PNN
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 17: The IIT Alumni Council’s World Wisdom Workshop #1 of FY 2025-26 has highlighted an urgent need to accelerate technological developments to counter climate change, lifestyle diseases and potential risks from rogue frontier technologies like cyber-attacks, gene editing and agentic AI. Angel fund supported startups and eminent scientists working in this space looking for knowledge support and venture capital funding assistance may contact applications@iitalumnicouncil.org along with details of their past experience, research papers and patents. The call for proposals is open to members of IIT Alumni Council, alumni next members (family members of IIT Alumni Council members) and Distinguished Fellows or Corporate member supported entities. Last date for receipt of proposals is April 30, 2025.
Natural disasters intensified by climate change and the looming risk of AI-enabled gene editing creating new species, could end human dominance on Earth sooner than expected. There is an urgent need to mitigate these risks while exploring viable alternatives–underwater, off-planet, and beyond dense urban clusters. Policymakers, particularly in developed nations, may underestimate the consequences of unchecked advances in agentic AI and biotechnology. To counter emerging rogue technologies–potentially more destructive than nuclear arms–we must deploy Assistive AI, cobotics, and ancient wisdom to enhance human resilience, both mentally and physically. A single lab-generated virus, as seen with COVID, could erase humanity in days.
Solace2Self, a four-day workshop curated and conducted by Parag Shah–Distinguished Fellow of the IIT Alumni Council in analytical algorithms–brought together technologists, physicians, thinkers, and facilitators, alongside young IITians, Alumni Next, and IT professionals. Based on Shah’s 25-year methodology for enhancing inner clarity and cognitive renewal, the workshop reflects his long-standing commitment to introspective learning. A winner of the Global COVID Test Optimisation Challenge (2020), Shah is also remembered for his ability to play chess blindfolded during his IIT days.
“The thought-provoking workshop drew on quantum science to explore the role of free will and destiny in human action. The consensus was clear: unchecked entropy and environmental apathy by some nations compel countries like India to implement local solutions to safeguard future generations. This includes urgent exploration of underwater and surface habitats, net-zero technologies, micro-nuclear solutions, mass afforestation, and disruptive shifts in preventive healthcare,” said Swami Suryanil, a PhD in AI of 1993 vintage. His one-on-one sessions explored how consciousness may counter agentic AI, –and questioned humanity’s relevance in the broader cosmic context.
The 100-hour workshop was held at Jalmeen Orchard Hill–a serene, alcohol- and tobacco-free campus nestled in the Western Ghats, just 30 minutes from the Mumbai Expressway. With over 5,000 fruit trees, the intentionally designed campus will now serve as the permanent venue for future Solace2Self workshops. Dr. Minakshi Borate, Chairperson of the Samarth Foundation and Campus Host at Jalmeen, shared her perspective as the owner and former lead physician of a 50+ bed ICU hospital: “There’s no point healing a headache with a medicine that damages your kidneys–or taking a job that ruins your marriage. The component-based medical system has failed. We need a hard reboot–of both brain and body. It’s time for a scientifically validated wellness system that blends ancient wisdom with cutting-edge technology–especially in the face of alarming rises in fertility issues, strokes, lifestyle diseases, and developmental disorders.”
“As self-learning, self-programming machines become more pervasive, the human mind must reset and upgrade–enhancing its capabilities, reducing stress, improving wellness, and leveraging Assistive AI for productivity”, said Dr. Srinivas Padmanabhuni, IIT Kanpur Gold Medallist (1990) and Distinguished Fellow, IIT Alumni Council. He will lead the second edition of the workshop.
“Technology–key to addressing everything from socio-economic development to healthspan–is also our best tool to manage rogue innovations. In the new world order, leadership in frontier tech will determine national standing. Innovation thrives with the right training, shared practices and support for Deeptech startups. The World Wisdom Workshops under the MegaSpheres initiative meet this need. We encourage more alumni to follow the example of hosts like Parag Shah. As a non-profit mobilizing financial and technological resources for societal good, we view the accelerated development of such technologies as not just important, but essential”, said Ravi Sharma, President and Chief Volunteer, IIT Alumni Council.
About MegaSpheres and World Wisdom Forum
The world stands at an inflection point–climate change threatens planetary balance, while technologies like AI and gene editing challenge the future of human agency. What we need is not another system tweak, but a new operating framework. MegaSpheres offers that–a living matrix for regenerative, ethical, and future-conscious transformation. The World Wisdom Forum (WWF) is its annual summit–where vishwagurus, scientists, technologists, creators, and stewards gather to reflect, realign and develop new paradigms.
As the interactive layer of MegaSpheres, WWF sets the annual compass and remains as a year-round continuum through World Wisdom Workshops (WWW). Through retreats, residencies, labs, and dialogical formats, these touchpoints translate vision into action, allowing resilient systems to take root.
“World Wisdom Workshops serve as entry points to MegsSpheres –a larger field of transformation. When curated with depth, they go beyond offering insight–they activate our role in building what comes next. Through MegaSpheres, we now have a unifying framework that integrates reflection, innovation, and systemic wellbeing–with WWF serving as its annual launchpad. As we draw closer to the inaugural World Wisdom Forum, our movement reaches a greater coherence–an inflection point where intention, insight, and innovation entrain to build a resilient and regenerative future”, said Satish Mehta, Convenor, IIT Alumni Social Impact Fund
About IIT Alumni Council
IIT Alumni Council founded in 2019, is the largest global body of alumni from all 23 IITs and partner institutes. It catalyses India’s technological renaissance by advancing interdisciplinary research, innovation, and public initiatives in sustainability, health, and frontier technologies. It drives tech-enabled solutions to societal challenges bridging knowledge, expertise, capital, and entrepreneurship. www.iitalumnicouncil.org
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