This book demonstrates how traditional knowledge can be connected to the modern world. Human knowledge of housing, health and agriculture dates back thousands of years, with old wisdom developing and becoming modern. But in the past few decades, global communities have increasingly become aware that some of this valuable knowledge has fallen by the wayside. This has sparked systematic efforts at the local, national and global levels to connect this neglected knowledge to the modern world. It discusses the origin of the topic, its importance, recent developments in India and abroad, and what is being done and still needs to be done in order to preserve India’s traditional knowledge. The discussions address a broad range of fields and organizations: from Basmati rice to Ayurvedic cosmetics; from traditional irrigation and folk music to modern drug discovery and climate change adaptation; and from the Biodiversity Convention to the WHO, WTO and WIPO.

This book deals with the traditional and indigenous knowledge of the common men and women of India--tribal and Dalit populations, fisher folk, craftsmen, artisans, and leather workers--which includes their agriculture, housing, and irrigation methods; medicinal knowled≥ methods for collecting drinking water; and arts and culture. It establishes that the economic significance of such knowledge in the modern world is being utilized in a wide variety of ways. Globally, indigenous knowledge is now recognized as an underutilized resource that can help to reduce poverty and a dormant reserve with considerable commercial potential.

Contributed articles on Intellectual life and Hindu civilization presented at a seminar held in Shimla at 2003.

This volume is a modest attempt in this direction. With 26 chapters divided into 5 sections and contributed by anthropologists, activists, botanists, computer scientists, pharmacologists, environmental scientists, and sociologists, this volume is a rich compendium of Indigenous Knowledge research in India and abroad. The sections in the volume focus on theoretical and methodological issues pertaining to Indigenous Knowledge, case studies on the knowledge, case studies on the knowledge of different ethnic, groups, tribal ethno-medical practices, loss of Indigenous Knowledge in social development. The volume is a source book for Indigenous Knowledge research and will be of immense interest to anthropologists, environmental scientists, ethno-botanists, ecologists, computer scientists, sociologists, NGOs and development administrators.

Fills a gap in scholarship on Indian culture and power between 1500 and 1800, arguing that we can't know how colonialism changed South Asia unless we know what there was to be changed.

Legal Protection for Traditional Knowledge calls attention to the vital contributions that aboriginal knowledge makes to global development and how the legal systems in place, particularly in India, must change to protect this knowledge.This book is a must-read for researchers in economics, development studies, and international law.

Traditional knowledge (TK) has contributed immensely to shaping development and human well-being. Its influence spans a variety of sectors, including agriculture, health, education and governance. However, in today's world, TK and its practitioners are increasingly underrpresented or under-utilized. Further, while the applicability of TK to human and environmental welfare is well-recognized, collated information on how TK contributes to different sectors is not easily accessible. --