Bengaluru: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar organised a two-day workshop titled ‘Bharatiya Knowledge Systems (BKS)’ on October 5 & 6, 2024 at its Argul campus in collaboration with Shiksha Sanskriti Utthaan Nyaas (SSUN), Odisha.
In a press release, the institute said that a public lecture was delivered by Atul Bhai Kothari, Secretary, SSUN on the topic of ‘Research and Innovation in Bharatiya Knowledge System.’ He focused on the question why and in what way we need to study Bharatiya Knowledge Systems (BKS).
Kothari explained that a study of Bharatiya Knowledge Systems may lead to better solutions of the contemporary world and also reading about our intellectual ancestors would greatly motivate our students to pursue high quality research in their respective fields.
In the welcome address, Shreepad Karmalkar, Director, IIT Bhubaneswar said by studying the Bharatiya Knowledge System (BKS), we could find alternate ways of looking at the world which are free from certain biases. He, however, cautioned that such perspectives must be backed with appropriate evidence.
He pointed out that BKS is not a single subject but includes several disciplines within it. “We need a deep expertise of a discipline, be it Mathematics, Metallurgy or Architecture, for a proper appreciation of the BKS element in that discipline,” he said.
Speaking on this occasion, Savita Sengar, Vice Chancellor, Jharkhand Rai University stressed on critical evaluation of the relevance of BKS. Member of Parliament from Balasore, Pratap Chandra Sarangi also graced the event. He shared his opinion about the continuity of Indian culture, training the mind as the best form of education and the importance of learning Sanskrit and other native languages, deftly switching between Odia, Hindi and English.
During the workshop, the poster of Gyan Kumbh, which will be held on November 17 & 18, was also released by the guests. The session was attended by over 100 members including faculty, staff and students of IIT and other institutes, the release said.