Naidu calls for a balance between modern science and traditional knowledge

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat have unequivocally agreed upon the fact that modern science and traditional knowledge are never at loggerheads, and they mostly run in a concurrent manner.

Speaking after inaugurating the seventh edition of Bharatiya Vigyan Sammelan at National Sanskrit University (NSU) here on Friday, Mr. Naidu called for a balance between modern science and traditional learning, as “India’s ancient knowledge systems must remain central to its scientific pursuits.”

He called upon scientists, administrators, scholars and policymakers to ensure India’s progress on the track of Science and Technology, without deviating much from its established civilisational traditions.

Mr. Naidu wanted society to introduce India’s cultural narratives to its youth at an early age so as to help them stay connected to their roots.

“Parents and teachers will have to narrate the noble characters from our epics, and not the western fictional characters like Spiderman or Batman to our children. This helps inculcate qualities like honesty, courage, commitment, responsibility and wisdom in them,” was his advice.

The Chief Minister hailed the organisers for presenting the Indian knowledge systems in a structured form, thus facilitating a meaningful dialogue with its modern counterparts.

Mr. Mohan Bhagwat called as “misplaced” the perceived divide between science and spirituality, and said both ran concurrent in their own trajectories towards understanding the truth.

He attributed the divide as an outcome of limited understanding of Dharma.

“Dharma is the natural law that governs the functioning of creation, but it is mistaken for religion,” he observed.

Unlike in the western world, where the divide between science and spirituality was quite conspicuous, he said Indian thinkers had dwelt on consciousness, a topic that the modern science had only begun to explore of late. “Development in other countries is confined to material pleasure, but Bharat does not think like that,” he maintained.

Mr. Bhagwat recalled the integration of scientific research in one’s daily life in the past, the subsequent periods witnessed a fall in research output and standards. “It is heartening to see organisations like Vijnana Bharati striving to revive the traditional knowledge systems.”

The RSS chief advocated the need to pursue science education in regional languages to make knowledge penetrate down to the masses. In the same vein, he cautioned against the misuse of scientific research against the interests of humans or nature.

Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh, State Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, Vijnana Bharati president Sekhar C. Mande, NSU Vice-Chancellor G.S.R. Krishnamurthi, DRDO former Chairman G. Satheesh Reddy were among the participants.