V. M. Salgaocar College of Law’s ‘BeyondTheSyllabus’ initiative successfully held the Inner Peace Challenge on 20 August 2024, aimed at promoting the art of doing nothing. Ashta Datye (SY BALLB) and Kaushal Bathia (FY LLB) were declared Inner Peace Champions after they maintained the most stable heart rates during the 90-minute challenge, which required participants to sit quietly without using gadgets, talking, or moving. The competition’s criteria for winning focused on heart rate stability, with readings taken by volunteers at the start and end of the challenge. Participants with the most stable heart rates were awarded.
However, the final results saw a tie in both categories. In the female category, Dr. Mrunmayi Vaidya, Vandana Sardesai, and Ashta Sukhalal Datye recorded identical differences in their heart rate readings. In the male category, Dr. B. S. Patil, Joshua de Souza, and Kaushal Bathia had similar differences in their readings. To determine the winners, readings were redone, with the consent of the participants.
Out of the 82 registered participants which included faculty members, students and the general public, 55 joined the Inner Peace Challenge, with just one participant quitting and three others dozing off during the event.
The event was organised under the guidance of Principal Dr. Shaber Ali G., By BeyondTheSyllabus Convenor Ramrai Naik (Asst. Prof at VMSCL), Co-coordinator Trisha Almeida (College Counsellor), and student coordinators Richa Gomes and Priya Shirodkar. Volunteers who contributed to the success of the event included Kashaf Khan, Aanchal Naik, Arya Nadkarni, Udi Narvekar, Swayam Chodankar, Rhea Rao, and Shivam Usgaokar. The Inner Peace Challenge is inspired by the International Space Out Competition from South Korea.
The BeyondTheSyllabus initiative at VMSCL, founded in July 2023, promotes multidisciplinary learning and encourages engagement with a diverse range of activities and topics.
