Ancient wisdom, modern tech: IIT experts decode Indian Knowledge Systems
IIT Mandi explained how IKS elements are being applied in areas like engineering, environmental science, and data analysis.The approach, they say, is not about glorifying ancient practices, but about testing, adapting, and using them in today's context. The needs of today's India, research is being held on that, say experts at IIT Mandi.Examples include research on old water harvesting techniques and metallurgy that could support sustainable solutions today."Rooted in millennia of indigenous ecological wisdom, IKS emphasises harmony between human activity and nature, offering frameworks like panchabhta (five-element theory), vstu, and kri-parara (traditional agricultural treatises) that promote regenerative and low-impact practices", adds IIT Mandi Director Professor Laxmidhar Behera.The institute is also working on documenting and digitising traditional knowledge, including oral histories, field surveys, and manuscripts, to turn them into accessible learning resources.NO MORE SIDE CHAPTERAt IIT Mandi, IKS isn't tucked away in a seminar or weekend workshop. It's being built into engineering models, sustainability labs, and mental health studies. Researchers are using it to study Ayurveda at the cellular level.Researchers are blending it with EEG machines to measure meditation. And they're sending students to document oral traditions in remote Himachal villages.
"Principles from IKS, such as dharma-centric design, ecological balance, and cognitive awareness, can enrich technological thinking by aligning it with human values and environmental sustainability," adds IIT Mandi Director Professor Laxmidhar Behera."IIT Mandi is pioneering such integrations through interdisciplinary research and curriculum modules that draw on ancient insights in mathematics, healthcare, consciousness and universal value systems," he further adds.On the ground, IIT Mandi has launched EWOK (Enabling Women of Kamand), a grassroots platform for women entrepreneurs. Here, local knowledge isn't forgotten, it's branded, certified, and scaled.HOW LABS ARE REVIVING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE.advertisement"These systems advocate circularity, minimal waste, biodiversity preservation, and climate-resilient methods, many of which align with the goals of modern sustainable development," said Director Professor Laxmidhar Behera.The team is also eyeing global platforms. The institute has hosted two editions of the Mind, Brain and Consciousness Conference and is pitching IKS tracks at major international science summitsThe logic is clear: If a technology worked for centuries, in farming, in architecture, in wellness, why not put it under the microscope, validate it, and use it today?In the institute's IKSMHA Centre (Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Applications), concepts like prakriti, panchabhuta, and dharmic design are being re-examined using AI, material science, and bioengineering. It's research, not revivalism.Take the case of aplastic anaemia. IIT Mandi researchers are submitting a study on a patient treated with amla rasa, neem rasa, and giloy.They're now testing the same on mice models to understand how Ayurvedic therapy affects bone marrow at the cellular level.The idea is to make IKS part of the global scientific vocabulary, not just as soft power, but as serious knowledge.IKS is going global and ready to research on several other aspects. Global recognition is smoothening the research process and also catching the world's attention.advertisement"IIT Mandi, with the support of IKS division, and several researchers across and outside India has already hosted two editions of the Mind, Brain Consciousness conference (MBCC) in 2023 and 2025," the Director said.These conference proceedings are being published by Springer in four volumes. The director, IIT Mandi was invited to deliver a plenary talk at 31st Annual The Science of Consciousness Conference held at Barcelona during 6-12 July 20.IIT Mandi has proposed the following initiatives to be taken under the auspices of MoE, Government of India:Host IKS-focused sessions at global forums like COP (climate summits), UNESCO heritage talks, World Economic Forum.Collaborative research with international institutions on Ayurveda, Yoga, sustainable agriculture, and Vedic sciences.Offer interdisciplinary IKS courses through platforms like edX, Coursera, or Erasmus+.Promote Ayurveda, Yoga, and Vaastu as soft power tools for global wellness.Push for global recognition of IKS practices under WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy, UNESCO intangible heritage listings.Support export of IKS-based products (Ayurveda, handicrafts, organic farming techniques) through quality certification (like AYUSH mark, GI tags).Can this model scale? Possibly. But it will take political backing, budget, and belief. - Ends
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
MDS VC: NEP is renaissance in higher edu
Ajmer: Suresh Kumar Agrawal, vice-chancellor of Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati University, said Tuesday that the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 will empower students to face the challenges of technology, mainly artificial intelligence. Agrawal was speaking at the national seminar on the implementation of NEP in universities. He said, "NEP is not a reform, but a renaissance in higher education. For the first time, the policy places the concept of the nation at its core, aiming to provide a solid foundation for the development of the country through youth." The national symposium was conducted by MDS University and Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM). The VC called upon all the teachers in the education system to remain vigilant and flexible. Professor Narayan Lal Gupta, national president of ABRSM, highlighted the slow pace of human development. Educationist Hanuman Singh Rathore stressed the need for mental decolonisation to break free from the lingering shadows of the colonial-era education system. TNN
India Today
2 days ago
- India Today
Ancient wisdom, modern tech: IIT experts decode Indian Knowledge Systems
For years, India's education model remained largely fixed, focused on syllabi, exams, and marks. But the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is beginning to change that. One of the core changes is the formal inclusion of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) across educational such as Vedic mathematics, traditional logic, and ancient ecological practices are being introduced into classrooms. What was earlier treated as peripheral or historical content is now being studied as a core part of understand how this is taking shape on the ground, India Today Digital spoke to IIT Mandi Director, one of the institutions working to implement IKS through structured academic formats. 'We're not just teaching the past. We're decoding it for the present,' says IIT Mandi Director Professor Laxmidhar IIT MANDI IS TESTING ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE FOR MODERN USE IIT Mandi explained how IKS elements are being applied in areas like engineering, environmental science, and data approach, they say, is not about glorifying ancient practices, but about testing, adapting, and using them in today's context. The needs of today's India, research is being held on that, say experts at IIT include research on old water harvesting techniques and metallurgy that could support sustainable solutions today."Rooted in millennia of indigenous ecological wisdom, IKS emphasises harmony between human activity and nature, offering frameworks like panchabhta (five-element theory), vstu, and kri-parara (traditional agricultural treatises) that promote regenerative and low-impact practices", adds IIT Mandi Director Professor Laxmidhar institute is also working on documenting and digitising traditional knowledge, including oral histories, field surveys, and manuscripts, to turn them into accessible learning MORE SIDE CHAPTERAt IIT Mandi, IKS isn't tucked away in a seminar or weekend workshop. It's being built into engineering models, sustainability labs, and mental health studies. Researchers are using it to study Ayurveda at the cellular are blending it with EEG machines to measure meditation. And they're sending students to document oral traditions in remote Himachal villages. "Principles from IKS, such as dharma-centric design, ecological balance, and cognitive awareness, can enrich technological thinking by aligning it with human values and environmental sustainability," adds IIT Mandi Director Professor Laxmidhar Behera."IIT Mandi is pioneering such integrations through interdisciplinary research and curriculum modules that draw on ancient insights in mathematics, healthcare, consciousness and universal value systems," he further the ground, IIT Mandi has launched EWOK (Enabling Women of Kamand), a grassroots platform for women entrepreneurs. Here, local knowledge isn't forgotten, it's branded, certified, and LABS ARE REVIVING LOCAL systems advocate circularity, minimal waste, biodiversity preservation, and climate-resilient methods, many of which align with the goals of modern sustainable development," said Director Professor Laxmidhar team is also eyeing global platforms. The institute has hosted two editions of the Mind, Brain and Consciousness Conference and is pitching IKS tracks at major international science summitsThe logic is clear: If a technology worked for centuries, in farming, in architecture, in wellness, why not put it under the microscope, validate it, and use it today?In the institute's IKSMHA Centre (Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Applications), concepts like prakriti, panchabhuta, and dharmic design are being re-examined using AI, material science, and bioengineering. It's research, not the case of aplastic anaemia. IIT Mandi researchers are submitting a study on a patient treated with amla rasa, neem rasa, and now testing the same on mice models to understand how Ayurvedic therapy affects bone marrow at the cellular idea is to make IKS part of the global scientific vocabulary, not just as soft power, but as serious is going global and ready to research on several other aspects. Global recognition is smoothening the research process and also catching the world's Mandi, with the support of IKS division, and several researchers across and outside India has already hosted two editions of the Mind, Brain Consciousness conference (MBCC) in 2023 and 2025," the Director conference proceedings are being published by Springer in four volumes. The director, IIT Mandi was invited to deliver a plenary talk at 31st Annual The Science of Consciousness Conference held at Barcelona during 6-12 July Mandi has proposed the following initiatives to be taken under the auspices of MoE, Government of India:Host IKS-focused sessions at global forums like COP (climate summits), UNESCO heritage talks, World Economic research with international institutions on Ayurveda, Yoga, sustainable agriculture, and Vedic interdisciplinary IKS courses through platforms like edX, Coursera, or Erasmus+.Promote Ayurveda, Yoga, and Vaastu as soft power tools for global for global recognition of IKS practices under WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy, UNESCO intangible heritage export of IKS-based products (Ayurveda, handicrafts, organic farming techniques) through quality certification (like AYUSH mark, GI tags).Can this model scale? Possibly. But it will take political backing, budget, and belief. - Ends
India Today
2 days ago
- India Today
IIT Mandi welcomes largest ever UG batch with yoga, gender talks and green walks
IIT Mandi has opened its doors to the largest undergraduate batch in its history. The orientation programme for the 2025-26 cohort began on campus this week, marking a new chapter in the institute's year, 592 students have joined the undergraduate programmes, up from 514 in the highest intake since the institute's inception. The rising numbers, according to the administration, reflect both the growing trust students place in the institution and the continued efforts to make technical education more new class includes 394 male and 121 female students. The increase in the number of female students, from 96 last year, is seen as a sign that outreach efforts and support systems for women in STEM are beginning to show Mandi has been taking deliberate steps to make engineering education more accessible, and the changing gender ratio is one such at the orientation, Director Professor Laxmidhar Behera told students, 'This is a turning point in your academic life. You are not just here to study, but to explore and shape your future. The increased enrollment, especially among women, is a sign that we are moving in the right direction.'YOGA AT DAWN, SPORTS ON SUNDAY IIT MANDI'S NEW BATCH BEGINS WITH BALANCEThe new undergraduate batch is enrolled across 13 courses, including new-age offerings like Integrated MBA (IMBA), Microelectronics & VLSI, Computer Science, and Data Science & the orientation, a 10-day induction programme began on August 1. Each day starts with a yoga session, followed by talks from invited speakers on motivation, technology, and mental are also attending sessions on nutrition, gender sensitisation, and self-care. A 'Super Sports Sunday' has been planned to encourage physical activity, and cultural events are being held in the programme will close with a nature walk and a tree plantation drive, both set on the green hills that surround the a time when higher education faces growing challenges, IIT Mandi seems to be focusing on building not just skills, but also community and perspective. With numbers up and new courses on offer, the Institute appears to be moving steadily towards a more inclusive and forward-looking model of learning.- Ends advertisement
