IIT Mandi organized a workshop which introduced student’s to the ‘Indian Knowledge System’ (IKS) and mental health. The workshop was held keeping in mind the benefits and insights it would render to the practitioners, academicians and students and educate the same on ‘empirical research’ with relation to mental health and IKS. The three day workshop was organized between March 25th -27th in association with HCI foundation and IIT Mandi iHub. The workshop was sponsored by Hospemedical, State Bank of India and Netweb Technologies.
In a statement made by the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, it stated that the IKS focussed on the benefits of the body, the mind and the consciousness. The workshop included brainstorming sessions on the graduate curricula focussing on IKS and various other research topics related to it.
The chief guest, Secretary, Ministry of Education, K Sanjay Murthy at the inaugural event of the workshop stated “The transformation of traditional knowledge forms into science is the need of the hour. It is essential that these knowledge systems be standardized in terms of their utility and consumption by the general population without creating any hype or unverified claims.”
Experts across the globe participated in the event. Institutes like, California Institute of Technology, IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur, AIIMS New Delhi, IIT (BHU), AIIMS Rishikesh, University of Groningen, INMAS DRDO, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Creative Movement Therapy Association of India, SIVAS Health Research Institute, Secunderabad, Loyola Marymount University, US Department of Veterans Affairs, USA, Texas University, Being AI and Breathing Minds participated in the event.
“I am glad that IIT Mandi has taken this step to formalize Indian Knowledge Systems as a scientific discipline. Mental health is also subjected to a great deal of social stigma in India, with the youth and seniors alike suffering from various mental disorders. It is important that this subject be dealt with within the Indian Knowledge Systems within a holistic framework for its acceptance among Indians,” the minister of education K Sanjay Murthy added.
The workshop had speakers talking about the formation of curriculum on the Indian knowledge system, the promotion of meditation, various forms of art and the use of ayurveda, and psychology promoting mental health along with other topics which were the highlights of the event. Measures are being taken to implement the ‘Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health’ (IKSMH). It spoke about the use of brain imaging and use of bio signals like electroencephalograms and ‘virtual reality-based immersive neuron-feedback’ in the IKS. The workshop seeked the intervention of scientific innovations to solve issues of mental health with respect to the Indian knowledge system. This would lend a scientific approach to the treatment of mental health problems they adressed.
Professor Laxmidhar Behera, the director of IIT Mandi stated that the basis of the Indian Knowledge System was developed keeping in mind the principle that matter in its simplest form was cognitive and hence cognitive behaviour and emotions are not symbolic of any complex molecular permutation and combinations.
Speaking about the event, the chief guest of honour and Padma Shri winner Acharya Nagendra stated “Firstly, I would like to congratulate IIT Mandi for organizing such an event which has brought together experts from all around the world to share their knowledge about the Indian Knowledge System. With mental health becoming a major concern globally, it is imperative we go back to our Indian Knowledge System and find solutions that can help us lead better lives.”
