International Conference on New Frontiers in Sanskrit and Indic Knowledge (4th Edition)
Working Group IV: INDIA AS VISHWAGURU – INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS AND PREPARING FOR THE GLOBAL FUTURE
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Queries: nfsi@cvv.ac.in | +91 98955 01910
Upcoming Event
Concluding Session
30 January 2021 | 7:30 PM IST
Register here to join the session: http://bit.ly/nfsi4-wg4-cs4
Lead-up Event 6
A talk on Review of the work of P. V. Kane with Special Emphasis on the Concept of Rajya
27 January 2021 | 7.30 PM IST
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Lead-up Event 5
A talk on Welfare State Conceptions from Classical Indian Literature
26 January 2021 | 7 PM IST
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Lead-up Event 4
A panel discussion on International Trade Law and Negotiations: The Indian Approach
19 January 2021 | 7.30 PM IST
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Lead-up Event 3
A Panel Discussion on: Indian Knowledge Traditions in Policy Education
20 January 2021, 7.30 PM – 9.30 PM IST
Register here:
bit.ly/nfsi4-wg4-talk3
Concept Note
India’s political atmosphere is extremely complex. Different communities with diverse cultural, socio-economic, linguistic and religious backgrounds characterise the Indian society. Most of the communities are closely aligned to their own value systems, which in turn influences the private and public behaviour of their members. These value systems not only compete for a legitimate policy space in the nation but also constantly examine the governance structures of the nation. A central authority can therefore play only a limited influence on the policy outcomes due to the diversity and resulting fragmentation of policy delivery systems. It is also doubtful whether a successful policy can be delivered by merely following the models developed in the West, especially if it is not based on an indigenous understanding. It is here that Indian Knowledge Traditions (IKT) provide assistance to modern policy and governance mechanisms by providing insights into the Indian mind and social psyche.
IKTs are those original streams of thought expressed in a variety of early Indian languages, having evolved through generations of sadhana, and even today, form the basis of collective Indian living. IKTs are not something unfamiliar to policy professionals in India, both on the ground and in the spheres of armchair policymaking. Nevertheless, the lack of currency of IKT-ideas, amongst those who finance the development and dominate the global economy, distances the policy practice and education from IKT training. Policy practitioners are, therefore, deprived of real opportunities to develop a proper approach to understand and in turn embrace the dynamics of diverse cultural semiotics and value systems of the nation and its people. The dearth of regular and scaleable knowledge structures integrating IKT in the contemporary education system adds to this conundrum.
In this context, CVV and Rashtram is hosting a panel discussion aiming to initiate a dialogue on the topics mentioned below:
- Keynote Address
- Prof. Nagaraj Paturi, Director, Indic Academy Inter Gurukula University Centre for Indic Knowledge. (30 mins.)
- Organising Perceptual Processes for Diverse Value Systems—The IKT Model
- Dr. Shilpa Pandit, Associate Professor of Social Psychology, CVV (20 mins.)
- Public Policy, Global Grand Challenges and Indic Knowledge Traditions
- Shri Raghav Krishna, Associate Dean—Academics, Rashtram School of Public Leadership (20 mins.)
- What Does it Mean to Speak About Dharma and Niti in Today’s Policy Space?
- Shri Nithin Ramakrishnan, Assistant Professor and Programme Co-ordinator (M.A. PPG), CVV (20 mins.)
The session will conclude with 30 minutes of open discussion.
Lead-up Event 2
Paper Presentation on ‘Concept of State in Jainism’
30 December 2020 | 7.30 PM IST
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http://bit.ly/nfsi4-wg4-talk2
Lead-up Event 1
A talk on: The Concept of Statehood in the Atharvaveda
9 December 2020 | 7.30 pm IST
Register: www.bit.ly/nfsi4-wg4-talk1
Abstract
Formation of the state and its governance is the nucleus of any political thought. A state is defined as a larger group of persons, occupying a particular territory and possessing an organised system of governance. Though the first literary evidence of the Ṛgveda provides insights into the concept of political systems in the Ṛgvedic period, the material is more copious in the Atharvaveda.
The Atharvaveda can be said to be the precursor of many political thoughts employed in the epics and later political manuals such as Kauṭilīya’s Arthaśāstra.The present paper is designed to discuss political thinking focusing on the concept of state in the Atharvavedic hymns along with other Atharvanic literature. It is proposed to mark the change and continuity of the concept of state and allied concepts in later Sanskrit literature and practice. A thought is also given to the question ‘What can the Atharvaveda teach us?’ in the context of political policies.
A search for answers to these can prove the relevance of the Atharvaveda in the modern period.