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Ganesh in the Washington Post newsroom

Just one year after graduating with an MBA in Accounting degree from Maharishi International University, Ganesh Baniya landed a top position at the Washington Post as Manager of Financial Accounting. Starting his job over a year ago in September 2013, he currently supervises a number of senior accountants. Ganesh’s team is responsible for closing out the books each month, consolidating financial statements of affiliate companies and issuing monthly and yearly financial statements. His duties also include assisting the Treasurer and managing the bank accounts. Ganesh is the main contact for the Washington Post’s banks and monitors the daily funds of the bank accounts.

“I’m responsible in two areas, Financial Accounting and Treasury. It’s like doing two jobs, it’s challenging, but I’m enjoying it.” said Ganesh. “And I like working for a large company.”

Ganesh and his wife and two children have also been enjoying the variety of attractions that Washington D.C. has to offer—museums, restaurants, the nearby beaches. “It’s a nice city. We really like living here. There’s always something fun to do.”

In May 2012, Ganesh graduated from the MBA for Accounting Professionals program at MIU, a program specifically designed for experienced accountants wanting to further their education. Before enrolling at MIU, Ganesh worked as a top accounting executive for a large airline in Nepal.

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Ganesh with son, Aarnov, and wife, Bandana, and daughter, Arya.

When asked why he chose MIU, Ganesh explained that even though he had been successful in his professional life in Nepal, he felt dissatisfied. He was working too hard without enough rest and not able to spend as much time with his family as he wanted. He decided to make a change and get an MBA degree from the US, so he began his search for a university. “I was searching online for many months and then I found MIU. I thought this sounds like a great place because you can learn and you can get rest through meditation. That’s what I was looking for.”

However, Ganesh was wary that what he read on the Internet might not be true in real life, so he attended a Visitors Weekend. “When I came to MIU I realized that—yes, this was what I read and what I was expecting.”

After enrolling as a student and learning Transcendental Meditation, Ganesh was glad that it delivered the deep rest that he was hoping for. He also enjoyed MIU’s unique Consciousness-Based education.

“The education that I received from MIU was different. It’s not just book knowledge. It helped me to widen my horizon. My thinking level has changed now, so I see everything from a more broad perspective.”

During his studies, Ganesh earned the distinction of being the leader of the first group at MIU to win the CAPSIM, an international online business decision-making simulation. Their team of four MBA students competed against 135 teams from among the best business schools around the nation and the world, and their final score over a period of six months placed them in the number one ranking.

“We weren’t allowed to get any help from our professor, but the overall knowledge that we were taught, we were able to apply and that really helped us to win that competition.”

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Ganesh and his wife, Bandana, enjoying a day at the beach.

Ganesh unknowingly started a snowball of success at MIU. For each of the four consecutive years after their first win, teams from MIU scored in the top 10%, plus they placed #1 twice. Ganesh recently offered a cash prize of $500 to be given to the next MIU team that placed first. He hoped that the prize would encourage future teams towards greater success, but it was only a few weeks before the prize was claimed by this year’s current winners.

“Fortunately or unfortunately, I made the contribution at the same time that—in just one week—the team won first prize,” laughed Ganesh. “So that’s good.”

During his Curricular Practical Training, a two-year intern program where students gain practical training in the US, Ganesh worked as a consultant for a company in Fairfield called Aeron Lifestyle Technology; and his wife, Bandana, was employed as a teacher at the University’s preschool. After graduating and receiving the “Most Outstanding Graduate Award” from the Business Department at MIU, Ganesh stayed on as Aeron’s controller. He enjoyed the job, but the company was small, and he had hoped to work for a larger firm. So he quit Aeron and moved with his wife and two children to Washington, D.C. and began his job search. He immediately read an employment notice online from the Washington Post and applied for the position.

“I just applied. And luckily I got the job within one month.”

Now living in Washington D.C. and working for the Washington Post, Ganesh is extremely happy with his life, both professionally and personally. He attributes much of his current success to Transcendental Meditation and the Consciousness-Based education at Maharishi University.

“Previously I would just work. Work. Work. Work. And there was no rest—just activity. If we just do activity, we cannot really move forward. We need to rest, we need activity. We need to analyze, we need to think. So that whole process I got from MIU,” said Ganesh.

“With MIU’s educational system,” he continued, “I learned many things that helped not only in my professional career, but also in my family life. This education changed my overall thinking and changed my life.”

For more information about Consciousness-Based education or the MBA for Accounting Professional, please visit the Maharishi International University website.