SandHI is a scientific study of Indian knowledge systems. It aspires to actively engage in the preservation, examination/interpretation, and dissemination of these systems with contemporary scientific body of knowledge and contexts of application. At IIT Kanpur, it is envisaged as a dynamic network of collaborations rather than an institutional facility, which encourages like-minded faculty members to practice an interdisciplinary approach towards the discourse of culture with appropriate, acceptable, and sustainable technologies. As mentioned, the focal themes of SandHI at IIT Kanpur are:

(a) Preservation:  To design an interactive museum of Indian knowledge systems as understood and interpreted by the participants of this project for exposing wider community to the achievements of the Indian mind. The museum will also house a state of the art library of Indian knowledge systems in Sanskrit, as well as other vernacular languages, their translations, interpretations, and related texts.

(b) Interpretation: To examine, understand, and interpret Indian culture as it shaped and was shaped by science and technology over the ages. The various projects conceived under this theme are highlighetd on the main page of this website.

(c) Dissemination: To integrate culture-technology studies in the IIT curriculum and subsequently in the overall Indian education system. The present proposal aims to actively engage in the dissemination of knowledge generated through various projects, seminars/workshops, and publications.

This SandHI intends to understand and explain the histories of Indian technologies as they were shaped by culture and geography through field studies, modeling, simulations as well as translation and interpretation of indigenous texts. The main objectives of SandHI are:

1. To examine, understand, and interpret Indian culture as it shaped and was shaped by science and technology over the ages.
2. To develop a state of the art library of Indian knowledge systems in Sanskrit as well as other vernacular languages and associated literature which is committed for preservation as well as dissemination of Indian ways of thinking and problem solving.
3. To integrate culture-technology studies in the IIT curriculum in particular and the Indian education system in general.
4. To design an interactive museum of Indian knowledge Systems as understood and interpreted by the participants of this project for exposing IIT Kanpur students in particular and the students of Kanpur city in general to the achievements of the Indian mind.

The proposed SandHI group at IIT Kanpur brings together faculty from various disciplines of engineering, sciences, design, and fine arts. Here are the details:

1. Anurag Gupta (coordinator), Department of Mechanical Engineering, ag@iitk.ac.in
2. Mahendra Verma, Department of Physics, mkv@iitk.ac.in.
3. Sandeep Sangal, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, sangals@iitk.ac.in.
4. Shivam Tripathi, Department of Civil Engineering, shiva@iitk.ac.in.
5. Javed Malik, Department of Civil Engineering, javed@iitk.ac.in.
6. Koumudi Patil, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, kppatil@iitk.ac.in.
7. Pankaj Wahi, Department of Mechanical Engineering, wahi@iitk.ac.in.
8. Saikat Ghosh, Department of Physics, gsaikat@iitk.ac.in.
9. Naren Naik, Department of Electrical Engineering, nnaik@iitk.ac.in.
10. Raj Chabra, Department of Chemical Engineering, chhabra@iitk.ac.in.
11. Ashish Garg, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, ashishg@iitk.ac.in.
12. Bharat Lohani, Department of Civil Engineering, blohani@iitk.ac.in.
13. Samit Ray Chaudhury, Department of Civil Engineering, samitrc@iitk.ac.in.