Juxtaposing Cross-Cultural Notions of Beauty
The School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is glad to announce that Dr Saurabh Todariya has published his paper titled “Aesthetic Delight and Beauty: A Comparison of Kant’s Aesthetics and Abhinavagupta’s Theory of Rasa” in the Journal of Dharma Studies published by Springer Nature. It is published in collaboration with Consciousness Studies Program, National Institute of Advanced Studies (IISc Campus), Bangalore.
Anything that is pleasurable to perceive is defined as beautiful. However, the notion of beauty takes different interpretations with respect to the lens it is viewed through. It is either rooted in one’s personal feelings or by virtue of something universal residing in the object. Through his paper, Dr Todariya seeks to explore this question by comparing the Philosophy of German Philosopher, Kant and the great Indian Philosopher of the 9th Century, Abhinavagupta. He proposes that appreciation of beauty is only possible when the personal and egoistic involvement is suspended with respect to the beautiful object.
The research is significant in the domain of cross-cultural philosophy and looks into aesthetics from a philosophical point of view, relatively an underexplored area in Indian Academia. Dr Todariya also aims to work on comparative aesthetics, especially on the notion of Hermeneutics and Art in Indian and Western Aesthetics in the future.
Abstract of the Research
The study aims to address the existing research gap through a thematic comparison between the aesthetics of Kant and Abhinavagupta. This paper explores Kant’s notion of aesthetic judgment based on disinterestedness with Abhinavagupta’s analysis of sādhāraṇīkaraṇa. We argue that the notions of “disinterested judgment” in Kant and sādhāraṇīkaraṇa in Abhinavagupta point towards the impersonal nature of aesthetic delight which makes the universality of aesthetic experience possible. Hence, aesthetics in both Kant and Abhinavagupta are not the personal and subjective experience, but a kind of universality based on the ability to experience impersonal joy. However, the notion of aesthetic delight in Kant is confined to the agreeable mental states only, while in Abhinavgupta the notion of rasa includes both positive as well as the negative mental states like fear, disgust, etc. In this regard, the paper will also analyse the affinity between the notion of sensus communius in Kant and sahṛdaya in Abhinavagupta which highlights the importance of aesthetic community and the impersonal nature of aesthetic delight.
- Published in News
SRMAP receives SWAYAM-NPTEL ‘A’ rating
SRM University-AP is happy to announce that it was recognised by NPTEL SWAYAM as a valuable local chapter with an ‘A’ rating for the year Jan-Dec 2021. The rating is based on the performance of students who took the examinations for various SWAYAM courses.
SWAYAM has awarded a plaque to SRM University-AP and a certificate of appreciation to Dr Satya Pramod Jammy for his role as the university local Coordinator. It is a great achievement for the young university.
The philosophy behind this mode of education is to facilitate the curiosity of students who have an interest in the courses that transcend the conventional curriculum and give them a unique edge over their peers. SRM University-AP encourages students to study these from SWAYAM and other MOOCs available. Their performance in the examinations conducted by SWAYAM will earn them grades and credits. This was made available to the students for the first time in January 2021 which opened a plethora of opportunities to the students, and they have enjoyed this new learning possibility.
In the year 2021, a total of 470 students registered for various courses. The pass percentage is a whopping 90%, there are 17 students in the top 5%, 4 students in the top 2% and one student in the top 1% of their respective courses. 69 % (321) of the students are in Elite and higher categories. 5% students received Elite+gold award, 30% receiving Elite+silver and 35% receiving Elite certificates.
Dr Satya Pramod Jammy is pleased with all the students for their active participation and their brilliant performance. Obtaining an ‘A’ grade in the first year of implementation stands as a testament to the academic excellence of SRM University-AP. Dr Jammy is also thankful to all the department level coordinators, Dr Tapas, Dr Sreenivasulu, Dr Rajiv, Prof. Jayaseelan, Dr Malavika, Dr Ramanjaneya Reddy, and Dr Mong for encouraging the students and actively participating in the discussions. Mr V. Srinivasarao (Asst. Librarian) was instrumental in setting up SWAYAM in a short period.
Dr Jammy expressed his gratefulness to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof V. S. Rao, Deputy Dean Academic affairs Dr B. Siva Kumar and the entire University management for their support in making this a possible endeavour and its glorifying success.
- Published in News
Security Framework using Blockchain Technology
The Department of Computer Science Engineering is proud to announce that Dr Sriramulu Bojjagani has published a paper titled “Blockchain-Based Security Framework for Sharing Digital Images using Reversible Data Hiding and Encryption” in the journal Multimedia Tools and Applications (MTAP) having an impact factor of 2.757.
The paper is published in collaboration with D.R Denslin Brabin from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, DMI College of Engineering, Tamil Nadu and Christo Ananth from the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, St. Mother Theresa Engineering College, Tamil Nadu.
Abstract of the Research
Security is an important issue in current and next-generation networks. Blockchain will be an appropriate technology for securely sharing information in next-generation networks. Digital images are the prime medium attacked by cyber attackers. In this paper, a blockchain-based security framework is proposed for sharing digital images in a multi-user environment. The proposed framework uses reversible data hiding and encryption as component techniques. A novel high-capacity reversible data hiding scheme is also proposed to protect digital images. Reversible data hiding in combination with encryption protects the confidentiality, integrity and authentication of digital images. In the proposed technique, the digital image is compressed first to create room for data hiding, then the user signature is embedded; afterwards, the whole image is encrypted. For compression, JPEG lossy compression is used to create high capacity. For encryption, any symmetric block cipher or stream cipher can be used. Experimental results show that the proposed blockchain-based framework provides high security and the proposed reversible data hiding scheme provides high capacity and image quality.
Fig 1: The process of encoding during reversible data hiding
Dr Sriramulu Bojjagani also intends to work on the development of block-chain based solutions to intelligent transport systems and on addressing the challenges of security issues involved in connected and autonomous vehicles.
- Published in CSE NEWS, Departmental News, News, Research News
Pursue Your Dream of Overseas Education with SRMAP
Pursuing higher education in universities of international repute is perhaps a long-cherished dream of every student. SRM University-AP has always been at the forefront in providing the right avenues for students to explore their inherent talents and in equipping them with the right skillset through educational practices and research programmes of global standard.
It is an honour for SRM University-AP to announce that three of our students; Varanasi Koundinya, Sai Nived Chandanam and Jayanth Devarajugattu of the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering have secured admission in the University of Texas at Dallas to the Master of Science in Computer Engineering programme for the Fall 2022 semester.
Exposure to state-of-the-art technological facilities and involvement in research-oriented pedagogical practices enable students to outperform in a world where technology is evolving at a rapid pace. Courses anchored in a multi-stream framework empower students to specialize across disciplines, thereby expanding their choice of higher studies in and outside the country.
In the words of Jayanth Devarajugattu, a strong collaboration of the university with international universities and industries across the globe have been of immense help to seize an opportunity for overseas education. He also marked his gratitude to the faculty members who have provided him with effective guidance throughout the research. “I am extremely grateful to Ramesh Vaddi sir, Siva Sankar sir, Anirban sir, Gangi Reddy sir for guiding us throughout the process by helping us choose the right university and issuing a letter of recommendation”, he said.
Associating with faculty members on various research projects will always offer new insights to students to think differently. “Dr Ranjit Thapa sir with his teaching and research work inspired me the most in pursuing my masters, I look up to him”, said Sai Nived.
All of them expressed their gratefulness to the university for endowing them with appropriate training which helped them maintain good grades, conduct research and publish papers. “Your CGPA and paper publications play a crucial role in making into an international university of your choice”, they mentioned.
The Inter-Disciplinary Experiential Active Learning (IDEAL) pioneered by SRM offers flexibility in course curriculum, thereby giving students the freedom of curating syllabus with respect to their interests and aspirations. Fostering an environment of academic freedom and prioritizing the interests of students in line with the demands of present times distinguish SRM University-AP as an emerging university of world-class standard. Working towards the dreams of students has always been the driving force behind the advancement of SRM University-AP.
- Published in Departmental News, ECE NEWS, International Relations, IR-News, News, Students Achievements