Young Researchers briefed on documenting and sharing grassroots innovations and traditional knowledge

GANGTOK, 20 May: A two-day workshop on “Capacity building for scouting, documentation and dissemination of grassroots innovations and traditional knowledge” was organized jointly by the National Innovation Foundation-India and State Science & Technology Council at Sikkim Science Center, Marchak, on 19 and 20 May. The aim of workshop was to build the capacity of recently-appointed “young researchers” discover the “innovations and outstanding traditional knowledge” from Sikkim and document and disseminate them for wider audiences, a press release informs.
Dr. Vipin Kumar, Chief Innovation Officer of NIF, in his lecture, highlighted that people at the grassroots level like farmers, artisans, herbal healers etc. have been relying on their ingenuity to solve local problems.

“When nobody from outside comes to solve their problems, the only option left with them is to come up with their own solutions. The point now is that if a low cost solution is found addressing a problem at one place, can that be applied to solve a similar problem elsewhere? Can that solution be converted into a product and be used as tool of revenue generation for the solution provider? If the answer to the two questions is yes, the search for such innovations and traditional knowledge stands justified,” he stressed.
Dr. Kumar thanked the Secretary, Department of Science &Technology, R. Telang, and shared how the “rich traditional knowledge system and biodiversity of Sikkim can solve not only the local and national problems but also contribute majorly to the country’s economy”.
Dr. P Tamang, in her inaugural address, pointed out that autochthonous people have been optimally utilizing the available resources of their respective “eco-niches” for medicinal and other uses which the project seeks to document and share.
The methodologies of scouting, documentations and disseminations of traditional knowledge were detailed by Dr. Vivek Kumar of NIF.
The programme was initiated with ML Arrawatia and coordinated by DT Bhutia and SR Lepcha, the release informs. The State Government has declared 2011 as the “year of innovation”, it may be recalled.
The young researchers of Science & Technology Council plan to go to the rural areas and collect information about culture, diversity, useful plants and associated knowledge from knowledge-holders. This will help not only people-to-people networking, but also help local small-scale entrepreneurs and investors get in touch with innovators and traditional knowledge holders. It will also help in conserving cultural diversity, the release highlights.