TITLE : TRADITIONAL

KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM IN
INDIA OF SUSTAINABLE
LIVING
SUB TOPIC : FINDING
Traditional Knowledge for
Sustainable Living
 CERTIFICATE
• This is hereby to certify that, the original and
genuine investigation work has been carried
out to investigate about the subject matter
and the related data collection and
investigation has been completed solely,
sincerely and satisfactorily by YOGESH,
NISCHAY and PREMRAJ of class 11
SCIENCE , KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA.
Tradition is the handing down of information,
beliefs, or customs from one generation to
another.
If you look back in India’s history, you will
find it is full of traditions and customs. These
traditions might look ordinary but have
countless benefits attached to them. These
traditions are still practiced and hold a similar
relevance, as they did back in those days.
 But many people stopped using them they thought it is
superstitious because of lack of knowledge. But it's
not their fault in today's world lots of people follows
lots of their tradition without even knowing why they
are done like they are done or what is the reason
behind them. Because of this after some time they lose
their faith in them and start to abandon these things
without even knowing what they are missing. These
traditions and cultures in every country or religion
were made by their ancestors by lots of research and
information then only it was passed to other people.
In this project, we have done research
on these Indian traditions and their
scientific meaning behind them and
also gathered information from people
of areas around us. And we want to
convey this information to other
people so that they understand why
these traditions are important and
why it is done so that they follow these
traditions by the full faith and not just
blindly follow them.
 If we say in short than
 Some traditions, like Prayers, remind us of god on a daily basis.
 Other traditions such as fasting, and meditation discipline our lives for
spiritual progress and contribute to our health.
 Religious ceremonies or pilgrimages help us focus our minds on
spiritual aspirations.
 Some ceremonies bring family and community together.
 The discipline of regularly carrying out rituals encourages religious
values and aspirations.
 In our multi-faith environment, this also brings the opportunity
to learn about each other’s faith
 Every country or every religion have their own rituals and traditions.
Because of this, we have a countless number of traditions in our country and
if we go one by one then it would take years to completely understand them
all their for we have shown the most popular traditions followed by Indians.
 We have listed some traditions Indians have followed over the years most of
the traditions are still in practice in all Hindu households. Surprisingly, these
traditions are equally popular outside India, wherever Indians live.
 In Hindu culture, people greet each other by joining their palms – termed as
“Namesake.” The general reason behind this tradition is that greeting by
joining both the palms means respect. However, scientifically speaking,
joining both hands ensures joining the tips of all the fingers together; which
are denoted to the pressure points of eyes, ears, and mind. Pressing them
together is said to activate the pressure points which helps us remember that
person for a long time. And, no germs since we don’t make any physical
contact.
 Applying Tilak/KumKum On The

 Forehead On the forehead, between the two

eyebrows, is a spot that is considered a major nerve
point in the human body since ancient times. The
Tilak is believed to prevent the loss of “energy”, the
red ‘kumkum’ between the eyebrows is said to
retain energy in the human body and control the
various levels of concentration. While applying
kumkum the points on the mid-brow region and
Adnya-chakra are automatically pressed. This also
facilitates the blood supply to the face muscles.
 Sitting On The Floor & Eating This tradition is not
just about sitting on the floor and eating, it is
regarding sitting in the “Sukhasan” position and
then eating. Sukhasan is the position we normally
use for Yoga asanas. When you sit on the floor, you
usually sit cross-legged – In sukhasana or a half
padmasana (half lotus), which are poses that
instantly bring a sense of calm and help in digestion,
it is believed to automatically trigger the signals to
your brain to prepare the stomach for digestion.
 Henna (mehndi)Besides lending color to the hands,
mehndi is a very powerful medicinal herb.
Weddings are stressful, and often, the stress causes
headaches and fevers. As the wedding day
approaches, the excitement mixed with nervous
anticipation can take its toll on the bride and groom.
Application of mehndi can prevent too much stress
because it cools the body and keeps the nerves from
becoming tense. This is the reason why mehndi is
applied on the hands and feet, which house nerve
endings in the body.
 Why Do Temples Have Bells People who are visiting the
temple should and will Ring the bell before entering the inner
sanctum (Garbhagudi) or Garbha Gruha or womb-chamber)
where the main idol is placed. According to Agama Sastra ,
the bell is used to give sound for keeping evil forces away
and the ring of the bell is pleasant to God. However, the
scientific reason behind bells is that their ring clears our mind
and helps us stay sharp and keep our full concentration on
devotional purpose. These bells are made in such a way that
when they produce a sound it creates a unity in the Left and
Right parts of our brains. The moment we ring the bell, it
produces a sharp and enduring sound which lasts for
minimum of 7 seconds in echo mode. The duration of echo is
good enough to activate all the seven healing centres in our
body. This results in emptying our brain from all negative
thoughts.
• Surya Namaskar Hindus have a tradition of
paying regards to Sun God early in the
morning by their water offering ritual. It was
mainly because looking at Sun rays through
water or directly at that time of the day is good
for the eyes and also by waking up to follow
this routine, we become prone to a morning
lifestyle, and mornings are proven to be the
most effective part of the day.
 Why You Should Not To Sleep With Your Head
Towards North Myth is that it invites ghosts or death
but science says that Earth is a giant magnet. When
we sleep with our head towards the north, our body’s
magnetic field becomes completely asymmetrical to
the Earth’s Magnetic field. That causes problems
related to blood pressure and our heart needs to work
harder in order to overcome this asymmetry of
Magnetic fields. Apart from this, another reason is
that Our body has a significant amount of iron in our
blood. When we sleep in this position, iron from the
whole body starts to congregate in the brain. This can
cause headaches, Alzheimer’s Disease, Cognitive
Decline, Parkinson's disease, and brain degeneration.
 Why Do We Fast

 The underlying principle behind fasting is to be found in Ayurveda. This

ancient Indian medical system sees the basic cause of many diseases as
the accumulation of toxic materials in the digestive system. Regular
cleansing of toxic materials keeps one healthy. By fasting, the digestive
organs get rest and all body mechanisms are cleansed and corrected. A
complete fast is good for heath, and the occasional intake of warm lemon
juice during the period of fasting prevents the flatulence.
 Since the human body, as explained by Ayurveda , is composed of 80%
liquid and 20% solid, like the earth, the gravitational force of the moon
affects the fluid contents of the body. It causes emotional imbalances in the
body, making some people tense, irritable and violent. Fasting acts as
antidote, for it lowers the acid content in the body which helps people to
retain their sanity. Research suggests there are major health benefits to
caloric restriction like reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular diseases,
diabetes, immune disorders etc.
 conclusion
• The conclusion of this project say that we should use
traditional way of living for sustainable life with modern way
of life . It doesn't say that we should just follow traditional
system as we all know that technology and modern life style
have become we important part of our life .So as an new
generation we should use traditional and modern ways for
our own benefit and get the most out of it and it's not that
much hard, can't we just start yoga on regular basis or can't
we just eat at siting on ground instead of table we all know
how this minor changes can improve our life and health.
 AKNOWLEDGEMENT
• We would like to express our special teacher Hari Prasad sir
who guided us and motivated us to successfully complete
this project on topic ”traditional knowledge system of India
for sustainable living”
• We have collected this data and fact (traditions) from
people well known to their tradition through a survey and
found all benefits of that tradition from internet sources,
we also tried some of them for some time to see if it works,
in this many of our friends helped us and gave feedback of
the changes they felt during following traditions
• THANKING ALL OF THEM WHO HELP US TO COMPLETE
THIS PRIJECT