Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 28: The Centre for Essential Skills (CES) at the Indian Institute of Technology Jammu (IIT Jammu) has announced the establishment of the Sharad Saraf Centre for Ayurved and Indic Studies (SSCAIS), under the aegis of Prof Sharad Saraf, Chairman of the Board of Governors, IIT Jammu.
The announcement in this regard was made during the National G-20 Conference, jointly organized by IIM Jammu, IIT Jammu, AIIMS Jammu, in collaboration with J&K Government and Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DICCI), to deliberate upon priorities, prospects and way forward for creating an inclusive & sustainable society.
The SSCAIS aims to revive and study ancient Indian medical and wellness knowledge, cultural practices, and languages for the preservation of Indian heritage. The centre will be involved in active research, teaching, and training activities, and will offer a full-time post-doc position for active research in the field of Ayurved and Indic Studies.
It will also publish articles in renowned journals and conferences, offer internship positions during each summer break, introductory courses on Ayurveda, Indian heritage, and language-certification programs in Sanskrit, Pali and Tamil.
It will also create and build a resource centre for authentic reading materials and secondary literature, carry out awareness activities for the appreciation of ancient Indian heritage and knowledge through public seminars, maintain social media pages, publish a bi-annual digest of the Centre’s activities, organize online/offline talks by experts, felicitate eminent persons from the concerned field, and collaborate with academic, research, and medical organizations/people that are actively involved in ayurvedic and Indic studies nationally and internationally.
Prof Saraf expressed his elation over the establishment of the centre, stating that it would be a path-breaking research and education centre introducing ancient Indian culture to young students. IIT Jammu is the first among 23 IITs to establish such a centre, and students are expected to benefit greatly from this initiative.
Prof Manoj S Gaur, Director IIT Jammu, expressed his gratitude to Dr. Sharad Kumar Saraf for donating Rs 50 lakh towards the initiative.
He stated that it is a step towards attaining the mandate of the New Education Policy 2020, ensuring that students get exposure to the Indian-value system. The centre is expected to grow and prosper in the coming years with the support of IIT Jammu.
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