K. Kasturirangan, chairman of Karnataka Knowledge Commission and former chairman of ISRO, has favoured the introduction and proliferation of interdisciplinary courses in universities.
Speaking at the 7th convocation of Rani Channamma University (RCU), he said that wide-spectrum institutions like RCU had a unique role in society’s present and future. The environment in such institutions is suitable for cross fertilisation of ideas among diverse disciplines.
“Modern branches of knowledge are expanding and there is need for interactive studies. We need emphasis on liberal education. It will prepare you to be a thinking citizen in the future. It is important to have a mix of arts, crafts, architecture, and aesthetics in higher education. An ecosystem that brings engineers and experts from other different fields on the same platform is required. We need to bring engineering and science education with arts, humanities and other fields. We need to look at the needs of the society and ensure international quality,” he said. “The true fruit of education is harmony. Never before in history were we more in need of harmony than in present times,” he said. He urged the school of languages to work for the rejuvenation and preservation of Indian languages.
He felt that Gaganyaan, the manned space flight announced by the Prime Minister could be very ambitious. “It could be challenging on many fronts including management of resources, technological advancement and international collaboration,” he said.
