On May 14, the Day of Lasting Achievements in the Vedic calendar, MIU inaugurated the Navin and Pratima Doshi Center for Integrative Medicine in West Los Angeles, California. The clinic is located in an 11,000-square-foot building donated by philanthropists and LA residents Navin and Pratima Doshi.

Navin Doshi grew up in Mumbai and moved to the US in 1958. He earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Harbor, and worked as an aerospace engineer for over two decades. He has received NASA awards and US patents.

Later he started a business with the help of his wife, Pratima, and also invested in real estate and financial instruments. He has been involved in philanthropic work, mostly in the field of education. In 2019 he received a honorary doctorate from MIU for being a leading proponent of India’s Vedic heritage and its role in the modern world.

The teaching and research facility is an extension of MIU and will provide health consultations to the public. The clinic’s supervisor is John Zamarra, MD, a cardiologist and clinical professor of physiology and health at MIU. The resident Maharishi AyurVeda expert is Vaidya Manohar Palakurthi. Patients visiting the health center will receive evaluation and recommendations from both a western physician and an ayurvedic expert.

The center will also give opportunities for MIU students to participate in patient consultations for their clinical training in the MS in Maharishi AyurVeda and Integrative Medicine Program. MIU’s program is one of only two accredited master’s programs in Ayurveda in the United States, and it is the largest, with 350 graduate students and 250 undergraduate students.

On the evening of May 14, MIU President John Hagelin invited local community leaders for a celebration in honor of the Doshis at the Sanatan Dharma Temple and Cultural Center in Norwalk, California.

Watch a replay of the inaugural broadcast by MIU here.

MIU alumna Varsha Khatri recently published a book titled Think Healthy, Choose Healthy: Make Healthier Dietary and Lifestyle Choices through the Holistic Approach of Nutrition and Ayurveda. The book covers areas of holistic living such as nutrition, sleep, exercise, and self-care and also addresses the importance of digestion and the immune system.

Varsha grew up in San Diego, California, and had wanted to be a physician. After her mother made a near miraculous recovery from a serious injury by practicing yoga asanas, Varsha became interested in studying a holistic approach to health. She discovered MIU at a college fair and decided to major in Maharishi AyurVeda®.

She enrolled at MIU in 2004 and experienced a major personal transformation from an under-confident student to a woman with a purpose. “When I came to MIU, I found my calling,” she said. “TM helped me with my anger and I became a happier person.”

In one of her Ayurveda classes on prevention, Varsha recognized the value of education in the prevention of disease. This led her to earn a graduate degree from JFK University in holistic education and nutrition. She began to integrate her knowledge of Ayurveda with the modern science of nutrition and decided to write a book about it.

Varsha realized that in order to have the job she wanted, she needed to create it for herself. When she relocated to London in the UK, she started her own business in 2012. At Illuminated Health she provides holistic nutrition consultations, teaches classes, and runs group programs on yoga, nutrition, Ayurveda, and digestion.

Based on her ten-year experience, she was finally ready to write her book last fall. “This book doesn’t give people a specific diet,” she said. “I talk about how you need to listen to your body and make your own choices. I give people a way to create their ideal wellness plan.”

Varsha is a mother of two young children, and she continues to value her practice of the Transcendental Meditation® technique and the balance it brings to both her work and family life.

The couple felt at home on the MIU campus and made lifelong friendships with classmates. “The MIU network is very strong, and we keep our bond all across the world,” said Eugene. “Whenever we travel, we visit dear MIU friends. They open their houses, prepare delicious traditional meals, and we spend hours chatting about life and reminiscing. One of my classmates, Boldkhuu Dandarvanchig from Mongolia, is officially part of our family now.”

They found the Transcendental Meditation® program a valuable tool for maintaining a healthy body and state of mind. “TM helped us get the most out of our education and maintain a stable study-life balance,” said Julia.

Julia works as lead quality assurance engineer and product owner and enjoys managing teams and working with customers. Since completing her degree at MIU, she has accumulated an impressive collection of certifications and additional graduate degrees in the fields of project management and IT.

Julia and Eugene love to travel and are planning to return to MIU for its 50th anniversary and the ComPro program’s 25th anniversary in September.

Michael Sternfeld, a professional dancer with the Chicago Movement Company, moved to Fairfield in 1983 and completed the master’s program in the Science of Creative Intelligence® in 1989 at MIU.

Michael had two interests, dance and great heroic stories, so he decided to write two thesis papers: one about consciousness as the source of movement and another about the structure of myth in consciousness. Inspired by Maharishi’s insights, he also developed a deep desire to create a theatrical production of the Ramayan.

His first production of the great Indian epic took place in 1993 at Maharishi School, where he co-directed a cast of 400 students in a stage play. In 1995 and ’96 he created an adventure theme park based on the Ramayan in Vedic City.

A few years later he embarked on his opus, the first complete audio recording of the unabridged version of the Ramayan of Valmiki. The project took seven years to complete, resulted in the world’s longest audiobook with a run time of 75 hours, and received the 2004 Outstanding Project of the Year award by Humanities Iowa/National Endowment for the Humanities.

At the same time, Michael also pursued his interest in dance and became a certified somatic movement therapist. Michael feels very fortunate to have made a career out of the subjects he studied during his master’s program at MIU.

“I was always surprised how my deep dive into Vedic wisdom during my MA in SCI sparked such a wellspring of creativity,” said Michael. “But what amazed me even more is that these impulses translated into practical career paths that have continued to grow over the last 30 years.”

Michael has also taught several continuing education courses at MIU, spoken at international conferences, developed executive leadership programs, and published articles in academic journals—all about the Ramayan.

When asked about what he, a Westerner, brings to the study of the Ramayan, he replied, “We have a unique specialty here at MIU. We learn to go to that source level where all the impulses originate. This brings out a fresh, Consciousness-Based approach to knowledge.”

During the past 40 years Michael has produced over 400 events, courses, and pieces of content. In addition to his work with the Ramayan, he has put on events for MIU and the David Lynch Foundation, including large fundraising concerts with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Donovan.

Watch Michael’s talk on the Ramayan and leadership here.

MIU student Faqir Khan

Faqir Khan earned his undergraduate degree in computer science from the University of Lahore, Pakistan, and has continued to pursue his education in project management and IT through international certifications. He began to specialize in the project management methodology Agile, and when he wasn’t able to pay for a course he offered his work as payment. He became the youngest certified Agile coach in Pakistan and consulted with many companies internationally.

“I am passionate about gaining the latest knowledge and trends in technology,” he said. “I am a risk taker and I am excited to do new things.” Faqir realized that his specialized skills made him more valuable to clients, and he wanted to help others achieve the same. In 2019 he started a nonprofit company to train others how to be adaptable in highly competitive business environments. “I faced the same challenges when I started, so I am doing this for free,” he said.

After the COVID-19 epidemic hit and companies in Pakistan were downsizing, he switched to coaching people in resume writing and interviewing. Using his networking skills, he has helped over 2,000 people find jobs in the IT sector with firms outside Pakistan. He is especially proud of assisting many women, who face more hurdles in the job market.

When one of his friends planned to apply to MIU and came to him for encouragement, Faqir decided to support him by applying as well, and they both enrolled in February 2021. Faqir is pursuing an MBA in SAP Enterprise Resource Planning and business analytics.

Faqir appreciates Consciousness-Based℠ education and the depth of Maharishi’s knowledge. As an advocate of continuous self-improvement, he has already experienced significant changes as a result of his regular practice of the Transcendental Meditation® technique. “I see myself as a different person,” he said. “I have more focus, and even though I am very busy, I don’t feel any pressure.”

Faqir is currently working on a research article on the impact of digital transformation on organizational sustainability and believes MIU is uniquely positioned to take the lead in this area and consult for other institutions.

MBA student Montreka Dansby, PhD

MBA student Montreka Dansby has a background in food and nutritional sciences and biomedical sciences. She received her PhD from North Carolina State University and her research focused on the biological and anti-cancer properties of dietary phytochemicals.

She completed the Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching (FIRST) postdoctoral program in the Department of Physiology at Emory University School of Medicine and in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia.

Montreka learned about the Transcendental Meditation® program and Fairfield from watching an Oprah special in 2012. She was so impressed by what she saw that she wanted to visit. After signing up for a women’s conference at The Raj Maharishi Ayurveda Health Spa, she spent a week learning the TM® technique, touring campus, and meeting people. She had such a wonderful experience she considered attending MIU but, due to work obligations, she could not. In 2017, however, she learned about the online MBA program and applied.

Doing outreach at a local elementary school for interactive learning about food science and nutrition

Montreka is currently program manager for surgical education at Morehouse School of Medicine, providing support for surgery residents and medical students as well as compliance and accreditation. Montreka’s job involves administration, education, and communication, and she is striving to exemplify good leadership.

“The information I have learned in my MBA classes has helped me significantly in decision-making and preventing and solving conflicts,” said Montreka. “I like to focus on respect, forgiveness, humility, and love. I grew up with those values and MIU has added structure to that foundation.”

She also finds that her TM practice helps her stay calm in stressful moments. “It’s easy to get caught up in what’s going on, but TM helps me stay in balance; it defines my day,” she said.

Montreka is enthusiastic about educating and inspiring people. She aspires to motivate others to be their best authentic selves and reach for the highest goals. She is also passionate about food and wants to increase awareness about the relationship between agriculture, nutrition, and the environment. “I would like the next generation to appreciate and embrace agriculture,” she said. In her free time, she enjoys gardening and the outdoors.