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Teachers’ Day: PM Modi pays tribute to Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today extended Teachers’ Day greetings to people engaged in the profession across the country and paid his tribute to the second president of India, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. PM Modi interacted with the winners later in the evening. Learn more here

India’s Best Universities 2022 | In search of excellence

The Indian higher education universe is one of the largest in the world – populated by more than 1,000 universities and 40,000 colleges, with 248 new universities added in the past seven years, and yet its universities remain way below their potential on the global benchmarks. There is no doubt that India’s higher education system needs urgent implementation of reform. Read more here  

IIT Madras remains the best educational institute in the country

The Indian Institute of Technology bags the top spot among institutions in the country for the fourth time in a row. The 2022 rankings were released by the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Next in line is the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISC). Click here for more.

Demand for Data Scientists expected to grow in the near future

The prospects of data science are available to all industries and can be expected to grow in the future due to advancement in technology. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are more than just buzz words today. Learn more here

UGC to allow industry experts to teach in colleges, guidelines formulated

Attempting to boost the industry–academic connect, the University Grants Commission (UGC) is throwing open positions for ‘Professor in Practice’ who are experts in specific fields willing to teach students.

A higher educational institution is allowed to employ professors of practice up to 10% of the total sanctioned posts. These posts will be exclusive of the sanctioned posts of a university/college. More on this here

Anant National University launches India’s first climate school

Anant National University has announced the launch of Anant School for Climate Action, the first-of-its-kind school in India. The school will begin with two foundational courses under the aegis of the Anant School for Climate Action, namely, the four-year Bachelor of Technology programme specializing in Climate Change, and the one-year Anant Fellowship for Climate Action.

Anant University has distinguished itself by being the only institute in India offering focused academic courses in climate studies and climate action, and therefore now occupies a prime position in the Indian educational landscape. Read more here

Dr K. Sundar is a Professor at the Department of Commerce, Annamalai University. He has over 25 years of UG and PG teaching experience. A prolific author, he has contributed over 100 articles in national and international journals. He has authored books on Business Communication, Principles of Management, Human Resource Management, Organisation Behaviour, Business Ethics, Business Management and Auditing.

How long have you been writing books?

I have been writing books for the past 17 years.

What kind of planning did you have to do before beginning to write this book?

Before beginning to write a book, I do the following planning:

• An exhaustive preparation of course content in the light of syllabi of a given course across universities in India.
• Acquisition of books authored by local, national and international publishers.
• Thorough comprehension of the concept after reading several books and finally presenting the concept in my distinct style of what I understood.

What made you write this book? / Why did you choose to write on this topic?

There are multiple reasons for writing this book. Some of them are: deep knowledge in the fundamental subjects having taught these subjects several years across various locations in India as a core resource person in our personal contact programs of Distance Education as well as handling classes for several years in on-campus classes; having set question papers for many universities and colleges in Tamil Nadu and acted as a board of studies member in many universities and autonomous colleges; having evaluated answer scripts.

Which courses would this book be suitable for?

The books authored are mainly intended for BCom, BBA and various specializations of BCom and BBA.

How is this book different from other similar books available on this topic?

Books authored by me are distinct in respect of the presentation of concepts in a lucid style so that commerce illiterates can comprehend the fundamentals of business courses, in terms of charts, pictures, diagrams, glossary, MCQs, review questions, etc.

Teachers handling the course, students, question paper setters, evaluators, research scholars preparing for course works, graduates preparing for competitive examinations and casual readers who read to add to general commerce knowledge.

Are you planning to write another book on a related topic?

I have no idea about writing books as I am physically tired and intend to pursue a different passion after my superannuation.

 What was your experience of writing this book and seeing your work published?

 A sense of fulfillment from documenting my knowledge of the course or subject and satisfaction from sharing my knowledge with the academic community.  A feeling akin to a mother having delivered a baby after undergoing labour pain and the feeling of a flower emitting a sweet scent to the wearer and others.

How long have you been writing books?

My first Income Tax (self-published) book was written about 12 years ago. It was discontinued. This completely revised book on Income Tax was resurrected at the invitation of my current publisher, Vijay Nicole. As a faculty of Annamalai University’s Distance Education Wing, I have been a prolific course content creator for more than 20 years.

What kind of planning did you have to do before beginning to write this book?

I believe that a textbook needs two crucial elements. The first is adequate teaching experience that provides the teacher and author insights into the sort of doubts that students have. Another crucial element is integrating appropriate pedagogy into the whole narrative. As such, a textbook should aid students even when they do not have recourse to a teacher. So, in effect, the planning is in preparing assiduously for class, documenting class notes, working out university examination papers, and dealing with difficult topics all of which come in handy. In the preparation of writing per se, the biggest chunk of time is reserved for revision and ironing out errors.

What made you write this book? / Why did you choose to write on this topic?

I have been teaching this paper on Income Tax for the last 25 years. Students find this paper the toughest in their entire undergraduate course. I developed formats and methods that helped students understand concepts and apply them to solve problems with ease. It is also not an easy topic to write on for an author as tax laws and rates change every year. The author has to keep abreast of the changes and revise the book annually. Since not many authors venture to write on such a topic, I thought I shall put my experience and success to use.

Which courses would this book be suitable for?

This course is suitable for the paper on Income Tax Law and Practice, which is offered as a two-semester paper in most universities and also as a one-semester paper in some. This book is suitable for both.

How is this book different from other similar books available on this topic?

This book differs as follows:

• Provides necessary formats to help solve problems
• Includes 442 graded illustrations of all types and from previous year’s question papers of various universities
• Includes a similar type of exercise problem to every illustration
• Provides elaborate notes for illustrations with respect to provisions of tax laws.

Who will benefit most from this book?

As a textbook for students of BCom. It will also be a quick reference for students of PG and professional courses.

Are you planning to write another book on a related topic?

My next book is a textbook on Financial Management.

What was your experience of writing this book and seeing your work published?

It is a joyous experience seeing my book in print and successful at that. It is even more thrilling when faculty members from far and wide call or write and tell me that they are using my book for their reference and teaching from it.

How long have you been writing books?

I have been writing books since 2000. It has always been my pleasure to write textbooks. It occurred to me that I should write books in a way that is easy for the students to study. I don’t write a book just because it is needed in the market. 

What kind of planning did you have to do before beginning to write this book?

I, indeed, do a lot of planning before I start writing a book. Since textbooks are expected to cater to the student community in terms of syllabus coverage, etc., it is important that meticulous planning is done. For example, I do prepare a rough sketch of the topics that need to be covered with exhaustive detailing so that nothing goes uncovered while writing a book.

What made you write this book? / Why did you choose to write on this topic?

The sheer joy of writing makes me write books. Furthermore, the deep interest which I developed over a period in the subject matter is an important reason for authoring a book. For instance, subjects like banking, financial markets, OR, SAPM are dear to me and are close to my heart and this acted as a major motivation to write a book. While writing a book, I simply ignore the commercial part of writing a book. 

Which courses would this book be suitable for?

All my books are suitable for UG and PG degree programs. Universities and colleges across India purchase my books both for direct students’ use and for their libraries. In fact, I make it a point to revise my books as per the changed requirements of the program. 

How is this book different from other similar books available on this topic?

My books are different in many ways; in terms of syllabus coverage, style of writing, etc. Since all my books are written by me due to the sheer joy of writing without considering the commercial aspect of it, there is a natural distinction made between my books. 

Who will benefit most from this book?

The entire academic community, the students, the teachers and others will immensely benefit from my books. 

Are you planning to write another book on a related topic?

As has been pointed out already, it’s my policy to refrain from writing many books on a related topic. 

What was your experience of writing this book and seeing your work published?

It has been a joy and pleasure to share my knowledge and experience of the subject matter with and for the benefit of the student community, and this remains an important consideration for me to write books; I simply love writing a book for the student community.