Cancel Vastu Shastra training for engineers, demands science forum

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Does Vastu Shastra, the ancient system of Indian architecture, have a scientific basis? What else explains the decision of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to hold a workshop on ‘Vastu Shastra Philosophy, Importance and use in Building Design’ for engineers, among others?  

‘India March For Science’ (IMFS), an organisation devoted to building scientific temper is not amused and has has called on CPWD to cancel the workshop. As many as 67 officials have been invited to the online training programme set to take place on November 17.

It’ll be hosted by a Ghaziabad-based firm. IMFS argues that the ancient discipline had no factual basis. Vastu Shastra seeks to align building design, spatial symmetry and other aspects of construction with nature.

IMFS member Anand Raj said: “We unequivocally assert that Vastu Shastra is an unscientific notion. The placement of doors, windows, and furniture does not cause good or bad luck. On the other hand, sound architecture and structural engineering can ensure the longevity of buildings, thereby securing the safety of the occupants.''  

“Government departments like CPWD should desist from promoting Vastu Shastra, which goes against article 51(A) of the Constitution that calls for every Indian citizen to promote scientific temper. The government should implement only those policies which are evidence-based and accepted by the scientific community at large. Therefore, we urge CPWD to cancel the training programme on Vastu Shastra,” he said.

Continuing in the same vein, Anand said: “The course is supposed to be attended by engineers, architects, horticulturists and workers. It is a retrograde step because civil engineering and architecture have been greatly enriched over the past century based on improved knowledge of mechanics and the availability of new material.”

 ‘Won’t bring good luck’

“Since the early days of human civilization, people have learnt to construct houses, considering the necessity of sunlight and ventilation. Even ordinary people in our villages know about it. Scientific ways of implementing these fundamentals are also taught in civil engineering and architecture courses without any trace of Vastu Shastra.

“Vastu Shastra is neither a philosophy nor a science, even remotely. Vested interests are promoting it with ulterior motives. Innocent people fall victim to it and are compelled to change entrances, doors, and windows, sometimes their entire house, with the notion that it would bring them good luck,” Anand said.

In October, the state government faced flak over a government order by the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) department stating that funds meant for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) would be used to teach SC-ST children ‘Vedic mathematics’. The order was withdrawn following outrage.