IIM-L PhD student awarded prestigious US scholarship

LUCKNOW: A PhD student, Nishant Garg of the Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow who was recommended for research at the B School by renowned medical physicist Madan M Rehani, has made a mark globally.
Garg has been awarded the prestigious Fetzer MSR Scholarship by the Academy of Management, United States, for his ongoing thesis work on 'financial well-being' under the guidance of IIM-L professors Pushpendra Priyadarshi, Pankaj Kumar and Girish Balasubramanian.
Garg is amongst the top 20 young scholars and teachers who have been selected for research in the new area of Management, Spirituality and Religion (MSR) which together aims to build the spiritual foundation for a loving world.
His research focuses on several facets of MSR dimensions which advocate that the spirituality and religion of a working professional cannot be ignored by the management. He is investigating the effect of spiritual and mindfulness characteristics (such as hope, optimism, faith, and resilience) on human well-being (especially under stress).
"Getting selected for a scholarship awarded by a leading international research institution is like a dream come true as bright minds from top academic institutes like Stanford, Harvard and others apply for it," said Garg, an engineering postgraduate who hails from Bhatinda, Punjab.
"I began working on MSR when I was a teenager and was subjected to gender-related emotional violence like random people began commenting on my physical structure, and why I don't show aggression like boys and others. To cope with this, I began travelling and eventually met the Dalai Lama who changed the way I saw things," he added.
After completing his MTech, Nishant became a corporate trainer and began helping students by making them aware of how meditation helps to cope with all trauma and violence.
He also actively participated in the government's Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign and worked with NGOs where he met and helped several children who had faced trauma.
In February 2019, acknowledging his passion and participation in MSR activities, Nishant was invited to Harvard University as an international delegate (HPAIR) where he got the idea of pursuing the subject formally through a PhD program to provide a scientific and credible base for MSR.
"Recipients of this scholarship will be part of a cohort that will receive support and guidance during the 2023 Academy of Management conference and throughout the year. Also, a financial reward of around Rs 2 lakh will also be given," he added.