Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today inaugurated a two-day national seminar on Indian Knowledge Systems, organised by the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), Lady Keane College, Shillong and funded under Chief Minister’s Special Grant.
Speaking during the inaugural session, Sangma, said that the Indian Knowledge Systems needs to be promoted and preserved. He underscored the importance of integration of the material and the spiritual aspects of the Indian Knowledge Systems.
“The knowledge of the different Indian societies and communities and the traditional knowledge has been the core for healthcare, agriculture, conservation, food preparation, medicine, education and Meghalaya is an example of how the traditional knowledge and the community has been merged to create a sustainable and an effective form of governance,” he said.
He also said that the traditional knowledge needs to be documented to merge the traditional knowledge with the contemporary. “Seminars like these and the outcomes of such seminars need to be documented. Documentation is crucial in knowledge sharing as it will provide a structured, accessible information to facilitate learning for students, researchers and scholars and help decision, training and policy making in governance,” he said.
Congratulating Lady Keane College for organizing the seminar, the Chief Minister, stressed on the need to maintain continuity even after the seminar concludes and said, “This seminar should generate interest to allow the researchers to take this further and I encourage the students here today that when that interest comes don’t let it die but take it forward,” he said.
He further assured that government would support exchange programs for students and research for such innovative programmes.
He also urged the younger generation to connect to the roots and identity while fostering curiosity, interest and respect for traditional knowledge systems. “I hope programs like these will instil these values in our children,” he added.
