Tamil Nadu - Tiruchi

Focus on synergy between science, spirituality

TIRUCHI: The societal harmony resulting from the synergy between science and spirituality was explored during the fourth All India Students’ Conference on Science and Spiritual Quest(AISSQ), at the National Institute of Technology- Tiruchi (NIT-T), recently.

A vision of T.D Singh, Founding Director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, the three-day conference witnessed the congregation of a brilliant array of scientists, scholars, spiritual leaders and monks; all bound by the conviction that the understanding science and spirituality in proper perspectives is essential for harmonising the society.

Speakers drawn from different parts of the world specialising in multifarious disciplines like science, mathematics, quantum physics, artificial intelligence, cardiology, ayurveda, corporate management, vedic cosmology, genetic engineering, sustainable development and meditations lectured on the possibilities for synthesis to guide the students to integrate the spiritual elements in their educational pursuits.

Amit Goswami, Professor Emeritus with the University of Oregon, while providing a quantum physicist’s perspective on ‘The coming paradigm shift in science’ emphasised that integration of quantum physics with vedantic consciousness holds promise for a finer understanding of the secrets of the nature.

Jagdish N. Srivastava, a professor from Antioch and a former Research Professor with the Colorado State University, attempted to provide a mathematical method of working out the pathways to the consciousness of the void, favouring the wisdom in the Gita and the Vedanta.

B.M. Hegde, a cardiologist trained under Nobel laureate Bernard Lown, explained the synergy of spirituality and science in human healing outcomes, and Subash Mishra –Prof IIT-Guwahati, in his talk on ‘ Science & Spirituality-A Message to Humanity’, said science and spirituality complement each other for harmonious self and society.

Amanullah –General Manager from EIL, explored the realm of nature in the world with a rationality behind spiritualism & the necessity to integrate it with Science to achieve unlimited progress & eternal bliss, in his presentation on ‘Integration of Finite with the Infinite’.

Ramnath Narayanaswamy of IIM Bangalore delivered a talk on ‘ Spiritual Capital, Gandhi and Inter-Faith Harmony: Nation-Building, Education and Social Peace’; Rama Jayasundar, an Associate Professor with the Department of NMR, AIIMS, New Delhi, on ‘The relationship among quantum physics, spirituality and ayurveda’; V. Gopalakrishnan, former Executive Director, BHEL, Tiruchi, and a visiting faculty with the Department of Computer Science, NIT-T, on ‘Artificial intelligence, neuroscience and beyond’; Prabhakar, Team Leader LSI Research , Bangalore, on ‘Effects of prayer on human body and mind’, C.R. Seshadri, General Manager, ThermoFisher Scientific-India, on ‘Complete-person paradigm: A new win-win model for promoting holistic growth in corporate management’, and Prabhat K. Singh from IT BHU, Varanasi, on ‘Sustainable development in vedantic perspective’.

An interactive panel session on ‘Need for spirituality to imbibe values in education’ was chaired by P.B Sharma, Vice Chancellor , RGTU , Bhopal. The panel team consisted of M Chidambaram, Director NIT-T, K. Narasimhan of IIT - Mumbai, Jayanti Chavan, President, Institute of Science and Religion, Mumbai, and Nityashree a student from NIT-T.

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