Dr. Sandip Kumar Rout is the head of the Tabla department at UUC. He has been working at UUC as a guest faculty since 2006 and permanently joined in 2012. He completed his Master's from Sangeet Mahavidyalaya. He then qualified for JRF and NET Examinations and completed his Ph.D in 2015.

Dr. Sandip Kumar Rout

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

I usually teach my students with a scientific approach because tabla is very technical in nature, for it to sound properly. I mostly teach them the basics of tabla and let them discover themselves while following some level of guidance and nuances they must adapt to in day-to-day life. One must be honest when it comes to doing “sadhana” to achieve our goal.
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How do you try to bring in a theoretical approach toward subjects and make it industry-oriented?

I mostly teach in a way my teachers taught me, so this knowledge is passed down knowledge. I encourage them to read theory because not everyone can play good tabla, as it is a unique skill, so they must upskill themselves with as much knowledge as they can amass from theory. Those who are really good in theory I encourage them to apply for higher studies like M.phil,Ph.D and apply for UGC JRF Examination .For those who are good in practical, I encourage them to pick different types of lineups like live performances, AIR and TV shows etc.

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

This university is really great but it lacks some certain items that are required to learn my subject. As this is a government institution, our funds get delayed a lot of times. We are still grateful for the office utilities, but many of the musical amplifiers and other items are bought from my own home to make my classroom feel like you are in a real studio. My motto is to solve any hindrance at my level, like I previously mentioned, I can hardly wait for someone to come and fix it when I can do something about it.

What do you see as UUC’s greatest strengths?

Promoting Indian culture, we have seen a drastic decline in our heritage and cultural knowledge. UUC provides a way to spread this knowledge to our students as well as the general public. This is one of a kind of university that promotes only culture.
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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?

We did much of the classes in online meetings, but I mostly recorded myself and sent the videos to my students to reduce any issues and lag problems from the internet side. We currently do not operate in online mode anymore, but it was a necessity at that time.

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

Hard Work. Hard Work with sincerity and honesty. If the student follows these steps then surely success will touch their feet and they shall feel the blood rush of success.
Check: Utkal University Of Culture (UUC), Bhubaneswar Admission 2023: Ph.D. Admission, Reservation