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By:

Rajendra Joshi

3 December 2024 at 3:50:26 am

Proud moment for Shivaji University researchers

Indian patent for portable sound absorption testing device Kolhapur: Researchers from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, have developed a portable sound absorption testing device that can scientifically assess whether an installed sound system and its acoustic treatment are functioning effectively. The innovation has been granted an Indian patent, marking a first-of-its-kind development in this field, the university said on Thursday. The patented device, named the Portable Sound Absorption Tester,...

Proud moment for Shivaji University researchers

Indian patent for portable sound absorption testing device Kolhapur: Researchers from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, have developed a portable sound absorption testing device that can scientifically assess whether an installed sound system and its acoustic treatment are functioning effectively. The innovation has been granted an Indian patent, marking a first-of-its-kind development in this field, the university said on Thursday. The patented device, named the Portable Sound Absorption Tester, has been developed by senior chemist Dr Kalyanrao Garadkar of Shivaji University, along with Dr Sandeep Sable and Dr Rohant Dhabbe of Jaysingpur College, and Dr Chandrala Jatkar of the D K T E Society’s Textile and Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji. The device is designed to test the sound absorption capacity of professional acoustic systems used in recording studios, theatres, auditoriums and soundproof chambers. Until now, the effectiveness of such sound-absorbing installations has largely been assessed through experience and trial-and-error after installation. The newly developed portable tester allows for immediate and scientific evaluation of sound absorption performance once the system is installed. Sound-absorbing sheets and panels are widely used in theatres, studios and vocal recording rooms to absorb echo around microphones and create a controlled acoustic environment, enabling cleaner and more professional audio output. The new device can be used to evaluate a wide range of absorbers, including perforated foam, fibre, fabric, membranes, panels and resonant absorbers, helping improve the quality and effectiveness of acoustic materials. Explaining the working of the device, Dr Garadkar said that the human audible frequency range extends from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The device generates sound waves within this spectrum and projects them onto the acoustic material under test. The sound waves that are not absorbed are detected by a microphone and displayed on the screen in the form of current or voltage readings. This enables users to instantly determine whether the sound absorption system is functioning as intended and make corrective interventions if required. The researchers said the device would also be useful for those engaged in acoustic fabrication and sound absorption research. Apart from being portable and easy to transport, the device is also cost-effective, making it suitable for field applications. The team expressed confidence that it would prove highly useful in the sound system testing sector. Shivaji University’s in-charge Vice-Chancellor Dr Suresh Gosavi and in-charge Pro Vice-Chancellor Dr Jyoti Jadhav congratulated the research team on securing the patent.

The Power of Her

Updated: Mar 6, 2025

‘The Perfect Voice’ celebrates strong, trailblazers in this series with stories of women who brave battles every day that serve as an inspiration to the next generation. We have daughters fulfilling their parent’s dreams, victims of domestic abuse rebuilding their lives and professionals dealing with the famous ‘mom guilt’.

Part - 2

Getting over the ‘mom guilt’

Resham Deshpande, Mumbai

Resham Deshpande

Brushing off pangs of ‘mom guilt’, Resham Deshpande flourishes in her profession as a dentist while balancing her domestic responsibilities


It was a routine and happy life with a flourishing career as a dentist, a doting husband and a sprightly daughter when suddenly fate had other plans for Dr Resham Deshpande. An illness in the family shook her and sent her happy life into a state of chaos — what followed were endless hours in numerous doctors’ clinics that needed manoeuvring through Mumbai’s traffic snarls, late nights and juggling work appointments and her home duties. “When I first went back to work after an almost three-year-long maternity sabbatical it took me a while to learn to juggle multiple roles as a mother, working professional, wife, daughter, and daughter in law. That mom's guilt is real!” she says. And then her father’s illness struck.


Even as the family settled into a routine, Deshpande’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, a report that left them all distraught. Her daughter was growing up and needed attention and Deshpande’s career graph was on an upswing. The troubles didn’t deter her resolve to balance her responsibilities. The journey ahead wasn’t easy. But she didn’t let the smile fade off her face. Few people around could guess at what she was going through.


Anxiety, sleepless nights and long drives from her Kandivali home to her parents’ doctors in Dadar left her exhausted. Her patients needed her attention even as Deshpande had to double up as a chauffeur for her daughter, ferrying her to classes.


She didn’t let the pressures and the worries pull her down. Instead, despite the growing demand on her time, the Mumbai-bred dentist enrolled for a course to update her knowledge. Sundays were spent attending online classes and travelling across the city for lectures and seminars. Few hours stolen between home duties and work were used to study and prepare for her examination. While acquiring new skills as a professional, the studies also helped take her mind off the fears and stress that her parents’ ill-health brought.


“Some days being a working mom is a struggle just by itself! With the added worries there was a point where I felt emotionally stretched so thin that I was perpetually exhausted and distracted at work and at home. So, studying a new skill at my age, felt like 'self-care' amidst the chaos around me,” she says. It helped.


In 2024, after months of having no weekends to unwind, Deshpande completed her ‘Fellowship in Orofacial Pain and Temporomandibular Joint Disorders’, an area of study that will help her expand her work as a dentist. “I've learned in the last couple of years that I choose my career to be as important a part of my identity as being a mother, wife and a daughter. My child deserves quality time and attention but I also owe my patients the best upgraded version of myself. I'm learning to accept that I have to step up or down from these roles from time to time as need be. My biggest motivation to excel in the last couple of years has been my teenage daughter. I hope to be a role model and embody the spirit of ‘I can and I will’ so that she can grow up to be smarter and more confident than what I am,” says Deshpande.

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