SKUAST Kashmir Hosts International Symposium Re-examining Plato’s Philosophy | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Scholars from India and abroad gathered at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST Kashmir) for a three-day international symposium on Plato, organised by Naad Pargaas, Sri Amritsar, marking a rare philosophical engagement at a science-oriented institution in Jammu and Kashmir.

The symposium, titled Reading Plato Anew: The Formation of Philosophical Consciousness from Aporia to Aletheia, was held from November 22 to 24 at the Shalimar campus of SKUAST Kashmir and brought together researchers, teachers, poets and philosophers to revisit Plato’s ideas in contemporary intellectual contexts.

Presiding over the inaugural session, Vice Chancellor SKUAST Kashmir Nazir Ahmad Ganai underlined the importance of philosophy and social sciences in higher education institutions traditionally focused on scientific disciplines. He argued that scientific training remains incomplete without ethical reasoning, critical thinking and civilisational understanding, and proposed the establishment of a Naad Pargaas chapter at SKUAST Kashmir to institutionalise philosophical inquiry on campus.

The keynote address was delivered by Sandhya Tiwari, Dean of Social Sciences and International Affairs at the Central University of Kashmir, who highlighted the enduring relevance of Platonic thought in addressing modern intellectual and ethical dilemmas. The inaugural session was attended by senior academicians, including Dean Faculty of Horticulture Raihana Habib Kanth and Director Research Haroon Rashid Naik.

Over the three days, eight academic sessions were held, covering central Platonic themes such as aporia, metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics and cosmology. Scholars from universities including Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Panjab University, Jamia Millia Islamia, Central University of Kashmir and institutions abroad presented papers examining Plato’s dialogues through interdisciplinary lenses.

Sessions explored topics ranging from Socratic questioning and moral psychology to political justice and philosophical theology, with discussions moderated and chaired by senior academics and researchers. The symposium featured more than 30 presentations, reflecting wide-ranging scholarly engagement with classical philosophy in contemporary settings.

The event concluded with a Kavi Darbar dedicated to noted Kashmiri poet Gyani Kartar Singh Komal, held at the Vice Chancellor’s Secretariat building at SKUAST Kashmir. The literary gathering brought together poets in Urdu, Kashmiri and Punjabi, blending philosophical discourse with cultural expression and underscoring the symposium’s interdisciplinary character.

Organisers said the symposium reaffirmed Naad Pargaas’ commitment to reviving philosophical scholarship and positioned SKUAST Kashmir as an emerging space for cross-disciplinary intellectual engagement in Jammu and Kashmir.