Integrating Traditional Knowledge into our Contemporary Society

Bijendra Gogoi perfectly expresses my sentiments about traditional knowledge in the June 2nd issue of The Sentinel.

The great Indian philosopher Swami Vivekananda said, “But out of the past is built the future. Look back, therefore, as far as you can, drink deep of the eternal fountains that are behind, and after that, look forward, (and) march forward.”.

Today, as we witness the accelerating pace of change, the need to revive and integrate traditional knowledge into our contemporary lives becomes more urgent than ever. Our traditions are timeless anchors of resilience, repositories of knowledge that have withstood the test of time. They are not relics of the past.

Gogoi asserts that a more focused approach to traditional systems of knowledge is needed. While he lauds the Assam government’s establishment of the department of “Indigenous and Tribal Faith and Culture” he notes that governments cannot do this alone and concludes:

It is through jan bhagidari (public participation) that we can pave the way for a world that cherishes its traditions, nurtures its ecosystems, and embraces collaborative governance.