"The American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) was formed to further the knowledge of India in the United States by supporting American scholarship on India. The programs of AIIS foster the production of and engagement with scholarship on India, and promote and advance mutual understanding between the citizens of the United States and of India."
Dr. Carmen Paniagua was awarded an AIIS Fellowship as part of The Faculty Development Follow-Up awards funded by a grant from the U.S. State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) through the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). The grant was carrying out a project in India from December 2023 to January 2024.
Mrs. Purnima Mehta, AIIS Director-General and Dr. Vandana Sinha, Director of the Center for Art and Archaeology shared the latest research by AIIS at Gurugram, Delhi. In addition, Dr. Sinha provided insights about Art and Archaeology research documentation, practices, and processes from the collection of data and analysis throughout the research results and dissemination. One of her current research projects is about stepwells. They played a significant role in western India from 7th to 19th century to cope with the seasonal fluctuation in water availability.
Access to water is an important factor to consider when measuring poverty conditions and sustainability. The importance to learn about the history of how India used to cope with access to water is key for understanding the cultural aspects connected with this factor. The stepwells are pools with passages of steps that descend to the water level and may have originated during periods of drought to ensure enough access to the water. Also, step wells played an important point for a reunion for the community. By observing some stepwells, and by observing the number of visitors, it is evident that they are an important heritage identity and still a point of interest for a large community. Step wells combine art, engineering, math, history, science, architecture, including religion.
The First “India Art, Architecture, Design Biennale 2023” organized by Ministry of Culture, at Red Fort Complex, Delhi. Biennale 2023
Steps and Stories: Living Narratives of Stepwells was a panel discussion about the history, art, architecture, past, present, and future of the stepwells in India. An impressive presentation of current construction of step wells using the latest engineering research to replicate the stepwell structures with a practical use to collect water was outstanding to observe. See photos below.
The India Art Architecture and Design Biennale 2023 aim was "To invigorate the cultural space and creative industries and leverage the Arts for Global Cultural Diplomacy". The Biennale celebrates the best that India has to offer in the fields of ancient, modern, contemporary and tech driven art, architecture, and design. Also, this celebration includes artists and grassroot artisans as well as contemporary designers, curators & thought leaders cutting across age, gender & genre lines.
According to Thirumalini Selvaraj, stepwells not only "communicated and guided communities regarding water management and cleaner production, but also revealed historic knowledge regarding how ancient societies achieved social-ecological resilience." Stepwells have different shapes, dimensions, architecture, typology and purposes. See below a classification by Dr. Selvaraj. Ancient water management practices, like stepwells, could be integrated in modern India for building sustainability and climate change resilience.
Thirumalini Selvaraj, Et al, A Comprehensive Review of the Potential of Stepwells as Sustainable Water Management Structures
Adalaj Ni Vav is a stepwell that was built by Mahmud Begada in 1411, to commemorate Queen Rudabai, wife of Veersinh, the Vaghela chieftain. It served both a utilitarian and spiritual purpose for the people around. History and Video Gallery
Chand Baori is a stepwell that the geometric quality of self-similar repetition resulting in a complex outcome and can be systematically described by fractal geometry. This stepwell is situated in the village of Abhaneri in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It extends approximately 30 meters into the ground, making it one of the deepest and largest stepwells in India. According to Iasef Rian and Mansi Bapna, fractal geometry satisfies the geometry of Chand Baori stepwell than using the Euclidean approach. The architecture of the stepwells with spiraling staircases, twisting corridors, and open atriums allows water for unrestricted movement in all directions. In addition, elaborate carvings and glyphs adorn the walls, portraying the history and mythology connection to the stepwells. Stepwell Photos
Chand Baori - World's Largest Stepwell in India Chand Baori Video
Stepwells were a common feature of medieval India, serving as vital sources of water for communities, especially in regions like Rajasthan, where water scarcity was a significant concern. Panna Meena Ka Kund was constructed not only to provide water but also as a social gathering space and a place for relaxation. Architecturally, Panna Meena Ka Kund is renowned for its precise and symmetrical design. The steps descend into the well, providing access to the water at different levels. The structure also incorporates geometric patterns and decorative elements, showcasing the craftsmanship of the artisans who built it. One of the attractions in Jaipur is Panna Meena ka Kund. It is a very famous stepwell in the city. The stepwell is named after Panna Meena, who is believed to have been a noblewoman or a prominent figure associated with its construction. The term "Ka Kund" translates to "well" in Hindi, so the name signifies Panna Meena's well.
Agrasen Ki Baoli is a stepwell located in New Delhi, India. Agrasen Ki Baoli is named after Maharaja Agrasen. The exact date of construction of Agrasen Ki Baoli is not certain, but it is believed to date back to the 14th century, during the reign of the Agrawal community, with whom Maharaja Agrasen is associated. However, some architectural elements suggest that it may have been rebuilt and renovated during the Tughlaq period in the 14th century. This baoli has 108 steps, three levels of the historic stepwell are visible. Each level is lined with arched niches on both sides. From an architectural perspective, this stepwell was probably rebuilt during the Tughlaq or Lodi period and is flanked by a small three-sided mosque towards the west.
Article: Stepwells - Connecting people to water.
Article: Delhi Stepwell Restoration
Article: Rani-ki-Vav (the Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat
Article: Indian stepwells provide lessons in ancient ingenuity.
DTU collaborates with public authorities and the business sector on the development of sustainable ideas for innovation and creation of new products. In addition, DTU builds strong strategic partnerships with business, industry, national government, and authorities. One example is the creation of clothes hangers by combining recycling plastic waste and agriculture excess of waste elements. By using experimentation, the final product are combinations of different percentages of polypropylene and rice husk.
Another student project was to recycle plastic pieces to create mops for wiping floors or other surfaces. It took only six months to complete these research projects.
Hands-on learning projects offer students opportunities to apply their creative skills and opportunities to innovate and to foster student independence and problem-solving skills. Observing the students’ presentations of real-world environmental issues was an indicator of what the students learned, and they are concerned about. In addition, inviting an external professor to evaluate students’ projects promotes additional expertise glimpse of the topic. Also, Objectivity is critical for discovering if the program achieves its intended results. In addition, external evaluators are less susceptible to the internal politics of organizations and provide an unbiased judgement to conduct a program evaluation.
Project-based learning empowers students to use their knowledge and can have real-world impacts. It's a concrete indicator of what students learned. Creativity and innovation need regular exercise to remain dynamic and by using these hands-on activities, provides an opportunity to promote this goal.
The Waste to Energy Plant system is a dry anaerobic digester technology that helps in quick digestion and produces clean biogas with a high percentage of methane. Gas can generate electricity, and the product post digestion is a liquid fertilizer which can be used directly for agriculture purposes.
The organic waste produced from campus is used for the generation of electricity. The main advantage of waste to electricity is that no external power is required for the operation of the Waste to Energy Plant. Also, the power generated in the system can be utilized to meet its own energy requirements and provide energy to closest street lighting at campus.
Delhi Technological University (DTU) not only has the largest waste-to-energy plant in Delhi that converts 1,000 kilograms of waste per day, but also DTU has its own sewage treatment facility on the 164-acre campus in Rohini. Wastewater collected on the University premises will pass through biofilters, while the treated water will be used for gardening. These two plants are the results of innovations throughout research inspired by nature.
The Solid Watse Monitoring Laboratory is one of the four labs that the Environmental Engineering is available to undergraduate and graduate students. The need to promote recycling solid waste and to investigate effective and efficient waste management is key in an industrialized city like Delhi.
Dr. Lovleen Gupta’s graduate student Himank Sen shared his research work and highlighted that Delhi presents the more complex challenges to reduce solid waste because of the results of increment in the amount of diverse solid waste in this urbanized and industrialized region.
I am grateful to Dr. Lovleen Gupta and her graduate student Himank Sen for showing us diverse sites in DTU campus, for instance, by visiting the library, we could appreciate the academic resources like textbooks, research journal, small offices for undergraduate and graduate students.
The Environmental Engineering Department's Vision and Mission support the DTU’s strategic plan 2019-2030 and core value statements shown below.
To ensure this mission, DTU is registered to ISO 9001 to guarantee quality in Higher Education. ISO 9001 provides a framework ‘that ensures that nothing important is left out and that everyone is clear about who is responsible for doing what, when, how, why and where’ (ISO, n.d., paragraph 4).
The growing internationalization and globalization make competition in the market of educational services more challenging. This stimulates the development of a quality assurance system in higher education creating the need for standardization of procedures for educational institutions. DTU is moving in this direction by increasing its interaction with national and international institutions, in particular the EMBL graduate students are encouraged by Dr. Anil K. Haritash to actively explore international research collaborations and maintain high standards of research. 
The Environmental Microbiology and Bioremediation Laboratory (EMBL) is one of four laboratories of The Department of Environmental Engineering (DEE) at Delhi Technological University (DTU). This laboratory provides opportunities for hands-on experience for graduate and undergraduate students. In addition, this laboratory provides unique opportunities for students to undertake environmental engineering projects and participate on a diverse range of academic activities and extensive networking activities beyond of the DEE. Professor Haritash and his graduate students, Harsh Pipil, Shivani Yadav, Sonam Taneja, Anshul Tyagi, and Himank Sen. Dr. Anil not only follows the ISO 9001 standards, but they are focusing on assuring the quality of learning, teaching, educational setting, and research for innovation. The training of this group of graduate students generates a ripple effect of trainers for college students’ level.
On December 5th, 2023, Dr. Paniagua participated in the National Pollution Control Day where Professor Prateek Sharm, DTU’s Vice Chancellor addressed the inaugural seminar. Dr. Sharm highlighted the importance of observing the National Pollution Control Day and the importance of continuous research and innovation to improve the quality of life. By remembering one of the worst industrial environmental catastrophes in India, the Bhopal Gas Tragedy on December 2nd, 1984, in a facility in Madhya Pradesh with more than 3700 deaths, participants were moved to reflect about their commitment with research and innovation to improve their environment.
Also, Dr. Anil K. Haritash, Head of the Environmental Engineering Department, suggested the importance of education and research to direct effective changes to reduce diverse pollution sources. Two cases studies were presented by Dr. Suresh Jain and Dr. Atinderpal Singh. Also, Dr. Dhote stressed the rapid urbanization, industrialization, and overconsumption of non-renewable resources during the last few decades in Delhi. This has caused a crisis not only in this region, but globally. High energy consumption during demolition of buildings and construction constitutes a negative impact on the natural environment. In addition, the high-cost nature of buildings deters the interest of public towards sustainable design, but with massive benefits. Planning sustainable buildings in Delhi can translate into less air pollution, traffic, and improvement on health population. Find additional photos at the following link: National Pollution Control Day 05th*dec*2023 - Google Photos
India has a long math history with important scholars who made great changes to the field of mathematics including Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, Mahavira, Bhaskara II, and Srinivasa Ramanujan who contributed to fractions, infinite series, and number theory in mathematics. This day is significant to all mathematicians across India who celebrate Srinivasa Ramanujan. DTU’s Math Department commemorated Ramanujan’s exceptional contribution to the world of Mathematics with talks.
Prof. Prateek Sharma, DTU’s Vice Chancellor welcomed the attendees to honor the birth anniversary of the legendary Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan. In 1911 Ramanujan published the first of his papers in the Journal of the Indian Mathematical Society. He was awarded in 1916 the B.A. Degree by research of the Cambridge University and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in February 1918.
Dr. Sharma shared some of his experiences with math and the importance of its applications. He highlighted the popularization of mathematics and the importance of taking aways the fear of numbers from the mind of the students. Dr. Sharma has an impressive academic journey in vehicular pollution modelling, stochastic modelling, and several of his awards, for instance the Fellow of Wessex Institute of Great Britain (outstanding scholarly work in air quality modelling). Also, Professor. Dr C.K. Ghosh, Regional Director at Regional Services Division, Indira Gandhi National Open University. He was formerly the Director, National Centre for Innovations in Distance Education (NCIDE), IGNOU, New Delhi, encouraged students to commit to math and to make it part of their way of life.
In addition, several groups of middle and high school students offered diverse hands-on math activities to the attendees of this celebration.
The relevance of this International Conference emphasized the DTU core values which state that everyone should look for progress on implementing the standards and guidelines for research quality assurance.
The number of researchers attending the International Conference on Atomic, Molecular, Material, Nano, and Optical Physics with Applications on December 20-22, 2023, is an indication of the relevance of DTU research dissemination. By considering the application side opens a broad number of graduate students and professors to networking and learn the latest research in diverse physics applications. Find below the program and some photos of this event.
ICAMNOP - 2023 (20th - 22nd*dec*2023) Additional Photos
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Attending the Poster Presentation on December 22, 2023, International Conference on Atomic, Molecular, Material, Nano, and Optical Physics with Applications. https://www.icamnop.in/publication
Professor Anil K. Haritash, Environmental Department Chair, and his team of professors and research assistants are working with nature and its environmental cycles to address the emergency of pollution and climate change.
Water pollution occurs when harmful chemicals or microorganisms contaminate a body of water by degrading water quality and the challenge is to reduce the negative toxic effects to humans or the environment.
Find below some photos of several research presentations.
Many thanks to Dr. Rene Valverde Ventura for presenting and discussing with the Environmental Engineering Laboratory’s research assistants the reasoning of “Why not to use one-at-time experimentation.” By using factorial experiments, the researcher not only estimates the main effect of the factors, but also their interactions; something that cannot be achieved with one-factor-at-a-time experimentation.
Also, I shared with the graduate students the importance of planning phase when using “Strip Block in Multistage Processes to Reduce the Cost of Experimentation.” These kinds of designs are typically used when an experiment involves hard-to-change factors, for instance, the temperature of an industrial oven. Strip block designs are blocked experiments, having the blocks serve as experimental units for a subset of factors. In strip block experiments, a treatment is applied to more than one size of experimental unit because a factor(s) is associated with batch processing, or it is hard or costly to change. Therefore, strip block experiments are more practical to be carried out in the industrial settings.
When the graduates’ students shared their presentations, I was in the process of completing a certification and studying the Annotations of the Quality Matters for Higher Education Rubric, Seventh Edition. I had the opportunity to help the graduate students identifying areas for improvement and outline basic steps by improving presentations in Higher Education.
Understanding the process of selection of graduate students was important to connect the standards and processes DTU use to comply with ISO9001 for a future PhD student. Interacting with DTU faculty the day of selection process for PhD students was a unique opportunity to learn about DTU's academic standards for this process on December 2023.
I am thankful to Dr. Anil Haritash, Dr. Lovleen Gupta and all the graduate students for showing us diverse sites at Delhi, and for helping us to appreciate India's culture.
