Dr Priti Adani, Chairperson of the Adani Foundation, has called for using ancient knowledge to solve modern problems and improve people’s lives. She was speaking at the opening session of the World Symposium on Ancient Wisdom for Modern Challenges, held in Varanasi on Monday.
During her speech, she said ancient knowledge becomes valuable when it helps people deal with present-day challenges such as poverty, inequality, suffering and conflict.
She explained that knowledge gives people the ability to change the world, while wisdom helps them make those changes in the right way.
Dr Adani spoke about the teachings of ancient thinkers, including Aristotle, Lord Buddha and Confucius. She said their ideas about happiness, kindness, responsibility and peaceful living remain important today.
She also highlighted India’s traditional belief, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means the world is one family.
Speaking about the Adani Foundation’s social development activities, she said real progress should be measured by how much it improves people’s lives.
Established in 1996, the Adani Foundation works across 7,000 villages in 22 Indian states and has reached around 13 million people through its programmes.
Dr Adani also spoke about the Bharat Knowledge Graph, a project supported by a $10 million commitment from the Adani Group. The project aims to make India’s ancient knowledge easier to access for research and education. It currently supports 14 doctoral researchers.
Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs of Columbia University also addressed the gathering. He spoke about changes in the global economy and India’s growing importance.
According to his projections, India’s share of global economic output could increase from 8.5% in 2026 to 13.1% by 2050 and 15.1% by 2100.
He also highlighted the growing economic importance of Asia and Africa.
Professor Sachs appreciated the Adani Group’s role in infrastructure development and economic growth. He said family-owned businesses also have a responsibility to contribute to society.
Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary of India’s Ministry of Culture, spoke about how modern technology can help preserve ancient knowledge.
He said artificial intelligence could help researchers understand ancient scriptures and make traditional knowledge available to future generations.
The event began with an address by Dr Nirupam Bajpai of Columbia University, who conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s best wishes for the symposium.
The international symposium series previously held meetings in Greece in 2022 and 2023 and China in 2024.
The Varanasi gathering brought together experts to discuss how ancient wisdom, modern technology and sustainable development can work together to address today’s challenges.
