India has achieved a milestone this year with 75 years of Independence. We are witnessing a change across various facets of life and living, from what we value, think, act, and make choices as individuals, society, and as a nation. While the awareness of the value systems lingers, perceptions and practices have deviated. Once the backbone of our society, indigenous knowledge systems remain a distant memory. We look at how this wisdom can operate across scales, from the local to a larger global magnitude, from micro-ecological issues to more widespread notions and practices of sustainability across ecologies, economies, cultures, and systems of existence. Systems that respected and valued the relationship between humans and nature; harnessed simpler, more sensitive, and honest ways of doing things with profound respect for the planet. We created a platform for individuals to come together to collaborate, co-create, and collectively deliberate what was, what is, and what can be.
Reflect....on practices, thoughts, and ways of being. that was part of our indigenous knowledge systems….on how the transformation from experience to knowledge and knowledge to wisdom took place historically….on the need for locating, unearthing, archiving/ chronicling, and making indigenous knowledge visible in different ways.
Introspect….what these knowledge systems have endured in the current times.…your position concerning what is still valuable or relevant & who holds on to them (individuals or collectives)....how much of these knowledge systems have sustained and in what ways do these co-exist with the current practices….
Speculate…on how these knowledge systems can be adapted for our futures as individuals or as a collective.…on how to envision never before imagined combinations of contexts, resources, actors, or modes….how best to demonstrate (using different modes/ media/material/processes) the relevance of such systems
Through a rigorous selection process the institute has shortlisted a bouquet of 28 Electives being offered in Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Gandhinagar campuses. Electives cover a wide range of subjects that are rooted in culture as well as technology. They affect our lives in visible and invisible ways and have stayed relevant since their origins till now through a transformative adaptation to change. Close to 430 students have benefitted from this choice based course which allows interdisciplinary interaction, cross campus movement and a truly multi format, transdisciplinary teaching learning opportunity.