Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 5 Apr: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami chaired a high-level meeting at the Secretariat here today to review plans for the comprehensive development and expansion of the Madan Mohan Malaviya Oriental Research Institute, which is located at Rishikul, Haridwar. The discussions focused on transforming the institute into a global centre for Indian knowledge traditions, ancient sciences, culture and modern research. During the meeting, the CM emphasised that Uttarakhand is not only the land of faith and spirituality but also of the sages, wisdom and scientific thought. He asserted that giving a new identity to this important institution is a priority for the state government.
During the meeting, Dhami directed the officials to ensure that work on the institute begins without delay and is completed before the forthcoming Kumbh. He announced that the Tourism Department will act as the nodal agency for this purpose. He instructed Principal Secretary RK Sudhanshu to hold fortnightly meetings with departmental secretaries to monitor progress in this regard. He added that alongside the development, special emphasis will also be laid on heritage conservation and that the activities based on folk art from all districts of the state would be included in the programme.
The CM urged that the institute should establish modern systems of research and study in Vedic mathematics, sciences embedded in the Vedas, philosophy of the Upanishads, Indian logic, environmental science and life values. He observed that India gave the world the concepts of zero, the decimal system, algebra and trigonometry. He added that the contributions of renowned scholars such as Aryabhata, Brahmagupta and Varahamihira should be integrated into the education and research. Besides this the meeting also discussed setting up specialised centres for astronomy, metallurgy, agricultural science and environmental conservation. The CM also observed that ancient India had advanced knowledge of metallurgy, water management, organic farming and weather-based agriculture, which should be linked with modern research and passed on to the younger generation.
Dhami further stressed that the moral teachings, discipline, sense of duty and human values described in the Vedas and Upanishads must be conveyed to society today. He added that the institute should become a centre not only of education but also of values and nation-building. He directed that facilities such as a digital manuscript preservation centre, modern library, research laboratories, seminar halls and e-learning systems be established at the research centre.
The meeting also deliberated on promoting in-depth study of Indian branches of knowledge and developing the institute as a hub for tourism, Ayurveda, astrology and yoga education.
It was stated that the rich traditions of knowledge, yoga, meditation and Indian spirituality will be established at the institute as a global centre. The academic section will focus on the tradition of the Vedas, Upanishads and the classical knowledge, the philosophy section on Indian thought and consciousness, the health section on Ayurveda and holistic sciences, the science section on Indian knowledge systems and traditional sciences and the arts section on the living expression of Indian art, culture and aesthetics.
Among those present at the meeting were Principal Secretaries RK Sudhanshu and Dr R Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretaries Dheeraj Garbyal, Deepak Kumar, Dr R Rajesh Kumar, Ranjana Rajguru, Vice-Chairperson of Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority, Sonika, Additional Secretary Banshidhar Tiwari, and District Magistrate of Haridwar Mayur Dixit through virtual mode.
