[ad_1]
This is a file photo of the Rameswara Temple, located in Shivamogga district of Karnataka, with the Bhadra River to the east and the Tunga River to the west. | Photo credit: Murali Kumar K
The Indian Knowledge System (IKS), a department of the Ministry of Education of the Union Government of India, held a seminar for the faculty members of engineering colleges on ‘Temple Knowledge Tradition’ with special reference to the temples of Karnataka.
Anantha Chethana, an organisation run by Ananth Kumar Pratishthana, named after former Union minister HN Ananth Kumar, will hold a seminar in Bengaluru on July 13. Faculty from 50 engineering colleges across Karnataka are expected to participate in the seminar, where experts will speak on the “multifaceted role of temples in society and its impact on social structure, community life, art, architecture and education”.
Indian Knowledge System
Gopal TS, a staff member of Pratishthana and the lead researcher of the workshop, told Hinduism The workshop is part of the curriculum offered by the Indian Centre for Knowledge Systems Training.
“We have produced a series of lectures in video and text form on places of worship in Karnataka and their impact on the society. Experts who have conducted research on the subject have also delivered talks. The course has been approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE),” he said.
The training center invited teaching staff to participate in the seminar.
According to Pratishthana’s letter, the seminar will discuss the role of temples in ancient times as centres for community gatherings and festivals, among other things.
“The seminar will be for introductory purposes. This is not for those who have already studied Kannada literature or history. This is for those who are interested in other fields. The education ministry launched the IKS programme in 2023 to familiarise people from different fields with Indian knowledge. Over the years, our education system has only praised what the westerners taught us. People have the impression that whatever the westerners say is correct. Through such courses, we hope to explore our country’s body of knowledge,” he said.
IKS will be passed on to students
Faculty members who attend the seminar may take these subjects as part of their college curriculum.
“We have produced materials, including 50 video lectures and written materials. We will submit it to AICTE. Using these materials, teachers participating in the workshop can offer an optional course on the subject to students in their respective colleges,” Mr. Gopal added.
The IKS unit is located at the AICTE Delhi headquarters and was established in October 2020 following a workshop on ‘Study on Traditional Knowledge Systems in India – Bharatiya Jnana Parampara’ held in March 2020. The IKS team reports to the Chairman, AICTE. It has 27 research centres, 17 teacher training centres and 7 Bhasha Kendras. The training centre established by Ananth Kumar Pratishthana is one of them. These centres come up with courses and get approval from the Ministry of Education, along with funding. These centres get funding up to Rs 8.5 lakh per course.
Prathisthana has written to various colleges, inviting them to participate in the seminar. As the seminar is sponsored by AICTE, participants will get TADA besides a certificate of participation.
“Why focus only on temples?”
An associate professor at a renowned engineering college said the seminar had nothing to do with engineering colleges. “AICTE is about technical education. The idea of promoting such courses and seminars is problematic in itself. I don’t know how this seminar will improve the quality of teaching in engineering colleges,” he said. He questioned the rationality of the seminar focusing only on temples and ignoring the art and architecture of other religious buildings.
[ad_2]
Source link
