CPWD’s plan to conduct course on Vastu Shastra shocks India March for Science
The Hindu
Central Public Works Department’s online training course is to be attended by engineers, architects, horticulturists and workers on November 17
The Karnataka chapter of the India March for Science (IMFS) has said it is shocked to hear the Central Public Works Department’s (CPWD) plan to conduct an online training course on the importance of Vastu Shastra in building design based on ancient texts.
CPWD’s online training course is to be attended by engineers, architects, horticulturists and workers on November 17. IMFS said that the proposed course is a retrograde step as engineering and architecture have been greatly enriched over the past century based on improved knowledge of mechanics and the availability of new materials.
“Yet, now our engineers and architects are being asked to learn from and implement the erroneous ideas that existed millennia back. Since the early days of human civilisation, people have learnt to construct houses considering the necessity of sunlight and ventilation. Even ordinary people in our villages know about it. Scientific ways of implementing these fundamentals are also taught in civil engineering and architecture courses without any trace of Vastu Shastra,” IMFS said in a statement.
It added that while Vastu Shastra is neither a philosophy nor a science, vested interest groups are promoting it with ulterior motives and innocent people have fallen victims to it.
“We unequivocally state that Vastu Shastra is an unscientific notion. The placement of doors, windows and furniture does not cause good or bad luck. On the other hand, sound architecture and structural engineering can ensure the longevity of buildings, thereby securing the safety of the occupants,” it stated.
The statement also said promoting Vastu Shastra goes against Article 51A of the Constitution and called upon CPWD to cancel the training programme.
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