India, 15th January 2023: Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon, a leading institution in management education hosted a Certificate Course on Research Methodology for Indian Thought in Management, paying tribute to the legacy of the esteemed (Late) Prof. Arvind K Sinha, a former Professor at IIT Kanpur. Held on January 9th and 10th, 2024, at the MDI Gurgaon Campus, this course commemorated Prof. Sinha’s pioneering work in indigenous research within Organizational Behaviour and Social Psychology during his tenure in Psychology at IIT Kanpur. The workshop was conducted by Prof. Dharm P S Bhawuk, a distinguished expert in cross-cultural psychology and management, and a Professor of Management, Culture, and Community Psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, USA.
The enriching workshop explored the expansive richness of Indian psychology and philosophy and its relevance to contemporary management principles. The program delivered a holistic understanding of the philosophical foundations of Indian thought and a way to promote its integration into contemporary management practices and created a platform for dialogue and discussion among educators, researchers, and management professionals. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from faculty of various Institutes like MDI Gurgaon, NIT Calicut, OP Jindal, BML Munjal, Manav Rachna, Gurukul Kangri, Banasthali Vidyapeeth, JIT Jodhpur among others, and senior practitioners from the industry.
The program began with traditional prayers and a welcome address by Prof. Ajay K Jain, who briefly described the motivation behind the two-day workshop and pointed out that in recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of applying scientific research methodologies to explore and validate the insights embedded in ancient Indian wisdom and that we need to encourage more researchers to do original research in this area.
Prof. Arvind Sahay, Director of MDI Gurgaon, delivered the opening address emphasizing the crucial role of scientific research in Social Sciences. Prof. Sahay shared, “Scientific research on Indian perspectives in social sciences has the potential to foster a deeper understanding of Indian culture and philosophy on a global scale and to provide a pathway for greater intercultural understanding by recognizing the unique perspectives. It is our professional academic duty while doing research related to the Indian Knowledge Systems to deploy intersubjectively verifiable research methods to enhance the credibility and wider global acceptance of IKS.”
Dr. Suvrokamal Dutta, a Political and Foreign Policy expert, delivered the keynote address on “Importance of Scientific Research on Ancient Indian Wisdom”. In his address, Dr Dutta pointed out that the sacred texts and philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent represent a profound reservoir of knowledge that has captivated minds for millennia. By subjecting ancient theories to scientific research, researchers can discern these age-old principles’ practical applications and relevance in contemporary contexts. This integration fosters a more holistic understanding that enriches traditional wisdom and modern scientific discourse. He also emphasized the importance of decolonizing the mindset of researchers and encouraged them to dismantle colonial legacies embedded in academic practices. Historically, he pointed out that management research has often been conducted through a Eurocentric lens, which has marginalized indigenous and non-Western perspectives and missed out on unique cultural perspectives and practices of India.
Prof Niva Bhandari then delivered the closing address and expressed hope that scientific research on ancient Indian wisdom can serve as a bridge between the treasures of the past and the inquiries of the present, catalysing a global understanding of ancient Indian wisdom.
