The Parallel University: Dr. Mokana’s Path to NPTEL Stardom 

Dr Mokana Sundari M

Every educator reaches a point where teaching stops being only about covering a syllabus and becomes about rediscovering one’s own curiosity. For Dr. Mokana Sundari M, Assistant Professor in English at PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore, that moment arrived in 2018 through a circular from her college management. PSGCAS had just set up an NPTEL Local Chapter, and faculty members were encouraged to try at least one course.

Today, Dr. Mokana Sundari is a proud

But behind the certificates is a quieter story – one of managing teaching, research, writing, and learning at the same time, while continuing to grow as a student herself. The courses she completed at NPTEL were ‘Soft Skills’, ‘Psychology of Language’, ‘Literature, Culture and Media’, ‘Effective Writing’, ‘Forensic Linguistics’, ‘Emotional Intelligence’, ‘An Introduction to Indian Literary Theory’, ‘Stress Management and Memory’, ‘Student Psychology and Introduction to Film Studies’. Her course choices were never limited to one narrow area. In the early years, she chose subjects connected to her work as an English teacher. Many of these courses gave her ideas she could use almost immediately in her classrooms. Courses like ‘Forensic Linguistics’ made her look at language in a completely new way, showing her how words, patterns, and communication can become evidence. Her journey was not always steady. Between 2022 and 2024, she had to pause her NPTEL learning because her Ph.D. research demanded all her attention. When she returned after completing her doctorate, she came back with more clarity and energy. In fact, the timing worked out well. The ‘Stress Management’ course came at a point when she was trying to balance teaching, research, writing, and publication deadlines all at once.

Managing a full-time role at PSGCAS along with book and journal writing was not easy. NPTEL assignments had fixed deadlines, and there were many late nights when college work had to be finished first. She watched lectures at 1.5x speed, rewound difficult portions, and made notes to make sure she truly understood the concepts. Travelling to exam centres for proctored tests added its own challenges, but completing each certification made the effort feel worth it.

Today, NPTEL has become part of how Dr. Mokana teaches. When she discusses culture, media, or professional soft skills with her students, she does not rely only on textbook explanations.

Her next goal is to complete 12 courses and reach Super Star status. But more than the recognition, she wants her students to see what is possible. 

“My sincere gratitude to the PSGCAS Local Chapter for giving me that first push, and to NPTEL for sustaining that curiosity,” she shares.

~written by Khadija Hussain