E-Paper
Chitkara University hosts online rendezvous with Chetan Bhagat
Bhagat advised students to limit their screen time to two hours outside online education
Chitkara University on Saturday hosted a talk with author and columnist Chetan Bhagat, the focus of the online interface was ‘Keeping your spirits high: coming out as a winner in challenging times”.
A number of participants from Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, and Punjab joined the session.
On how to keep spirits up during the pandemic, Bhagat said, “Don’t count the days, and stop wondering when things will reopen or what will happen next. Maintain balance and be strong minded, indulge in creative writing and thinking. Do something different as things will be back to normal in some time.”
LESSONS FROM SARS
He recalled that he was an investment banker in Hong Kong in 2003 when SARS hit the country and left the citizenry in a state of despair and hopelessness: “With time the phase passed and those who nurtured a positive outlook wrote success stories post SARS,” he said.
Replying to pro-chancellor Madhu Chitkara’s query on the impact of the pandemic on the youth, he said students had been spending more time on screen, on their mobiles, televisions and laptops.
He advised them to devote more time to creative thinking and do a variety of things. He suggested limiting oneself to two hours of screen time a day apart from online education.
HYBRID SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
To Chitkara International School principal Niyati Chitkara’s question on what will be the future of education in the post-corona era, Bhagat said he could foresee a hybrid system of education gaining currency with increased focus on online modules along with campus education.
Bhagat also spoke about the importance of acquiring marketing skills in addition to scoring high grades, the future of VR (virtual reality) and other key issues.
