The Director General of Hindu Community Guidance at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Prof. I Nengah Duija, has called for the development of academic knowledge and Hindu economics that can respond to global dynamics while preserving the distinctive values of Hinduism. He made the statement as the keynote speaker at the International Seminar 2026: Building the International Network for Collaboration in Education, Research, Culture, and Entrepreneurship, held at the Dharma Sentana Hindu College in Central Sulawesi on Saturday (October 10, 2026).
The seminar, conducted in a hybrid format, explored the importance of international networks in education, research, culture, and entrepreneurship. It brought together academics and practitioners from Indonesia and India to exchange perspectives on collaboration and academic development amid rapid global change.
Prof. Duija observed that advances in information technology had transformed how people understand and respond to global events. These changes, he said, require higher education institutions to develop learning and research approaches that are relevant to contemporary needs.
“We can no longer understand the situation in a country in terms of weeks or days, but rather in terms of minutes or even seconds,” Prof. Duija said.
According to Prof. Duija, Hindu religious higher education institutions need to harness technological advances to broaden access to knowledge and international developments. Through academic activities involving participants from different countries, academic communities can expand their horizons while examining global issues from local perspectives.
“This seminar provides valuable insights into a highly relevant topic. We need new strategies for developing academic knowledge,” he said.
Beyond expanding academic networks, Prof. Duija emphasized the importance of developing fields of study with distinctive identities and competitive advantages. One of the area is Hindu economics, which integrates economic studies with Hindu values in governance, management, and administration.
He explained that this approach could establish a distinctive academic identity for Hindu higher education institutions while contributing to the advancement of knowledge. Economic theories and concepts that are widely studied, he said, should also be examined through the lens of Hindu scholarship to generate contextually relevant ideas that address the needs of society.
“We should incorporate our strengths, including macroeconomics as studied around the world, into the epistemology of Hindu economics so that it becomes a distinctive feature of the college we manage,” Prof. Duija said.
The seminar also featured several speakers, including Prof. Gyanendra Nath Tiwari of Nagaland University, India; Dr. Ramnita Sharda of Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya in Jalandhar, India; Dr. Rahul Deshmukh, an independent consultant and master trainer from Bhopal, India; and Anjasmara, an Indonesian actor and yoga instructor. The event also involved Ida Rsi Putra Manuaba, an awardee of the 2020 Padma Shri Award and an advocate of India–Indonesia cultural relations.
The participation of speakers from diverse professional and academic backgrounds provided a platform for exchanging perspectives on education, research, culture, and entrepreneurship. This cross-border collaboration formed part of broader efforts to expand academic perspectives and create opportunities to develop ideas that can be applied in response to local needs.
The Director General also expressed his hope that Dharma Sentana Hindu College in Central Sulawesi would continue to grow and produce graduates capable of competing at the global level. He emphasized the important role of Hindu higher education institutions in preparing knowledgeable human resources who maintain their religious identity and contribute meaningfully to society.
He further expressed his hope that academic activities of this kind would go beyond serving as forums for exchanging ideas and become platforms for developing new perspectives that enrich Hindu scholarship and support the advancement of Hindu civilization worldwide.
Contributor : I Made Juni Saputra
Photographer : I Gede Dipayana
