Dr. Shipra Bhardwaj has been associated with Meera Girls College for ten years. Despite frequent transfers of her husband, she maintains a balance between her professional and family lives. She has written numerous books, published 73 research papers, and received an award from a Japanese journal. She believes that chemistry is essential in our daily lives and encourages students to engage in various aspects of life to develop a deeper interest in their studies.

Dr. Shipra Bhardwaj is a Professor of Chemistry at Meera Girls College, Udaipur. She has been associated with the college for the past ten years.

She explains that Meera Girls College is one of the largest women’s institutions in Rajasthan, attracting students from surrounding cities and locations. Students can also take advantage of the hostel amenities provided here.

Dr. Shipra has had to frequently relocate due to her husband’s transferable job, leading her to work at Chittorgarh and Kota College in the past. She emphasizes the importance of maintaining a healthy balance between her personal and professional lives.

Regarding her accomplishments, Dr. Bhardwaj highlights her success in balancing her personal and professional lives as a significant achievement. She takes great pride in how she manages to harmonize her personal accomplishments with her career. During each transfer of her husband, she has had to reorganize everything, including her family, research students, and regular students. Despite the time and effort required to manage these changes repeatedly, she returns with renewed strength and pride. Additionally, she has received an award from a Japanese publication for her well-written research article.

Dr. Bhardwaj explains that chemistry is known as ‘Rasayan’ in Hindi, which translates to ‘Ras ka Aayan’ (the essence of life). Despite this, many students find the subject boring. To counter this, she makes a concerted effort to engage them and make the topic more interesting. Additionally, she offers her students various opportunities to advance in life.

In addition, Dr. Shipra has been guiding students in completing their PhDs, writing books, and publishing articles here since 2003. Under her supervision, ten PhD students have finished their studies, and five more are still enrolled. She has authored perhaps 16 or 17 novels that are centered around her subject matter and surroundings. Aside from teaching, she has over 73 research publications published in various journals. She was inspired to do this by her children, as she used to sit with them and conduct research when they were in school.

Dr. Shipra informs that Meera Girls College offers both BSc and MSc degrees in Chemistry. The program is highly sought after, with nearly 250 students admitted in the first year and only 30 admitted to the postgraduate program due to limited seats. The college is equipped with three chemical labs, allowing 20 students at a time to engage in practicals. Dr. Bhardwaj highlights that chemistry is a vibrant field due to the diversity of molecules. Along with teaching chemical handling, the faculty ensures students are aware of the potential dangers, such as damage to skin, objects, and respiratory health. To protect the students and to ensure effective learning, the teachers provide close supervision and encourage them to complete all practicals.

Dr. Bhardwaj believes that chemistry plays a crucial role in daily life. To illustrate her point, she explains that proteins, which are chemicals made up of amino acids, form our skin and hair. According to her, chemistry is responsible for the body we have today, the colors we see in our daily lives, the clothing we wear, and even the threads that make up those clothes.

Regarding her inspiration behind entering this field, Dr. Bhardwaj states that she decided to major in Biology rather than Math when she graduated from high school. She explains that at the time, the Biology stream combined the study of Biology, Botany, Zoology, and Chemistry, with chemistry being regarded as the most difficult subject. So, true to her tendency to take on the most difficult tasks, she chose chemistry and felt as though she had accomplished something significant in her life.

Dr. Shipra mentions that as a teacher, she used to relate the material to her students’ everyday lives to help them retain the information. She always strives to boost their spirits and support them in small social ways. She encourages her students to express themselves creatively through painting, sketching, and other artistic mediums. Dr. Shipra believes that diversity adds excitement to life, so people should be open-minded and not confined to any one subject. She thinks that students will be more engaged in life if they progress by being involved in a variety of activities.

Reflecting on her early years, Dr. Shipra Bhardwaj states that she attended St. Mary's School and Maharana Mewar Public School after being born and raised in Udaipur. Her father's transferable profession allowed her to attend school in both Hindi and English mediums. Her mother chose to live in Udaipur for completing her further education, and she graduated from Meera Girls College. She then attended B.N. College and completed her PhD studies at MLSU's College of Science. Having her parents and spouse as role models, she continued to move ahead without looking back.

Dr. Bhardwaj considers her mother one of her role models because she taught her everything. Her mother instilled in her the values of maturity, raising children, and achieving career success. Every holiday, her mother would enroll Dr. Shipra in a class and spend time learning with her. She would also sit down and do everything with her. Like a shadow, her mother has always been by her side.

Dr. Shipra learnt everything about painting, singing, and even composing ghazals and poetry from her mother, who also cultivated these interests in her daughter. She finds great motivation in the statement, "Everyone has 24 hours to either complete a task or avoid it,” and she abides by it. She explains that everyone has just 24 hours in a day, whether they choose to avoid tasks or tackle them. Even those who are successful and at the top have only those same 24 hours. She advises everyone to allocate time each day for the place they want to see themselves in the future.

Expressing her angst on the increasing incidents of crimes against women, she shares a few lines written by her:

किसी तूफ़ान के आने की आहट है,  हर तरफ शोर हर तरफ घबराहट है, किसी तूफ़ान के आने की आहट है। आग का सैलाब है,  धुएँ का गुबार है,  उबलते ख़ून की सरसराहट है,  किसी तूफ़ान के आने की आहट है।  चुप रहा अगर तू तो तुझे सुनाई भी नहीं देगा  कि कैसी सब तरफ सनसनाहट है,  किसी भयावह तूफ़ान के आने की आहट है।  गुजरने सी फितरत नहीं लगती इसकी,  किसी पुराने दरवाज़े की चरमराहट है,  किसी भयावह तूफ़ान के आने की आहट है।  सोते हुए को जागते रहना कहती उन थपकियों की थपथपाहट है,  किसी अनजाने तूफ़ान की आहट है।

Through these lines, which are based on the current scenario, she wants to share and spread the message that we all should wake up, unite, and raise our voices.

Speaking candidly about her struggles, Dr. Shipra states that keeping students engaged is currently the biggest challenge for educators. Today’s children often feel they aren’t learning anything from their academics, and are easily distracted since they have numerous activities to choose from. She counters this belief, asserting that one of the most effective teaching methods is still the chalk and board method of teaching.

Dr. Shipra explains that the issue with teaching using PowerPoint presentations is that, although instructors create and project them onto a large screen or laptop, students often remain disengaged. In contrast, when teachers use a chalkboard, they can sense the students’ emotions and make an effort to engage them. She believes it is crucial to maintain traditional practices alongside modern methods. Dr. Shipra views the use of PowerPoint for teaching her subject as a drawback.

She advises students to be fully present in everything they do, as it is a crucial part of life. First, she suggests choosing your field, setting a goal within it, and identifying the related tasks. Then, give the task your full attention and avoid taking unnecessary breaks. Dr. Bhardwaj also believes that, since everyone has only 24 hours in a day, it’s up to individuals to decide how much time to dedicate to studying versus other activities. She tells students that focus is essential for achieving success in life.

On a concluding note, Dr. Shipra observes that many young people in India are leaving the country to work abroad in pursuit of career advancement and higher earnings. Although our talents contribute to the development of other nations, we are often treated there as second-class citizens. She urges the youth to support and serve their own country, contributing to its development. She encourages everyone not to accept a second-class status in foreign countries, but to embrace our Indian identity, serve our nation, and take pride in it.