Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar has started offering the fifth edition of an online elective course named ‘Introduction to Indian Knowledge System’ under a broader theme ‘The Indian Web of Arts and Aesthetics’ from today onwards. It will be including modules on intellectual, literary, artistic, scientific and technological knowledge traditions. Students of other institutes across Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar are also allowed to pursue the course. They can join the course for free by filling an online registration form on the website- iks.iitgn.ac.in.

The course will be based on online video sessions which will be shared on the website and official YouTube channel. The content of lectures will also be available in written format.

A total of 13 professors will be delivering lectures on several themes. Some of these are –

• Buddhism’s spread in and beyond India by Prof Lokesh Chandra
• Mahabharata: India’s first anthropological project
• Pan-Indianness of Ramayana by Prof Michel Danino
• Introduction to Indian poetics by Dr R Ganesh
• The practice of ancient Indian theatre by Dr Bharat Gupt
• Natyashastra and its pan-Indian legacy
• Indian linguistic tradition by Prof Kapil Kapoor
• Aesthetics of poetry and pleasure by Dr Shonaleeka Kaul
• Indian painting by Dr Nanditha Krishna
• Tamil-Sanskrit interface by Dr R Nagaswamy
• Kerala performing arts by Ms Ankita Nair
• Indian architecture by Prof VN Prabhakar
• Indian music: classical and folk traditions by Prof Srinivas Reddy
• Chronicling History: The Indian Way by Ms Mana Shah
• Indian dance and national unity by Dr Padma Subramanyam