5 days ago
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 What was earlier treated as peripheral or historical content is now being studied as a core part of understand how this is taking shape on the ground, India Today Digital spoke to IIT Mandi Director, one of the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
