Hyderabad: The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)on Saturday signed a Memorandum of understanding with Heartfulness Education Trust to introduce yoga in ICAR-affiliated universities.
The deal was signed at the Kanha Shanti Vanam the world’s largest meditation hall at the Heartfulness Headquarters.
A team of least 55 state Vice Chancellors from the agricultural sector from across the country and the Additional Deputy General of ICAR were present at the signing ceremony as the MoU was signed by Kamlesh Patel ‘Daaji’ the guide of Heartfulness and Deputy General of ICAR, Rakesh Agarwal. The team was welcomed by program coordinator Dr Nivedita Shreyansh on behalf of Heartful Campus and Ramesh Krishnan – Director of the Heartful Campus program.
The MoU is aimed at HET offering various programmes as credit courses jointly certified as undergraduate and postgraduate curricula offered by universities and institutes under the purview of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) of ICAR (ICAR-AU system). The courses will be free of cost with 2 credit points on the overall curriculum. The partnership is aimed at collaborating for the programme offerings of HET as Heartful Campus modules across India to all ICAR-AUs that comprise 75 state universities with 2,00,000 students in the field of agriculture.
The MoU will bring in all the university students on a meditate module that will help improve the outlook and approach towards humanity, relationships, ways towards balancing material life, approach towards occupation or profession, and development of humility, love, care, and being close to divinity. Each student will be able to connect to a Heartful Campus trainer and there are at least 1400 such trainers around the world.
The MoU intends to grant the students, staff, faculty, and counsellors of colleges, institutes, and universities and the administrative staff under ICAR access to HET courses and programmes. The courses which will be developed by HET will be aligned with the goals of education, training, and research in environmental sustainability and sustainable technologies in line with the recommendations of the National Education Policy.
Also, internship programs for students of ICAR-approved institutions will be offered under the agreement. The students will benefit from Heartful campus modules beginning with Heartfulness meditation on their respective campuses for the betterment and well-being of these future youth of India.
Speaking of the agreement Agarwal said, “We believe that this MoU will take education and research in agriculture in the country to a new phase that will amalgamate the best modern practices with sustainability on the fore and the traditional knowledge. India has primarily been an agricultural country. Much of our pedigree yield is also exported to other countries.”
“We need to be able to produce pedigree crops every year not only for exports but also for our people at home to relish. I suppose with the knowledge transfer and research ensuing with this partnership will facilitate quality yields for the masses at affordable price and sustainability in place,” he added.
This is the first of its kind partnership between HET and ICAR. Earlier this HET had also signed an MoU with AICTE to help students access the Heartfulness resources at all the academic institutions under AICTE. The training has benefitted the students immensely even through their professions in reducing stress parameters. Similar achievement is expected of the HET and ICAR association as well, a press note on the event said.