‘Always there for sisters’: Banasthali Vidyapith mourns Aditya Shastri’s death

COVID-19 has claimed the lives of hundreds of educators across the country. In a new series, Careers360 tells the stories of some of them and the communities they left behind.

By Preeti Choudhary

How does it feel when a plant withers in absence of sunlight, the life force? Every person associated with Banasthali Vidyapith is feeling the same right now, after hearing about the untimely demise of Prof. Aditya Shastri. Just 58, Bhaiya, as he was known to students, breathed his last on May 24 at Fortis Hospital, succumbing to COVID-19. “Brother’s day stained for Banasthalites,” his students kept repeating online. He was a visionary, having distinction of being India’s youngest Vice Chancellor and among the most successful ones. Now when he’s gone, every stone laid by him, every molecule of that place seems to be lamenting his departure, not a twig moves, everything seems to be frozen in silence.

Banasthali shall never forget the sour memory this pandemic has now left Bhaiya’s living dream and every corner of the 850 acres on which the university stands speaks of the dedication and vision of Prof. Shastri’s dynamic leadership. I had witnessed similar silence in 2010 when Dada, Prof. Diwakar Shastri, passed away, but Prof. Aditya Shastri was there to efficiently hold the university together and to take it to even greater heights with his modern outlook, scientific and grounded approach. Now, the institute just feels orphaned, as if the roof over the community’s head has been wiped off suddenly. He was like an elder brother, like a parent for every girl. His guardianship won the faith of parents from far-off corners who left their precious daughters in his care.

Nothing can replace the warmth, reverberating zest of Prof. Shastri. He is survived by his wife Ina Shastri and two sons and also by a massive family of lakhs of women students and alumni of Banasthali Vidyapith. Also mourning his loss is every resident of the village Banasthali whose residents have relied on employment generated by Banasthali for years. But what set Prof. Aditya Shastri apart was his charm, his ever-brimming, ever-joyous spirit, and his permanent smile.

I distinctly remember how enthusiastically he had set-up an open theatre for us to witness the historical win of India against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2007, I remember him cheering on every ball and bouncing in celebration when at the last ball, India defeated its most celebrated rival Pakistan. Students rarely have the opportunity to be a part of celebration with their head of institution but he was a person who might ask teachers to wait but never refused an appointment with his dear “sisters” which is how he addressed the students. Every festival, every victory of an Indian team was celebrated with a profound sense of pride and he would personally distribute sweets on such occasions. Out of his sense of pride for his nation, he personally liked to monitor every cultural event and would motivate his cultural coordinators to use only original instrumental music and not recorded ones. He believed that India has no dearth of cultural diversity and means to have an extravaganza, so better to create the magic and fervour of musical instruments rather than records. His words still echo as if he is still here with us, instructing.

When a visionary like him departs, it’s just not the departure of an individual but a cessation of all those plans and prospects that were yet to take concrete form, the ideas which were taking shape in his mind. All those unfinished, unuttered ideas seem to be cremated too. Prof. Shastri’s round-the-clock diligence was well known to everyone associated with the university where he could be seen working even at the midnight to devise strategies and implement plans to promote women in every field of education and employment. Be it graduation in aviation or remote-sensing or introducing law or journalism in graduate or post graduate courses or nursing – he worked tirelessly to obtain approvals from statutory bodies. He would tell colleagues and staff that Banasthali is different from other universities, that being a dedicated women’s university the challenges are very different and, therefore, need the best efforts to plan and execute the world’s best possible platform for the girls. He always remained receptive to every single need of students and staff and ensured immediate action on every proposal brought in for the benefit of the students and teachers, in academics and research.

Prof. Shastri’s leadership has taken the university to new heights. Under his stewardship, it got the highest possible NAAC grade, A++, having scored 3.63 points out of 4 and secured top positions in national and international rankings. Having a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), he was always very particular about making this university essentially a research university, and to facilitate research, he had equipped the library with latest innovations, books, periodicals and journal subscriptions so that no scholar had to struggle to find the literature for their research – it was all presented as a universe under one roof for them. Also, to expose the university’s teachers to the latest trends in their fields, he managed to get Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya Faculty Development Centre sanctioned for the campus.

From education to employment, he did everything possible to provide Banasthalites the platform to learn and implement their learning not only by getting jobs for themselves but also creating jobs for others. His efforts won him the distinction of partnering with NITI Aayog to establish the world-class Atal Incubation Centre at the university to solely focus on women’s start-ups. With programs like WOMENPreneur, the centre has incubated more than ten thousand start-ups by women so far. These are just a few examples of his administrative dexterity and his dynamic action-oriented approach towards making this institute a global example of excellence when it comes to women’s education, standing out as the largest residential women’s university in the world.

His students are leading scientists, fighter pilots, entrepreneurs, academics, media voices, politicians, legislators, social activists, proud professionals – go anywhere, you will find stamps of his vision in some form. Rarely does a person have the charisma to leave a worldwide presence of the legacy of their ancestors. Prof. Aditya Shastri did not just carry it forward, he did everything possible to make a name for this university on a global level. As a proud alumna of this glorious university I bow to this person who, as a larger-than-life leader, set his sisters down on firm ground and help them touch the sky. He had the audacity to dream of empowerment and to turn it into reality for multitudes of women who have graduated from here. May Sir’s soul rest in peace and pride and may his legacy be nurtured with the same spirit. It’s his physical presence which fate has snatched away, but his ideas, his spirit shall forever kindle the dreams of every Banasthalite, forever.

Dr. Preeti Choudhary an assistant professor in the English department, University of Rajasthan. She studied at Banasthali Vidyapith.

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