Shruti Foundation’s IInd WE ASC World Education Culture Congress envisioned by Lady Shruti Rana and organized in partnership with Indian Council for Cultural Relations was inaugurated by Kumari Selja, Minister for Culture, Housing and Poverty Alleviation and presided over by Dr Karan Singh, President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations. Mr S.K. Misra, Chairman- Shruti Foundation enthusiastically welcomed the delegates and students and spoke briefly about the objectives of the foundation and the Congress.

Lady Shruti Rana, in her introduction to the Congress laid out the dimensions to the congress, and reiterated that the theme – Revisiting Education Culture for Organic Progress with a special focus on Natural Knowledge and New Experiments, adopted the following approach:

1) Transforming and developing the educator’s psychology and pedagogical approach,

2) Evaluation and assessment paradigms, and

3) The separation and inequity in assessment of scholastic versus co-scholastic disciplines.

She reiterated the seminal significance of the three principles of teaching by Sri Aurobindo in this regard – 1) Nothing Can be Taught, 2) The Mind Must be Consulted in Its Growth , and 3) From the Near to the Far - hence experiencing and learning from one’s inner inspirations, one own body as well as one’s immediate environment and language, before imposing unfamiliar knowledge, language and abstractions, which detract from the child’s natural absorption, assimilation and expression. She further stressed that one must never lose sight of two key issues; soshan – action for personal benefit, versus poshan –nourishment by action for self as well as all universal elements and beings. She also reminded the Congress of two key ideas from the Upanishads, which taught the student the value of Shreyas - actions which contributed to sustainable and long term gain versus Preyas - choices or actions which were for short term pleasure or gratification.

The Honorable minister for Culture, Kumari Selja highlighted the importance of the synergy between Indian Culture and the educational process through its philosophies, values and Traditional Knowledge Systems, and its importance in developing a holistic human being. She said, “When we refer to ‘natural ways of learning’ we mean both the pedagogic methodology as well as the content. We are reminded of Tagore’s efforts to deconstruct the structured rigidity of class-rooms and take the young ones out to a more open, flexible and natural ambience. According to her, the children should focus more on the natural form of education system. The objective of education must be to replace an empty mind into an open one. She concluded with the famous Sanskrit verse beginning with, “Vidya Dadati Vinayam” which reminded the Congress that true knowledge and learning leads to humility and simplicity of being.

Dr Karan Singh, President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations in his presidential remarks spoke of the four pillars of education which he was also instrumental in drafting for UNESCO, which are - Learning to know, Learning to do, Learning to live together, Learning to be and spoke of their true significance and meaning in the context of the Congress. He stressed on the inculcation of human values and universal understanding in learning through one’s cultural knowledge and also spoke about t