WE ASC

The Curtain Falls on a successful and thought-provoking IInd WE ASC 2012 and Rises on New Dynamics of Educational Evolution

WE ASC Congress — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:46:07 +0000

Shruti Foundation’s IInd WE ASC World Education Culture Congress envisioned by Lady Shruti Rana and organized in partnership with
Indian Council for Cultural Relations was inaugurated by Kumari Selja, Minister for Culture, Housing and Poverty Alleviation and presided over by Dr Karan Singh, President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Mr S.K. Misra, Chairman- Shruti Foundation enthusiastically welcomed the delegates and students and spoke briefly about the objectives of the foundation and the Congress.

Lady Shruti Rana, in her introduction to the Congress laid out the dimensions to the congress, and reiterated that the theme – Revisiting Education Culture for Organic Progress with a special focus on Natural Knowledge and New Experiments, adopted the following approach:

Transforming and developing the educator’s psychology and pedagogical approach
Evaluation and assessment paradigms, and
The separation and inequity in assessment of scholastic versus co-scholastic disciplines.

She reiterated the seminal significance of the three principles of teaching by Sri Aurobindo in this regard – 1) Nothing Can be Taught, 2) The Mind Must be Consulted in Its Growth , and 3) From the Near to the Far – hence experiencing and learning from one’s inner inspirations, one own body as well as one’s immediate environment and language, before imposing unfamiliar knowledge, language and abstractions, which detract from the child’s natural absorption, assimilation and expression. She further stressed that one must never lose sight of two key issues; soshan – action for personal benefit, versus poshan –nourishment by action for self as well as all universal elements and beings. She also reminded the Congress of two key ideas from the Upanishads, which taught the student the value of Shreyas – actions which contributed to sustainable and long term gain versus Preyas – choices or actions which were for short term pleasure or gratification.

The Honorable minister for Culture, Kumari Selja highlighted the importance of the synergy between Indian Culture and the educational process through its philosophies, values and Traditional Knowledge Systems, and its importance in developing a holistic human being. She said, “When we refer to ‘natural ways of learning’ we mean both the pedagogic methodology as well as the content. We are reminded of Tagore’s efforts to deconstruct the structured rigidity of class-rooms and take the young ones out to a more open, flexible and natural ambience. According to her, the children should focus more on the natural form of education system. The objective of education must be to replace an empty mind into an open one. She concluded with the famous Sanskrit verse beginning with, “Vidya Dadati Vinayam” which reminded the Congress that true knowledge and learning leads to humility and simplicity of being.

Dr Karan Singh, President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations in his presidential remarks spoke of the four pillars of education which he was also instrumental in drafting for UNESCO, which are – Learning to know, Learning to do, Learning to live together, Learning to be and spoke of their true significance and meaning in the context of the Congress. He stressed on the inculcation of human values and universal understanding in learning through one’s cultural knowledge and also spoke about the role of media in ignoring inter-faith and culturally significant events while highlighting negative and sensational events in the media. He congratulated Lady Rana on her dynamic action over many years and her vision for transformation in education, as well as on the intricately woven Congress structure.

The inimitable Dr. Sam Pitroda, innovator and advisor to Prime Minister of India, enunciated some personal experiences and his vision for education and development at the grass roots in India. He urged educators to understand the profound impact of the web in our relationships as well as respect and understand that connectivity is the key to revolution. He shared details of the developmental work in progress on AV connectivity of two hundred and fifty panchayats, where cyber security would offer jobs to more than ten thousand people in the telecom sector and thereby establish working environments to build a new India where more than hundred thousand crores are being spent. He expressed dismay over the fact that the best brains today are busy solving the problems of the rich, where the need is to solve problems of the poor. He emphasized on the importance of leading children to do what they want, innovate and allow them to evolve at their own pace where “talent needs to be given opportunity”.

Dr Abhishek Singhvi MP and senior-most National Spokesperson of the Congress party felicitated the very concept of the Congress, which he submitted was “about the necessity to think inclusive and to be holistic, not merely in educational paradigms or cultural concepts but in all our endeavors”. He felt that the themes of the Congress made it clear that “the approach is grand but universal, it is big but relevant and it is all inclusive but closely interconnected.” He appreciated the sub-themes of the Congress as actually being the “the bedrock on which our founders had conceived this great nation and were intended to be the foundational focus of our educational and cultural endeavors” He reminded us of the three jewels – Jnana, Darshana and Charitra that provided the framework of value-oriented education and reflected a holistic approach. He felt that since Independence, on this issue, there was” government but little governance, vision but little action” and felt the need to “redesign our moral science classes to rescue them from the stereotype jokes that they have become”. He cautioned that a “compulsory subject is not to be taught in an insipid or didactic manner, unleashing tomes of reading material and deadening the entire imbibing process”. He further stated, “If India is now a country of post midnight children with over seventy percent less than forty years old, we have to completely revamp the culture of our educational system and re-educate ourselves about our culture”. He quoted the Jain saint, Acharya Mahapragya who said “Intellect and intuition are two recurring words in Indian literature. Our educational system attaches high priority to memory, less to intellect and the least to intuition.” Finally, he felt that holistic approaches such as that of the Shruti Foundation’s WE ASC Education Culture Congress “contribute far more, and much more effectively, to the GDP of the country. There is now a growing awareness, bordering on universal recognition, that GDP, as traditionally known, is a highly incomplete measure of prosperity and happiness”.

The scintillating and unique choreographies, “NAYIKA” by Dr Sonal Mansingh on Day 1 which seamlessly synchronized different classical dance styles to Tagore’s musical poetry and “Chirantan” by Tanusree Shankar on Day 3 based on Tagore’s music and writings with Narration by Amitabh Bachchan, provided a truly exciting, multisensory, cultural, educational and joyful dimension, mesmerizing the participants of this unique Congress.

The IInd WE ASC World Education Culture Congress from January 12-15, 2012 was indeed a very meaningful movement on a significant platform, with endorsements from leaders and decision makers, who applauded the effort, focus and direction of Shruti Foundation and of the impassioned organisers, educators, and last but not the least, of the students and youth volunteers who made the Congress a success.

Invitation to attend the WE ASC Congress 2012

WE ASC Congress — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:21:19 +0000

Dear Friends,

You are invited to attend the “2nd World Education Culture Congress 2012″ from 12th to 15th January 2012 organised by Shruti Foundation.

The World Education Culture Congress will be held on January 12th and 13th, 2012 at Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Azad Bhavan, Indraprastha Estate New Delhi and on 14th, 15th January 2012 India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
Some of the highlights are as follows:

12th January, 2012 at Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Azad Bhavan, Indra Prastha Estate, New Delhi.
10:00 am: Inaugration by Smt. Kumari Selija(Minister for Culture, Govt of India) and Presidential Address by Dr. Karan Singh.
7:00 pm: A Unique Choreography by Dr. Sonal Mansingh, based on Tagore’s writings followed by Inaugural dinner.
13th January Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Indra Prastha Estate, New Delhi
9:00 am – 5:00 pm Nine Parallel Academic Sessions
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Special Key Note Address by Mr. Sam Pitroda, Chief Advisor to Prime Minister of India
6:45 pm – 7:30 pm “CHIRANTAN” – Special Choreographical Performance by Tanushree Sankar and her troupe from West Bengal based on Tagore’s writings.
15th January 2012, Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi
12:15 pm Closing Session and Valedictory Address by Sri Kapil Sibal, Honorable Minister for Human Resource Development (TBC).

The Congress will adopt a two-pronged approach:

To examine representation and application of cultural contexts, natural knowledge and new experiments and their dissemination in education systems, with a view to developing practical solutions and formats for self development, leadership, sustainable progress and human empowerment.
It will also examine the influence of the evolving culture of education and pedagogy, for deep systematic change and integrality in education objective, process and result.

Your participation will give meaningful momentum to the WE ASC World Education Culture Congress interactions, with respect to emerging narratives and trends in “education culture”. We look forward to enjoying your participation and receiving your confirmation of registration and attendance accordingly. For more details, visit www.we-asc.org

For more information, please contact:

Registration: Ms Apoorva Thakur- Email: we.asc.congress@gmail.com; Mobile: +919717455934
Hon. Secretary and SeniorAcademic Coordinator: Email ashapandey7@gmail.com; Mobile: +919818280148
Convener: Lady Shruti Rana: Email: lady.shruti.rana@gmail.com

Empowerment of Women

WE ASC Congress — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:26:58 +0000

Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, racial, educational, gender or economic strength of individuals and communities. It involves power to, power with and power within. Speaking about Women empowerment, the power relation that has to be involved includes their lives at multiple levels i.e., family, community, market and the state. Women Empowerment has now become a significant topic with regards to development and economics. Earlier women were generally homemakers and were restricted to move out, basic education was even disallowed. Today’s woman has really come of age from being a submissive household figure to corporate executives who have taken over the world.Empowerment is not about giving people power, it’s about letting this power out. It helps people to further gain knowledge and develop skills in order to overcome the hurdles in their work. It includes the ability to consider a range of options from which to choose, the ability to make decisions and the ability to inform others’ perceptions through exchange education and engagement. For a general idea on how women empowerment can impact a situation monetarily, a study found that of fortune 500 companies, “those with more women as executives or board of directors had significantly higher financial returns, including 53 percent higher returns on equity, 24 percent higher returns on sales and 67 percent higher returns on invested capital.” It is truly said “You educate a man, you educate a man; you educate a woman, you educate a generation.”
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. Women have adorned high offices in India including that of the President, Prime minister, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and Leader of the Opposition. There have been a series of changes in a country that has a woman president, a woman speaker and a woman heading United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Scientifically proven women are better investors, politicians and even better homemakers. Recently the government , United Nations and a lot of NGO’s have been very instrumental in the development of women’s rights.
The United Nations Development Programme focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment not only as human rights, but also because they are a pathway to achieving the Millennium Development Goals and sustainable development. In 10 states in India, UNDP joined forces with the ministry for local governance and civil society organizations to support women elected to public office in more than 2,600 village councils.
Studies also show that when women are supported and empowered, all of society benefits. Their families are healthier, more children go to school, agricultural productivity improves and incomes increase. In short, communities become more resilient. Let us all of us step ahead and encourage them in order to make world a better place to live.
Shruti Foundation is deeply committed to the cause of women. It has constituted the SHE (Saluting Her Endeavor) award for women for outstanding service to society and humanity. This was launched on 1 st March 2011 by Shruti Foundation on the occasion of the 100 th International Women’s day. The event also highlighted gender issues through a powerful performance by Geeta Chandran called Pankh – Flights of Freedom.

About WE ASC

WE ASC Congress — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:15:58 +0000

IInd WE ASC World Education Culture Congress 2012
12th – 15th January 2012, New Delhi, India

www.we-asc.org
www.shrutifoundation.org

Conceptualised and Organised by
Shruti Foundation

In collaboration with
Indian Council for Cultural Relations

Conference Theme:

“Education Culture” for Organic Progress
Special focus: Indigenous Knowledge and New Experiments

Highlights

12th January 1000:
Presidential Address: Dr Karan Singh
12th January 1900:
Special Cultural performance by Dr Sonal Mansingh, based on Tagore’s writings
13th January 2012, 0930 – 1700 pm:
Integral Education full day workshop by Lady Shruti Rana
14 January 2012, 5.30-6.30 pm:
Special Key Note Address by Mr. Sam Pitroda, Chief Advisor to Prime Minister of India

For more information, please contact:
Registration and Academic Info: Email: Ms. Apoorva Thakur
Stalls: Mr Amar Jha
Convener: Lady Shruti Rana: Email: lady.shruti.rana@gmail.com

About the WE-ASC Congress

The WE-ASC World Education Culture Congress 2012 will deliberate on the congress theme and will review the recommendations of the WE ASC Congress 2011 with respect to emerging narratives and trends in education culture. It will adopt a two-pronged approach

To examine representation and application of cultural contexts, natural knowledge and new experiments and their dissemination in educational systems with a view to developing practical solutions and formats for self development, leadership, sustainable progress and human empowerment.
To influence the evolving culture of education and pedagogy, for deep systemic change and integrality in educational objective, process and result.

For more information, please contact:

General Info: Email: we.asc.congress@gmail.com
Convener: Lady Shruti Rana: Email: lady.shruti.rana@gmail.com

Evolving Culture in Education

WE ASC Congress — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:59:34 +0000

The father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi said, no culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive. Culture, therefore is general in nature. It is a characteristic of the well-to-do, having an all-rounded education and exposed to knowledge of the world at large. Every man’s ability
may be strengthened or increased by its culture. Studies have shown that exposure of cultural activity helps a person improving observational skills. The importance of art education can be understood from the fact that the whole of human history that we know of today, has been conveyed to us through various art forms such as literature, music, visual arts, dance and
drama. Art transcends all boundaries be it geographical or cultural. Art can bring imagination to life and give life to imagination.With more than 4000 communities, 22 languages, 6 major religions, and over 800 million people we can say that there exists different culture throughout the country. Education although considered primarily necessary for human development, however knowledge of different culture is also equally important. Culture evolves over time, without culture education is considered incomplete. Being cultured means making a conscious decision to do something because you are driven by a special purpose, and this can only be possible only after some thinking.