
Pondicherry University launches PG diploma courses in rock art, Agamic studies
Launching the courses run by two newly launched research centres on these respective areas, P. Prakash Babu, Pondicherry University Vice-Chancellor, said the two centres were 'unique and socially relevant in the present-day materialist world'. Admissions to the two diploma courses will commence very soon, he added.
The Center for Agamic Studies and Indian Knowledge systems aims to study the dynamic role of temple in the medieval Indian society and the role of Agamic texts in the growth and expansion of the professional arts and crafts of the lower sections of the society. The Agamic texts also help in unravelling their role as contributors to sustainable development in the medieval times which can provide lessons to learn in the implementation of SDGs in the contemporary times.
The diploma in rock art and cognitive studies is a field based discipline with the curriculum designed to provide a wide knowledge of the global as well as Indian rock art traditions. The programme will equip the students the necessary skills to get employed in eco-tourism, adventure tourism as well as making them qualified site managers of the rock art locations.
According to the Vice Chancellor, this vital pictorial evidence of the prehistoric times helps us to understand the evolution of the cognitive capabilities of the human species and their manifestation in the form of paintings and engravings. In fact, the prehistoric paintings acted as teaching aids for the adolescent hunters in understanding the behavioural patterns of the wild animals.
N. Chandramouli, Head, Department of History said idea for these centres were sown during a 2023 international seminar led by the University on tantric religion that saw enriching contributions of several Indian and foreign scholars.
Madhu Khanna, exponent of tantric studies and founding Trustee of Tantra foundation, New Delhi, conveyed her felicitation message to the University leadership. Ruman Banerjee, Assistant Professor, Department of History, said a comprehensive curriculum had been developed for the rock art diploma programme. Students would be initiated into methodologies of rock art documentation and conservation, theoretical frameworks of cognitive archaeology and cutting-edge research on the neurological underpinnings of artistic expressions. They will not only learn from leading scholars but also gain invaluable hands-on experience in the field, contributing directly to our ongoing research projects.
G. Chandhrika, Dean, School of Social Sciences & International Studies, highlighted the spiritual aspects of the Agamic temples. Kishor Kumar Tripathy, Member Secretary, Sri Aurobindo Society, expressed the SAS's readiness to collaborate with the two research centres. Apart from Ruman Banerjee, Assistant Professor, Department of History, the heads of the departments and centres, Deans, faculty, research scholars and statutory officers participated.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Sindoor Van' to celebrate success of armed forces and military operation
Lucknow: To honour armed forces and celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor , UP govt will establish at least one 'Sindoor Van' in every district. Plantation of these forests will be inaugurated on Aug 15 in a state-level programme organised in Lucknow. "These forests will be a part of Shaurya Van, which will be raised in every district on Aug 15 to mark the valour of the Indian defence forces," a forest department official said, adding that villages of martyrs will be the preferred locations for plantation. After exceeding the plantation target of 37 crore saplings by planting 37.21 crore saplings in 12 hours on July 9, the govt has started raising thematic forests in districts, as was planned under Plantation 2025. Planting of Eklavya Van was launched by the forest department in a state-level programme in Pilibhit on July 19 and that of Oxy Van at Bareilly, a day later. Each of these plantations will be done on at least a hectare of land in every district during monsoon. Eklavya Van is UP's tribute to the revolutionary tribal icon, Birsa Munda, whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Varsha by the central govt. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Villas in Dubai | Search Ads Get Info Undo These forests will be planted in districts with significant tribal populations. Oxy Van will be developed as green lungs in cities. Every municipal corporation and nagar palika will have one such forest. Among other special forests that will be raised this year is Gopal Van. Its plantation will start from Mathura on July 27. Every 'gaushala' will have this forest, comprising fodder and shade-yielding species of trees. Inaugural plantation of Atal Van in Agra will begin from July 30, celebrating the birth centenary of Bharat Ratna and former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In an event at Bateshwar Mahadev temple in Vajpayee's ancestral village, Bateshwar in Agra, every divisional forest officer (DFO) will get a banyan sapling to plant in Atal Van in their districts. Inaugural plantation of Ekta Van will follow on July 31 to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Home department will be extensively involved in planting Ekta Van as Sardar Patel was the first home minister of independent India. The Ek Ped Guru Ke Naam event on Sept 5 will mark the culmination of plantation drive.


The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Dozens of Sri Lankan Tamils seek Indian citizenship
Dozens of Sri Lankan Tamils who were born in India and stayed in rehabilitation camps for over three decades have applied for citizenship. After verification of documents, their applications would be sent to the Union government for consideration, sources in the Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils said. A preliminary scrutiny of the applications revealed that about 300 Sri Lankan Tamils were entitled to citizenship under the provisions of the Citizenship Act. The applications started pouring in after the Commissionerate conducted a demographic assessment covering 57,500 residents of the rehabilitation camps and assured them of assistance in obtaining citizenship. A majority of the applicants were individuals born in India on or after July 1, 1987, but before December 3, 2004 and born in India on or after December 3, 2004, with at least one of the parents being an Indian citizen and neither an illegal migrant. There were also some applicants who were Tamils of Indian origin having Indo-Sri Lanka passport issued by Indian missions in Sri Lanka for repatriates under the 1964 and 1974 agreements, the sources said. 'The Sri Lankan nationals have lived in the camps for over 30 years now. The Tamil Nadu government is extending support to integrate them locally and make them self reliant. While explaining the benefits of acquiring citizenship, we are also assuring them of assistance in case they wanted to return to their home country. Nine people have got Indian citizenship in the last two years,' an official involved in the demographic assessment said. Registration of marriages The Commissionerate has also taken an initiative to register the marriages of Sri Lankan Tamils across the State and issue certificates. It has identified 898 couples, mostly in Ramanathapuram, Vellore, Tirunelveli and Salem regions, who were awaiting registration of their marriage. To implement this programme, the Department of Registration had organised a two-day special camp on July 25 and 26 for registering the marriages of Sri Lankan Tamils residing in rehabilitation camps across Tamil Nadu. Inspector-General of Registration Dinesh Oliver Ponraj said Revenue Department officials would be involved to verify the claims of the applicants. Sub-Registrars were told to register and issue marriage certificates on the same day. The certificates would help individuals in the process of getting passports for themselves, spouses and children, he said. M. Vallalar, Commissioner, Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident Tamils, said the marriage certificates would play an important role in establishing the status of applicants while seeking passport or citizenship. It would also reinforce the confidence of Sri Lankan Tamils that the State government was doing everything possible to make their lives better.


Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
As maritime accidents increase, Coast Guard poised to get 2 new pollution-control vessels
Panaji: Amid a rise in maritime accidents in Indian waters, the Indian Coast Guard is set to get two additional vessels to combat onboard fires and oil spills. Goa Shipyard Limited launched a 114-metre-long pollution-control vessel, Samudra Prachet, for the Coast Guard on Wednesday, at its shipyard at Vasco. The indigenously designed pollution-control vessel is the second of the two that the Coast Guard ordered from the defence public sector undertaking. Samudra Prachet follows Samudra Pratap, which was launched in Aug last year, and GSL will deliver the two ships to the Coast Guard in the coming quarters. Director general of the Coast Guard, Paramesh Sivamani, emphasised the strategic importance of advanced pollution-control vessels in strengthening India's capacity to protect the coastal environment and respond to pollution emergencies. Sivamani said that pollution-control vessels play a 'pivotal role' in safeguarding India's marine ecosystems. Incidents in the maritime sector involving Indian seafarers and foreign vessels in Indian waters rose by 21% in 2024 to 186, said India's shipping regulator, directorate general of shipping, in its Maritime Safety Investigation Report 2024. An upward trend was observed in total collision incidents, rising from five in 2023 to 10 in 2024. The recent fire onboard MV Wan Hai 503, which started with explosions when the ship was some 44 nautical miles off Kerala on June 9, illustrates the potential danger aboard cargo ships. GSL chairman and MD, Brajesh Kumar Upadhyay, said that 72% of the machinery and raw material used to build the two pollution-control vessels is indigenous. The 4,170-tonne vessel will be operated by 14 officers and 115 sailors. It is equipped with two side-sweeping arms capable of collecting oil spills while under way, as well as a modern radar system for detecting oil slicks. The vessel is engineered to recover oil, pump in contaminated water, analyse and separate pollutants, and store recovered oil in dedicated onboard tanks. A day earlier, Sivamani's wife, Priya, inaugurated the Coast Guard Kindergarten School at Chicolna, Vasco. The school will also cater to locals.