Vidyaranya Institute of Knowledge and Advanced Studies (VIKAS)

Vidyaranya Institute of Knowledge and Advanced Studies (VIKAS), previously known as JNU Institute of Advanced Studies and later renamed as Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Advanced Studies (JNIAS), has evolved since mid-1990s. Completing its existence as an Institute for more than two decades, VIKAS seeks to expand its outreach and visibility and emerge as a pioneering research institute of the country. It aims to provide leadership in making India a vibrant knowledge society in the emerging global village which is going through paradigmatic structural transformations at multiple levels.

Vision

VIKAS aims to become a nucleus of Indo-centric studies.

Mission

VIKAS would be an effective academic voice of non-western, Sanatani, Dharmic and alternative narratives such as Pali, Prakrit, Tamil and Sanskrit.

Focus

Until very recently, Europe had studied Non-European societies, cultures and civilizations from the Imperialist Ideology, popularly known as Orientalism; and European study of India as a colony by canons of Indology developed by Christian missionaries, orientalists and civil servants of the East India Company as well as the British Raj. JNU institute of Advanced Study later (in May 11, 2004) renamed as JNIAS had tried to decolonize the study of India as a civilizational state and traditional Indic civilization by exchanging ideas with global scholars. During Covid-19 pandemic years however it was realized that mere decolonization was not sufficient in the rapidly changing global scenario. Ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has already complicated the volatile situation of pandemic scenario. Therefore, JNIAS working group started wider consultation regarding transforming JNIAS as an advanced study of non-western cosmologies, ontologies, epistemologies as well as of a new science of Westology, which would try to understand traditional, modern and postmodern nation states and liquid cultural mindspace from non-western, Asian and Sanatani perspectives. The process of consultation was started in the first week of October 2022 and after extensive consultations the executive council of the University decided to rename JNIAS as VIKAS on May 3, 2023.The focus of VIKAS would be to study and disseminate Indo-centric knowledge in the following subjects:

• History, Culture and Philosophy in Indian civilizations from Indic perspective
• Arts, Crafts, Cinema, Media and Performance Studies from the Indic perspective
• Westology -  Study of western culture and civilization from the Indic and Asian Perspectives.
• Inter-civilizational dialogue
• State, Society, Culture and Languages of the Asian countries
• Science, Technology and Innovation
• Defense, Security, Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
• Economy, Growth and Sustainable Development
• Women led development

Role

Role of VIKAS within the University would be distinct and unique.

• VIKAS would be a platform that would enable collaboration and research between the fellows and with the university community.
• VIKAS would create and offer a vibrant intellectual environment that supports research, inquiry and collaboration and integrates the natural and social sciences in an ideally located residential facility within the JNU.
• VIKAS would offer a stimulating environment that would lead to incubating frontier areas of research with an emphasis on inter/multi/trans-disciplinarity, cutting edge research and enquiry across all disciplines that are taught / researched in JNU.
• VIKAS would encourage new research work to be undertaken that brings intellectual exercise with a spirit of curiosity.
• VIKAS would enable and encourage a small group of scholars to collaboratively engage with an interdisciplinary thematic project.