Official Event Press Release
The official media release for the event can be downloaded here.
SSSIHL Annual Convocation – 2019
22 November 2019
I hereby solemnly declare and promise that, I will in my daily life and conversation, and in thought, word and deed, conduct myself as befits a member of the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning. I will to the utmost of my capacity and opportunity, support the cause of sound learning, humanity, morality and spirituality. As far as lies in me, I shall uphold and advance the social and indeed all round welfare of my countrymen and fellowmen.
Convocation Oath
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL) (Deemed to be University) held its 38th Annual Convocation at Sai Kulwant Hall, Prasanthi Nilayam, Andhra Pradesh in the Divine Presence on 22 November 2019 at 3:20 p.m.
The grand ceremony saw the Honourable Chancellor, Sri K Chakravarthi, IAS (Retd.), admit 470 candidates to their degrees. This included 277 undergraduate, 97 postgraduate, 86 professional and 10 Ph.D. awardees.
SSSIHL was honoured to have Dr. G Satheesh Reddy, Secretary, Department of Defence R&D, Government of India, Chairman, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Director General, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA), as the chief guest for the event.
The ceremonial procession was led by the University brass band, two students carrying the University Standards on either side of the Registrar (who carried the Ceremonial Mace). Other members of the procession included the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor, Deans and the Heads of Departments along with the Chief Guest, members of the Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust and the Board of Management.
Following the invocatory veda chanting, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. K B R Varma prayed to the Revered Founder Chancellor to declare the convocation open. The Convocation was then declared open in the Divine voice of Bhagawan Baba.
The programme included speeches by the Vice-Chancellor, the Chief Guest and the Revered Founder Chancellor (video broadcast of a previous Convocation Address).
Ph.D. Awardees 2019/20
Sri Hari N – Physics
Design and fabrication of low-cost Optical Coherence Tomography instruments with novel features towards aiding in medical diagnostics
Sri Sadhu Sai Pavan Prashanth – Physics
Investigations into the Structural, Dielectric, Piezoelectric, Ferroelectric and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Ba0.85Ca0.15Zr0.1Ti0.9O3 in Different Configurations
Sri Muralikrishna Molli – Physics
Nonlinear Optical Absorption Characteristics of Metal Selenides
Sri Gannavarapu Krishna Prasad – Chemistry
Synthesis of Bio-nanocomposites for Applications in Electrochemical Energy Storage, Sensing and Catalysis
Sri Chelli Sai Manohar – Chemistry
Synthetic and in silico strategies for designing drugs, probing sensing mechanisms and optimizing novel HA-BCZT piezo-materials for bone regeneration
Sri Aiyer Kartik Satyanarayan – Biosciences
Assessing Microbial Electron Transfer Activity and Biofilm Formation for Wastewater Treatment in Microbial Fuel Cells
Sri Girish T N – Biosciences
Thermal and Humidity Stress Adaptations of Select Drosophila Species Endemic to Indian Tropics
Sri Rajabushan Jagadish Nayak – Economics
Fiscal Consolidation and Sustainable Public Debt: A Case Study of India
Miss Nelli Vani Sri – English Literature
Text and Subtext: A Study of Select Plays of Ivan Turgenev and Anton Chekhov
Sri Siddhartha R – English Literature
From the Colonial to the Carnival: A Study of the Trajectory of Indian Cricket from the Post-Colonial and the Bakhtinian Perspectives.
All-Round Gold Medallists 2019/20
- Maddireddy Meghana (Anantapur Campus – Master of Business Administration)
- R Sai Naveen (Prasanthi Nilayam Campus – Master of Business Administration)
- Ramavarapu Sathya Sai Aditya (Brindavan Campus – Bachelor of Commerce (Honours))
- Chikkam Sai Phani Kumar (Muddenahalli Campus – Bachelor of Business Administration)
Gold Medallists 2019/20
- Manasali Sai Kumar (Master of Business Administration)
- Varshaneya V (Master of Technology in Computer Science)
- Shyam Sundar B (Master of Technology in Optoelectronics and Communications)
- Pradyumna M (Master of Science in Mathematics)
- K Karthik Subramaniam (Master of Science in Biosciences)
- Hariharan M (Master of Science in Chemistry)
- J Kaushik (Master of Science in Physics)
- Sai Shravan N (Master of Arts in Economics)
- T R Sai Natarajan (Integrated Master of Computer Applications)
- Sasanpuri Maniram Santosh (Bachelor of Business Administration)
- Boddu Raghu Veera Saikumar (Bachelor of Commerce (Honours))
- Majeti VSSS Durgesh (Bachelor of Computer Applications)
- Debashis Parida (Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Physics)
- Jashobanta Behera (Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biosciences)
- Palla Juneswari (Bachelor of Education)
- Kavugoli Shraddha Mohan (Master of Science in Food and Nutritional Sciences)
- Gayathri V R (Bachelor of Science in Food and Nutritional Sciences)
- Soumya Yellai (Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Mathematics)
- Haritha Ramann (Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemistry)
- Mathumitha R (Bachelor of Arts)
Annual Convocation Drama
Each year on the day of the Annual convocation, students of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning put together a drama presentation in the Divine Presence. This year, the drama, titled Hum Chalein teri Roshani se, explored the grey areas of major decision points all of us face in life. The ones that ask us to choose between what is right and what is wrong.
The drama explored this juxtaposition perfectly through the context of a consulting firm where one person’s principles helped pave the way for right choices of many a fellow journeyman. This person, Roshan Damodar Salve, an investment banker at FinVest Ltd., time and again chose gratitude over gratification by refusing to give in to the expectations of the crowd and pave his own reality, vested in his inner truth.
It highlighted the fact that If our heart knows how to act in a situation and we must choose the right path, we will garner the courage, the right mindset and channelize the inner wisdom that will lead us on the path of dharma or right action.
Perhaps it’s time we truly honour the age-old adage: the only way to lead is by example. If we do that, we never know what pertinent message Roshan’s life might hold for us!
Prasanthi Vidwan Mahasabha – 2019
2-8 October 2019
Dasara or Navaratri is a ten-day festival, usually falling in the month of October, and is celebrated all over India in the worship of the Divine as the Mother principle. Since the early sixties, the festival of Dasara in Prasanthi Nilayam has been closely associated with the Veda Purusha Saptaha Jnana Yagna. This yagnam is a week-long worship conducted in the Divine Presence in the Poornachandra Auditorium in Prasanthi Nilayam each year for the welfare of the whole world. The yagnam commences on the fourth day of Dasara and concludes with the Poornahuti – the final oblation that is offered on Vijayadasami, the tenth day.
In addition to other rituals, the most important component of the yagnam is the Rudra yagam where the oblations are made in the Yagna Kunda to Lord Shiva while chanting hymns from the Sri Rudram. The students of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning take active part by chanting the vedas, reading the scriptures and performing other parts of the worship along with the learned pundits.
The evening programmes during the seven days of the yagnam are held in Sai Kulwant Hall, under the auspices of the ‘Prasanthi Vidwan Mahasabha’, where many speakers—primarily students and functionaries of Bhagawan’s educational institutions—address the gathering on topics concerning spirituality and philosophy, Bhagawan’s teachings and experiences of devotees.
SSSIHL Swacch Bharat Initiatives
‘Swacch Bharat’ occupies a central theme alongside development goals of the Government of India. The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has identified SSSIHL’s potential and requested to implement a ‘Swachh Action Plan’ (SAP) (since 2018) in nearby ‘adopted’ villages. You can see these in action on our posts on Grama Seva here, here and here.
The purpose is to use higher education skills to help meet a clean living environment and assist villagers in getting clean water and sanitation, health care, energy, education etc in a sustainable manner. Educated youth are also urged to develop skills, build capacity and mind set to address community problems in their surroundings.
In addition, the University has always adopted best practices towards the Greenery of the campuses, cleanliness, recycling and waste management. Some of these are highlighted in the photo collage below.
#SSSIHLIntegralEducation #SSSIHL
Campus Greenery
SSSIHL Kitchens
Liquid Biomedical Waste Decontamination Disposal
SSSIHL Solar Panels
Liquid Biomedical Waste Decontamination Disposal
Summer Course in Indian Culture & Spirituality – 2019
Man can make genuine progress only when the idea that education is for earning a living is given up. Only one who realises this truth is a truly educated person. Knowledge does not mean mere booklore. It is not the transference of the contents of books to the brain.
Education is intended for the transformation of the heart. Man today is proud about the little knowledge he has acquired about the physical world and boasts that he knows all about the universe. True knowledge is that which establishes harmony and synthesis between science on the one hand and spirituality and ethics on the other. Man, therefore, should at the outset determine the true value of education.
This will be a Gurukula – a place where teachers and taught will grow together in love and wisdom – and like the ancient system of education, it will develop in its students a broad outlook and promote virtues and morals, which serve to foster noble ideals in society.
This Institute will be a temple of learning where youth are shaped into self-reliant, contented and enterprising heroes of action and self-sacrifice, for the purpose of serving humanity.
Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Revered Founder Chancellor, SSSIHL
13-15 June 2019
The Summer Course in Indian Culture & Spirituality serves as an induction programme to all students and teachers of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning with an objective to expose students of the University to the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of Bharat. It orients students into Bhagawan Baba’s educational philosophy and gives them deep, first hand insights into how they can directly benefit from this unique institution.
During the academic year 2019/20, the event was held at each of the four campuses of SSSIHL – Prasanthi Nilayam, Anantapur, Brindavan and Muddenahalli – from 13 to 15 June 2019.
All students and teachers of the University participated, along with several invited guest speakers. On display was a smorgasbord of creative and engaging topics, discussions, talks, singing, chanting and quizzes – each purposefully curated to imbibe in students the key teachings on Indian culture and spirituality from the ancient scriptures and Sai literature.
Some of these included:
Quiz on Great Epics of Indian Culture, Swami’s Guidelines for good living, Bhagawan on the significance of the Summer Course, Divine Directions and their practical implementation in our daily life, Lessons from the Bhagavatam, Panel Discussion on Indian Culture and Spirituality, Sri Rama and Sai Rama, Importance of Vedic Literature in Indian culture, Impact of Bhagawan and the Sri Sathya Sai System of Education, Spirituality in Daily Life, Sarva Karma Bhagavath Prityartham – Lessons from our scriptures, Self-Image and Positive Psychology, Head in the forest, hands in the society – Lessons from the Bhagavad Gita, Help Ever Hurt Never, Role of Discipline, Duty & Devotion in the development of Personality of a student, Workshop on devotional singing, Sadhana and Seva, Food Habits and Health, The profound Truths in Hindu Mythology, The science behind ancient Bharatiya traditions and practices, The inner connect with Bhagawan
