Srinagar, Oct 28: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said that while technology was transforming societies, the preservation of cultural roots and human values remains equally important.
Laying the foundation stone of the Kashmir Chapter of the Centre for Regional Studies, Culture, Dialects and Emotional Intelligence of the University of Jammu (JU), LG Sinha said that the ventre represents a unique and forward-looking confluence of regional studies, culture, dialects and emotional intelligence.
Highlighting the rich civilisational heritage of Jammu and Kashmir, he said that the initiative would strengthen cultural, historical, and human connections while preserving the region’s diverse intellectual and linguistic traditions.
The LG said 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 will form the soul of the new centre and help create a deeper understanding of society and the people,” he said.
LG Sinha said that 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, were unique endeavours by the university.
He said that such initiatives 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.
“There is a 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.
About the role of universities in the age of rapid technological change and artificial intelligence, LG Sinha said that emotional intelligence and technological capability complement each other.
He said that future-ready institutions must encourage continuous learning, adaptability, ethical awareness, and multidisciplinary collaboration.
The LG said that the main centre at JU’s campus in Jammu and its Kashmir Chapter had 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 J&K.
Prof Umesh Rai, Vice Chancellor, JU; Anshul Garg, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Neelu Rohmetra, Dean Research Studies; Guneet Singh Sudan, Director Sub Office Kashmir, and Prof Sangita Gupta, Dean, Planning and Development attended the foundation day ceremony.
G V Sundeep Chakravarthy, SSP Srinagar; Jatin Kishore, Deputy Commissioner Budgam; Shruti Awasthi, Regional Director, IGNCA, senior officials of civil and Police administration were also present.
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