More than 150 Research Papers were presented in hybrid mode through six parallel sessions
KRC TIMES Barak Valley Bureau
Silchar : On the invitation of the Assam Central University, Silchar, Dr Sukamal Deb, Advisor, North East Integration Rally (NEIR), graced their National Seminar on Indian Knowledge System (IKS)held on March 10, 2026, as the Chief Guest.
The Assam University, Silchar, convened this National Seminar to explore the relevance of India’s ancient wisdom in the modern world. The event, titled “Indian Knowledge System: Heritage, Innovation and the Future”, was organised by the Centre for Indian Knowledge System of the University with reference to Northeast India Studies.
The seminar brought together academicians and researchers from over twelve states to discuss the preservation and contemporary application of India’s intellectual heritage. More than 150 Research Papers were presented in hybrid mode through six parallel sessions.
Attending the event as the Chief Guest, Dr Sukamal Deb, Advisor, North East Integration Rally, deliberated on the practical potential of traditional knowledge, IKS and the study of climate change, craft heritage, and cultural expression. He said, “We are witnessing an unprecedented environmental crisis, and we, the Anthropocene, have become a threat to ourselves. Going away from our indigenous knowledge, we are threatening the earth’s own dynamics.
Our pathway is sustainable development, which combines economic prosperity, social inclusion, ending poverty, and ensuring environmental sustainability. He emphasised, let’s foster the idea of sensible goals. Narrating his decades-long association with artisans of the Northeast and referring to the British Council Report, Craft in the Age of Climate Crisis (October 2023), he said India’s 200 million craft workers, 56.13 % being women, face varying degrees of risk from climate change.
Quoting the report, he adds, India has climate-resilient ideas, we have traditional practices, a thousand-year-old concept of circular economy runs in our villages, and we need to brand this wisdom. Appreciating the National Education Policy, 2020, for prioritising IKS, he concludes that this is the solution we have.
We need to look back with pride at our traditional knowledge and the community. In this context, let us recheck, he argued, if the universities are producing people with CVs full of credentials but confidence running on empty.
Dr. Deb, who is also the Nominee of the Lieutenant Governor at Delhi Skill & Entrepreneurship University, Government of NCT of Delhi, is passionate about seeking to document, support, nurture and disseminate knowledge of crafts and traditional systems. With its wide geography, diverse culture and subcultures, India presents a fascinating plethora of vernacular design narratives and traditional knowledge systems, many of which are languishing. He works to bridge the gap through design, education, training and documentation of vernacular systems.
