Central University of Punjab organized a lecture on Indian Knowledge Tradition in the light of NEP-2020
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ August 21,2023
To promote awareness about India’s profound heritage of knowledge systems and NEP-2020 transformative vision, the Central University of Punjab organized an invited lecture on the topic of “Indian Knowledge Tradition in the light of NEP-2020: An Overview. The programme was conducted by the Department of South and Central Asian Studies under the patronage of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari. The invited speaker of this programme was Prof. Pawan Kumar Sharma, HoD, Dept. of Political Science, CCS University, Meerut.
The program was initiated with a warm welcome extended by Dr. Nishitha Kaushiki, Head of the Department and Dean of the School of International Studies. This was followed with introduction of invited speaker by Prof. Bawa Singh.
Prof. Pawan Kumar Sharma, known for his expertise in Indian philosophy and educational reforms, began his lecture by highlighting the significance of traditional Indian knowledge systems in shaping the nation’s cultural and intellectual fabric. Drawing attention to the four Vedas – Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, and Atharvaveda – he illuminated how these ancient scriptures have guided India’s ancient civilization to transform as a knowledge-centric society that had made notable strides in science, technology, and other domains. He also talked about the advanced economic system of the Indus Valley Civilization wherein its citizens practiced agriculture, domesticated animals, made sharp tools and weapons from copper, bronze, and tin, and traded with other cities. Prof. Sharma stated that several historical records validate this fact that India was one of the largest economies in the world from between the 1st and 18th centuries.
Addressing the historical shift, Prof. Sharma highlighted that introduction of Macaulay’s education system in 1835 by Britishers has distanced us from our ancient knowledge traditions and made us slaves of a colonial mindset. Prof. Sharma mentioned that the National Education Policy 2020 has provided an opportunity to reintegrate our ancient knowledge traditions in our society as it focuses on holistic education, experiential learning, education in mother tongue language, multidisciplinary, and skill development. He concluded his talk by stating that proper implementation of NEP-2020 could actualize our vision of making India Vishwaguru once again, as NEP-2020 has given equal importance to traditional knowledge systems and futuristic technology.
Central University of Punjab organized a lecture on Indian Knowledge Tradition in the light of NEP-2020. On this occasion Prof. R.K. Wusirika, expressed his gratitude toward Prof. Sharma for delivering an enlightening lecture. Towards the end, Dr. Santosh Kumar gave a formal vote of thanks. Faculty, research scholars and students attended this programme.
