Aalok Prakash Shrivastava grew up in New Delhi, India, surrounded by his extended family of parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins, who all practice the Transcendental Meditation® technique. From an early age, he knew someday he wanted to attend MIU, just like his cousin Ram and sister Amrita have.

Aalok earned a bachelor of technology in electrical engineering from Vellore Institute of Technology, India, and worked in the solar energy industry for a year. His interest in sustainability and desire to attend MIU led him to enroll in the MBA in Sustainable Business Program in 2018.

“Within a week of starting my MBA, I realized that Consciousness-Based education was more fulfilling than my previous education,” said Aalok. He enjoyed the small classroom size, the interactive learning experience, and the detailed feedback from his professors.

Aalok’s second goal was to complete the Transcendental Meditation Teacher Training Course, which he was able to incorporate into his study schedule and finish in February 2020. After the course he returned to India and co-taught a ten-week course, including the TM® technique, at MIT-World Peace University in Pune.

He finished his MBA courses in December 2020, and at the June 2021 commencement ceremony he received the Outstanding Student Award from the Business department. He is currently enrolled in the MA in Consciousness and Human Potential program.

“The experience of Consciousness-Based education, the Fairfield community, and being able to participate in group TM program all inspired me to stay,” he said.

After completing the master’s program, Aalok would like to earn a PhD in Maharishi Vedic Science℠ from MIU and participate in teaching the Vedic knowledge and the TM technique.