A Day in Banasthali Vidyapith: “An all women university”

One of the usual evening at dinner table my wife seemed unusually ecstatic and to be honest it was bliss or some childlike effervescence (usually she is not like this). Dint take much for me to figure out her Alma-meter has chosen to honor her with Doctorate along with few other women achievers. There was this extreme abundance of glee and joy in her voice and the sense of excitement was palpable. I must tell you it was not the doctorate itself which was the cause since she has been awarded doctorate from four other universities already, it was something else. 

I knew the Raison d'etre….Banasthali Vidyapith her alma mater.  Even today, after nearly twenty years of passing out she remembers her years and days spent along with many other moments so fondly and vividly.. It’s not funny. Manytimes I have heard those stories of Rifle Shooting, Horse riding and plenty others & trust me every time she talks about Banasthali there is twinkle in her eyes, a special halo around face and her voice would change. Instantly I wanted to ask her if i can join for convocation but held back. Just few days later I received a surprise call from the University to receive an invitation from the Dean to join my wife Saagarika for the event. You won’t believe how excited I was for all the amazing narratives I have heard over the years and always wondered and ached to see and experience this place. 

As the next few days passed quickly in anticipation, we finally left for Pink city (Jaipur) and from there; journey to the sprawling campus is an hour drive from airport. Once you approach this 800+ acre campus’ front gate you wonder about the inspiration behind this institution. Pandit Hiralal Shastri, the founding father of Banasthali Vidyapith, resigned his prestigious post of Secretary in the Home and Foreign Department in the erstwhile Jaipur State in 1927 and selected the remote village of Banthali (as Banasthali was originally called) as the center of his life’s work. His plan was to organize a program of rural reconstruction on the lines laid down by Mahatma Gandhi. But destiny had other plans for him. Pandit Shastri lost his only daughter Shantabai at a tender age of 12 after a brief illness. The loss was profound and seemed inseparable initially but soon it gave way to new hope, new path and the new mission for him was to train many more shantabais.

Our welcome at a very late hour in the evening by banasthali team was exemplary and very warm. I was eagerly waiting for the next day’s visit, though I hardly had an inkling what was in store for us. Morning started with a simple breakfast with Aditya Shahstri (Vice-Chancellor), Sunita Godara (Another super achiever and a marathoner) and few others and that was the only relaxing & uneventful time we had, otherwise for next nine hours I was awestruck by the grand campus (12500 students), its sheer breadth of course offerings (from primary school to Aviation to a degree in Business management) and fascinating display of activities put up by students during the course of a hot & sunny day. We had a glimpse of girls exhibiting a repertoire of skills from shooting, horse riding, Art & handicraft, dance, Music, various sports to flying an aircraft. Women power was visible in abundance again when a young girl successfully attempted her first landing (Was smoother than our flight to JaipurJ) and her excitement after her first landing was a sight to watch …. It was contagious. We had an opportunity to visit many other places like School of design, robotics, research labs etc and were shocked to see the kind of things on display. It ranged from prototypes of a futuristic toll system to agriculture seeds which will require less water. Simply mind blowing stuff….. The most interesting was the visit to the school which my wife attended as a small kid and it was to my utmost shock and disbelief that not only many of the teachers recognized her but one of them remembered the song that she sang some 20 years back on a nearby stage. Infact the teacher sang the same old song very nostalgically for us and the whole atmosphere became so mushy.

 Of course culmination of the day was the special convocation to award doctorate to two super achievers from university and another lady-CEO of a diversified company in Middle East. There was so much of genuine warmth, excitement, hope, adulation & emotion that I have never felt or seen before. The highly charged day ended for me with a short interaction with management students wherein I shared my perspective on career for women and it was wonderful interacting with “All women group” recognizing that men were totally outnumbered. Sitting with more than thousand women around, one thought crossed my mind - Can anyone stop these young girls to achieve their dreams, to achieve all those which were considered male bastion so far. No way …..They are going to conquer everything that they put their sights on. Isn’t there already enough proof of that in every walk of life?

Look at these: Out of 197 countries, 22 of them have women currently serving as heads of state — I know it’s only 11% but according to the UN, this is more than double what it was in 2005. Women make up close to 40% of global workforce (general) & occupy 16-17% of board positions in developed economies. The two highest IQs ever recorded on a standard test both belong to women. Who says there is Glass Ceiling ……? 

A great day ended with some very unforgettable memories. I was wondering while on my way to airport!! What make this place so distinct and one thing that struck me was the Unique Five Fold Education system of Banasthali which believes in developing complete personality. The Five Fold Education (Panchmukhi Shiksha) which has evolved from experimentation, attempts a balance among the five necessary aspects of education: Physical, Practical, Aesthetic, Moral and Intellectual. Time and again I had thought about it whenever I heard about this institution and wondered what make this place so special, but I had the answer now and could understand the reason for the Glow in her eyes on the dinner table few days back. While the world celebrated the spirit of women hood just recently with great fanfare, I wonder shouldn’t we do that all 365 days in a year not only in letter but in spirit. One such place that breathes and nurtures this thought every moment of its existence since beginning is Banasthali Vidyapith: A university for women, University with difference.