Workshop on Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health

Indian Institute of Technology Mandi in partnership with IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation

25th - 27th March 2022

Welcome to Indian Institute of Technology Mandi

About IIT Mandi

IIT Mandi is located a few hours before the Himalayan resort of Kullu in Himachal Pradesh. It was established with the vision to be a leader in science and technology, knowledge creation and innovation, in an India marching towards a just inclusive and sustainable society.

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About IIT Mandi iHub & HCI Foundation

A Technology Innovation Hub (TIH) in human-computer interaction (IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation or iHub) has been set up at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi under India’s National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems. The iHub is planned to make India a leader in human-computer interaction (HCI) research in the world. The iHub is a section-8 company that has been created with a funding of INR 110 crores through the Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The primary activities of the iHub are research and technology development, skill development, incubation and acceleration of startups, and collaborations in HCI areas.

Objectives of the Workshop

In a world driven by cutting-edge artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction, the Indian knowledge system (IKS) education may first seem to be an urban legend. However, recent research reveals the importance and benefits of IKS for the human body, mental health, and wellbeing. In fact, IKS has deep roots that are grounded in Indian history, philosophy, society, arts, languages, science and technology, and life sciences. To explore these connections and IKS’s applications to mental health, the IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, is organizing a workshop on “Indian knowledge system and mental health.” The aim of this workshop is to provide insights on empirical research related to IKS and mental health. Another aim of this workshop is to discuss and brainstorm on a graduate program curriculum grounded in IKS as well as the different research themes connected to IKS and its benefits for the human body, mental health, and wellbeing. The target audience include academia, industry, researchers, experts, and practitioners of IKS. The workshop will cover invited talks, poster sessions, panel discussions, and brainstorming sessions focused on issues related to IKS and mental health.

Our Speakers

K Sanjay Murthy

Secretary, Dept. of Higher Education

H R Nagendra

Chancellor, S-VYASA

Laxmidhar Behera

Director, IIT Mandi

Sushil Chandra

Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, DRDO

Kunal P Mooley

California Institute of Technology

Marieke van Vugt

University of Groningen, The Netherlands

Sachin Sharma

Patanjali Research Foundation

Aarti Jagannathan

National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences

Rama Jayasundar

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

Gunjan Trivedi

Wellness Space

Pawan Goyal

IIT Kharagpur

Nirmalya Guha

IIT (BHU)

Nishtha Agarwal

Creative Movement Therapy Association of India

Munishwar Rai

Maharishi Markandeshwar University (Deemed to be University)

Shivarama Varambally

NIMHANS Integrated Centre for Yoga (NICY)

Maanasa Bharat

Creative Movement Therapy Association of India

Braj Bhushan

IIT Kanpur

Uma Shankar Prasad Adluri

SIVAS Health and Research Institute, Secunderabad

Venugopal Damerla

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, USA

Pranshul Saini

Breathing Minds

Ashish Pandey

IIT Bombay

Ganesh Ramakrishnan

IIT Bombay

W. Selvamurthy

Amity Science, Technology & Innovation Foundation (ASTIF)

Christopher Key Chapple

Loyola Marymount University

Lori Rubenstein Fazzio

Loyola Marymount University

Lalan Kumar

IIT Delhi

Amit Kumar Pandey

Being AI

Ayush Goyal

Texas A&M University

Program Schedule

Friday, 25th March

09:45 - 10:15 Inaugural Ceremony

10:15 - 11:00 Session - 1 (Indian Knowledge System-related Research and UG/PG Programmes & Curriculum Design; )

11:00 - 13:00 Session - 2 (Curriculum and Indian Knowledge System; Ms. Maanasa Bharath, Dr. Kunal P. Mooley, Dr. Shankar Prasad Adluri, and Dr. Ayush Goyal)

13:00 - 14:00 Working Lunch

14:00 - 15:45 Session - 3 (Discussion on the Basic Course Curriculum for a graduate-level program involving traditional art forms for mental health and wellbeing; Panel members: Dr. Purnima Bajre, Ms. Maanasa Bharath, Dr. Rama Jayasundar, Dr. Munishwar Rai, Dr. Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Dr. Amit Kumar Pandey )

15:45 - 16:00 Tea Break

16:00 - 18:00 Session - 4 (Outreach and projects; Dr. Ashish Pandey, Mr. Sachin Sharma, Mr. Avinash Punekar, Dr. Shivarama Varambally, Mr. Hriday Vikram, Dr. Christopher Key Chapple, and Dr. Lori Rubenstein Fazzio)

Saturday, 26th March

09:00 - 11:00 Session - 1 (Yoga and Meditation; Speakers: Dr. Sunita Mittal, Dr. Aarti Jaganathan, Mr. Pranshul Saini, Dr. Selvamurthy)

11:00 - 11:15 Tea Break

11:15 - 13:15 Session - 2 (Art forms and mental health; Speakers: Ms. Nishtha Agarwal, Dr. V. Damerla, Dr. Ganesh Ramakrishnan, Dr. Nirmalaya Guha)

13:15 - 14:00 Working Lunch

14:00 - 15:45 Session - 3 (Discussion on the research themes in the program involving traditional art forms for mental health and wellbeing; Panel members: Dr. Shubhajit Roy Chowdhury, Dr Amit Kumar Pandey, Dr. Sushil Chandra, Ms. Nishtha Agarwal, Dr. Pawan Goyal, Dr. V. Damerla, Dr. Shankar Prasad Adluri, Dr. Nirmalya Guha, Dr. Ashish Pandey and other delegates )

15:45 - 16:00 Tea Break

16:00 - 17:45 Session - 4 (Students Presentations; Speakers: Mr. Ashish Gupta, Ms. Swati Singh, Mr. Akash K Rao, Mr. Ranjeet Jha, Mr. Shashank Uttrani, Ms. Aayushi Shah)

Sunday, 27th March

09:00 - 11:00 Session - 1(Meditation, mental health, and wellbeing; Speakers: Dr. Pawan Goyal, Mr. Gunjan Trivedi, Dr. Munishwar Rai, Dr. Sushil Chandra)

11:00 - 11:15 Tea Break

11:15 - 13:15 Session - 2 (Ayurveda, psychology, and mental health; Speakers: Dr. Rama Jayasunder, Dr. Braj Bhushan, Dr. Marieke Van Vugt, Dr. Lalan Kumar)

13:15 - 14:00 Working Lunch

14:00 - 15:45 Session - 3 (Discussion on the implementation of curriculum and research at IIT Mandi in IKS and MH; Panel members: Dr. Kunal P. Mooley, Dr. Braj Bhushan, Dr. V. Damerla, Mr. Gunjan Trivedi, Dr. Rama Jayasundar, Dr. Shankar Prasad Adluri, Dr. Pawan Goyal, Dr. Sushil Chandra and other delegates)

15:15 - 15:30 Tea Break

15:30 - 17:00 Session - 4 (Collaborations with IIT Mandi and IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation; Panel members: Mr. Avinash Punekar, Dr. Sushil Chandra, Mr. Pranshul Saini, Dr. Lalan Kumar, Dr. Shivarama Varambally, Dr. Sachin Sharma and other delegates)

17:00 - 17:30 Valedictory Ceremony

Important Dates

10.03.2022

Registration Begins

20.03.2022

Registration Close

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Registration

Indian Students (Virtual)

2000

Indian Postdoctoral fellows (Virtual)

2500

Indian Researchers/Faculty (Virtual)

3000

Indian Students (IN-PERSON)

4000

Indian Postdoctoral fellows (IN-PERSON)

5000

Indian Researchers/Faculty (IN-PERSON)

6000

International Attendee (Virtual)

80

Venue

IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation

Reaching Mandi

From Delhi:

By Bus/Taxi: From ISBT (Interstate bus terminus) platforms 6-8, Kashmere gate, Delhi, one can catch buses towards Manali or Mandi. One can opt for different types of buses ranging from ordinary, to deluxe to AC. For more details, please visit hrtc.gov.in (Himachal Road Transport Corporation website). Other state buses and private buses are also available. The road distance between Delhi and Mandi is ~475 km. and it usually takes approximately 12 hrs (depending on traffic and other conditions) by bus. Traveling by taxi or personal vehicle, reduces the journey time by nearly an hour.


By Train: The alternative to reach Mandi from Delhi is to travel by train up to Kiratpur Sahib by Delhi-Una Himachal express (Train number 14553). It takes approximately 3.5 hrs to reach Mandi from Kiratpur by road. The Kiratpur Sahib railway station is very small and a bit far from the bus stand. All the buses coming from Delhi and Chandigarh towards Mandi, pass through Kiratpur Sahib. There are well connected trains to Chandigarh from all parts of India.

From Chandigarh:

By Bus/Taxi: From Chandigarh the buses to Mandi are available at Sector 43 bus stand. The other choice from Chandigarh to Mandi is to travel by taxi. The distance between Chandigarh and Mandi is ~200 kms. This distance can be covered in approximately 6 hrs by bus. By taxi, it usually takes around 5 hrs.


To reach Mandi by Air:

The most convenient way to travel by air is via Chandigarh airport. It is at the distance of 214 Kms and takes around 6 hours to reach IIT campus. Chandigarh is well-connected with non-stop flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore and direct flights from Kolkata and Chennai. Two other nearby airports are: Dharamshala airport, Gaggal which is around 150 Kms (3.5 hours) and Kullu airport, Bhuntar, at the distance of 50 Kms (1.5 hours).


To reach Mandi by Helicopter:

The Chandigarh-Shimla route is already connected by the helicopter taxi service under UDAN-II. Heli taxi will take around 30 minutes to reach Shimla. After a 25-minute stop there, it will proceed to Mandi, where it will halt for 15 minutes. Thereafter, it will proceed to Kullu. On the way back to Shimla, it will touch Rampur. The service from Chandigarh to Shimla-Mandi-Dharamshala and Rampur will operates on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Bookings for travel to Mandi can also be made through https://booking.pawanhans.co.in/index.aspx, www.makemytrip.com, www.rebus.in, and www.hrtc.gov.in .






Note: There is shuttle service available from Mandi to IIT Mandi campus within every 2 hours. Link to bus schedule can be found here

Contact Us!

Phone

+91-1905-267985

Email

tih@iitmandi.ac.in

Address

IIT Mandi iHub and HCI Foundation Office, A17, Second Floor, North Campus, IIT Mandi, VPO Kamand District Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India - 175075