KOZHIKODE: “In a world seeking to break free from mindless hate, violence, conflict and terrorism, the Indian way of life offers rays of hope. The Indian way of conflict avoidance is not by brute force but through the power of dialogue,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said this while inaugurating the GIT- 2020, an international conclave on ‘Globalising Indian Thought’ organised by the Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K) through videoconferencing.
The prime minister also unveiled and dedicated a full-size statue of Swami Vivekananda in front of ‘Viveka’, the MDC Complex of IIM-K, through the videoconferencing.
The keynote address on the first day of the conclave was delivered by spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
Further speaking, Modi said, “In the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi championed these ideals and this contributed to India’s freedom. At the same time, they gave strength to millions outside. Indian thought has given a lot to the world and has the potential to contribute even more. It has the potential to solve some of the most leading challenges our planet faces.
“For centuries we have welcomed the world to our land. Our civilisation has prospered when many could not. Why? Because one finds peace and harmony here. Broadly, there are certain ideals that have remained central to Indian values. They are compassion, harmony, justice, service and openness. Indian thought is vibrant and diverse. It is constant and evolving.”
The international conclave over the next two days will be attended by renowned academicians and public figures and will see the presentation of more than 100 world-class research papers which would share Indian management thinking and how it can impact global businesses.
‘Globalising Indian Thought’, the theme, emphasises the Indian management approaches that have found international recognition in recent times.
The conclave in the next two days will cover topics including ‘Building mindsets: Inspirations from Indian wisdom, echoes from the yore’; Learnings from Indian business history; ‘Enhancing India’s human capital for the future’; ‘Entrepreneurship in India: Challenges and opportunities’; ‘Gender and diversities in Indian organisations: Revamping inclusiveness’; ‘General management, governance and leadership’; ‘Humanities and social sciences’; ‘India and the world: Designing a collaborative existence and management education in India’; and ‘Indigenous models based on innovation rather than imitation’.