Dr. Itishree Sahoo is the Head of the Department of Hindustani Vocals at the Utkal University of Culture. She has an MA and an MPhil degree from Delhi University. Moreover, she has different publications and is an active participant in research and teaching. She has been teaching at the Utkal University of Culture for ten years now.

Utkal University of Culture

Being a Professor at UUC, what are your roles and responsibilities towards the students?

I am an educator as well as a guide for my students. But because I am also well versed in this institution, research is also one of my teachings to my students. Usually, students here like our BA graduates and those who do not wish for a musical career opt for MA, MPhil and PhD degrees. This is where I come in and help them to do research, how to apply in national and international institutions and develop a research oriented mindset.

What are the challenges you faced/ are facing to uplift the quality of education of your department?

There are a ton of challenges but we mostly see a lack of initiative from the student side. We also have a lack of fluency in English among the students which causes them to lose opportunities for Hindustani vocal which has a higher potential outside Odisha. Aside from this, we do not have a proper library which is necessary to research more on their subjects. There are talks underway to have that resolved too.

Check Utkal University of Culture Courses & Fees

What do you see as UUC’s greatest strengths?

The speciality about UUC is that we have a wide range of students getting admission to our college. We have performers who feel they can hone their skills and time people who have yet to discover themselves approach us and try to develop their future with us. These students are the ones who give us insight and strength.

How did UUC operate during COVID 19 and what strategies were formulated and used to keep education ongoing? Are any of those strategies still in effect?

During Covid, we did operate using online methods. But as I was a performing arts educator, the same level of classroom feeling is not carried on in the online mode. Usually, when I sing, I am supported by a tabla/harmonium player and there are gaps/ lag between beats which mess up everything. So we switched over to offline classes as soon as the pandemic was over.

Click Utkal University of Culture Placements

What valuable advice would you like to the students for them to have a prosperous career ahead?

If you want to prosper in higher studies, you must learn how to represent yourself. One must be ready to learn and have a research-oriented mind. Until BA you can hold up to yourselves, but MA is a very different step, not as linear as other degrees.