Humanising Science

The importance of introducing traditional knowledge to young scientists   Can complex scientific concepts and mathematical theorems have a dialogue with Indian folk dance? This was the question I posed as the end-term assignment for the course on ‘Mapping India with Folk Art’ that I was offering to IISc’s undergraduate students in 2015. I asked […]

Understanding COVID-19 Through the Lens of the Social Sciences

COVID-19 has brought upon us an extraordinary situation, throwing our lives into tumult. While the crisis is largely being reported and understood from the biological and epidemiological viewpoints, we tend to sideline the fact that it is essentially a watershed moment in human history. Connect spoke to scholars from the social sciences and humanities about […]

Why I Teach Science Students About Folk Arts

A faculty member reflects on an unusual course offered to undergraduate students This year, I am teaching the sixth edition of the undergraduate humanities course “Mapping India with the Folk Arts”. In this course, we delve into indigenous knowledge, or common people’s knowledge, focusing on a different form of Indian folk art every year. By […]

India on the Minds of IISc’s Undergraduate Students

What do maps of India have to do with an undergrad course at the Institute? If you attended the closing ceremony of ‘India on Our Mind’ – the exhibition on Indian maps held at IISc from 18 March to 20 April – you might have spotted a bunch of students being given certificates that day […]