I would like you to read the vision of Somaiya Vidyavihar.  

https://www.somaiya.edu.in/en/our-vision/

This is what I articulated many years ago, based on what I learned from growing up in my home, under the loving eyes of my parents and grandparents. Along with our founder (my दादा), K J Somaiya, my दादी‌‌ (Sakarben Somaiya) and my father (Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya) were the founding trustees of Somaiya Vidyavihar.

A good education must cultivate a good knowledge of the profession or field the student wishes to pursue. The पेशा‌‌ or व्यवसाय। It should also give a wide perspective. Expand one’s mind - सोच। And finally it must build character - चरित्र। Build great citizens of India and the world.

Growing up, I was given access to a very good membership of a sports club - The Willingdon Club in Mahalakshmi, Mumbai, to learn a sport. For health, for recreation and for competition. My mother wished that I learn sports and music. My father wanted me to have an appreciation of fine art (I had no artistic abilities, but he thought we should at least be able to appreciate - so if not an artist - at least the audience for an artist). Both my sets of grandparents (दादा‌ दादी‌ & नाना नानी)took me to Mahabaleshwar and Matheran respectively. On those trips, on numerous walks and trails, we were exposed to nature and a love of the environment. My father encouraged the love of reading. Not simply fiction, but also non-fiction. Both genres to better understand the world. My grandfather also believed that our languages must be known, preserved and grown. That English was necessary to know, but that our own languages were equally if not even more important. As I write this in English, I am deeply aware that he would have been happier if I wrote this in our Indian languages as well. And finally, a knowledge of the spiritual traditions. A tradition not of dogma, but one that once again developed an understanding of the wider world.

The Government of India announced the New Education policy. To create well rounded students. They have also articulated that a degree should include a series of courses for students to pursue as part of their degree. At Somaiya Vidyavihar, we are unique in that we have a variety of courses that exist in our own system to make available to our students. When we counted just the courses on the Vidyavihar campus in the undergraduate programmes), we saw that the course catalogue had over 2000 courses!!

When I was a student at Harvard University and earlier at Cornell University, we had similar degree requirements. They provided an amazing empowerment to the student. One in which we as students participated in our own education. Only yesterday, I reached out to my professor in a course I took - Ethics and Public Life. This was a course I had chosen to take among the ‘baskets’ Cornell had required us to choose from. I had chosen courses such as the one above, and many others such as Indian Meditation Texts, Macro Economics, Karate, and others.

Putting these together (family, the Government's new education policy and exposure to Cornell and Harvard), this semester we are introducing a set of subject/foundation areas, or baskets that are in harmony with this policy. We will provide students, beginning with the undergraduate programme (and in this coming semester) with students of Somaiya Vidyavihar University with degree requirements that will allow students to choose at least one course in each of the baskets of:

1. Sport
2. Nature
3. Languages
4. Literature 
5. Spiritual traditions
6. Aesthetic Arts

Each basket area will have a wide selection of courses to choose from. An undergraduate degree requires many courses to be taken in the pursuit of one’s chosen major. In addition, as you go through your three or four years on campus, you will have to choose at least one course from each basket. You can choose to take more, if that interests you, provided that you meet the minimum eligibility requirement of the course and there is space in the classroom. You may also find that you like to course material to pursue more subjects in that field - to get a ‘Minor’.

Many years later, my daughter Gayatri also went to study at Cornell. I saw the computer systems that were available to students to enable them to make course selection. I took screenshots and emailed them to our IT department. Over the past couple of years, our IT department has worked with the Dean of Academics, Dean of Student life and respective Institution heads to create a computer system that will enable students to make such choices. Amongst baskets.

We are starting this semester with the incoming undergraduate students of Somaiya Vidyavihar University. In the coming semesters, we will also open this to our students of autonomous colleges under Somaiya Vidyavihar. Under Somaiya Vidyavihar University and under the autonomous colleges (K J Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce, K J Somaiya College of Science and Commerce and K J Somaiya Institute of Technology - we will be able to make this as part of the degree. We will also, of course, enable the option of enrolling in these courses to existing students of Somaiya Vidyavihar University to take these courses. As mentioned earlier, for students in other programmes, we will enable it in due course. We will also examine ways of providing this flexibility and optionality to students in the Polytechnic and the VTI.

We will see how to enable Students of the S K Somaiya College of Arts, Science and Commerce and the students of the Somaiya Ayurvihar (Medical. Nursing and Physiotherapy colleges) to be able to take these courses if they wish - but these will have to be in addition to their degree requirements.

As we are rolling this out, there will be teething issues. The curriculum will also keep evolving over time. The Dean Academics and Dean Student Welfare and their offices will be there to answer your queries. The IT department will also share the login processes for your myaccount portal and enrol in the courses.

It is my hope that you enjoy the process of choosing, of learning, and of developing yourself into well rounded graduates. That as you learn your own chosen vocation, you also learn from these baskets. That you will be:

Be Proficient in your Profession
Wide in your Thinking
Develop great strength of Character

Happy learning
Samir Somaiya