India has been a powerhouse of science and spirituality for thousands of years, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said on Saturday as he reiterated the government's resolve to promote ancient Indian ideals and values.Sinha, who was addressing the first Vedic conference, also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had rekindled a sense of self-respect in the country's 140 crore people.The event, based on the theme "Vedon Mein Vigyan", was held at the Shri Ranbir Campus of Central Sanskrit University in Jammu.The lieutenant governor also commended the endeavours of Vigyan Bharati, Central Sanskrit University and everyone associated with the event.Highlighting the significant scientific achievements of the Vedic period, Sinha said, "Our Vedas are the first and a complete scientific knowledge system of mankind, which has been inspiring learning traditions since ages.""India has been a powerhouse of science and spirituality for thousands of years. When the Vedas were composed, India was the centre of the world's economy, education, culture and philosophy. It was the engine of world civilisation and our country laid the foundation of socioeconomic progress through science, mathematics, astronomy and medicine," he said.Sinha claimed India was not only emerging as the new economic power of the world under Modi's leadership but also gaining the respect and glory "achieved by our ancestors thousands of years ago in the Vedic period".He underscored the need to utilise the treasure of knowledge in science, mathematics, medicine, botany, arts and humanities to enrich the existing knowledge system and transform India into a knowledge economy."The prime minister gave a clarion call to shed the vestiges of colonial past to regain global stature. Our ancient past was glorious and we are poised for a brighter future. We should not live in the past but use the ancient values and ideals to face the future challenges," he said.Sinha also emphasised the important role of academic institutions and social organisations in reconnecting youngsters with their cultural roots."I am confident that this conference will also provide guidance towards better teaching-learning tools for the Indian knowledge system," he said.Sinha also unveiled an idol of the goddess Saraswati on the university premises and released several publications.
