The 18th INDICA IKS MetaRetreat: Tattva-Chintan on the Contours of IKS Research

INDICA is pleased to announce an IKS MetaRetreat – titled Tattva-Chintan on the Contours of IKS Research – for the DIIKSHA vertical of IKSHA, to be held on 2-4 Oct 2026 at Purna Vidya Ashrama, Coimbatore. The MetaRetreat will be facilitated by Dr. Mohan Raghavan, Head – Dept of Heritage Science and Technology, IIT Hyderabad and Dr. Yugank Goyal, Associate Professor – JSW School of Public Policy, IIM Ahmedabad. We are honoured to have the distinguished presence of Shri. Suresh Soni – Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini Sadasya, RSS – delivering the Closure Note for the MetaRetreat. We are thankful to Shri. J Nandakumar – National Coordinator, Prajna Pravaaha and Dr. Manohar Shinde – Chief Patron, IKSHA for their leadership presence in the MetaRetreat.

As interest in bringing India’s civilisational wisdom into contemporary academia grows, a quieter question grows with it: what, precisely, makes an inquiry an Indian Knowledge Systems inquiry? This two-day tattva-chintan returns to that question from first principles.

The cohort will reflect on the Dr̥ṣṭi that makes IKS a framework rather than a list of subjects. It will ask whether IKS is generative, able to give rise to new theory, art and science today, and what test a contemporary work must pass to be IKS in its Dr̥ṣṭi rather than merely Indian-themed. It will consider where IKS research parts ways with historical, descriptive or modern-scientific study of Indian material, and which markers signal genuine engagement with the Bhāratīya Jñāna Paramparā, such as pramāṇa, darśanic categories and paramparā-based guidance. The cohort will also identify foundational problem statements for the coming decade and take up operational policy for DIIKSHA, the 108+ PhD fellowship initiative.

Unanimity is not the aim. The field is vast, and the intent is to hold rigorous, open debate and record diverse, well-argued positions. Participants will bring short position papers and refine them over the month that follows. The refined papers will be compiled into an edited volume on IKS Research Contours, a guiding reference for fellowship applicants, review committees and research guides.

Dr. Sampadananda Mishra – Secretary General, IKSHA, Dr. Harsha Simha, Shri. Shrikant Kumar – Executive Director, IKSHA, and Shivakumar GV – Director, INDICA Kautilya Centre will oversee the program as organizing committee.

Participation is by invitation only. We are pleased to welcome distinguished academics from various institutions with decades of contribution to Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) across different streams participating in the program.

This is the Third MetaRetreat organized for IKSHA. The previous MetaRetreats organized for IKSHA are Indian Knowledge Systems – Imagining the Future and Indian Knowledge Systems – Reimagining the Future

INDICA IKS MetaRetreats are immersive intellectual journeys rooted in the quintet of Āchārya–Āśrama–Ādara–Ārpaṇa–Abhyāsa. Each is conceived as a naivedya, an offering. A small cohort gathers in an Upaniṣadic spirit of dialogue, in a setting reminiscent of a Gurukula. This will be the 18th in the series. 

The MetaRetreats are led by 1-2 SME Anchors exploring specific themes in an atmosphere of Shraddha. With a cohort of 12-15 participants, these retreats foster an Upanishadic spirit of learning through immersive dialogue in a setting reminiscent of a Gurukula with Aesthetics that embodies the other three principles. It thrives for a dialogue with mutual respect and devotion encouraging practice and embodiment of what we discuss and seek.

The program authentically explores a subject of importance in contemporary times through 8-10 sessions. While the MetaRetreat discussion is designed to be a free-flowing exploration it is organised around the following elements – weaving together an immersive and transformative experience.

• Invocation
• Cohort Introduction and Concerns around the subject
• A Stock Taking of the Present
• A Deep Dive into the Past to understand the Present
• Problems, Concerns, Conflicts that require Resolution
• The Emergence and the Opportunities
• Desired Future
• A synthesis towards the Desired Future
• The Specific Next Steps

The early mornings and evenings are spent in informal conversations around the subject with visits and offerings to temples, symbolically signifying the MetaRetreat as a sacred offering.

INDICA IKS MetaRetreat was launched in Nov 2023. So far we have completed 17 MetaRetreats successfully.

A summary of the first 15 MetaRetreats.

16th MetaRetreat: Srividya and Advaita Vedanta

17th MetaRetreat: Indic Literary Ecosystem

Shivakumar GV
Host Organizer
Director, INDICA Kauṭilya Centre for Policy, Governance and Leadership

Facilitators

Dr. Mohan Raghavan

Head – Dept of Heritage Science and Technology, IIT Hyderabad

Dr. Yugank Goyal

Associate Professor – JSW School of Public Policy, IIM Ahmedabad