO if any to make their
project worthwhile.

57
6. Women empowerment
A group of students can take up projects on issues related to women
empowerment
❖ Health Hygiene including menstrual hygiene and sanitation
❖ Nutrition
❖ Literacy-financial literacy, computer literacy, legal literacy etc.

Such projects can be taken up in a mohalla, slum, or a village ward.

The projects related to women issues would certainly make the students
gender sensitive and gender neutral. At the same time such projects would
certainly go a long way in ameliorating the conditions of women in a
community.

7. Environment
● Projects on water saving
● Projects on electricity saving
● Projects on fuel saving

58
● Projects on plantations
● Projects related to pollution control

or any other environmental related issues which the students want to

take up. Such projects will expose the students to the problem of scarce
natural resources viz water, electricity, fuel etc. In trying to solve the
problem related to the scarcity of the resources the students may come out
with very good ideas and innovations which would benefit the community.
The projects related to pollution control like reducing the use of plastic etc.
can result in discovery of some alternatives of the plastic. These projects
can also be converted into startups.

59
 CONCLUSION

Education cannot be limited to acquiring more and more information

from textbooks and evaluating this accumulated information in term - end
examinations. Such type of education is not making us connected with
ourselves and the people around us. It doesn’t teach us about making a
healthy relationships with people and the environment around us. Mere
accumulation of facts and figures cannot be defined as knowledge. It is
necessary that the student should also understand about life. The processes
of life can be understood only when the student is given the chance to
interact with his own self and with the people around. After fulfilling the
basic needs an individual want to satisfy his self-actualization need which
can be fulfilled through use of creative and imaginative faculties. Only that
education can be said to be holistic which allows the students to express
his urge for creativity. There should be equal emphasis on experiencing the
beauty and mystery of Nature. To make education joyful experience there
should be a subject where the students can interact with the community
and the nature using their faculties of kindness, empathy, creativity and
imagination. Then only the student will enjoy learning and will assimilate
it for living a joyful life.

To conclude, few lines from Rabindranath Tagore

“Aanondo Loke mongola Loke birajo shotto shundoro”
O Beautiful Truth grace the world of happiness and benevolence.
Indian philosophy revolves around Satyam Shivam Sundaram -Truth is
beautiful and benevolent-

60
 Aanandam emphasizes Harmony, it makes the students enjoy the
music of Nature and understand the harmony in the ecosystem. It makes
them inquisitive. They question and enjoy the journey of discovering and
unfolding the truth. They interact with the community and understand the
underlying interdependence. They become empathetic. Aanandam course
through its contents tries to make the student a part of the whole-makes
them realize their necessity to sustain the system.

61
 APPENDIX
Implementation of Aanandam in
Higher and Technical Education in Rajasthan

The idea of Aanandam was conceived by the author of the book

when she was Secretary Higher and Technical Education Department in
Government of Rajasthan. Meetings with Vice Chancellors of the
Universities and Good NGOs were held. The task force comprising
experienced educationists and NGOs deliberated over the issue of how to
make Aanandam course an integral part of the curriculum. After much
deliberations Aanandam has been accepted as a graded compulsory subject
for all technical and non-technical courses in Higher and Technical
education in Rajasthan. The Academic Councils of many Universities
accepted Aanandam as a compulsory graded subject. The Directorate of
Polytechnic Institutes also incorporated Aanandam as a graded subject for
all diploma courses. Though the progress of this new subject suffered
during almost two years long lockdown of Pandemic, but wherever there is
enthusiastic faculty, it has shown good results. Some private universities
like Apex University, Shree Keshwanand Institute of Technology, Nims
University are also doing good community service projects under
Aanandam. Some examples are shared in this book.

62
Implementation of Aanandam in Ram Chandra Khaitan Government
Polytechnic Institute in Jaipur, Rajasthan
For implementing Aanandam in a Polytechnic institute in Rajasthan
the following steps were taken –
1. Appointment of Aanandam Nodal Officer
To monitor the course at the Institutional level, a passionate faculty
member was to be entrusted with the task of implementation of
Aanandam. A Nodal officer was appointed and entrusted with the
responsibility of proper execution of Aanandam activities in the
institute.

2. All the faculty members are to act as Group Project mentors for their
respective classes. The Principal of the institute will from time to
time supervise the activities being done under Aanandam.

3. Student group formation

The students will themselves decide their groups and the activities
they want to take up as group projects. The records of the groups
and their respective project works are to be maintained at the level
of the class. The group size may vary between 10-15 students
depending on the nature of the project work.

4. Activities by students:
Under Aanandam the students will undertake the following two
kinds of activities
(i) Individual acts of goodness to be recorded daily:
Every student, will perform a good act with the intention to help of
people or nature. This individual act of goodness will be recorded in
the Aanandam Diary. Entry in the Aanandam Diary should be on
daily basis

63
(ii) Group Community Project
Each student group will undertake a project towards the welfare of
the community. Each and every student will actively participate
A synopsis has to be submitted by the group to their mentor about
the work to be undertaken. Finally, the project report will be
submitted to the mentor clearly explaining the beneficiaries,
procedures and outcomes of the project.
Students can take financial support through NGOs, community
schemes, Govt. Schemes etc., if possible.

5. Aanandam Period Allocation:

The institute should devote half an hour to one hour per week for the
interaction of students with their mentors.

6. Aanandam Day Celebration:

To motivate and support the students ‘Aanandam Day’ should be
celebrated. On ‘Aanandam Day’ the student groups will discuss the
progress of their project works. A renowned social personality could
be invited for a motivational speech.
The students can present their project work by displaying charts or
video clips. Aanandam day could be celebrated per month or per
semester.
7. Project Assessment Committee (PAC):
To evaluate and give recognition to efforts of students in their
project, at institute level, a project assessment committee has been
constituted comprising the followings as PAC members: Principal /
Principal Nominee A social representative, Nodal Officer and 2 to 5
Mentors.

64
8. Awarding the best ‘Aanandam Project’:
As decided by PAC, 1st and 2nd best projects should be awarded by
the institute. The award may be given on Aanandam day, Republic
Day or on Independence Day celebration.
If the projects really have very good impact on society, they may be
presented at the government level for recognition.

The institute undertook the following projects

1. Educating children in a slum area
Location: Slum area, Near Mansarovar metro station, Jaipur (Raj.)
Purpose: To provide primary education to the children residing in
slum areas.
Methodology: The students selected the area, spoke to children’s
parents about the importance of education, and sought permission
from them. The students also provided the children food and
thereafter imparted some basic education.
Activities:
The students taught the children about
● The alphabets,
● Writing small words and numbers,
● Basic addition and subtraction,
● Good habits,
● About our nation, national flag and national anthem and
● Benefits of education.
Outcomes:
The children were able to
● Write and read Hindi and English alphabets,
● Write and read their names
● Write and read Numbers
● Write tables
● Adopt some good habits
● Sing national anthem

65
66
2. Caring and Feeding of Animals and Birds
Location: Cowsheds, local area streets, Jaipur (Raj.)
Purpose: To take care and feed the animals and birds.
Methodology: The students planned to take care and feed the
animals and birds by devoting time and providing food/stuff/grains.
They also urged other people to help the birds/animals and feed
them, whenever possible.

Activities:
The students did the following activities
● Feeding birds/animals with grains and fodder.
● Filling water feeder pots whenever/wherever possible
● Taking care of birds/animals
● Helping the injured birds/animals
● Spreading awareness among the local people for taking care
of birds/animals
● The street animals/birds have been taken care of.
● Food for street animals/birds was provided.
● The students were boosted ethically.
● Parents and people around felt proud of the good gestures of
the students and the education system.
● This act set an example for others around to practice similar
acts.

67
68
3. Plantation
Location: College campus, local area gardens and communities,
Jaipur (Raj.)
Purpose: To grow useful plant species at different sites.
Methodology: The students selected areas where plantation was
needed. Discussed with a mentor for the plants needed at specific
sites, took the help of teachers and other supporting people to
manage/purchase the plants. Planted saplings at different sites and
took care of plants thereafter by fertilizing and watering plants.

Activities:
The students did the following activities
● Selected the location for the plantation.
● Manage the plants with help of teachers and other supporting
people.
● Plantation was done
● Used fertilisers for the healthy growth of plants
● Watering and caring for the plants from time to time.
● Motivated society to conserve the environment.
Outcomes:
● Clean and green area was developed.
● Beautification of the College campus/park was done through
plantation.
● Other people were also motivated by the plantation activity by
students.
● Natural activities of birds increased at plantation zones.
● The students became aware and also spread awareness for
environment conservation.

69
70
4. Participation in blood donation camps
Location: Blood banks, local community areas Jaipur (Raj.)
Purpose: To provide blood to the needy people and to spread
awareness for blood donation.
Methodology: Donating blood at blood banks and making people
aware about the importance of blood donation.

Activities:
The students did the following activities
● Donated blood in the blood bank (those who were 18+).
● Contributed voluntarily for gathering people for blood
donation.
● Made people aware of the importance of blood donation in
their local areas.
● local campaigning by telling the health benefits of blood
donation.
Outcomes:
● The activity supported the blood donor organisations.
● Increased the chances of blood availability to needy people.
● Helped to remove the myths in the society regarding blood
donation.
● Such volunteer outreach activities made the students confident
and ethically strong.

71
Up-gradation of a cycle to e-cycle
Purpose: To upgrade a cycle to an environment-friendly and affordable
alternative of e-cycle for the use of street vendors.

The students were moved by the plight of „thelawalas‟ (street

vendors) and thought of inventing some engineering solution to help them.

Students designed a cycle with a specific tyre size keeping in view

the battery and the load to be carried keeping in view factors like voltage,
temperature, current using conditions and transportation requirements. A
rechargeable battery pack has was used and fixed in the cycle to make it
power driven. Different measures were taken into consideration while
designing the frame.

Outcomes/Results
 E- Cycle was successfully prepared and trails of the prototype e-
cycle was also undertaken
 The proposed e-cycle was environment friendly and consumes less
electrical energy as compared to prevailing e-bikes.
 Can be used by any age group for cycling and exercise
 The e-cycle can be used to carry and move loads thereby lessening
the burden of the vendors and conserving their energy
 The proposed e-cycle especially could be an affordable option for
the aged people of poor section of the society.

Highlights of upgraded e-cycle:

 Approximate cost is 12000/-
 Equipped with indicators.

72
 Used power brakes to control speed.
 Travelling 20-25 km is single charge.
 Speed 30 km/hour.
 No need for registration and licence.
 Eco-friendly.

Frame designing for e-cycle Actual designed e-cycle

73
Maintenance of rainwater harvesting systems in college premises
Purpose: To maintain the rain water harvesting system in order to meet the
water requirements in the premises.

Prospective Students: Civil engineering students can undertake such kinds

of projects.

Methodology: Since Rainwater harvesting structures are used to conserve

and send rainwater into the ground at a particular depth so that this water
further recharges the underlying water table, the following key factors need
to be kept in mind
● For proper functioning of the water harvesting system regular
maintenance is required so the outer part of the existing chambers
should be repaired.
● The water harvesting chambers should be made deeper
● Chambers and pipes connected to harvesting tanks should be
checked and maintained on regular basis
● The filtering material (coarse aggregate and sand) should be washed/
changed frequently.

Proposed Outcomes/Results:
● This project would help to preserve more pure water.
● As a result of rain water harvesting the level of the water table will
come rise.
● In the nearby areas the water demand would be met locally.
● This water can be used for some or farming and other supporting
activities.
● Tube-wells could be planned near the harvesting system
● Rain water is pure and of good quality so the soil quality of nearby
areas would be improved.

74
75
Title: Developing a medicinal plants zone in college campus
Methodology/ procedures adopted: The importance of medical plants in
routine life is increasing, so it was planned to develop a small area where
some medicinal plants are available for use by students. Govt. Ramchandra
Khaitan Polytechnic College, Jaipur teachers helped the students in
developing the zone. On plantation day the program ‘Haritotsav’ was
celebrated and many plants were planted at different sites of the college.
For the safety of plants tree guards were used.

Outcomes / Results:
● A medicinal plant zone has been developed in the college campus.
● Green area has increased in the college campus.
● Contributed in the beautification of the college campus.
● College staff and students can now take advantage of the medicinal
plant in the campus itself.

Installing drip system for watering the plants

Purpose: To install a drip system to supply water to the plants.
Prospective Students: Students of all branches can take on such kinds of
projects.
Methodology/procedures adopted: In Rajasthan, there has always been
crises of water even for drinking purposes; hence, it becomes s challenging
to water the plants. Supplying water through a drip system to each plant
location seems a plausible and effective solution, therefore it was planned
to install the drip system in the developed park and green zones. For this
the pipes, nozzle, valve and other required items have been
purchased/arranged from the market and resource persons and with the
help of staff, students and technicians of college, the drip system has been

76
installed. This activity was undertaken in Govt. Ramchandra Khaitan
Polytechnic College, Jaipur and Govt. Polytechnic College, Udaipur under
the supervision of faculty in mechanical engineering branch.

Outcomes/Results:
● Drip systems for watering the plants has been installed in different
locations of college campus.
● The water is now automatically supplied to all the plants with a
single point valve control.
● This drip system becomes more significant in the summer season.
● By the drip system, water is supplied slowly and directly to the root
into the soil and hence there is no wastage of water in this system.

77
Title: Development of GSM (SMS) based automated drip water supply
to plants (Undertaken example)
Purpose: To develop GSM (Global System of Mobile) based automated
motor drip water supply to plants via detecting the moisture level.
Prospective Students: Electronics, civil and computer engineering branch
students.
Methodology/ procedures adopted: In the present world scenario, there is
a need to conserve the environment and water simultaneously. Especially
in our Rajasthan state, there is a rigorous need of conserving greenery and
watering the plants in a frugal way without wastage. Keeping this in mind,
the students group decided to develop a water-supplying system with GSM
communication control. This project was undertaken by the Govt.
Ramchandra Khaitan Polytechnic College, Jaipur.

The required equipment/devices are as depicted in the figure below –

Moisture detection sensor, connector with value and relay control, and LCD display with control and
communication devices

78
Functioning of SMS based drip system:
When soil is dry the user receives an SMS on mobile as -
Soil moisture is low ….. Reply to ON pump (a message code is used for
that pump)
Tp switch off the system the user receives an SMS on mobile as –
Soil moisture is high …. Reply to OFF pump (a message code is used for
that pump)

Outcomes/Results
 In the present hectic lifestyle, if someone forgets to water the
plant/lawn, there is no need to worry. The water supply can be
switched on by mobile from the location from wherever you are.
 The drip of the sprinkler can be positioned in such a way to
efficiently supply the water at the desired place where it is needed.
 The dripping system can be made underground to hide the hoses
stretches around the lawn.
 One can switch off the water supply when the water requirements
are completed by detecting the moisture level signal in a mobile sent
by the sensor.
 This water supply technique saves water as it reduces the water
wastage due to overwatering and evaporation in comparison to
conventional watering methods.

79
 „Aanandam‟ will definitely change the thought of youth in the positive direction.
It was really a great experience while
implementing the Aanandam course first time
in the Govt. Ramchandra Khaitan Polytechnic
College, Jaipur. With the
Dr. Pramod Sain
cooperation of college faculty, the course was Aanandam Nodal Officer,
Govt. Ramchandra Khaitan
strictly implemented and followed in the Polytechnic College, Jaipur
(Raj.)
college. With different activities under
Aanandam, the helping, and problem-solving attitude is being developed in
the students.

In the present scenario, there is a big focus to prepare skilled person

for different industrial sectors, however, the un-employability is still a very
big issue in our country. The reason behind this is a lack of idea,
confidence, and ethics. There is a need to orient education in such a way
that every skilled person could be a source of employment and this is only
possible when the prospective youths connect with the real need and
problems of the community. This interaction during education will
definitely give a large number of ideas and instill confidence and ethics
among the students.

I personally felt that Aanandam course provides the chance to learn

ideas and confidence. Engagement in the daily act of goodness makes the
students ethically rich and sensible for the problems around them. In
addition, the community project provides different circumstances and
challenges to face which is important for building confidence. Through
this course, the students are connecting with society, knowing the needs,
demands and problems of society. This awareness would give them ideas
for start– up projects after their academic life and increase their chances of
employability.
80
 Aanandam In Apex University, Rajasthan
Social Outreach, Discipline & Extra-Curricular Activities

1. In Apex University, Social Outreach, Discipline & Extra-Curricular

Activities (SODECA) has been introduced in all courses and in each
semester from the 2022 batch onwards. In order to implement this
subject, the following actions have been initiated:-
(a) A presentation on ‘SODECA’ covering all relevant aspects
including the assessment scheme has been conducted for all faculty
members at all Campuses.
(b) Department-wise ‘Aanandam Nodal Officer’ (ANO) has been
nominated.
(c) A meeting of ANOs has been conducted. Individual and group
activities have been discussed. The Excel sheet prepared for the
Evaluation of SODECA and other activities (Sports, NCC, NSS,
Technoagaz, and Volunteer) has been explained. A copy of the same
is attached as an annexure.
(d) Introductory sessions of “SODECA” for all Departments have been
conducted. All ANOs have planned group activities and projected
resources support required from the University.
(e) CoE has finalized the code for the subject. The same has been
incorporated into the teaching and exam schemes of all disciplines. 1
credit/50 marks have been assigned for the subject in each semester.

2. Group Activities.
As a part of group activities, students of Commerce & Management
department visited Aashraya Care Home, an Orphanage House located in
Brijalpura, Mansaronvar, Jaipur. This house accommodates 32

81
girl children age ranging 5-18 years. In this visit, 42 students of Apex
participated. They contributed and donated groceries, clothes, food items,
stationery, utensils, plants, etc. They have also conducted a small cultural
programme to entertain the children staying in the Orphanage House. A
few photographs of the activity are shown below:-

3. Students Individual Daily Acts Diaries:

Students have started writing diaries and good acts are being
mentioned. Some examples with one beautiful cover page of the
diary are given below:-

4. Futuristic Plans. As a part of group activities of SODECA, students

are planning to visit Old Age Homes, Cancer Hospital, Cow Shelter,
etc. Tree plantation, Shramdaan, motivational talks, etc have also
been planned in forthcoming months.

82
Nims University Rajasthan, Jaipur conducting 14 Social Champions
in the periphery region of the university (Around 20kms) under the
umbrella of AANANDAM
Various social welfare activities are being organized by Nims University
Rajasthan, Jaipur under AANANDAM

1- Nirogi Manush
 Health Awareness
Camps in Villages
 Cancer Awareness
 Heart Disease & Life-
style Diseases
Awareness
 Diabetes Awareness
 STD Awareness
 Drug Addiction
Awareness
 Dental Health Awareness

2. Waste Disposal Plan

 Bio-Waste Management
 Bio-waste Awareness
 Bio-waste Bins
 Bio-Waste STP

83
3. Aao Khele
 Sports Development Program
 Sports training (Kabbadi & KhoKho) in Villages
 Sports Awareness

4. Saathi Haath Badhana

 Program for Handicapped
 Prosthetic Limbs Donation
 Wheel-chair Donation
 Handicapped Rehabilitation
Training with Prosthesis
 Plant for Prosthetic Implants for handicapped
5. Swasthya Gyan Yojana
 First Aid Skills Development
 Basic Life Support Skills Certification
 First Aids skill Certifications

84
6. Meri Dawa Teri Dawa
 Unused Medicines Program
 Medicines un-used by patients
getting discharged to be used for
poor needy patients

7. Samaj Nasha Mukti Manch

 Say No to Drugs, Yes to Sports
Program
 Making Kabaddi Team of former
Addicts to participate in sports
events
 Addiction Awareness
 Free De-addiction facility
 Lifestyle re-structuring program for former addicts

8. Anashrya Antodaya
 Orphan Personality/Social Development Program
 Free Education
 Free Clothing, books and other needs
 Personality Development Workshops

85
 Vocational Skill Development Program
 Scholarships for School/College Education

9. Widow Education Donation

 Widow Education Campaign
 Widow Literacy
 Vocational Skill Endowment (Widow/Widow’s Children)
 Widow Job Placement
 Widow’s Child Scholarship
 Widow’s Child Employment

86
 REFERENCES

1. AS Altekar; Education in Ancient India

2. AV Krishnarao; The Relevance Of Gandhiji’s Sarvodaya, Education
and Vedanta Philosophy In Modern Era
3. Charles Vogl; The Art of Community: Seven Principles of
Belonging
4. Cohn, Diana; Gans, Ruth; Miller, Bob; Selman, Ruth; and Miller,
Ron (1990). “Parallel Paths: A Conversation Among Montessori and
Waldorf Educators” Holistic Education Review 3:4.
5. Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1965). “Education” and “Self-Reliance.”
Selected Writings. Edited by William H. Gilman. New York: New
American Library.
6. HH Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler; The Art Of Happiness In A
Troubled World
7. Kessler, Rachael (2000) The Soul of Education: Helping Students
Find Connection, Compassion and Character at School. Alexandria,
VA: ASCD.
8. Krishnamurti, J. (1975). The First and Last Freedom. San Francisco:
Harper.
9. Miller, Ron (1990). What Are Schools For? Holistic Education in
American Culture. Brandon, VT: Holistic Education Press.
10. Miller, Ron (2000). “Partial Vision in Alternative Education,” in
Caring for New Life: Essays on Holistic Education. Brandon, VT:
Foundation for Educational Renewal.
11. MK Gandhi; India Of My Dreams
12. Osho World; Liberation Through Education - Osho on Education
13. Packer, Toni (2002). The Wonder of Presence and the Way of

87
 Meditative Inquiry. Boston: Shambhala.
14. Palmer, Parker (1993). To Know as We Are Known: Education as a
Spiritual Journey. San Francisco: Harper.
15. Rabindranath Tagore’s Educational Ideas and Experiments Scottish
Centre of Tagore Studies
16. Radha Kumud Mookerji; Ancient Indian Education Brahmanical
andBuddhist
17. RC Majumdar; Ancient India
18. RC Majumdar; The History and Culture Of the Indian People,
Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan Series
19. R Sarkar; Swami Vivekananda’s Idea and Philosophy of Education;
A Way Out To Promote Imperishable Development Of The Nation –
Scholar’s Impact Quarterly Research General (July - September
2015)
20. The Golden Future Education Osho International
21. Tolle, Eckhart (1999). The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual
Enlightenment. Novato, CA: New World Library.

88