In a world overrun with fleeting content and digital fatigue, Connect 360 emerged as a powerful antidote — championing conscious, rooted communication. This 3-day international conference in collaboration of Jamia Millia Islamia & KR Mangalam University wasn’t just another academic gathering. Titled “Reimagining Communication in the Digital Age through Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS),” it catalysed transformation — grounded in ancient wisdom, yet future-facing.
At the heart of this shift was Prof Farhat Basir Khan, globally acclaimed media and design educator communicator and the Chief Guest at the inaugural ceremony of the digital age conference, in the esteemed presence of VCs, Prof Raghubir Singh (KRMU) & on the day two Prof Mazhar Asif of Jamia Millia Islamia whose insights on both days redefined storytelling and design — not as trend, but as timeless truth.
“Your words are not captions — they are codes. Sacred codes that can heal and connect,” Prof Khan said in his opening keynote at digital age conference.
The digital age event opened with ceremonial depth and philosophical clarityat KR Mangalam University, Vice Chancellor Prof Raghubir Singh set the tone with a stirring message:
“Connect 360 is not just a meet — it is a message. A message to integrate mantras with memes, and heritage with hypertext.”
The presence of media luminaries such as Prof KG Suresh (former DG, IIMC), Prof Ambrish Saxena (SAU Delhi), and others transformed the discourse into a living bridge—connecting shadow puppetry with artificial intelligence.
In his Chief guest address, Prof. Khan referenced the Natya Shastra, Panini’s grammar, and the Vastu Purusha Mandala to assert: “Communication not clicks. It is consciousness. Not speed, but soul. Not trend, but transformation.”
Day Two: Design Becomes Dharma
On Day Two, at Jamia Millia Islamia’s Department of Design and Innovation—a department Prof. Khan helped establish—the energy shifted from discourse to dharma. In a deeply personal and universal address, he shared:
“Design is not surface. It is substance. It is activism. It is architecture for equitable futures.”
Prof Mazhar Asif, Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, emphasised: “Today, we do not teach IKS. We embody it. Connect 360 shows how the past can inform—the future.”
Panelists included esteemed figures like Prof. Qamar Irshad, Prof. Amit Chawla (Dean, SJMC, KRMU), Prof. Lalit Das (IIT Delhi), and Prof. Jatin Bhatt (Ambedkar University). The day explored inclusive design, communication ethics, and how ancient values like ahimsa and dharma can shape modern digital practices—from AI development to UI empathy.
Sustainability Meets Storytelling
Across both days, Prof. Khan returned to a central idea—sustainability as sanctity. In a standout panel, “The Digital Era Demands Sustainability,” he offered a profound analogy: “If stepwells were sustainable design, let our software now be soulware. Let algorithms be guided by ethics. Design for dignity, code with compassion.”
Discussions ranged across fascinating topics:
• Travel vlogging as a form of digital ethnography
• AI and Ayurveda in promoting mental wellness
• Mascot design in Indian advertising
• Memes as modern myth — an ethical reevaluation
From the emotional depth of Navarasa in typefaces to the logic of Panini in UI/UX, scholars showcased how Indian Knowledge Systems can expand digital storytelling—not just enrich it.
New Chapter for Indian Media Education
As Connect 360 drew to a close, it did so with the conviction that the way forward is not just digital, but dignified.
“Let your creativity be guided not by trends, but by timeless truths,” the Chief Guest Professor Farhat Basir Khan urged in parting words. “Be designers of dialogues that heal, and storytellers of sacred futures”.
Connect 360 concluded not with farewells, but with a commitment — to keep the dialogue between past and future alive. As the national anthem played, it wasn’t closure, but continuity. This was never just a conference. It was — and remains — a call to conscious creation.
