At IIT Mandi, reincarnation, ‘out-of-body experiences’ are compulsory topics for BTech students

NEW DELHI: First-year engineering students at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi will have to compulsorily study a course whose topics include “concept of subtle body”, “reincarnation”, and “near-death and out-of-body experiences”.

Offered by the new Indian Knowledge Systems department, the ‘Introduction to Consciousness and Wellbeing’ course is a must for all BTech students. Other topics in the course include “theories of consciousness”, “effects of IKS art/dance forms on the mind”, “Supreme consciousness”; “anatomy and functionality of the physical body” with “perspectives from Western medicine and Ayurveda”; “gut-mind connection”; and meditation.

“All the IKS courses are littered with pseudoscientific topics,” said a member of the IIT Mandi community asking not to be identified, even by their role at the engineering college.

A student from the campus, also on condition of anonymity, said: “Everyone has to do one IKS course in their first year. This was introduced from the 2022 batch and previous batches did one IKS course in the third and fourth year. All this was brought after the new director came in 2022.”

There are also weekly Bhagwad Gita recitals and yoga classes that are compulsory and for which attendance is marked.

In an email response from IIT Mandi, it stated: “Introduction to consciousness and holistic wellbeing, approved by the senate of IIT Mandi, is a mandatory course for undergraduate students. This course focuses on the universal value systems, leading to holistic development of the students. The course includes modules such as yoga, guided meditation, physical exercise and community services. The course represents a pioneering approach to integrating holistic wellness practices. This program has been developed as per the mandate of the Ministry of Education and with Senate approval.”

Indian Knowledge System and IIT Mandi

The promotion of Indian Knowledge Systems is a pet project of the union government. It began with a workshop on research in Indian traditional knowledge in 2020 and was followed by the establishment of an IKS Division in October, the same year. The IKS division is housed at the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) which perhaps explains the emphasis on technical schools. Since then, the government has funded IKS centres and research across institutions. In 2023, higher education regulator, University Grants Commission (UGC) , framed guidelines on integrating IKS into mainstream higher education.

At IIT Mandi, the IKS centre is called Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Applications Centre (IKSMHA) and seeks to find applications for rituals and practices described in Hindu scripture to issues such as mental health concerns, addiction and others.

Non-mandatory elective courses offered by the centre include topics like “rebirthing”; chanting “beej mantra” and mental health; “characteristics of pure semen and healthy menstrual flow”; “Indian government and Indian politician and jyotish”; gemstones and crystals and their ‘scientific effects’ on the human brain.

“There are several pseudoscientific courses,” said a source from IIT Mandi, pointing specifically to the course, IK 592_1, titled ‘Selected topics in the Scientific basis of Mantra Chikitsa’, meaning treatment through invocation or incantation. “It mixes unscientific topics like chanting Beej mantra, soul seat, colour energy, distance healing with actual diseases like OCD and thyroid,” said the source. “From the syllabus it appears that they talk about applying these pseudoscientific treatments to actual diseases.”

IIT Mandi, however, maintains that its approach to IKS is scientific. “Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Application (IKSMHA) Centre at IIT Mandi pursues scientific research concerning mind, brain and consciousness in application to mental well-being. The research domains under the IKSMHA centre include cognitive matter, bio-switches of consciousness, impact of practices such as yoga, meditation, music, and other forms of performing arts on aspects of mental well-being such as stress, anxiety, sleep quality, and principles of Ayurveda .”

It goes on to add, “The centre also offers various courses like Cognitive psychology, Biosignals and biomarkers, Cognitive neuroscience, Introduction to Yogasutra, Contemplative psychology, Sankhya Philosophy, Indian Astronomy. These courses are offered at the postgraduate level, which can be opted as electives by undergraduate students.”

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IIT Mandi: IKS courses and faculty

Members of the campus community say that the emphasis on IKS is a result of the director, Laxmidhar Behera’s interest in it. Last year, his claim that there were links between meat-eating and landslides was condemned and ridiculed by student groups and others .

A student from IIT Mandi campus added, “The programme of IKSMHA is the agenda of the director. The courses at the centre are mandatory and IIT Mandi’s senate has passed this mandate. This is a proper centre in IIT with courses and students pursuing PhD in this area. IKS is mostly taught by the director Laxmidhar Behra, especially the mandatory course for first years and a group of professors teach Bhagavad Gita.”

Students have also alleged that there is “no specialised faculty” for the department and most teachers are drawn from different departments based on their interest. The department’s website suggests that most of the faculty are drawn from other departments, such as computer science and biology.

IIT Mandi said in its statement, “Around 40 researchers are working across these areas in the centre, equipped with modern scientific tools and analytical techniques. More than 20 faculty members are associated with this program either as course instructors or research supervisors.”

A student stated that most of the researchers joining the centre are from spiritual or religious groups. One pointed out that Venkatesh Chembrolu , a core team member from Institute of Science and Spirituality, Delhi, a part of ISKCON, also takes classes for the mandatory courses. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has worked as a reliability engineer at Meta and has earned a Phd from Stanford University and BTech from IIT Bombay. The website also mentions a professor of practice, Hidehiko Saegusa, co-director, Science of Consciousness Laboratory, California Institute of Human Sciences, and board member and research scientist, Center of Consciousness Studies, University of Arizona.

‘Great man destroyed science’

Several posts on Reddit, a social media platform, dwell on the IIT Mandi director’s statements and initiatives with one saying, “the great man destroyed science”. This was in response to his lecture at the Children’s Science Congress where he suggested that scientists now believe there is “an ocean at the centre” of the earth and that children “should not believe in textbooks”.

The tone of others posts is of befuddlement or disbelief. One summarises Behera’s stellar academic record, from National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela to IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur and finally IIT Mandi, and his significant contributions to “areas such robotics-based ware-house automation, vision and drone guided driver assistance system, and drone guided pipeline inspection systems''. It notes his many successful efforts toward fostering connections with industry. “Hard to believe someone with this much qualification [can] say such nonsense,” the post concludes.

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The response to the IKS-related initiatives are mixed and there is little dissent. “Teaching Bhagavad Gita is good but the administration has made some things compulsory like yoga classes at 7 in the morning and many students are not interested in it. Since it's compulsory, everyone has to do it,” said a student. Another student said, “The first and second-year students are forced to attend the Bhagwat Katha.”

In its response, IIT Mandi mentions a study that supposedly proves the effectiveness of IKS methods. “An in-house research study, conducted as a part of this course, assesses the students based on standard psychological questionnaires and physiological measurements (non-invasive) in the early and latter parts of the course. Statistical analysis of the data revealed significant positive improvements across mood states, stress reduction, subjective well-being, better parasympathetic activity, and sleep quality. This indicates that the practices and learning in the course also contributes towards improvement of overall well-being of the students.”

Not everyone is convinced. A senior student described it as “hijacking growing minds”. “The gap came due to Covid. Before the pandemic, everything was questioned by the students but after the lockdown everything changed,” they said. “Now, there are restrictions in the campus with high surveillance and students don't say anything.”

The institute’s statement says: “IIT Mandi believes that students will gain valuable insights into ancient wisdom and its contemporary relevance, fostering a deeper understanding of their cultural roots. The IKS course will complement their technical education, encouraging critical thinking, problem-solving, and a holistic worldview.”