Book on Indian Knowledge Systems, co-authored by Prof. B Mahadevan, released
A book, titled “Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems: Concepts and Applications”, co-authored by Professor B Mahadevan, has been released.
A Professor of Operations Management at IIM Bangalore, Dr Mahadevan’s research interests include researching the possibility of using ancient Indian wisdom to address contemporary concerns, spirituality in the work place, and management paradigms from Bhagavad Gita. In the traditional areas of management, his research interests include design of service systems in customer co-creation of value and order allocation issues in electronic markets. Professor Mahadevan was the Founder-Vice Chancellor of Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, a University for applied Sanskrit and Indian Wisdom during 2016 – 2018.
The book, Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems: Concepts and Applications, targeted at students of engineering and those in higher education institutions, is a culmination of efforts of the authors to fill the gap for offering a required course on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), recently mandated by AICTE. Moreover, the New Education Policy (NEP) has also provided a clear trajectory for imparting IKS in the higher education curriculum, necessitating a book of this kind in several higher education institutions in the country in the days to come.
“Ironically, we do not have a textbook on this subject so far in the country and I am happy to contribute by way of authoring the first-of-its kind book along with Prof. V R Bhat of Chankya University and Prof. Nagendra Pavana of Chinmaya University,” said Prof. Mahadevan.
Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, AICTE, says he hopes the book will motivate professionals and IKS researchers to deep dive into each chapter and write a textbook on each of the topics.
The book seeks to introduce the epistemology and ontology of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) to Engineering and Science students in a way they can relate, appreciate and explore further, should there be a keen interest in the matter.
Described by Prof. S Sadagopan, Founder-Director, IIIT Bangalore, as “an idea whose time has come”, the book is divided into four parts: Part 1 has a formal and concise introduction to IKS. Part 2 provides certain foundational concepts applicable across all domains of Science and Engineering. Part 3 is on Science, Engineering & Technology in IKS and Part 4 is about Humanities & Social Sciences in IKS.
The authors have delicately balanced the ‘why’ or ‘how’ of IKS and the ‘what’ of IKS. Although the book has been primarily developed for use by Engineering institutions, its structure and the contents also address the requirement in other University systems (Liberal Arts, Medicine, Science and Management).
In his foreword, Professor Subhash Kak, the Indian-American computer scientist and historical revisionist, writes: “The book will also serve as an excellent foundation for those who wish to investigate how the Indian tradition of consciousness science can be harnessed for further scientific advance and the betterment of the world.”
The book is available at: https://www.phindia.com/Books/