Guru Kashi University

About Guru Kashi University

Guru Kashi University (GKU) is a Private, Multidisciplinary institute which was established by the Punjab State Legislature on 12^th September 2011 under "The Guru Kashi University Act" No 37 of 2011. It has been set up under the aegis of Balaji Educational Trust, Talwandi Sabo. The Trust is the outcome of farsightedness of a group of eminent visionaries, educational promoters and social activists. The trust also manages various other institutes like Shaheed Udham Singh Group of Institutions, Tangori, Mohali, SUS Institute of Management and Technology, Mohali etc. The origin of the University can be traced back to the year 1998 when the Trust set up its first institute, Guru Gobind Singh Polytechnic College, Talwandi Sabo. Before becoming a university it was known as Guru Gobind Singh (GGS) Group of Institutions. G.K.U. has been primarily setup for the development of rural dominated, socially and educationally backward agricultural hinterland of Malwa Region of Punjab. Guru Kashi University derives its name 'Guru Kashi' from “Guru Ki Kashi (a place of knowledge and learning)” the sacred place of Talwandi Sabo, blessed and named as such by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. This place is prominently associated with Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji's visit in 1705. Guru Ji stayed here for about a year. It was at this place that compilation of the full version of the sikh scripture “Sri Guru Granth Sahib” was undertaken under the guidance of the Tenth Guru.

In addition to the students from nearby areas, the university has students from States of Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and North-Eastern States. Guru Kashi University is approved by National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Jaipur for related courses. It is a Institution Member of Indian Society for Technical Education, Member of Developing Library Network. GKU is life organization member of The Institution of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineers (IETE). It is also a member of the United Nations Academic Impact for following ten principles, some of which are human rights, peace and conflict resolution, commitment to the United Nations charter etc.

Grade Point System at GKU

The academic system at GKU, Talwandi Sabo is framed on a credit based semester examination system. The credit system envisages a continuous evaluation of student’s performance, and provides flexibility for academic progress based on individual ability and convenience, subject to the constraint of the minimum requirements for continuation of the academic programme. The students are awarded a letter grade from the prescribed grading system in each course registered by them. For each pass grade, the students accumulate the course credits as earned credits. The academic performance of the students is indicated in terms of the number of credits that he/she earns and the weighted grade point average. A specified minimum number of credits should be acquired on semester or session basis in order to qualify for continuation in the academic programme and for the award of degree.

Constituent Colleges of the University

• GGS College of Engineering and Technology
• University College of Agriculture
• University College of Commerce and Management
• University College of Computer Applications
• University College of Physical Education
• University College of Basic Sciences and Humanities
• Guru Gobind Singh College of Education

Location of G.K.U.

Talwandi Sabo is a religous place located at a distance of 25 KM from Bathinda in the cotton belt of Punjab.  The GKU is located at a distance of about 30 Km from Bathinda, a prominent district headquarter city of Punjab. The city of Bathinda is well connected by road to Chandigarh both by road and rail and also with prominent places like Delhi, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Ambala, Jammu etc.

Facilities at G.K.U.

Hostels – The University has four hostels for boys and two for girls some of which are located inside the campus. The hostels provide various facilities such as 24 hours power back up, independent mess facility, internet facility, modern gymnasium, indoor games such as Table Tanis, Badminton, Carom board, etc.

Some of the Hostels are named as:

• Himalaya Hostel - It is a Senior Boys Hostel and can accommodate 195 students
• Shivalik Hostel - It is a Junior Boys Hostel i.e. for 2nd and 3rd year students. It can accommodate 192 students.
• Nilgiri Hostel – It is for Polytechnic Boys. It has got a capacity of 212 students.
• Baba Deep Singh Hostel - It is for first year students and is situated on Rama road near Police Station Chowk Talwandi Sabo city, which is about 2.5 km from the campus. Buses are provided to take the students from hostel to GKU Campus and then back, as per the requirement of the students.
• Aravali Hostel – It is also for first year Boys and can accommodate 78 students. It is near Baba Deep Singh Hostel.
• Kalpana Chawla Hostel - It is a girl’s hostel and can accommodate 252 students.

Library - The GKU Central Library is spread over an area of 1500 sq meters. The library has a collection of more than 54000 volumes of books, over 100 journals, more than 2000 CDs and 16 Mb leased line for internet browsing. It has various sections like Reference Section, Borrowing Section, Magazine Section, Browsing Section and Reading section.

Computer Centre - It is spread over an area of 550 sq meters. It is equipped with 220 computers of latest configuration and has peripherals such as printers, CD writers and scanners. In addition it has power back up and LCD projectors for purpose of instructions.

Canteen and Cafeteria - GKU University has a central canteen, two mini canteens, four hostel mess halls and a cafeteria within its premises, at a close proximity from both academic blocks and the hostels. This helps provide easy access to the eating areas from all the building blocks. The cafeteria serves tea and snacks whereas the large mess halls are equipped to serve lunch and dinner for all students between scheduled timings

Banking - In the University Campus, there is a branch of Indian Bank with an ATM. There is also an ATM of HDFC Bank.

Sports Facilities - The University has sports facilities such as well laid out playgrounds for Cricket, Football, Hockey, Volleyball, Basketball, Handball and a 400 metre Athletic track. There are also facilities for indoor games like Table Tennis, Badminton and Chess. The sportsmen of the university are given liberal freeships, scholarships and awards. Outstanding achievers are honoured with university colour and cash awards. Annual Sports Meet - Holding of two days is organised in the month of Feb-March.

Earn while you learn – Under this scheme deserving students of various streams can financially support their studies and at the same time gain hands-on experience which would be useful for them in their later career. It is a western concept of making the students economically independent.

Workshops – Workshops provide the practical knowledge of theoretical part of the subject.

Some of the sub-sections are:

1. Machine Shop
2. Welding Shop
3. Carpentry Shop
4. Fitting and Sheet-metal Shop
5. Foundry Shop
6. Smithy Shop
7. Electrical Shop 

Each sub-section of the workshop has ultra-modern machines and equipments such as Centre Lathe Machines, Milling Machines, Power Hacksaws, Surface Grinding Machines etc.

Research – The University provides various facilities for research.

Research facilities exist in the following areas:

• Measurement and Instrumentation
• Circuit Design, Simulation and PCB Design
• Communication Engineering
• Signal Processing
• Android Based Research
• Image Processing
• Web Technologies

Transport – G.K.U. has a fleet of 33 buses to serve the needs of staff and students. These not only serve the populated/urban areas, but also provide transport facilities to the staff and students from far flowing rural areas up to 50 Kms radius.

NSS - The University has 10 units of National Service Scheme (NSS) to serve the Nation with the Motto "Not Me But You". The NSS organises regular camps of NSS volunteers for undertaking a number of activities like tree plantation, rallies to create awareness about social issues like AIDS awareness, drugs abuse, female foeticide, seminar/ talks on Traffic Rules etc. These camps help to develop dignity of labour among the students. They are trained to lead ideal life dedicated to social service.

Career Counselling and Guidance Bureau – It offers career counselling and guidance to the candidates seeking admission to various courses offered by the University at the time of admissions. It also makes students aware about different career options available to them after the completion of their studies.

CRC - The Corporate Resource Centre (CRC) organises in-campus drives and interviews for student placements and internships. It brings the Industry and academia close to each other and provides need based education and organization support. It invites and arranges for the corporate speakers from different industries and other organizations in form of guest lectures and industry interaction.

CRC is also involved in:

• Development Counselling – This is done on regular basis for helping the students choose best career options. Faculty coordinators regularly conduct sessions of Mock Interviews, Group Discussion, and Body language and Public speaking Skills, which helps our students to groom their overall personality.
• Placement Session - Summits, Guest Lectures, Workshops, Job Fairs etc. are organised to monitor changing trends and conditions in the global job market. Through these students are provided a valuable platform for directly interacting with the industry. These also facilitate a more rewarding Placement session.
• Industrial Visits – The cell organises industrial visits for students to give them more industry exposure. These visits enhance student’s experiences and give them hands-on experience.