350 academics come out in support of IGNOU s Jyotish course The scholars condemned a concerted effort by ambassadors of Western ideologies to suppress our knowledge traditions in their letter to the education minister
Nearly 350 academics on Friday came out in support of the course on Indian astrology that the Indira Gandhi National Open University has introduced and condemned a “concerted effort” by “ambassadors of Western ideologies” to suppress “our knowledge traditions”.
The comments came in an open letter that faculty members and researchers from various colleges and universities wrote to education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal.
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The letter came days after more than 1,000 academics, mainly from the sciences, issued a statement terming astrology a “pseudoscience” and opposing the master’s degree programme in jyotish that Ignou launched on June 24
Several scientists have closed ranks to accuse Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou) of promoting “pseudoscience” after the institute last week launched a postgraduate programme in astrology to make students “employable in the field of jyotish”.
The master’s degree programme in jyotish (MAJY), launched by the Centre-run Ignou on June 24, will be conducted through the distance mode, as are its other courses.
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More than 1,000 scientists and academics have already signed a note that acknowledges India’s rich tradition of mathematical astronomy dating back to the Vedic period.
“However, these achievements cannot and should not be used as a proxy to justify claims that the positions of the planets somehow have an impact on anyone’s daily life, or instruments like horoscopes can actually predict anyone’s future,” the note said.
If physics undergraduates studying electromagnetic waves take a break over the next few days to try and grasp how the gau mata radiates an “aura of mystical power”, none will be more pleased than the higher education regulator.
Medical students can do their bit by devoting themselves to analysing the therapeutic properties of the “panchgavya, a mixture of cow’s milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung”.
The University Grants Commission wants all university and college students to take an online test on the cow’s miraculous abilities, to be held by a government body on February 25. The exam is open to all citizens.
Coronavirus | Indian scientists divided over nod for Covaxin
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While some say safety parameters are good, others have asked for efficacy data
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Medical staff busy in last minute revision for vaccination at jumbo COVID-19 vaccination centre at Bandra-Kurla complex in Mumbai on the eve of first phase vaccination drive. | Photo Credit: Vivek Bendre
While some say safety parameters are good, others have asked for efficacy data
While 3,000 sites across India prepare to vaccinate three crore high-risk individuals, beginning with healthcare workers, from January 16, scientists and doctors are divided on the issue of restricted use approval granted to the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, a COVID-19 vaccine.
» Eating Beef Invites Bad Karma, Traces of Gold in Cow Urine : Annual Cow Exam Syllabus Raises Eyebrows
2-MIN READ Eating Beef Invites Bad Karma, Traces of Gold in Cow Urine : Annual Cow Exam Syllabus Raises Eyebrows
A stray cow stands next to Hindu devotees taking dips in the River Ganges, during the Ganga Dussehra festival, in Prayagraj, India, Monday, June 1, 2020.
The Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) Chairman Vallabhbhai Kathiria had said this exam will be held annually, in a bid to generate interest among students and general public about the indigenous cow and its benefits.
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After the government announced on Tuesday that a national-level voluntary exam on cow science will be held on February 25, reports suggest that beef consumption has been linked to bad karma in the syllabus for the test.