Why engineers must engage in music and arts
The Times of India (September 1, 2020)
Scientific excellence does not come from rote learning but from the ability to innovate and communicate that can be developed through music and arts training
Post NEP 2020 and the focus on multidisciplinary learning in technical institutes, the need to nurture creative disciplines at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) has become imperative. At IIT Kharagpur, the Academy of Classical and Folk Arts has been set up aligned with this aim in view. "NEP 2020 has chalked out a clear path for interdisciplinary studies including arts and music which will create space in the mind of engineers and strengthen their thought process through an immersion in creative avenues," says Virendra Tewari, director IIT Kharagpur.
Classical music maestro Pt. Ajay Chakrabarty, heading the '100 Ragas Initiative' of the Academy is all for the blurring of such boundaries between disciplines. "It will give students the freedom to exercise their choice and live their dreams without sacrificing their academic careers," he says. (Read More)
Pictured above is a photo from the newly inaugurated GKF Music Classroom (created from a generous contribution by 1987 KGP alumnus, Mukund Padmanabhan) which is housed within the Academy of Classical and Folk Arts (ACFA)