Come August, students of IIT Khagarpur will study Vastu Shastra in their attempts to becoming “well rounded architects”. The oldest and largest IIT in the country will introduce the course on which traditional Indian architecture study rests.
The basics will be taught to first and second-year undergraduate students while post-graduates and infrastructure research scholars will get a detailed grounding on the subject, as Times of India reported.
The concept did not figure in the architecture and infrastructure syllabi but faculty members feel that if concepts prevalent in the West are taught to students, then ancient Indian architectural traditions should be taught to them as well.
They are of the belief that Vastu studies are not rooted in religion but instead have a scientific basis, the introduction of which will open up new avenues, they said.
The Ranbir and Chitra Gupta School of Infrastructure Design and Management (RCGSIDM) of IIT Kharagpur held its first workshop on the subject, 'Vastu in Global Perspective', on Sunday, attracting Vastu experts from across the country.
Times are changing and across the globe there is a renewed interest in ancient Indian knowledge. So, it is natural that we will tweak our syllabus to include Vastu in architecture and infrastructure classes.Joy Sen, Head of RCGSIDM, Faculty Member, Architecture Department
“Incorporating Vastu principles in designs of buildings could make buildings more eco-friendly since principles of layout, measurements, ground preparation, space arrangement and spatial geometry are well defined in Vaastu Shastra,” said Sen.
The subject will be introduced in graded modules to undergraduate students who are taught basic design and history of architecture. The postgraduates will be taught solar principles, sacred diagrams, 9 circuit placements or the nabagraha mandal, sacred altars and design semiotics and semantics, among other things.
For PG infrastructure course, we will have BTech students from departments of architecture, civil, electrical, mechanical and even management graduates. So, at this level, we will have a greater variety to address.Joy Sen
Pointing out that well-known real estate firms these days are incorporating features of Vaastu Shastra in their buildings, Sen said, "In recent times, many leading architects are considering about following Vaastu features in their works and that is a good sign."
Written assignments, projects and tests will be taken on the Vastu concepts taught.
Vastu Shastra has its beginnings in Rig Veda and is scientific in its tenor. Today, the whole world is looking at green living, thanks to the way we are suffering due to erratic concretisation. The concept of Vastu revolves around the healthy relationship of nature and infrastructure, hence its modern relevance.
(With inputs from PTI)
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