This study examines the role of intercultural language learning in facilitating cultural adaptation and enhancing mental wellbeing among Japanese students participating in a 25-day intensive Hindi language program in Pune, India. Adopting a mixed-method, questionnaire-based case study approach, the research investigates how language acquisition, cultural immersion, and institutional support systems shape students’ intercultural experiences.The findings reveal that language learning significantly improves students’ communicative competence, fosters intercultural understanding, and enhances confidence and emotional comfort. However, certain challenges, including environmental adjustments and the intensity of instruction, influence students’ overall adaptation. The study contributes to the growing body of research on intercultural education by offering insights into short-term language programs in a non-Western context, emphasizing the interrelationship between language learning, cultural adaptation, and student wellbeing.
Stress is a growing psychosomatic concern in modern society, affecting mental health, productivity, and overall well-being. While several stress-management strategies exist, many have limitations such as side effects, cost, or limited accessibility. Shat-Chakra Meditation, rooted in ancient yogic and tantric traditions, focuses on harmonizing the seven energy centers of the body and offers a holistic, non-pharmacological approach to stress reduction. This paper reviews classical yogic literature and contemporary perspectives to explore the role of Shat-Chakra Meditation in regulating psychological and physiological stress responses. The findings suggest that chakra meditation promotes autonomic balance, emotional stability, and mental clarity, indicating its potential as an effective complementary intervention for stress management.
Cerebral palsy is a non-progressive neurodevelopmental disorder arising from early brain injury and characterised by persistent motor dysfunction accompanied by cognitive, sensory, and behavioural impairments. Current management strategies remain largely supportive and symptomatic, reflecting the limited availability of interventions capable of addressing underlying molecular and network-level pathology. Increasing recognition of cerebral palsy as a multifactorial condition involving neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, synaptic dysregulation, and impaired neurodevelopment underscores the need for multi-target therapeutic frameworks. This narrative review adopts a structured methodology involving systematic database searches (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and AYUSH Research Portal) covering literature from 2015 to 2025, with predefined inclusion criteria focusing on phytochemical profiling, molecular targets, signalling pathways, and translational relevance to neurodevelopmental disorders. Particular emphasis was placed on studies integrating network pharmacology approaches to map compound-target-pathway interactions relevant to cerebral palsy. This narrative review aims to examine network pharmacology perspectives on Ayurvedic formulations, with emphasis on Kalyanaka Ghritam, to elucidate mechanistic relevance in cerebral palsy. A narrative synthesis of literature published between 2015 and 2025 was conducted using biomedical and traditional medicine databases, focusing on phytochemical constituents, molecular targets, biological pathways, and translational evidence. Phytochemical constituents relevant to this disease context include flavonoids (e.g., quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin) with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties; alkaloids and glycosides involved in neuromodulation of cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic systems; terpenoids contributing to mitochondrial protection and membrane stabilisation; and phenolic compounds and saponins that enhance neurotrophic signalling and mitigate apoptotic pathways. These bioactive classes collectively target key pathological processes in cerebral palsy, including oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, excitotoxicity, and impaired synaptic plasticity. Integrated analysis highlights that Kalyanaka Ghritam contains diverse bioactive compounds capable of modulating interconnected gene and protein networks associated with inflammatory regulation, redox homeostasis, neurotrophic signalling, synaptic plasticity, and neuroprotection. Such systems-level modulation aligns with the complex pathobiology of cerebral palsy and supports its potential adjunctive role within integrative care models. Network pharmacology emerges as a robust methodological bridge linking traditional therapeutic knowledge with contemporary systems biology, facilitating rational evaluation of multi-component interventions. Further experimental validation, standardisation, and controlled clinical studies remain essential to advance translational application and clinical integration.
Digital payroll has transitioned payroll administration from a manual process to a combination of attendance, salary computation, statutory deductions and reporting systems. The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an additional shift from rule-based automation to anomaly detection, validation, analysis and decision support. The current gap in the research is that the existing literature on AI/ digital HRM in Indian SME literature has grown significantly at a macro-level focusing on the adoption of AI, with a minimal focus on payroll as a specific HRM–Finance workflow, or on how the adoption of AI-led functionality differs from developing the capability to use it effectively. Thus, the issue that this study addresses is the possible adoption–capability gap in AI-supported payroll. The study is descriptive in nature, aimed at understanding the current AI revolution in the payroll realm, identifying the key payroll use cases of AI and exploring the organisational context that affects its impactful application. The design is a qualitative and descriptive design based on documents. Secondary evidence is obtained from peer reviewed research papers, government and institutional publications, industry reports and publicly available documentation of payroll technologies that are operational in the Indian market. The evidence is discussed and themed on the following areas: AI-powered payroll functions, integration of data and processes, employee capability and human oversight. The analysis suggests that AI-powered payroll is shifting from transactional to exception identification, validation, and analytical assistance roles, but this shouldn't be interpreted as proof of organisations' overall capabilities. Effective use requires good data quality, workflow integration, employee skills, and managerial oversight. The study also brings in a focused management perspective by differentiating between adopting AI-enabled payroll and the organizational capability needed to value it.
The rapid integration of digital technologies into higher education has significantly influenced students’ mental health and overall wellbeing. Among these, social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat play a crucial role in shaping identity, self-perception, and social interactions. This paper explores the intersection between digital identity construction—particularly through augmented reality (AR) filters—and mental health within higher education contexts. Drawing upon empirical insights and existing literature, the study examines how curated digital identities impact self-esteem, body image, and psychological wellbeing among students. It further evaluates institutional policies, pedagogical practices, and research perspectives aimed at promoting holistic wellbeing. The findings indicate a dual impact: while digital tools foster creativity and self-expression, they also contribute to anxiety, social comparison, and unrealistic standards. The paper concludes by advocating for integrated mental health policies, digital literacy education, and student-centered wellbeing frameworks to address emerging challenges in higher education.
