Banasthali Vidyapith, Banasthali

About College: Banasthali Vidyapeeth is one of the 5 educational institutes in India, catering exclusively to female students. It was founded by educationist couple of Smt. Ratan Shastri and Pandit Hiralal Shastri. The genesis lay in the tragic death of their daughter Shantabai. Post this traumatic experience, the Shastris dedicated this educational institute for the betterment of girls’ education. The university has been created in a semi-rural area, 72 kilometres off the city of Jaipur. This rural ambience allows the promotion of simple living and self-reliance. The Banasthali Vidyapeeth follows a five-fold educational programme known as Panchmukhi Shiksha. This involves learning being comprised of five major aspects. These are- Physical, Practical, Aesthetic, Moral and Intellectual. In this manner, the students develop a holistic outlook towards life and work. Such values have helped the university contribute to the upliftment of women, that has been a key pillar for this university. Another key pillar for Banasthali Vidyapeeth has been autonomy, that it has always craved. Right from its inception, the founders were clear that autonomy was sacrosanct for an academic atmosphere to flourish. This has enabled the university to restructure the courses. These courses are now a healthy mix of the traditional with the modern and even some futuristic elements. All this has enabled the university to be accredited with a Five-star rating and A Grade from the prestigious National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). In addition, Banasthali has been recognized with the Santbal award in the year 2000 for its contribution to women’s education. Banasthali Vidyapeeth conducts courses across the levels right from Graduation to Master’s, all the way to PhD. At the undergraduate level, broad degrees offered are- BA, BSc., B. Com, BCA, BBA, B. Tech, B.Ed., B. Des. and the five-year integrated LLB. For all integrated five-year programmes, no lateral exit is possible by splitting the dual degree. Within each broad degree, lie several individual ones. Within BA, for example, one can opt for Economics, History, Textile Designing, Physical Education, Hindi Literature, Psychology, Geography and Applied Statistics among others. One can go for Aviation Science, Computer Science, Electronics, Physics, Chemistry, Biotechnology, Home Science and so on within B Sc. At the Master’s level, one can go for broad degrees such as MA, M Sc., MSW, M Ed., MBA, MCA, M. Tech and M. Pharm. Like at the undergrad level, here too one can opt for a variety of options under each major heading. The Master in Social Work (MSW) is a unique course, becoming increasingly relevant in the present era of holistic and sustainable development. Some specializations offered under M Sc., for example, include Mathematical Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Electronics and Biotechnology. M. Tech offers really exciting career-driven courses such as IT, VLSI Design and Remote Sensing. A few post-graduate diplomas are also possible in Computer Applications and Bio-Informatics. Finally coming to PhDs, research facilities are available for a number of subject areas. Doctorates may be pursued in 29 different fields ranging from Bio-Science and Pharmaceutical Chemistry to Education and Home Science. It can also be done in international languages such as French or German, besides conventional areas like Physics, Chemistry, Psychology, History, English and Mathematics. One unique aspect of Banasthali Vidyapeeth is that it is one of the few institutions in the country which besides being a place for higher education, also caters to the school segment. Indeed, Banasthali has a sprawling campus dedicated to its school right next to the university. And, like the university students, the school students also abide by the Panchmukhi Shiksha format. Besides the academic development of the students, there is also ample focus on their hobby classes where students can engage in activities such as dance, martial arts, swimming and horse riding. Engagement with the local community is a key pillar for the school students to fulfil. This is possible because in the Banasthali village which is in the vicinity of the school, an adult education centre is run by them. Here skill-training is imparted to the rural people so that they can add value to their livelihoods. They are taught to prepare items such as carpets, bags, wall hangings, shoes and doormats. Besides, training is also imparted on the preparation of food items like sauces, pickled and papads as well as candles. Health check-up programmes are run for the villagers. The Department of Home Science leads a lot of these ventures. For the boys of the village, a separate camp is run, due to the girl-only nature of the school. The most unique factor of all, the Banasthali Vidyapeeth even has its own radio channel known as Radio Banasthali. The usual trappings of other schools continue to flourish as well. This includes a compulsory morning assembly and a students’ council. This council-elect members through a proper democratic process overseen by the leaders of the school. There are four houses with healthy competition for the laurels among them. Besides sporting activities, these clubs also compete for the top honours over intellectual pursuits such as quizzes, storytelling, speech and calligraphy. The school also has its own magazine called Kilkari, where each student and teacher are encouraged to contribute for. There is an extremely well-stocked library with over staggering seventy-thousand books, available for all kinds of subjects. For a well-rounded experience for girls, few places can beat the Banasthali Vidyapeeth. Due to its location, there is the advantage of a rural setting, but still close enough to the vibrant city of Jaipur.