A 3-day National Youth Conference on Indian Knowledge Systems (NYCIKS) being organized in collaboration with the IKS division, MoE; Central Sanskrit University, New Delhi; University of Patanjali; CCRYN, Ministry of Ayush; and IIT Roorkee Alumni Association, began on August 25, as part of G20 University Connect: Celebrating the Indic wisdom at Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee). Around 400 delegates are attending the conference from different parts of the country.
Dr Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Chairperson, NCVET, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, was the keynote speaker at the plenary and gave a detailed view of the Indian Knowledge system. He highlighted 64 skills (kalas) available in IKS that touch all aspects of human life. He mentioned that Government has started certifications in some of these skills.
Stating that developing Genuine Study Material on the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) is the need of time, he also released three books on the occasion. These included a book authored by IIT Roorkee alumni Satya Narain and Navin Chandra titled Archaeometallurgy of India from Rigveda to Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, another book titled Subhashitsanskritam, and a third one titled MahavirkirtiSaurabham authored by Mahakavi Dr Manoharlal Arya.
The inaugural session of the National Youth Conference on IKS at IIT Roorkee highlighted the significance of IKS in shaping India’s future and the need for fresh research, engaging pedagogy, and a holistic understanding of this traditional knowledge system. It also underscored the importance of developing genuine study material to further explore and promote IKS.
Prof Srinivas Varkhedi, Vice Chancellor of Central Sanskrit University, New Delhi, highlighted that IKS should be seen to make the future of India. IKS should not be studied simply as content and needs a fresh look at paradigm study. It should not be considered a dead knowledge system but seen from a futuristic perspective.
During the Inaugural session, the keynote talk of Prof Michel Danino from IIT Gandhinagar provided valuable insights. He mentioned that we need to focus on student and teacher-centric education and simply textbook-centric. He also highlighted the importance of understanding IKS from a different pedagogy, which should be engaging, stimulating and interactive. This will help in keeping the knowledge for whole life.
Prof GantiMuthy, National Coordinator, IKS Division, AICTE, New Delhi, stressed the need for fresh research in the field.
Prof KK Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, who presided over the inaugural function talked about Kulgeet of IIT Roorkee, where rich ancient knowledge in the field of science and technology is described.
