Research has gained an unpredicted value in the segment of education to give learning a new direction

Dr. Mamta Pillai is an Assistant Professor and Head - Dept. of Languages at Indus University, Gujarat. She has been associated with the Indus University for almost a decade now and is a part of the educational system for over 11 years. Her contribution to the University is unmatched. She has a great prospect towards the betterment of the educational system and support to the student’s career ways and ideas.

What is your philosophy of leadership? How would you describe your leadership style?

“Visionary leadership by setting up examples for every move towards a decision”

Leadership is about exemplifying, you lead with examples. There is no way that your team will upgrade themselves if they don’t see you sweating it out. I have seen are the ones who stand with you while you charge ahead on an uphill battle. This has led me to imbibe in myself a leadership style that believes in doing, working, setting an example, and then expecting the others to follow. A good leader will tell you what the vision is, will help you achieve it, and also tell you the contingencies, additionally, the leader will then extract consequences if these visions are not met. 

The education systems in India and other foreign countries are structured very differently. In your experience, what can an inbound student gain from studying here at your university?

“Practical study with research analysis for every topic to bring in the educational structure followed overseas”

The main difference that I perceive is that education in the western world is more practice-driven, focusing on the impact of education. In that sense, I don’t see much difference in what Indus University does and what western education claims to do. At Indus we believe in the axiom of practice meets theory. Thus when the student enrolls at Indus they are entering a lifelong learning phase of applying theoretical aspects to practical situations. Life lessons, through the use of application and synthesis, are promoted at Indus University. 

Any insights into how your university could be more welcoming to students of different races or economic backgrounds?

“The college promotes unity in diverse cultures and has no discrimination among students studying in the institute”

A university should be a melting pot of diversity which leads to a better learning environment. Each culture brings with it a unique way of perceiving and dealing with issues and problems. Each individual, with a diverse background, will present his or her perception and will suggest ways of dealing with it ultimately leading to a social mind that has collaboratively learned from one another. This happens very organically at Indus University as we have never imagined or had to put in deliberate efforts to welcome students with diversity. For us all students are equal and we welcome them all, as has been our philosophy since inception. 

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When you first came to Indus University, what was your vision for the university? Has it evolved, and how far along in implementing that vision is you?

“The evolution and growth of the University has been reached to a different level since I joined the institute”

When I first started at Indus I was merely another employee who started on my career. Slowly and gradually I was given opportunities to involve myself in strategic events and my opinions were sought. I then decided that I would not limit my involvement as an employee but look at it from an entrepreneurial view where I become more involved in not just the operational aspects but also the strategic visions. Since then we have been able to set up a strong Department of Languages, which from being an ancillary area in Engineering, has now branched out into giving Masters in English Literature and Masters in English Language Teaching.

What would you like people to know about your Department they may not know?

“We grow in every segment of education to support every desire of every individual associated with us”

We might be one of the smallest departments in terms of the number of people, but the magnitude of our work is immense. We are everywhere. Engineering, Aviation, Information Technology, Management, General Sciences (BSc and MSc), undergraduate, post-graduate and Doctoral Research all these programs have a component of English or Communication offered by the smallest department. We are Omni-present, but not many people realize it. 

What do you see as the Department’s greatest strengths?

“The coordination among team members towards the given project and work”

The Work given to every faculty member and the hard work they put in to do it is the base of our well-developed academia. Without elaborating on this I would like to say that the work we do, the efforts that we put, the results that my team achieves is our greatest strength. The Department of Languages is about the work we do, and how good we do it. 

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Any suggestions you would like to give to the current youth and the aspiring students?

“Dreams need a strong foundation in action for it to be converted into reality”

I am averse to advising youngsters, primarily because it will be seen as too didactic and they are at a stage where they might not want one more person telling them what to do, what to think, what to feel. They are not machines; they are living beings with beautiful minds and wonderful hearts. But if I were pushed to the corner to answer this question then I will just tell them to dream big, but start small or at least start.