Srinagar, Oct 28: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said emotional intelligence and technological capability complement each other, stressing that future-ready institutions must encourage continuous learning, adaptability, ethical awareness and multidisciplinary collaboration in an age of rapid technological change and artificial intelligence.
Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Kashmir Chapter of the Centre for Regional Studies, Culture, Dialects and Emotional Intelligence of the University of Jammu, the Lieutenant Governor said the initiative would strengthen cultural, historical and human connections while preserving the region’s diverse intellectual and linguistic traditions. He described the Centre as a unique and forward-looking confluence of regional studies, culture, dialects and emotional intelligence.
The Lieutenant Governor observed that a region cannot be understood through geography alone. “Languages, folklore, cultural practices, arts, faith, traditions and lived experiences together shape the identity of a place. The integration of regional knowledge with emotional intelligence would form the soul of the new Centre and help create a deeper understanding of society and the people,” he said.
He said the Centre’s wide-ranging objectives — including preservation of manuscripts, creation of digital archives, linguistic mapping, ethnographic studies, research on pilgrimage and tourism, mountain ecology, local entrepreneurship and fellowships for young scholars — are unique endeavours by the University and would contribute to building a shared repository of knowledge for future generations.
The LG underlined four key factors that make such a Centre relevant in contemporary times: the need to balance global connectivity with local identity, the urgency of preserving endangered languages and knowledge systems, the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to complex challenges, and the growing recognition of emotional well-being in education. He said that while technology is transforming societies, the preservation of cultural roots and human values remains equally important.
The Lieutenant Governor said the main Centre at Jammu University’s campus in Jammu and its Kashmir Chapter have the potential to emerge as a model institution for research, contributing to knowledge creation, cultural preservation and human-centred development while enhancing the global standing of the universities of Jammu and Kashmir.
Prof Umesh Rai, Vice-Chancellor, University of Jammu; Anshul Garg, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Dr Neelu Rohmetra, Dean Research Studies; Dr Guneet Singh Sudan, Director Sub Office Kashmir; Prof Sangita Gupta, Dean, Planning and Development, and faculty members of the University of Jammu attended the ceremony. Dr GV Sundeep Chakravarthy, SSP Srinagar; Jatin Kishore, Deputy Commissioner Budgam; Shruti Awasthi, Regional Director, IGNCA, and senior officials of the civil and police administration were also present.
