S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Roorkee was the cynosure of all eyes when it conducted in the inaugural session of National Youth Conference on Indian Knowledge Systems (NYCIKS) on 25 August 2023 at the MAC Auditorium as part of G20 University Connect: Celebrating the Indic wisdom.
The conference is 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.
Study material
The inaugural session of the National Youth Conference on Indian Knowledge System (IKS) held at IIT Roorkee was marked by a strong emphasis on the importance of developing genuine study material related to IKS.
Developing Genuine Study Material on the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) is the need of time was the main thrust of speakers at the inaugural session of three days National Youth Conference on IKS at IIT Roorkee.
Chief guest
Speaking at the inaugural session of the event at IIT Roorkee, Chief Guest Dr Nirmaljeet Singh Kalsi, Chairperson, NCVET, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, GoI, gave a detailed view of the Indian Knowledge system.
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He highlighted 64 skills (kalas) available in IKS that touch all aspects of human life. He mentioned that Government of India has started certifications in some of these skills.
Future of India
Guest of Honour at the inauguration session at IIT Roorkee, 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, he said during the event at IIT Roorkee.
Director of IIT Roorkee
Prof KK Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, presided over the inaugural function. He mentioned Kulgeet of IIT Roorkee, where rich ancient knowledge in the field of science and technology is described.
Books
In the inaugural session, three books were also released by the guests. They were ‘Archaeometallurgy of India from Rigveda to Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa’ by IIT Roorkee alumni Sh Satya Narain and Sh Navin Chandra, ‘Subhashitsanskritam’ and ‘MahavirkirtiSaurabham’ authored by Mahakavi Dr Manoharlal Arya.
Keynote address
Delivering the keynote address during the event at IIT Roorkee, 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, he said speaking at IIT Roorkee.
Significance
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. The inauguration session was also attended by Prof U P Singh, Deputy Director, IIT Roorkee. Prof Anil Gourishetty, Organizing Secretary of the conference, welcomed all the guests and delegates.
Around 400 delegates are attending the conference from different parts of the country. Prof Avlokita Agrawal proposed a vote of thanks.
About IIT Roorkee
IITR is an institute of national importance imparting higher education in engineering, sciences, management, architecture and planning, and humanities and social sciences.
Since its establishment in 1847, the Institute has played a vital role in providing the country with technical human resources and know-how.
The Institute ranks amongst the best technological institutions in the world and has contributed to all sectors of technological development.
It has also been considered a trend-setter in the area of education and research in the field of science, technology, and engineering.
The Institute had celebrated its Sesquicentennial in October 1996 and now completed more than 175 years of its existence.
It was converted to IIT on September 21, 2001 by an Ordinance issued by the Government of India declared it as the nation’s seventh Indian Institute of Technology, an “Institution of National Importance”.