Departmental IQAC Evaluation Report 2017-18 to 2021-22 

 Departmental IQAC Evaluation Report 2016-17 to 2020-21

Center for Studies on Indigenous Knowledge

Professor K.K.N. Sharma (Professor in-Charge & Coordinator)  Mob: 9425172479 E-mail : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About the Centre

 Indigenous Knowledge is considered as the social capital of the people. It is main asset to invest in the struggle for survival, to produce food, to provide for shelter and to achieve control of their own lives. Most of the indigenous knowledge disappears due to the intrusion of foreign technologies and development concepts that promise short-term gains or solutions to problems without being capable of sustaining them. The tragedy of the disappearance of this knowledge system is most obvious to those who have developed it and make a living through it. But the implication for others can be detrimental as well, when skills, technologies, artifacts, problems solving strategies and expertise are lost. Although indigenous knowledge may be focused on particular individuals and may achieve a degree of coherence in rituals and other symbolic constructs, its distribution is always fragmentary. Generally, it does not exist in its totality in any one place or individual. It is devolved in the practices and interactions in which people engage them. Despite claims for the existence of culture-wide (indeed universal) abstract classifications of knowledge based on non-functional criteria; where indigenous knowledge is at its densest and directly applicable its organization is essentially functional. Indigenous knowledge is characteristically situated within broader cultural traditions; separating the technical from the nontechnical, the rational from the non-rational is problematic. Indigenous knowledge systems have a broad perspective of the ecosystems and of sustainable ways of using natural resources. However, colonial education perspective of the ecosystems and of sustainable ways of using natural resources. It has also replaced the practical everyday life aspects of indigenous knowledge and ways of learning with western ideas theoretical knowledge and academic ways of learning. Today, there is a grave risk that much indigenous knowledge is being lost and along with it, valuable knowledge about ways of living sustainably both ecologically and socially. Therefore, indigenous knowledge systems have not been systematically recorded in written form and are not readily accessible to agricultural researchers, development practitioners, and policymakers. Recently some workers have shown the interest on indigenous knowledge and they have detailed overview and a general explanation of indigenous knowledge, with a particular emphasis on genetic resources, pastoral management, agro-forestry and offered a more succinct discussion. However, still there is a grave risk that much indigenous knowledge is being lost and along with-it valuable knowledge about ways of living sustainably both ecologically and socially.

While looking at the need of the importance and urgency of Indigenous Knowledge our former Vice Chancellor Prof. R.P. Tiwari, Dr. Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, M.P., India has established a Centre for Studies on Indigenous Knowledge on 6^th March, 2019 under the In-charge ship of Prof. K.K.N. Sharma, (Former Head, Department of Anthropology), Dean, School of Applied Sciences. The objectives of the Centre are to conserve indigenous knowledge with sustainability and encourage academics, policy makers, scientists and students to gain enhanced respect for local culture, its wisdom and its environmental ethics. The Centre is continuously working with new approaches and flourishing research on recent topics of applied aspects. The Centre has organized several successful events, like seminars and conferences, workshops, invited lectures. Several traditional healers including Nadi Vaids gave their presence in the seminars and multiple stalls of traditional medicines were arranged in the Gour Samadhi (University Ground) and Centre premises. People were benefitted from the presence of the healers and medicines provided by them. The aim of the Centre is and will be to carry out researches on the relevance of indigenous knowledge, to produce new research methods for studying indigenous knowledge and maintain a directory of indigenous knowledge keepers and traditional healers so that exposure will be given to them from time to time. 

About Prof. In-Charge/Coordinator:

Dr. K.K.N. Sharma is a Professor of Anthropology (Former Head, Department of Anthropology, 2017-20), and presently working as a Dean, School of Applied Sciences, Head, Department of Applied Geography, Hon. Director, Population Research Centre, Chairman: Kamdhenu Peeth and Professor In-charge of Center for studies on Indigenous Knowledge in Doctor HariSingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, (A Central University), Sagar, M.P. He did M.Sc. (Anthropology) M.A. (Sociology) and Ph.D. (Anthropology) from Doctor Hari Singh Gour Vishwavidyalaya (A Central University), Sagar M.P. He secured first class first in the M.Sc. (Anthropology) merit list. Dr. Sharma has awarded U.G.C. Research Career Award, Teaching and Research career achievement award (2018) and Rashtriya Gourav Award IFS, 2009. Besides this he was selected for Doctoral Fellowship office in Parent University and selected for Post-Doctoral Research Associate-ship of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Council of Medical research (ICMR), New Delhi. His area of specialization is Physical/Biological Anthropology, Tribal studies, Psychological Anthropology. He has organized various National/International Conference/Seminar including an International Conference on “Indigenous Knowledge and prevalent practices” (27-29 February, 2020). In this conference he was innovated a new idea to call traditional healers (Nadi Vaidya), they have exhibited their knowledge for the identification of disease through Nadi (pulse) Examination, which was more successful and highlights in variant. He has authored and edited of various books i.e. Kodaku Janjati, Prampragat Chikitsa Paddhati: Pando Janjati ke Vishesh Sandarbh me, Kurmi Samaj Kisor-Avastha Swasthya, Genetic Demography: A case study on Rajgonds Tribal Health (Eds.), Reproductive and Child Health Problem in India (Eds.), The Khairwas: Bio-social dimensions Genetically Consequent in Child Growth, Pahadi Korwas and Khairwas Janjati: Prajnan Avam Shishu Swasthya all these books are published by reputed national publishers. Dr. Sharma has completed so many projects including Evaluation of Sansad Adarah Gram Yojana (SAGY) for Zone-6 Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh sponsored by Ministry of Rural Development. He was also worked in World Bank Concern Malaria Beneficial Project. He was published about 75 research publications in various National/International journals, seminar proceedings and published ten popular articles in various news-papers. He participated and presented research papers in many conferences, seminars/workshops/Symposium. He is actively involved in his University administration in various capacities. Under his supervision 12 research scholars were awarded Doctoral degree and placed in various higher positions and currently 7 research scholars are perusing their Doctoral Research. He is also a subject expert in various Board of Studies (BoS) of different Universities. He has also visited Kenya country.

Faculty positions:

UGC has approved four faculty positions for the Centre (1-Professor, 1-Associate Professor and 2- Assistant Professor), for which the recruitment process has already started.

Completed Projects:

1. Principal Investigator, Prof. K.K.N. Sharma, Co-Principal investigator, Nitiraj Singh (Joint Director, TRI, Bhopal), Madhya Pradesh me Nivashit Mina, Nehal, Bhima, Gwari, Ewam Sen samudayon ka Manavshashtri adhyyan. Funded by Tribal Research and Development Institute Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal.

Events:

Invited Lectures:

1. Dr. K.C Malhotra, Former Professor, Department of Anthropology and Human Ecology, Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, India and fellow of International Association of Human Biologists, Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru, visiting Professor at the Centre of Population Genetics, University of Texas, Houston, USA delivered presentation on “Culture and Biodiversity” dated 15 July, 2019.
2. Dr. Om Prakash Pandey, Former Professor, Department of Physics, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India delivered presentation on “Science in Indian Knowledge and Tradition” dated 17 October 2019.
3. Prof. Surendra Pathak, Adjunct Professor, Gujrat Vidyapeeth, and Ahmadabad, India on “Vedic Wisdom in Contemporary Societies” dated 12 February 2020.

Organized National/international Seminars/Conferences and Workshops:

1. International Conference on “Indigenous Knowledge and Prevalent Practices” (27-29^th February, 2020).
2. “दो दिवसीय पारंपरिक चिकित्सा शिविर” from 24-25 December, 2021

Photographs of the Centre

International Conference on “Indigenous Knowledge and Prevalent Practices”, 27-29th February, 2020

Two Days Paramparik Chikitsa Sivir, 24-25th December, 2021