AISSQ12Hand Book

12th AISSQ Conference

Science &
Spiritual
Quest

Handbook

21 - 23 January 2022
@ Online

Visionary: Dr. T. D. Singh
Founder Director, Bhaktivedanta Institute

Organized by:
BHAKTIVEDANTA INSTITUTE

Kolkata | www.binstitute.org

The first gulp from the glass of natural sciences

will turn you into an atheist, but at the bottom of
the glass, God is waiting for you.

— Werner Heisenberg
Nobel Laureate in Physics

12th AISSQ Conference

Science &
Spiritual Quest

21 - 23 January 2022

BHAKTIVEDANTA INSTITUTE
Kolkata | www.binstitute.org

The basic copyrights are the property of the Bhaktivedanta
Institute, Kolkata. No part of this booklet may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means without permission from
the publisher.

Copyright © 2022, The Bhaktivedanta Institute, Kolkata.

Published by
The Bhaktivedanta Institute
RC/8, Raghunathpur
Manasi Manjil Building, Fourth Floor
VIP Road, Kolkata 700 059, India
www.binstitute.org
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +91-33-2500-9018

D edicated to

Dr. T. D. Singh

(His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami)
(1937-2006 )

S Scientist & aint

Founder Director, Bhaktivedanta Institute
&

Founder President, Vedanta and Science Educational
Research Foundation



Acknowledgements

I am thankful that by the mercy of the Supreme Lord and blessings of the
conference visionary Dr. T. D. Singh and all the dedicated team members, the 12th All
India Students’ Conference on Science and Spiritual Quest (AISSQ 2022) is finally
being organized online. We thank all our distinguished speakers and esteemed
session chairs for their kind acceptance to share their profound wisdom. As in
any conference, there is a vast team involved behind its success – some seen and
some unseen. Our heartfelt thanks go to all the organizing team members of the
conference especially Prof. P. K. Singh, Dr. Debashis Khan, Prof. Ramgopal Uppaluri,
Dr. Ramjee Repaka, Dr. Hare Krishna Mohanta, Prof. Suhas Chavan, Sri Prabhakar
Ballapalle, Sri Srinivas Renjarla, Sri Jitun Dhal, Sri Siddharath Tiwari, Dr. Janan
Ranjan Senapati, Sri Avinash Kumar, Sri Sushant Sharma, Sri Ankur Thareja and
Sri C. R. Seshadri who have put in their heart, immense energy, valuable time and,
above all, extended pure loving service for the conference.

We also humbly acknowledge and thank devotees and volunteers for various
services including website and poster design, publicity, registration, online session
management among others – Mr. Aristotle Nandy, Mr. Deepankar Sarmah, Mr.
Sai Vineeth, Mr. Jagadishwar, Mr. Prabhas, Sri Srinivasa Renjarla, Srimati Amani
Radika Devi, Mr. Rebelli Srinivas, Mr. Kishore Reddy, Mr. Nitish, Mr. Sripad, Sri
Ajay Sahoo and Mr. Manoj. Further, the booklet work needed much help. We are
thankful to Mr. Sravan Kumar, Srimati Premalatha Rajendiran, Dr. Dheeraj Dube,
Mr. Narendra Reddy, Mr. Sasank, Mr. Romit, Ms. Bhavya Sri, Mr. Vedananda, Mr.
Yenugu Nikhil and Mr. Ruthvik Galem from the core of our heart for the countless
hours of dedicated hard work in making this publication possible.

The assistance rendered by the members from different parts of the country and
all the members of the Bhaktivedanta Institute is beyond imagination. Without

their dedication and full support, this conference would not have been possible. Our
sincere thanks to all of them for their dedication. We gratefully acknowledge the
good wishes and prayers from friends, well-wishers, devotees and disciples of Dr. T.
D. Singh, without whose blessings we could not have thought about this conference.

We are thankful for the financial help rendered by Dr. Hare Krishna Mohanta, Sri
C. R. Seshadri, Sri Prabhakar Ballapalle, Dr. Kaushik P, Sri Deepankar Sarmah, Sri
Jay Kumar and many other generous supporters for this conference.

We are indebted to Dr. T. D. Singh (H. H. Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami), a
pioneer of science and spirituality dialogue, Founder Director of the Bhaktivedanta
Institute, who has guided us immensely for organizing the conference for the benefit
of humanity. Our deep gratitude to Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,
a visionary saint for the modern age and the Founder Acarya of the Bhaktivedanta
Institute, for giving us this wonderful platform and vision.

Words are limited but feelings of heart are beyond what our minds and hands can
grasp. From the unlimited depths of our hearts, we sincerely thank each and every
individual, whether their name is mentioned or not. May good thoughts come from
all directions. May everyone be happy.

Sarve jana sukhino bhavantu!

In the service of the Supreme Lord and your good self,

K Vasudev Rao (Bhaktisvarupa Vrajapati Swami)
(Alunmus, IIT Kanpur)
Chairman, AISSQ 2022
President, Bhaktivedanta Institute

Contents

1. Quotes...............................................................................1
2. Welcome .........................................................................10
3. Introduction ....................................................................13
4. Visionary ........................................................................15
5. Schedule ........................................................................17
6. Abstracts & Bio-datas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
7. Thoughts of the Founding Fathers .....................................86
8. Mystery behind Scientific Discoveries - The role of inspiration and

intuition in scientific discoveries ............................................95
9. Organizing Committee and Advisors ...............................102
10. About Bhaktivedanta Institute .........................................103
11. Past Conferences ..........................................................10 5
12. Past Summer Schools .....................................................106
13. Announcements ............................................................107

——

Roger D. Kornberg

(1947 � )
Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

The goal of science is understanding … we feel

a basic urge to explain our existence and our fate.
… religion includes amongst its purposes a similar

goal of explanation and rationalization.
— Roger D. Kornberg

Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

1

R i c h a rd R . E r n s t

(1933 � 2021)
Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

Science and technology alone cannot solve the problems

of the new millennium. We need additional guidelines for our
actions, for the selection of our research projects and research
goals. These guidelines have to do with ethics, with philosophy,

and with faith.
— Richard R. Ernst

Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

2

Dalai Lama

(1935 � )
Nobel Laureate in Peace

...U ltimately it is the disposition of our minds and our

motivation that determine the direction in which science
and technology are used. … So from this point also, it is very
important to ensure that inner spiritual development goes

together with external or scientific development.
— Dalai Lama

Nobel Laureate in Peace

3

Niels Bohr

(1885 � 1962)
Nobel Laureate in Physics

We can admittedly find nothing in physics or chemistry

that has even a remote bearing on consciousness. Yet all of
us know that there is such a thing as consciousness, simply
because we have it ourselves. Hence consciousness must be
part of nature, or more generally, of reality, which means that,
quite apart from the laws of physics and chemistry, as laid
down in quantum theory, we must also consider laws of quite

a different nature.
— Niels Bohr

Nobel Laureate in Physics

4

John Eccles

(1903 � 1997)
Nobel Laureate in Physiology or

Medicine

I maintain that the human mystery is incredibly

demanded by scientific reductionism, with its claim in
promissory materialism to account eventually for all of the
spiritual world in terms of patterns of neuronal activity.
This belief must be classed as a superstition, ... we have to
recognize that we are spiritual beings with souls existing in
a spiritual world as well as material beings with bodies and

brains existing in a material world.
— John Eccles

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

5

William D. Phillips

(1948 � )
Nobel Laureate in Physics

I believe that the universe was designed in terms of the

fundamental constants, that things were put into the universe
when it was created and that the Creator gave us a universe
that had the potential to produce creatures like us. Why? Why
would our Creator have given the universe the potential for
creatures like us to develop? I believe it’s because God wanted
to have personal relationships. This goes back to the idea of
believing in a personal God. Not just God as a personality,
but that God wants to have personal relationships with the

creatures of the universe.
— William D. Phillips

Nobel Laureate in Physics

6

Max Born

(1882 � 1970)
Nobel Laureate in Physics

I saw in it (the atom) the key to the deepest secrets of

nature, and it revealed to me the greatness of the creation
and the Creator.
— Max Born
Nobel Laureate in Physics

7

Srinivasa Ramanujan

(1887 � 1920)
Renowned Mathematician

An equation has no meaning for me unless it
expresses a thought of God.
— Srinivasa Ramanujan
Fellow of the Royal Society

8

E rw i n S c h r ö d i n g e r

(1887 � 1961)
Nobel Laureate in Physics

Our science - Greek science - is based on objectification.

… But I do believe that this is precisely the point where our
present way of thinking does need to be amended, perhaps by a

bit of blood-transfusion from Eastern thought.
— Erwin Schrödinger

Nobel Laureate in Physics

9

Welcome

to
Quest for a Deeper Understanding

Good evening, good afternoon, and good morning – we
welcome all our participants from different places of
our planet earth. It is amazing that we all from various
parts of our planet with different time zones, are coming
together for this important event. The quest for a deeper
understanding beyond fulfilling the necessities of life is a
divine privilege and a gift for the human beings. We try not only to understand
the mechanistic principles but also the purpose behind it. This deeper quest
is summarized into two categories by Immanuel Kant (1978), “Two things fill
the mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more
intensely the mind of thought is drawn to them: the starry heavens above me and
the moral law within me.” A deeper study of moral law within us will lead to the
understanding of eternal soul and a deeper study of cosmos and its purpose will
lead to the understanding of God. A simple study of moral law within us lets us
immediately doubt the astonishing hypothesis made by Francis Crick, “Your joys,
your sorrows, your memories and your ambition, your sense of personal identity
and free will, are in fact no more than the behavior of a vast assembly of nerve
cells and their associated molecules.” This brings the problem of morality and
responsibility. Are neurons ultimately responsible for our behavior? The hard
problem of consciousness is another reason to suspect the astonishing hypothesis.
With the little progress we have made in the field of consciousness research, it is
becoming clear that consciousness is a non-mechanistic phenomenon within us,

10

as beautifully articulated by Michael Polanyi: “Consciousness is a principle that
fundamentally transcends not only physics and chemistry but also the mechanistic
principles of living beings.” The traditional Vedic wisdom of India indicates that
there is a fundamental particle responsible for the symptoms of consciousness and
calls it cit-kana, atman, soul, or self. 'Cit' means consciousness and 'kana' means
particle. 'Cit-kana,' therefore, literally translates to particle of consciousness. Moral
law is fundamental to the cit-kana. Bhagavad-gita (Chapter 2) informs us that the
soul is so fundamental that it can neither be created nor destroyed.

Starry heavens are more universally intriguing than the moral law within us. From
children who ponder about the shining stars in the nights’ sky to the scientists
who are contemplating the origin of the fundamental constants of the universe,
everyone is intrigued. Some scientists explain the origin of the universal constants
using the multiverse hypothesis for which we do not have evidence yet. “I do not see
any serious difference in the faith you need to believe in a multiverse and the faith
you need to believe in a God who creates it all,” remarks Prof. George F. R. Ellis, from
Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Capetown, who co-authored
'The Large-Scale Structure of Space-Time' with University of Cambridge physicist
Stephen Hawking. Faith is indispensable in science as well as in religion when we
have to deal with reality beyond our empirical observation and advances in science
have shown us that we have to deal with this reality beyond. In the case of the origin
of the universe, God is as much natural explanation as the chance. According to
Einstein, "My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior
spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail
and feeble minds. That deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior
reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea
of God. "Just like a mountain is perceived to be like a hazy cloud from a far distance,

11

as a clear mountain shape from a near distance, and as rocks, trees and living
beings when one enters it, similarly, God is understood to be impersonal through
empirical philosophical research, as the Supersoul in the heart through meditation
and as the Supreme Personality through loving devotional service.

Vedic wisdom encourages us to further our deeper scientific and spiritual study of
moral law within us and the starry heavens above until we reach the understanding
of soul and God for a meaningful and happy life. Precious human life could be
wasted otherwise in unlimited mechanistic principles of universe or trivial affairs
of life’s sustenance. This science and spiritual quest is called Brahma-jijnasa. The
Founder-Director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, Dr. T. D. Singh (His Holiness
BhaktisvarupaDamodara Swami) initiated the AISSQ conference series to inspire
the students and scholars for a deeper understanding of life and the universe. It is
a gift to all of us.

Welcome to Science and Spiritual Quest!

With gratitude,

K Vasudev Rao (Bhaktisvarupa Vrajapati Swami)
(Alunmus, IIT Kanpur)
Chairman, AISSQ 2022
President, Bhaktivedanta Institute

12

Introduction

The quest to comprehend the countless aspects of nature,
ranging from the behaviour of the subatomic particles
inside the atom to the farthest galaxies of our universe,
drives the genuine scientific venture. The various branches
of knowledge such as mathematics, physics, life sciences,
chemistry, cosmology, philosophy and psychology are simply
manifestations of this quest. The more we know, the more mysteries surface.

The foundations of spirituality too are based on genuine enquiry—the quest of a
spiritual seeker to know himself and the Supreme Lord behind everything. Who
am I? Who is the God? What is the purpose behind this creation? Is there any life,
after this body is finished? What is my relationship with the God? The more sincere
the seeker is, the deeper he can fathom. Happiness gets enriched at every stage of
realization.

The goal of both science and spiritual quests is the same—reaching out to the
‘ fundamental reality’. Scientists call it the ‘Ultimate Reality’ whereas spiritualists
call it God. Both quests find their perfection in having the slightest glimpse of that
reality. The joy in it is immense. Life becomes meaningful. The feeling and realization
that "as am I, so are others" and all are members of the same family broaden one’s
outlook and make him/her a global citizen, who works for the genuine welfare of one
and all. Though he/she stays in this physical world with a physical body like others,
his/her activities are transcendental. How he/she performs such wonderful acts is
not known in the science that we study and teach. If one has a genuine interest,
the mere association with such a personality dissipates the curtain of ignorance

13

and brings about transformation. One’s very existence becomes blissful and he/
she serves himself/herself and the society in a better way. Since his/her outlook is
positive, the quest is genuine, be it scientific or spiritual, they are all the same—
different manifestations of the Ultimate—having no contradiction at all.

Realizing the need for a synthesis, through dialogue between the leaders of scientific
and spiritual traditions, Dr. T. D. Singh, also known as His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa
Damodara Swami, the Founder-Director of the Bhaktivedanta institute, initiated
major conferences and seminars to bring noted scientists, philosophers, modern
intellectuals and spiritual leaders on a common platform for open dialogue. He
also held numerous science-spirituality dialogues personally with many prominent
scientists, including several Nobel Laureates. The 12th AISSQ is being organized as
a humble attempt to serve the legacy of Dr. T. D. Singh and his glorious and grand
mission of science-spirituality synthesis. The All India Students’ Conference on
Science and Spiritual Quest (AISSQ ) series is aimed at sensitizing young students,
in particular, and faculty and others, in general, to serve the self and society in a
better way through proper understanding of science and spirituality.

We are extremely happy to present to you in this volume which contains several
inspiring abstracts by a number of eminent scholars. As you go through it, we hope,
you will recognize the profound depth it contains. We welcome you to explore more
and write to us any thoughts you might have. Best wishes for your life's journey.

— Convener
AISSQ 2022

14

Visionary

Dr. T. D. Singh (His Holiness Bhaktisvarupa
Damodara Swami) received his Ph.D. in Physical
Organic Chemistry from the University of
California at Irvine in 1974. Then, he was a Post
Doctoral Research Fellow in the Chemistry
Department of Emory University, Atlanta,
Georgia, U.S.A., 1974-76. He contributed many
papers in the prestigious journals, such as,
Journal of American Chemical Society and the
Journal of Organic Chemistry in the field of fast
proton transfer kinetics in model biological systems using stopped-flow technique
and NMR spectroscopy. He also worked on gas phase reaction mechanisms using
Ion Cyclotron Resonance (ICR) spectroscopy. He was a scientist and spiritualist
known for his pioneering efforts in the synthesis of science and religion for a deeper
understanding of life and the universe. He was trained in Vaishnava Vedanta
studies from 1970 to 1977 under His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada and was appointed Director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute in 1974.
He organized four major International Conferences on Science and Religion - First
and Second World Congress for the Synthesis of Science and Religion (Mumbai,
1986 & Kolkata, 1997), First International Conference on the Study of Consciousness
within Science (San Francisco, 1990), and Second International Congress on Life
and Its Origin (Rome, 2004). Collectively, thousands of prominent scientists and
religious leaders including several Nobel Laureates participated. He has authored
and edited more than a dozen books, including What is Matter and What is Life?

15

(1977), Theobiology (1979), Synthesis of Science and Religion: Critical Essays and
Dialogues (1987) and Thoughts on Synthesis of Science and Religion (2001). He was
also the founder Editor-in-Chief for two journals of the Bhaktivedanta Institute. Dr.
Singh was very concerned for the student community with regard to their holistic
development. He felt our younger generations were exposed to the latest scientific
and technological developments in various disciplines at numerous colleges and
universities around the world, but lacked a spiritual foundation to make proper
use of them. Hence, he felt the need to organize student conferences on the interface
of Science and Spirituality for their holistic growth and development. With this
vision, Dr. Singh conceptualized the All-India Students’ Conference on Science and
Spiritual Quest (AISSQ ) series of conferences. He personally organized the first
conference of the series in December 2005 in Vrindavan, UP. However, by the will of
Providence, Dr. Singh left for the spiritual abode on 2 October 2006. He had made
all the arrangements for the 2nd AISSQ conference that was held in December 2006
in Puri, Orissa. Dr. Singh also expressed his noble desire for the third and fourth
AISSQ conferences in the series to be organized in Tirupati and Sri Rangam (Trichy)
respectively. The fifth AISSQ conference was held at MNNIT Allahabad. Both NIT
Trichy and MNNIT Allahabad received funding from the prestigious Department of
Science and Technology (DST), one of the apex research bodies of the country. Today,
inspired by his vision, his students, friends and well-wishers throughout the world
are making a humble attempt to carry out his grand vision of harmonizing modern
civilization through the synthesis of science and spirituality.

——

16

Schedule

21 Day

January 2022 1
Friday

Session 1: Physics, Mathematics and God

Session Chair: Dr. Nikhil Bhat, Principal CFD consultant;
Broadtech Engineering Pte Ltd

3:15 pm - 3:55 pm Opening Ceremony & Welcome Address
3:55 pm - 4:00 pm
4:00 pm - 4:45 pm Break

4:45 pm - 4:55 pm Quantum Physics, Life beyond
5:00 pm - 5:45 pm Death, Mind beyond Brain
Prof. Gerald Schroeder, Aish Ha Torah
5:45 pm - 5:55 pm College of Jewish Studies, Israel

Q&A

God and Science
Prof. Martin Nowak, Harvard University,
USA

Q&A

18

21 Day

January 2022 1
Friday

Session 2: Spirituality and Health

Session Chair: Sri B. Prabhakar, Technologist, Western Digital,
Bangalore, India

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm Neuroscience of Yoga in Mental
Health
6:30 pm - 6:40 pm Dr. B. N. Gangadhar, President for
6:45 pm - 7:15 pm Medical Assessment and Radiating
Board, NMC; Former Director,
7:15 pm - 7:25 pm NIMHANS, India
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Q&A
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm
YOGA - Modulation of Internal
Pharmacy - Role in Complex
Diseases
Prof. Rima Dada, AIIMS, New Delhi,
India

Q&A

Religion, Spirituality and Health:
Review, Update and Future
Directions
Prof. Harold Koenig, Duke University,
USA

Q&A

19

22 Day

January 2022 2
Saturday

Session 1: Vedanta and Science

Session Chair: Dr. Sasi Kotagiri, MD Anderson Cancer Centre,
Houston, USA

2:00 pm - 2:45 pm Cosmic Reality
Prof. Manoranjan Sinha, IIT Kharagpur,
2:45 pm - 2:55 pm India
3:00 pm - 3:45 pm
Q&A
3:45 pm - 3:55 pm
Vedantic Perspectives on Origin of
Life
Dr. Hare Krishna Mohanta, BITS, Pilani,
India

Q&A

20

22 Day

January 2022 2
Saturday

Session 2: Environment, Sustainable
Development and Spirituality

Session Chair: Prof. P. K. Singh, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, India

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm From Shallow to Deep to Vedantic
6:30 pm - 6:40 pm Ecology for Ensuring Environmental
6:45 pm - 7:15 pm Sustainability in Development
Prof. Devendra Mohan, IIT (BHU)
7:15 pm - 7:25 pm Varanasi, India

Q&A

The Water World: Looking Back to
Look Forward through Scientific and
Spiritual Perspectives
Dr. Bhakti Lata Devi, Founder of Jal
Smruti, National President, Water
Resources Council, WICCI (Women’s
Indian Chamber of Commerce &
Industry), India

Q&A

21

22 Day

January 2022 2
Saturday

Session 3: Holistic Education and
Human Excellence

Session Chair: Sri C R Seshadri, Global President, Metal
Power India

6:00 pm - 6:45 pm Holistic Education for Development
of Human Excellence
6:45 pm - 6:55 pm Prof. C. Panduranga Bhatta, Founder,
7:00 pm - 7:45 pm SAMANVAYA Academy for Excellence;
Ex-Professor Indian Institute of
7:45 pm - 7:55 pm Management, Kolkata, India

Q&A

Dr. T. D. Singh’s Thoughts on Holistic
Education: New Insights Based on
Athato Brahma Jijnasa
Dr. Jayanti Ranganathan Chavan,
Founder-President, Dr. T. D. Singh’s
Institute of Science and Religion, Navi
Mumbai, India

Q&A

22

23 Day

January 2022 3
Sunday

Session 1: Biochemistry, Aging and
Holistic Paradigm of Life

Session Chair: Prof. Ramagopal Uppaluri, IIT Guwahati, India

2:00 pm - 2:20 pm Inference of the Biochemistry of
2:25 pm - 2:45 pm Human Aging – Born to Die
Dr. V. Siva Prabhodh, NRI Medical
2:50 pm - 3:10 pm College, Guntur, India
3:15 pm - 3:35 pm
3:35 pm - 3:55 pm Improvising Pulmonary
Rehabilitation through Spirituality-
based Positive Attitude
Dr. R. Ramakrishna, NRI Medical
College, Guntur, India

Holistic Management of Fitness and
Wellness
Sri Segar Millindar, Former Asst. General
Manager, Air India

End of Life Journey
Dr. Yash Javeri, Regency Healthcare,
Lucknow, India

Q&A

23

23 Day

January 2022 3
Sunday

Session 2: Science, Spirituality and
Search for the Purpose of Life
and the Universe

Session Chair: Mr. Siddhartha Tiwari, Indira Gandhi Institute
of Technology, Sarang, India

4:00 pm - 4:45 pm Prof. Vijay P. Bhatkar, Chancellor,
Nalanda University, India
4:45 pm - 4:55 pm
5:00 pm - 5:45 pm Q&A

The Purpose of Science
Prof. P. B. Sharma, Vice Chancellor,
Amity University, Gurgaon Campus;
Former Vice Chancellor, Delhi
Technological University, Delhi, India

5:45 pm - 5:55 pm Q & A

24

23 Day

January 2022 3
Sunday

Session 3: Young Minds Speak

Session Chair: Dr. Ramjee Repaka, IIT Ropar, India

6:00 pm - 6:12 pm Synthetic Connectivity, Emergence and Self-
regeneration in the Network of Prebiotic
6:15 pm - 6:27 pm Chemistry
6:30 pm - 6:42 pm Dr. Sai Phani Kumar, Postdoctoral Fellow,
6:45 pm - 6:55 pm Northwestern University, USA
7:00 pm - 7:12 pm
7:15 pm - 7:27 pm Mantra Meditation: Effect of Sound
Dr. Ashutosh Mohanty, Postdoctoral Fellow, IISc
7:30 pm - 7:42 pm Bangalore, India
7:45 pm - 7:55 pm
8:00 pm - 8:30 pm Mystery of Consciousness
Mr. Ruthvik Galem, 4th Year B.Tech. (Civil Engg.),
IIT Bhubaneswar, India

Q&A

Can Quantum Physics Explain Consciousness?
Mr. Deepankar Sarmah, PhD Student, University of
Basel, Switzerland

Is Our Reality Simulated? Clues from Quantum
Mechanics
Mr. Roshan Tiwari, PhD Student, IISER Kolkata,
India

Game vs. Gamer - Who's Influencing Whom?
Mr. Saivineeth Katta, 4th Year B.Tech. (CSE), IIT
Bhubaneswar, India

Q&A

Valedictory Session

25

ABSTRACTS &
BIO-DATAS

Day 1
Session 1

Physics, Mathematics and
God

Physics filled me with awe, put me in touch with a sense of

original causes. Physics brought me closer to God. That feeling
stayed with me throughout my years in science. Whenever one
of my students came to me with a scientific project, I asked only

one question, “Will it bring you nearer to God?
— Isidor Issac Rabi

Nobel Laureate in Physics

27

Prof. Gerald
Schroeder
Aish Ha Torah College of
Jewish Studies, Israel

QUANTUM PHYSICS, LIFE BEYOND
DEATH, MIND BEYOND BRAIN

As discoveries in the science of our magnificent universe probe
ever deeper, the essence of what we experience as being physical
moves ever closer to a reality that has as its substrate the totally
ethereal basis of mind — or wisdom — or information, the choice
of which word used for the description depends only upon the
specific discipline of the person making the statement — all three
are the same only spelled with different letters. In regard to our
personal being, Pierre Teilard de Chardin, the 20th century Jesuit
Priest, philosopher and paleontologist, summarized this perfectly:
“We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience. We are
spiritual beings having a physical experience.

Prof. Gerald Schroeder is an applied physicist, lecturing at Aish
Ha Torah College of Jewish Studies in Israel. He received his B.Sc.
in Chemical Engineering in 1959, M.Sc. in Earth and Planetary
Sciences in 1961 and earned his Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics and Earth
& Planetary Sciences in 1965, all from Massachusetts Institute
of Technology (MIT). He has over thirty years of experience in
research and teaching, serving various institutions and agencies,

28

including MIT, Weizmann Institute of Science and U.S. Atomic
Energy Commission. Prof. Schroeder’s scientific works include
the area of nuclear weapons disarmament and radiation control in
uranium mines. He also invented and patented the first real time
monitor for airborne alpha, beta, gamma emitters.
He has over 60 publications in internationally-renowned journals,
including Science. In addition, for over 25 years, he has been
engaged in the study of ancient biblical interpretation and
frequently writes and lectures on the extraordinary confluence
of modern science and ancient biblical commentary. He authored
several bestselling books, including 'Genesis and the Big Bang'
(1990); 'The Science of God' (1997); 'The Hidden Face of God' (2002);
and 'God According to God' (2009). His books have been published
in over 11 languages.

29

Prof. Martin Nowak
Harvard University, USA

GOD AND SCIENCE

I would like to argue that natural science and mathematics
completely support a world view where God is the primary and the
final cause of everything there is. Both science and mathematics
point to an underlying unchanging reality.

Prof. Martin Nowak is currently a Professor of Mathematical
Biology at Harvard University and Director of Harvard’s Program
for Evolutionary Dynamics. He is one of the leading researchers
in the field that studies the role of cooperation in evolution. In
1989, he earned his doctorate in Biochemistry and Mathematics
from University of Vienna. From 1989-1998, he was Erwin
Schrodinger Postdoctoral Scholar at University of Oxford. He held
professorships at University of Oxford and IAS, Princeton, before
moving to Harvard in 2003.

Prof. Nowak’s research interests include evolution of cooperation,
evolution of language, evolutionary game theory and graph theory,
somatic evolution of cancer, the dynamics of viruses and infectious
diseases, pre-life and origins of life. He is famous for his proposal
and works in showing evolution requires a third component

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called “cooperation”, in addition to the classical components of
mutation and natural selection. Among his major discoveries are
the mechanism of HIV disease progression, the first mathematical
approach for studying the evolution of human language, the first
quantification of the 'In vivo kinetics' of human cancer and the five
rules for the evolution of cooperation. He has published over 300
papers in the world’s leading scientific journals, including several
in Nature and Science. He is a highly-cited researcher with an
h-index of 159.

He authored many well-received books, including Virus Dynamics
(2000); Evolutionary Dynamics (2006); Super Cooperators (2011) and
Evolution, Games & God (2013). Prof. Nowak is a corresponding
member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences. For his outstanding
works, he has received enormous international recognition,
including Oxford’s Weldon Memorial Prize; the Albert Wander
Prize of the University of Bern; the Akira Okabo Prize of the
Society for Mathematical Biology; the David Starr Jordan Prize
jointly awarded by Oxford, Cornell and Indiana Universities; and
the Henry Dale Prize of the Royal Institution of London.

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Day 1
Session 2

Spirituality and Health

Health simply means creativity and enthusiasm

to positively contribute … individuals where physical,
psychological, emotional, spiritual, and societal
dimensions of man’s existence on this planet must all be

properly balanced.
— Prof. B. M. Hegde

Padma Vibhushan - India

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Dr. B. N. Gangadhar
Former Director,
NIMHANS, India

NEUROSCIENCE OF YOGA IN
MENTAL HEALTH

Mental disorders are widely prevalent. Epidemiological statistics
suggest 1 out of 10 in the population needing a psychiatric help.
Yoga is emerging as one of the potential lifestyle modifications as
a treatment to Psychiatric disorders. Yoga is a spiritual lifestyle. It
comprises of life ethics, asanas, pranayama and Dhyana.

Clinical research supports use of yoga in the treatment of depression,
anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive illness, schizophrenia and
some other conditions in Psychiatry. Not only does Yoga reduce
symptoms in these conditions but also brings about a change in
the biology of the individual. These biological changes following
yoga can be considered as markers of its effect. These changes can
also be a biological correction in such disease conditions. Some
examples include reduction in the levels of cortisol, increases in
the levels of brain derived neuro tropic factor, increases in the
levels of oxytocin, increases in the function of GABA transmission
in the brain and protection to loss of grey matter in the brain. More
studies are emerging and yoga as a intervention in psychiatric
disorders is likely to become a mainstream application. The day
is not far off to have a yoga therapist as a part of the mental health

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team. Yoga is an effective traditional but self-empowering lifestyle
change for the treatment of psychiatric disorders.

Padma Shri Dr. B. N. Gangadhar is one of India's foremost
psychiatrists, the President for Medical Assessment and Radiating
Board, NMC, and Former Director of National Institute of
Mental Health & Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). He obtained his
MBBS degree from Bangalore Medical College in 1978 and MD
Psychiatry from NIMHANS in 1981. For over 30 years, he served
NIMHANS at various levels from trainee to Director. His research
interests include electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), schizophrenia,
community psychiatry, public health and yoga.

He has more than 300 research publications in various national and
international indexed journals. He was conferred the prestigious
Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences (FAMS) degree
in 2006 and D.Sc. (Doctor of Science) from SVYASA Yoga
University, Bengaluru, in 2012, for his research work on Yoga and
Mental Health. He has served various government committees
and societies, including WHO, DST and the National AYUSH
Committee for Integrative Medicine. For his pioneering works, he
received much recognition, including Padma Shri (2020) and Sir C.
V. Raman Award.

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Prof. Rima Dada
AIIMS New Delhi, India

YOGA - MODULATION OF INTERNAL
PHARMACY - ROLE IN COMPLEX DISEASES

Family history is often one of the strongest risk factors for
common diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
cancer, autoimmune disorders, and psychiatric illnesses. A person
inherits a complete set of genes from each parent. Family history
is thought to be a good predictor of an individual’s disease risk
and it is believed that our genes determine our destiny. Inherited
genetic variation within families clearly contributes both directly
and indirectly to the pathogenesis of disease. There is believed to
be a direct link between gene mutation and disease. However, the
genome is highly stable and recent studies have shown that though
genes play a major role in determining our biology, they are just
a small part of a much bigger picture. Our health and disease
is determined by our choices; by our lifestyle, social interactions,
what we eat, our thoughts as they modulate the epigenome.
Epigenetics is the study of change in expression of genes which
is independent of any change in the nucleotide sequence. This
change is determined by the environment and our choices. As
compared to the genome, the epigenome is highly dynamic. Thus
our epigenome influences our health but we too can influence the
epigenome by our choices.

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This talk would focus on how our unhealthy lifestyle choices,
social habits, dysfunctional eating habits and environmental
pollutants have led to marked rise in complex diseases by
impacting our epigenome and how a simple lifestyle intervention
(yoga) can impact our health by impacting the epigenome. Yoga
is a profound science and technology of well-being. We are
working on the impact of Yoga on complex lifestyle diseases, like
glaucoma, autoimmune arthritis, infertility, early pregnancy loss
and depression. All these diseases shared underlying mechanisms
and modern medicine is unable to target all the factors leading to
these diseases. However, yoga impacts both the mitochondrial and
nuclear genome and epigenome, and is a polypill which modulates
the internal pharmacy by positively impacting the epigenome.

Prof. Rima Dada is Professor at AIIMS, New Delhi, and Director
at the Lab for Molecular Reproduction and Genetics. She obtained
her MBBS and MD at Delhi University and her PhD in Medical
Genetics at AIIMS, New Delhi. Her research interests include
genetics of reproductive disorders, ocular disorders and various
childhood cancers, as well as studies of the impact of lifestyle
interventions on markers of aging. Prof. Rima Dada has published
over 125 articles in indexed journals of high impact and has written
over 65 book chapters. She has several national and international
awards to her credit, including ICMR Shakuntala Amir Chand
Prize, GP Talwar Gold Medal and Rashtriya Gaurav Award.

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Prof. Harold Koenig
Duke University, USA

RELIGION, SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH:
REVIEW, UPDATE AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Is spirituality related to health? What exactly is “spirituality”? In
this presentation, Dr. Koenig examines the relationship between
devout religious involvement and mental health, social health,
behavioral health, and physical health as has been examined
again literally thousands of quantitative studies published in peer-
reviewed academic journals. He will also examine the clinical
applications of this large and growing research base that supports
the integration of spirituality into patient care. Further resources
will also be provided so that participants can learn more about the
relationship between religious faith and health.

Prof. Harold G. Koeing is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences and Founding Co-Director of Duke’s Center for
Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University, USA. He
received his B.S. in History from Stanford University in 1974 and
MD in 1982 from University of California, San Francisco. His
primary research is focused on studying the effects of religion and
spirituality on health. He is associated with several institutions
across the globe as an adjunct and visiting professor of medical
science, including Ningxia Medical University in China.

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He has authored and co-authored over 550 scientific peer-
reviewed academic publications, nearly 100 book chapters and
55 books, including the masterpiece 'Handbook of Religion and
Health.' He is the recipient of the 2012 - Oskar Pfister Award from
the American Psychiatric Association and the 2013 Gary Collins
Award from the American Association of Christian Counselors.
He is the former editor-in-chief of the International Journal of
Psychiatry in Medicine, and is currently an Associate Editor of the
Journal of Religion and Health.

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Day 2
Session 1

Vedanta and Science

The unity and continuity of Vedanta are reflected in the
unity and continuity of wave mechanics.
— Erwin Schrödinger
Nobel Laureate in Physics

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Prof. Manoranjan
Sinha
IIT Kharagpur, India

COSMIC REALITY

What we miss to understand, or what lacks in our curriculum
at an early stage, is that our life and our size are insignificant on
the cosmic scale. This results in building ego and creates many
problems in social life and may lead to religious zealotry also. This
gives rise to one’s own superiority and others' inferiority and leads
to many horrific acts in extreme conditions, e.g. acts of Nazism
and many terrorist activities around the world. Therefore, it is
important that we understand our insignificance and the greatness
of the creation to get rid of the ego. The greatness of creation and
its real description are detailed in Srimad Bhagavatam, which is
revealed knowledge.

The modern description of the universe is based on inferential
knowledge and may not be a correct description. This has posed
rather more problems than solutions. Moreover, it gives rise to
atheism, which results in abnormal psychology of society. This
will prove to be a disaster in the long run. The description of the
universe is not only revealed but generates love for Godhead, which
is the ultimate purpose of life. To save our destiny, it is necessary
that we align ourselves along the theistic philosophy endowed
with love of Godhead and compassion for even an insignificant

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creature, which is not observed in most of the religious practices
around the world. The present article is meant to show not only the
limitations of modern cosmology, but also show our insignificance
and our subordination to God.

Dr. Manoranjan Sinha is a Professor at IIT Kharagpur in the
Department of Aerospace Engineering. He received his B.Tech. in
Aerospace Engineering from IIT Delhi in 1993 and obtained his
M.Tech. and Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Kanpur.
He pursued his postdoctoral research in neural networks at the
University of Saskatchewan, Canada, under the supervision of
Prof. Madan M. Gupta. Later, he served as an Assistant Professor
at BITS Pilani and IIT Bombay, before joining the Department of
Aerospace Engineering in IIT Kharagpur in 2004.

Prof. Sinha’s research interests include neural networks, flight
dynamics and attitude dynamics, and he has contributed to over
70 research publications in these fields. He is involved with the
lunar satellite orbit determination, lunar gravity and topography
modelling for Chandrayan Mission - I of ISRO and is also working
on reconfigurable flight control. He was awarded the President of
India Gold Medal, Institution of Engineers India, in 2013 and the
Vikram Award for Systems in 2010. Prof. Sinha is also interested in
integrative cosmology from Scientific and Vedantic perspectives
and their connections to the origin of life in the cosmos.

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