Manipur University has begun a two-day national seminar on traditional knowledge, cultural resilience and sustainable development, with experts examining indigenous wisdom and its preservation.
Imphal, Oct. 8: Manipur University on Thursday inaugurated a two-day national seminar examining the role of traditional knowledge systems in sustainable development, environmental conservation and cultural preservation, bringing together academicians, researchers, library and information science professionals and students.
The seminar on “Traditional Knowledge System & Cultural Resilience: Exploring Traditional Wisdom for Sustainable Development” is being organised by the Department of Library and Information Science, Manipur University, in collaboration with Manipur University Library. It is sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).
Vice-Chancellor Prof. R.K. Hemakumar Singh attended the inaugural function as Chief Guest, while Prof. Ch. Ibohal Singh, Head of the Department of Library and Information Science, presided over the programme. Prof. Premlata Maisnam, Dean, School of Education, was the Guest of Honour, while Prof. Shashank Sawane, Head of the Department of Library and Information Science at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, participated as Special Invitee.
Inaugurating the seminar, Prof. Hemakumar Singh stressed the contemporary relevance of traditional knowledge systems, particularly in the context of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
He said universities and colleges would increasingly be expected to demonstrate how the implementation of the policy benefits students and society. Describing the seminar theme as timely and academically significant, he expressed hope that discussions involving experts, faculty members and students would produce useful outcomes for the university and the wider community.
He formally declared the seminar open and wished the deliberations success.
Prof. Sawane, in his address, described traditional knowledge as the accumulated wisdom of generations, shaped through observation, experimentation, adaptation and community experience.
He said knowledge exists not only in laboratories, universities and books but also through forests, rivers, agricultural practices, traditional healing systems, handicrafts, languages, rituals and oral traditions.
Referring to Manipur and the wider Northeast, Prof. Sawane described the region as a repository of ecological diversity, cultural plurality and indigenous knowledge that requires greater academic recognition and systematic documentation.
He said traditional knowledge constitutes intellectual and cultural wealth accumulated over generations and warned that some of it could become difficult to recover once lost.
Prof. Sawane referred to Loktak Lake as an example of the relationship between traditional knowledge and modern scientific understanding.
He noted that disciplines such as hydrology, ecology, remote sensing and artificial intelligence could provide scientific information about wetlands, while communities living around such landscapes possess generations of knowledge about seasonal changes, natural resources, livelihoods and ecological relationships.
He argued that traditional wisdom and modern science should not be treated as competing systems but as complementary approaches that can contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development.
He also described cultural resilience as more than the ability to survive. According to him, it involves the capacity of communities to adapt, recover and innovate while retaining their fundamental identity.
Prof. Sawane also discussed the potential role of artificial intelligence in preserving traditional knowledge.
He said emerging technologies could assist with transcribing oral histories, translating indigenous languages, digitising manuscripts, creating metadata, developing knowledge graphs and preserving endangered languages.
At the same time, he cautioned against using community knowledge to train AI systems without permission, attribution or equitable benefit-sharing.
He called for ethical, transparent and community-governed use of AI and stressed that technological development should respect the people, histories and cultural contexts from which traditional knowledge originates.
He also emphasised the need for multilingual information systems, indigenous-language search facilities, ethical access protocols and community-centred information architecture. He raised the possibility of developing a Northeast Indian knowledge grid.
Prof. Premlata Maisnam said traditional knowledge continues to find expression in indigenous agriculture, traditional medicine, handicrafts, handloom, literature, folk traditions and performing arts.
She said such knowledge has contemporary relevance amid challenges including climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and social fragmentation.
Prof. Maisnam also appreciated the academic value of bringing scholars and researchers together to examine traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.
Presiding over the programme, Prof. Ch. Ibohal Singh said traditional knowledge should not be treated simply as a relic of the past but recognised as a living system that has developed through observation, experimentation, adaptation and community participation.
He noted that communities had developed extensive knowledge of agriculture, healthcare, water management, architecture, biodiversity conservation and ecological relationships long before modern scientific institutions emerged.
He said the challenge for contemporary academic institutions was to explore how traditional wisdom and modern science could complement and strengthen each other.
Prof. Ibohal also discussed cultural resilience and the ability of communities to preserve their identity, values, knowledge and collective memory while adapting to social, economic, technological and environmental changes.
He pointed to pressures from globalisation, urbanisation, technological transformation and changing lifestyles, which he said had contributed to the disappearance of languages, decline of traditional occupations and a growing disconnect between indigenous knowledge and younger generations.
He said these processes of adaptation and resilience required greater academic attention.
Linking the seminar with Library and Information Science, Prof. Ibohal said the discipline has an important role in preserving, organising and disseminating traditional knowledge because it connects information from diverse fields.
He also highlighted sustainability within library systems and the relationship among library professionals, learning resources, users and emerging technologies.
A total of 25 participants took part in the seminar. Dr. Keisham Sangeeta Devi delivered the welcome address, while Dr. Moirangthem Lokendro Singh proposed the vote of thanks.
The seminar, being held on October 8 and 9, includes invited speakers, resource persons, researchers and paper contributors discussing traditional knowledge, cultural resilience and sustainable development, with particular focus on indigenous knowledge preservation and its relevance to contemporary academic and technological developments.
