A CORRESPONDENT
AZARA: Girijananda Chowdhury University (GCU) hosted a two-day international conference on January 22 and 23, bringing together eminent scholars and academicians from India and abroad to deliberate on the theme “Bridging Sacred Wisdom and Scientific Vision: Re-envisioning Knowledge Discourses from Global Perspectives with Emphasis on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS).”
The conference was graced by Prof. Amarendra Kumar Das, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Tezpur University, as the Chief Guest, while Ekaterina Tyurina, Vice Consul at the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Kolkata, attended as the Guest of Honour. The event was organised in collaboration with leading Russian academic institutions, including the Centre for South Asian Studies, Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow; the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences; the Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences; and Mari State University, Russia.
The conference was co-sponsored by Supertek, Vaagmine Scientific, Krisshna Enterprise, and D S Enterprise. It focused on integrating indigenous worldviews with modern scientific inquiry to address contemporary challenges related to ecological sustainability and ethical harmony.
The inaugural session on January 22 began with a welcome address by Jasodaranjan Das, president of the SSA Society. This was followed by addresses from Prof. Jayanta Deka, Chancellor of GCU, and Prof. Kandarpa Das, Vice-Chancellor of GCU, who highlighted the university’s commitment to blending traditional wisdom with global academic standards and fostering international collaboration.
Prof. Alexander Stolyarov, Director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at the Russian State University for the Humanities and a noted scholar of early medieval Indian history, delivered the keynote address, offering a comprehensive perspective on the evolution and contemporary relevance of Indian Knowledge Systems.
The plenary sessions on the first day featured distinguished speakers, including Dr. Sanjib Kumar Borkakoti, an expert on Srimanta Sankaradeva studies; Dr. Sidharth Shankar, former Vice-Chancellor of Indira Gandhi Technological and Medical Sciences University, Ziro; Dr. Aditya Kiran Kakoti of Leiden University, the Netherlands; and Dr. Andrey Konkov from Sirius University, Russia.
The second day witnessed extensive academic engagement through multiple parallel sessions conducted in hybrid mode. The discussions covered a wide range of sub-themes, such as Indian culture and civilisation, Vedic science, and traditional medicine–inspired approaches to modern drug discovery. The conference underscored Girijananda Chowdhury University’s growing stature as a centre for multidisciplinary research and international academic exchange in Northeast India.
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