Dhyāna’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘dhyāi’, which means to think of. In the Yogic parlance, the word means to concentrate on one point so as to know the truth behind it. The ethos of Dhyāna, therefore, is evenness and uniformity in vision. It can be expression, imagination, conception or a mere thought; all of them harping on the versatile yet concerted quest for knowledge. This path, however, is like taking small steps, which come to us as our environment, perception of the surroundings and constant interaction with our world.
Dhyāna as a society for consciousness and awareness attempts to create an ethos of collective reflection, exploring new alternatives and re-interpreting our past, present and future by bringing out our analytical self. We are a society dedicated to revising the concept of education, to focusing the mind into thought, and thought into awareness.The aim is to go beyond textbook learning and theories, and explore the world around us. The society seeks to build an understanding among young minds about the persisting social realities of our times. It encourages students to examine the vast variety of stances on each topic with a fine toothcomb.
Our aim is not to offer simple solutions to compare problems or to fix easy scapegoats to bear the brunt of ancient wrongs. Our attempt is to understand the psyche of a people, trapped in their geography, history and politics. Thus we create a space where young, committed minds can meet, where ideas can be expressed, where the clues are provided not on ‘what’ to think about, but on ‘how’ to think. The one element common to all of the society’s ventures has been knowledge. Dhyāna recognizes the importance of the right to and the duty towards knowledge, knowledge of self and of our environment. Only acquisition of knowledge can stimulate the mind and direct it towards the essential questions.
Staff Advisors
Convener: Sushila Kumari
Co-Convener: Manisha Chaurasia
Dhyana hosted a plethora of events, ranging from jamming sessions and film screenings to creative workshops and recreational sessions, all aimed at enriching the mind and nourishing the everyday experience of life. The beginning of this academic session was marked by Love A Tree Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the grandeur and significance of trees for humankind. Dhyana took up the initiative of #DiscoveringDhyana to let the members unleash the inner potentials of the society and to bust the myths around it. The society later organized a jamming session that successfully broadened the sense of belongingness and joy among peers across the institution. A brilliant workshop focusing upon the importance of breathing techniques in Yoga and its applications for anxiety and stress was unfledged under the guidance of Ms. Jigyasa Anand. Lastly, a screening of Disney classic ‘Peter Pan’ managed to capture the zeal of innumerable students, with its objective of relieving stress and allowing students to cherish their good old childhood days. In October 2022, Dhyana extended the awareness and celebration of body positivity and self-love by hosting the body neutrality month through its social media handles and offline activities. As the University celebrated its centennial of its glorious history and imprint on the fabric of Indian academia, students took up initiatives to reminisce the joys and hassles of university life, portraying their delights through various forms of creative expression.
Dhyana with its monthly newsletter for May 2022, brought in several exuberant entries received for the theme “The Centenary celebrations: student life and experiences at DU”. Capturing the spirit of these words, Dhyana organized a workshop on “Yoga as a basic need”. The same was conducted by Ms. Jigyasa Anand who is a Yoga practitioner and an expert in teaching meditation, asanas and breathwork. Organized on 16th of March, 2023 at the Wellness Centre, the workshop focused upon the importance of breathing techniques in Yoga and how it could be helpful for calming anxiety and stress. Keeping Dhyanan’s philosophy central to its theme, society immersed the student community in its latest newsletter, Shaurya, that weaves around the complexities of academic life.
Dhyana as a society for consciousness and awareness has been consistently working on releasing monthly themes on various topics. These themes have been a major contribution by the members of the society as well as students from different departments. The entries were collected in the form of poems, articles, prose, artwork, photographs and the personal experiences of people. These covered areas like youth dilemmas and their aspirations, body neutrality, breaking the stigmas and various dimensions of life. These monthly themes helped in providing students from all the departments with an opportunity to showcase their talents, potentials and creativity. It made their work reach a larger audience, thereby, increasing the reach of the society as a whole. Among the events conducted, the formal orientation happened on 26th August 2021. The main highlight of the orientation was the announcement of Dhyana turning into an open society which was followed by a query and doubt session with students. There was also an informal event ‘Meet me in the Meet’ on 30th September 2021. The theme was “Pink Flamingo Delights”. Fun activities like “Pitch me the Number” and “Build a Story” and calming guided imagery meditation made the event interactive. Finally, there was a talk by Ms. Saumya Mathur, Alumna of LSR, founder of Dhyana, a trained psychotherapist and a Yoga instructor. She spoke on ‘Calming Anxiety: Practical Skills for Everyday’ on 30th October 2021. It was an insightful session wherein the audience learned about anxiety and its management. The session focussed on the speaker explaining the meaning of anxiety and how it is a natural reaction to any external situation or internal conflict that is usually rooted in our future apprehensions but becomes a disorder if it persists or interferes with our lives for a longer duration.