Bhāratīya Vijñāna Praveśa
A series of books to introduce Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) to school children
Table of Contents - Level 1 Books
Table of Contents - Level 2 Books
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Model for implementing in Schools
Motivation
Research has pointed out that India has been an economic powerhouse for close to two millenia, up until the period of invasions and colonization. This would have certainly been impossible without a value-positive and cohesive society that was empowered by rich knowledge traditions.
It is important for children of India to know that India has been a cradle not only for refined civilizational best-practices but also for numerous scientific developments.
Various historic records have tried to capture a slice of the elaborate educational systems and opportunities in education that were in place. Evidence and knowledge of voluminous literature produced in Indian scientific pursuits has been well established by serious researchers.
In contrast, there is a prevalent absence of the scientific feats, traditional frameworks of different disciplines, and historic facts of India’s rich knowledge systems in our school curricula. There is much to draw from India’s traditional knowledge systems on the lines of both enriching content and elevating pedagogy.
It is not just the historic information that our children need to know. A comprehensive introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) would also bring in wholesome pedagogical tool sets that would bestow values, skills, and expansive frameworks for children to learn joyously.
Inspired by the calling to offer comprehensive resources to support school education, at Anaadi Foundation, we have designed a well-researched curriculum titled - “Bhāratīya Vijñāna Praveśa”. The objective is to offer children and teacher friendly resources in a structured approach that would introduce various lessons drawn from Indian Knowledge Systems.
Benefits of this curriculum
Knowing our scientific heritage and history inspires young minds
School textbooks introduce children to Pythagoras, Aristotle, Euclid, Archimedes, Ptolemy, Newton, Mendeleev, Einstein and many such tall figures of science. While their contributions are invaluable, children only gain a Euro-centric narrative to development of human thought and scientific breakthroughs.
Beginning through the Vedic era up until recent times, Indian thinkers, linguists and scientists have bolstered breakthroughs in numerous fields.
This curriculum will help children get equally acquainted with the contributions of Vedic seers, Patanjali, Vyāsa, Pāṇini, Piṅgala, Kapila, Suśruta, Caraka, Kaṇāda, Gotama, Āryabhaṭa, Vāgbhaṭa, Bhāskarācārya and many more.
Records have shown that Mendeleev was inspired by the two dimensional structure of the Sanskrit alphabet system to formulate the periodic table. Erwin Schrödinger, a founder of quantum theory, credited ideas in the Upanishads for the key notion of superposition. Hence, knowing about Indian thought leaders would also serve as a rich fountain of inspiration for young minds to become future leaders.
Gaining relevant knowledge that empowers
Drawing concepts and pedagogical tools from IKS is highly relevant to aid the cognitive development of children in current times as well. Knowledge from Indian Āyurveda will inspire children to naturally lead hale and healthy lives.
It empowers the learners with information as well as interventions to dynamically balance one’s wellness. Indian Astronomy would help develop keen observation and visualization skills.
Conceptual clarity arises in studying Indian mathematical constructs. Children will be empowered to see Pi as not a mere irrational number but as the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. Children will be empowered with techniques and pedagogical methods to approach math joyously.
Rich stories from Indian Itihasas and Puranas will instill values and present vast scales of time and intricate stories that would expand the cognitive prowess of children. This curriculum aligns well with the vision of the new National Education Policy which has emphasised the merits of offering courses in IKS to learners.
Instilling values and understanding Bharat’s identity
Most important is the fact that frameworks and concepts from IKS are not value-neutral but value-positive. Going through various lessons in Āyurveda, children would inherit the rich tradition of love and reverence for nature that our ancient seers have held through ages.
Children will be able to realise concepts like Puruṣārthas liberate us from limiting view points about the purpose of life. Dharmic stories will inspire children to rise up to the occasion and live ethically and empathetically. Children will learn how ancient seers were very reverential towards their gurus and how oral transmission of knowledge systems gave rise to unique pedagogical approaches.
Children will understand the civilisational continuum of Bharat and our identity as culture that seeks wellbeing for all and hails the worldview where the universe is one-family.
Overview of the curriculum
In order to curate a string of relevant sections and concepts from the vast ocean of Indian Knowledge Systems, the Bhāratīya Vijñāna Praveśa (BVP) curriculum offers two streams to begin with -
a. Integrated Indic Sciences and
b. Bharatiya Ganita.
These two streams would have books in Levels 1 to 6 with increasing breadth and depth of content.
The series of books in Integrated Indic Sciences would introduce children to key concepts in Āyurveda, theory and practice of Yoga, Astronomy and Indian calendrical system, salient aspects of culture and heritage, primary tenets of Sāṅkhya, Nyāya and Vaiśeṣika, stories from Itihasa and Purana and Indian frameworks in ecological preservation.
The series of books in Bharatiya Ganita would introduce children to concepts, techniques, speed arithmetics, geometrical constructions and proofs, recreational math, foundational discoveries in trigonometry and mensuration, math in music, poetry and everyday life and Indian puzzles as well.
Topics
Currently the full fledged curriculum and resources shall be rolled out for Levels 1 to 3, with each level as a book. Key concepts of Indian Knowledge Systems covered in these two series of books are:
Complete Curriculum Overview
Integrated Indic Sciences (Levels 1 to 3)
Ayurveda ~ Indian Health Sciences
Introduction to Ayurveda through Itihasa stories and modern initiatives for Ayurveda
Understanding elements of the universe and nature through the lens of Ayurveda
Ayurvedic view of food, rasas and doshas
Understanding good health according to Ayurveda
Understanding Chetana and Achetana and various classifications of reality through Padartha Vijnana
Yoga ~ Philosophy and Practice
Understanding Ashtanga Yoga
Yogic construct of Panchakosha - the five sheaths
Understanding human mind through insights from Patanjali Yogasutras
Graded practices to hone physical health, emotional balance and cognitive development
Nakshatra Vidya ~ Indian Astronomy
Foundational observations in Indian Astronomy
Understanding Earth’s rotational motion through geo-centric experience
Uttarayana and Dakshinayana caused by the tilt of the Earth
Navagrahas and Lord of days through Puranic stories and science
Movement of the moon and measure of a Tithi
Shadritu - the science behind seasons
Bharatiya Ganita (Levels 1 to 3)
Number Systems in Indian Mathematics
Appreciation for number systems
Indian decimal number system and its evolution from Vedic times
Unique number representations in poetry - Katapayadi, Bhutasankya and Aryabhatiya systems
Mastering fast calculations and mental arithmetics
Techniques for mastering high speed addition and subtraction of small and large numbers
Methods for multiplying small and large numbers through special as well as generalized techniques
Calculating squares and square roots comfortably
Calculating cubes and cube roots comfortably
Indian techniques for Factorisation & LCM
Operations with fractions
Indian Geometry
Evolution of Geometry from Vedic Era
Appreciation for Pi and Surds through Geometric constructions
Addition and Subtraction in Geometric figures
Area, Perimeter and Volume calculations in Indian math
Area-preserving transformations
Geometric constructions with only pins, string and pencil
Unique topics and puzzles from Indian mathematicians
Puzzles that help foundational construction of equations
Playing with ratios and proportions
Number series and pattern generation
Mathematics in poetry, rhythm and music
Constructing magic squares of small and large sizes
History of Indian mathematics
Evolution of foundational ideas in math
Important texts in Indian math and its contents
Highlights on key Indian mathematicians for over 4 millenia and their key breakthroughs and contributions
Learning Pathway
Level - 1 Books
Foundational IKS concepts
No prerequisites to learning from this book. Appropriate for ages 8 and above.
Apt to introduce in Grades 3, 4, 5 & 6.
Duration:
20-25 periods for Integrated Sciences
15-20 periods for Ganita
Level - 2 Books
Expansion of frameworks based on the prior foundation
Prerequisite: completion of Level-1 book.
Apt to introduce in Grades 4, 5, 6 & 7.
Duration:
25-30 periods for Integrated Sciences
20-25 periods for Ganita
Level - 3 Books
Higher order concepts based on the prior frameworks
Prerequisite: completion of Level 1 and 2 books.
Apt to introduce in Grades 5, 6, 7 & 8.
Duration:
25-30 periods for Integrated Sciences
20-25 periods for Ganita
Over time, the books of level 4 through 6 will also be made available.
Support by the Foundation to Schools
Anaadi Foundation shall provide the book and slide resources for the school’s usage. Pedagogical training for teachers will also be offered at an agreed time with the school.
Online teacher support will be available for the courses. An online platform that hosts resources for children along with quizzes will be made available for the benefit of continuous engagement and evaluation. Interested schools may fill the interest form below:
Support by the Foundation to Individual Learners
Anaadi Foundation shall provide the book and slide resources for the learners. Video lessons and audio chants will also be made available.
About Anaadi Foundation
Anaadi Foundation is a socio-spiritual organization started in 2015 by Sh. Adinarayanan and Smt. Smrithi Rekha. The founders were formerly faculty members and researchers of Computer Science, Value and Cultural Education. The foundation has been offering a number of IKS related workshops for children, educators and parents. Sh. Adinarayanan is an Adjunct Professor of Practice at IIT Delhi and Smt. Smrithi is an Adjunct Faculty for Culture at Kumaraguru College of Technology. Anaadi Foundation was part of MHRD’s value education panel from 2017-2019. Recently, the foundation received funding from AICTE for their IKS project. The programs at Anaadi Foundation emerge from the deep Tapasya done by the founders and the passion of well-qualified volunteers to benefit the society.