Dr Vijaya C was Track Chair and Reviewer for Finance Case studies at COGNOSCO 2025

Dr Vijaya C, Assistant Professor, Finance, IFMR GSB was invited as the Track Chair and Reviewer for Finance Case studies presented at the 15th Annual Case Conference, COGNOSCO 2025 organised by The School of Business and Management (MBA) and the Centre for Case Research and Development (CCRD) of Christ Deemed to be University, Bengaluru on 24 January 2025. 

COGNOSCO, initiated in 2012, is a platform for case writers to present their case studies and promote the development of quality teaching cases among the teaching fraternity and also business practitioners.

Postdoctoral Fellow Nidhin Donald’s articles feature in two esteemed publications

Nidhin Donald, Postdoctoral Fellow, Moturi Satyanarayana Centre for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Krea University, has recently contributed to two esteemed publications:

He authored an article titled Displaying the ‘Family’ Online: Reflections on Syrian Christian Visual Life in Family Studies, published in Oxford University Press.

He co-authored an article titled Ambedkar on Indian Christianity: Towards a Critique, published in South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies.

Read article 1: https://academic.oup.com/book/58844/chapter-abstract/489743367?redirectedFrom=fulltext
Read article 2: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00856401.2025.2425563

Krea University celebrates 76th Republic Day with insights on education, civic engagement and resilience

Krea University commemorated the 76th Republic Day with vibrant celebrations on campus. Dr Madhavilatha Maganti, Associate Professor, Psychology, SIAS was the Chief Guest. The celebration featured the traditional hoisting of the national flag.

In her keynote speech, Dr Maganti underscored the evolving responsibilities of citizens in a rapidly changing global landscape, urging students to harness the power of education and empathy and emphasising that civic engagement goes far beyond ceremonial observance. She noted that “education is not merely a means to an end, but an evolving phenomenon that underpins personal, social, economic and global growth.” Dr Maganti reminded the gathering of the importance of resilience — the ability to persevere and adapt in the face of adversity — and encouraged Krea’s community to cultivate resilience through a supportive environment. She also stressed the need to balance digital innovation with social engagement, suggesting we “move from digital natives to social minds.”

By doing so, she believes technology can serve as a bridge to strengthen communities and foster a world where digital advancement and human compassion go hand in hand. Dr Maganti further called attention to: The “paradox of choice,” explaining that more options often lead to less satisfaction. The value of “bridging generations,” tapping into the combined wisdom of youth and experience. The necessity of an “environmental revolution,” where even small steps can have a big impact. Redefining success beyond mere money or status and harnessing the power of storytelling to shape narratives that inspire hope and courage.

Professor Nirmala Rao, Vice Chancellor, Krea University also shared her greetings to the Krea community, acknowledging the importance of honouring India’s constitutional ideals and reiterating the institution’s dedication to fostering future leaders committed to social progress.

Dr Anannya Dasgupta was a discussant at a national conference organised by Manipal Centre for Humanities

Dr Anannya Dasgupta. Director, Centre for Writing & Pedagogy (CWP) and Associate Professor of Literature, SIAS was a discussant on a panel on, “Trends in Literary Studies and English Departments in India” at the national conference on Trends in Literary Studies and English Departments in India organised by Manipal Centre for Humanities on 24 January, 2025.

Sayantan Datta pens an article in The Hindu

Sayantan Datta, Assistant Professor of Practice, Centre for Writing and Pedagogy recently penned an article in The Hindu titled, In breakthrough, scientists find pressure sensor in fat tissue. 
The article discusses PIEZO mechanosensitive channel – a class of proteins that helps us sense pressure. PIEZO channels have been implicated in our ability to sense touch and pain, to understand how our bodies are positioned in space (proprioception), to perceive our body’s internal state (interoception), and to respire, urinate, form blood vessels, regulate bone density, and heal skin wounds. Two new studies have now expanded the ambit of PIEZO channels’ functions.

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Malyaj Jain, MBA Cohort of 2025, IFMR GSB wins TAPMI’s Young Business Leader Competition 2025

Malyaj Jain, MBA Cohort of 2025, IFMR GSB has won the Young Business Leader competition, the flagship event at T. A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), held on 18 and 19 January 2025. This remarkable achievement comes with a cash prize of Rs 60,000.

The two-day competition featured multiple challenging rounds. On the first day, participants solved puzzles to earn points, followed by a case-solving round and an auction. The second day concluded with a rigorous stress interview, after which Malyaj was declared the winner.

This accomplishment is a significant milestone in his MBA journey, and he takes pride in representing IFMR GSB on such a prestigious platform. Congratulations, Malyaj Jain! 

Dr Chirag Dhara presents research talks at TISS and IIT Bombay

Dr Chirag Dhara, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, SIAS was recently invited to  The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and IIT Bombay to deliver research talks. Dr Dhara delivered a talk on, ‘The role of historic global inequality in avoided climate destabilisation’ at TISS and two talks titled, ‘What levels of development can humanity sustainably aspire to?’ and  ‘An interpretational lens to understand climate performance indices’ at IIT Bombay.

Dr Chirag Dhara at IIT Bombay

Kaustav Mehta, Teaching Fellow, Data Science, SIAS recently presented a poster at Netscix2025, IIT Indore

Kaustav Mehta, Teaching Fellow, Data Science, SIAS recently presented a poster at NetsciX 2025, IIT Indore. This work stems from Kaustav’s third-year undergraduate capstone project at Krea University, conducted under the supervision of Dr Shyam Kumar Sudhakar, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, SIAS. Their research, titled “Exploring Comorbidity Networks in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Subjects through Graph Theory: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study”, has been developed into a journal paper and poster. The paper is currently under editorial review.

Abstract:
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are characterised by myriad comorbidities that affect the functioning of the affected individuals. The comorbidities that TBI subjects experience span a wide range, ranging from psychiatric diseases to those that affect the various systems of the body. This is compounded by the fact that the problems that TBI subjects face could span over an extended period post-primary injury.

Further, no drug exists to prevent the spread of secondary injuries after a primary impact. In this study, the researchers employed graph theory to understand the patterns of comorbidities after mild TBIs. Upon application of network analysis and a novel clustering algorithm, they discovered interesting associations between comorbidities in young and old subjects with the condition. Specifically, bipolar disorder was seen as related to cardiovascular comorbidities, a pattern that was observed only in the young subjects. Similar associations between obsessive-compulsive disorder and rheumatoid arthritis were observed in young subjects. Psychiatric comorbidities exhibited differential associations with non-psychiatric comorbidities depending on the age of the cohort. The study results might have implications for effective surveillance and the management of comorbidities post-mild TBIs.

The pre-print is available at:https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.07.02.601618v1.full

For more details: https://netscix2025.iiti.ac.in/

Sibling: SIAS students’ mental health start-up shines at Udyamotsav 2025

Sibling, a mental health and wellness start-up founded by SIAS students Mitansh Aggarwal, Adwitiya Roy, and Viney Jain, was among 400 start-ups nationwide selected to present at Udyamotsav 2025. Held on 16 January 2025 (National Start-up Day) at BMS College of Engineering in Bangalore, the event is an initiative by the MoE-AICTE Investor Network and serves as a prominent fundraising platform for early-stage startups. Organised as part of the National Startup Day celebrations, Udyamotsav highlights innovation and entrepreneurship across India.  

The start-up also received a grant of Rs 1.5 lakh from the Centre For Entrepreneurship (CFE) at Krea University last year.  The team was mentored by Professor Anil Srinivasan, Visiting Professor of Practice, Literature and the Arts, SIAS whose guidance strengthens their mission to make mental health support accessible to students nationwide. Through their transformative vision, Sibling is paving the way for meaningful change in mental health care. 

QALAM-E-TARIKH – Celebrating Deccani Art, Literature and History

On 8 January 2025, the Global Arts discipline, in collaboration with the Office of Student Life (OSL) and initiated by Arts of the Deccan Course ARTS229/HIST235/LITT235, presented an immersive evening about Deccani Art, Literature, and History.

There were two workshops, one of which focused on Qalamkari textiles. This intricate art involves creating detailed designs on fabric using a pen with mordant chemical catalysts to ensure the dye is colourfast. The fabric is then painted or dyed using a resist technique. In this workshop, taught by traditional Masulipatnam Qalamkari artist Pitambar, we learnt about the preparation of fabric and dyes and the process of block printing. We even had the opportunity to try our hand at block printing ourselves.

The other workshop was an introduction to the style of Nasta’liq calligraphy and was taught by artist Shaikh Ahsaanuddin of Gulbarga, who works with many styles of Perso-Arabic calligraphy, including the beautiful Nasta’liq style. These workshops not only introduced us to these art forms and allowed us to experience them firsthand; but they also showed us the skill and hard work required to create things we usually take for granted, such as fabric dyeing and beautiful calligraphy. It served as a reminder to support and learn the arts that come from communities around us.

These workshops were accompanied by Deccani music, samasya-puranas and a brief walkthrough on the history of Deccan by the students of the Arts of the Deccan Course. It was a great experience to learn from such established and experienced artists and I look forward to more such insightful and exciting events on campus!

A report by Pranvi Khare, Cohort of 2027, SIAS