Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) Department of Humanities and Social Sciences has launched a Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems which will focus on four thematic areas- Mathematics and Astronomy in India, Architectural Engineering, Vāstu and Śilpa-śāstra, Indian Political and Economic Thought, and Indian Aesthetics and Grammatical Traditions.
Inaugurated by Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, president and Kumar Tuhin, director general, Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), New Delhi, the centre is funded by the Indian Knowledge Systems Division of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. Tuhin and professor Raghunathan Rengaswamy, dean (Global Engagement), IIT Madras has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise collaboration between ICCR and IIT Madras.
The key outcomes expected from this centre includes research output related to Indian Knowledge Systems, and to disseminate the findings through academic seminars and conferences. The research will involve collaborations with outside scholars and institutions. The centre will further design and offer courses related to the thematic areas to the students of IIT Madras. Subsequently, these courses are planned to be offered on the NPTEL platform for wider dissemination. Additionally, the centre plans to host workshops to familiarise school teachers and students with various aspects of Indian Knowledge Systems and plans to reach out to the public via popular writings, social media posts, among others.
At the inaugural event, Sahasrabuddhe emphasised the need for a deeper study of India’s contribution to the world in the fields of science, technology, architecture, linguistics, arts, culture, economics, politics, among other areas, and for disseminating the findings to the broader public. While Tuhin discussed the importance of collaboration between CIKS, IIT Madras and ICCR for creating an awareness among international audience regarding India’s rich heritage and culture.
Aditya Kolachana is the Principal Investigator of the Centre. The other faculty members from IIT Madras in this Centre include professor Arun Menon, Manu Santhanam, Santosh Kumar Sahu, Sudarsan Padmanabhan, Rajesh Kumar and Jyotirmaya Tripathy.
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