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 Dr. Ali Khwaja

A Montessorian, an engineering graduate of Institute of Science and IIT Bombay, MIE, MIIM, with a Ph.D in behavioral sciences — he has always carved out his own path and been a free-lancer, ensuring that work is joy every day.

He is invited regularly to conduct workshops or lectures for Defence, Central Government, prestigious National institutions, schools and colleges, but he prefers to be informal, learning while he teaches, and being honest and congruent in whatever he says or does.

He is the founder and Chairman of Banjara Academy, a unique institution committed to enriching life though empowerment.  He trains people from all walks of life to reach out to others and provide emotional support, and leads a large team of counselors who give free service in person, on phone and through email.  He conducts a very popular and practical one year part-time Diploma in Counselling Skills, 4-month Certificate in Child & Adolescent Development, and other online courses.

He has written over 30 books and 80 booklets on all practical aspects of day-to-day life, and writes regular columns and articles in many reputed publications, and edits a unique newsletter, ‘Banjara Life’.  His videos on Banjara’s website and YouTube get thousands of viewers from all over the world.

Notwithstanding all that, he loves all human beings alike, is willing to listen, and his prime focus is on empowering individuals to help themselves.

Address:

Banjara Academy

418, 1st Main, 1st Blk, R T Nagar, Bangalore 560032

Phones: 8861421666  8861792260     

www.banjaraacademy.org

Professional Member of International Association for Counseling UK, and Member with full voting rights of World Federation for Mental Health, USA.

A graduate in law with a Masters in Management, she started her career with a reputed business house of Mumbai known for its integrity and ethics. Working closely with the top management, she acquired the skills of handling different types of people and maintaining a pleasant and harmonious atmosphere wherever she was given responsibility. Moving to Bangalore she took a major decision to keep away from the corporate rat race and armed herself with a Diploma in Counselling Skills while pursuing her Masters in Psycho-therapy. Subsequently she took the plunge to become a full time counselor, trainer, coordinator and mentor to those who either seek emotional support or wish to become part of the counseling and life skills world.

Purnima Ganesh

Coordinator and Director

Having had a varied successful stint as an entrepreneur Indu decided to commit herself to meaningful work and was one of the founders of Banjara Academy when it was in its infancy a quarter century ago, and she also armed herself with a Diploma in Counselling Skills. She has smoothly taken over the functions of administration, personnel, finance, and ensures that the institution runs efficiently despite the financial constraints of not having business income. She ensures that there is a right balance of work, philanthropy and services to the needy by keeping a check on the overall functioning.

Indu Kamal

Director Administration

A qualified Advocate, she realized early in life that her calling lies in helping children improve their quality of life and their future. She underwent extensive training not only in counseling but also in child development, assessments and special education. Her passion made her commit full-time to Banjara’s Gurukul, of which she is the founder and driving force. She oversees a wonderful team of highly committed, compassionate and humane teachers, therapists and counselors who are willing to take up the cause of any child with any types of special needs or emotional support.

Sonal Patel

Director and Chief Counsellor of Gurukul

Transitioned from a very successful technical career in the IT sector, rising up to very responsible positions in MNCs in India, USA and the Middle East – to the human world of Counselling one decade ago, He found his calling as he was genuinely interested in understanding human beings and reaching out to them for their emotional needs. He used to identify the need for raising awareness of EQ, especially among the youngsters who were joining the corporate mainstream right after college. After completing his Certification in Life Skills and Diploma in Counselling Skills at Banjara, he decided to follow his passion for social work and chose to join his alma mater as a counselor, mentor and faculty member. He also completed his BA in Psychology and M.Sc. in Counseling and Family Therapy

Sridhar Srinivasan

Counsellor & Coordinator

Mr.Ramaswamy is always available to anyone who is undergoing trauma. He is a living legend among highly specialized doctors as he looks after each individual patient, guides and leads him or her to the best possible treatment. Without any formal qualification in medicine or psychiatry, he armed himself with qualifications in counseling, was trained At Banjara, in NIMHANS and other prestigious institutions, and since the past twenty odd years he has been giving his free services for people in emotional, medical or mental distress. Retiring from a very senior position in an aviation public sector unit, Mr. Ramaswamy was offered very lucrative positions due to his expertise as a design engineer. But he chose to move on to a path less travelled and has created a path where none existed.

Ramaswamy Natampally

Crisis Manager

How do you feel when a New Year starts?

Every year, every month, every Monday, and every day is a new beginning. It depends on how you face each milestone in life.

Some people get up, go to the window, and say, “Good Morning, God”.  Others look out and say, “Good God, Morning!”

I have admired amazingly some people who go through the worst of setbacks, bereavement, pain or obstacles, and they still have a smile on their face.  Have you wondered how they can do it – or do you just admire them and go on with your own life?

Don’t ask whether the New Year is happy or not – create your own weather and spread happiness to others.

Usefulness of “Boring” subjects

Some students lose interest in particular subjects either because they find them too “difficult”, boring, or if the teacher does not teach well.  The above parameters need to be dealt with by the respective teachers, but there may be loss of interest towards subjects which they feel will not be useful to them in future, particularly when they have selected a particular career.

History helps us analyze behavior of human beings, and thus anticipate how people are likely to react in diverse situations.  We can learn from the past (and the mistakes of others) how to lead our life today.  We can even predict how society, the markets or lifestyles are likely to change so that we can adapt suitably.

Geography gives us a sense of direction, helps us get around by understanding the physical characteristics of nature and the world around us.  We can appreciate diverse cultures, climates (including weather forecasting), explore every part of the world, climate change and ecology which affect our lives in many ways.

Languages have an important role to play in helping us improve communication, understand others and be understood by others.  They expand our horizon of knowledge, and are our windows for the thinking process.  They help us relate to different types of people all over the world.

  • An International language like English is our window to the rest of the world, the most obvious one being the World Wide Web or the Internet. In most parts of the world we can get along if we can communicate well in English.
  • Our link language Hindi binds the nation together and is a bridge across many states.
  • The State language binds us to the poorest and simplest of all people in the region. We can connect well even to illiterate or rural persons, correspond with the government and feel locally connected.

Science is the window to development, it ignites your curiosity and opens your eyes to the great wonders going on in the world around us.  You develop an innovative mind and understand the laws of nature.  It is also the catalyst for change in society.  Each part of science viz. physics, chemistry and biology, helps us understand different facets ranging from measurement of space and time, to interaction of materials, to living organisms.  Together they constitute the essence of the entire world, and the study of science never goes waste regardless of the career you finally choose.

Chemistry, which is considered boring and irrelevant by many students, is the study of life, as it deals with properties of substances and life processes. We are made of chemicals. It teaches us about germs and bacteria, soaps, medicines, food, salt, tears, medicines, energy, climate change, fuels for cars and spacecraft, silicon chips and batteries for computers. And ……you fall in love when the “chemistry” is right.

Math is a subject that sharpens our logical and reasoning powers, builds analytical thinking, the ability to calculate prices, manage money and understand the value of things. With a thorough understanding of Math we can safeguard our interests and be secure throughout life. We can use it to estimate, project, manipulate data, solve intricate problems of life, compare and evaluate.  Geometry gives us a better understanding of space and areas.

Do you recall some bad days, painful memories, failures – and do you try to forget them?

Many wise people tell us: Don’t run away from sadness, setbacks, hurdles or grief.  These are the experiences that make us truly enjoy happiness and contentment. If someone has not experienced failures or downturns, he can never get the full joy and satisfaction of success and achievements. 

Whenever you go through a bad phase or setback and then recover, don’t try to forget it.  Keep it close to your heart and cherish those sad memories – remind yourself that most bad times do pass away & life goes on.

Look forward: hope can be your greatest asset.