Panel Discussion and Interaction: Nature, Education, and Dharma

This programme will bring together scholars, educators, environmental thinkers, and young changemakers to explore the connections between nature, education, and dharma through dialogue, reflection, and community engagement.

The event will open with welcome remarks by Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and Hindu Chaplain to Oxford University, and Isha Khemka, a student passionate about children’s welfare and environmental action.

The panel discussion on Nature, Education, and Dharma will feature Nitya Khemka, Advisor to the Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation and Associate Fellow at Homerton College, University of Cambridge ; Uday Khemka, Trustee of The Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation and philanthropist known for his work in climate initiatives; James Bidulph, award-winning educator and CEO of Avanti Schools Trust; Amandeep Kaur Maan, Eco-Sikh UK co-founder and environmental advocate; and Emma Kidd, researcher and former co-lead of Schumacher College’s Ecological Design Thinking programme.

The discussion will be moderated by Natasha Chawla and Sathvika Krishnan, co-leads of the Bhūmi Spirit project and DPhil researchers at the University of Oxford working on eco-philosophy and wildlife conservation respectively. The programme will feature an introduction to Bhūmi Spirit: an eco-dharmic educational initiative. Bhūmi Spirit seeks to inspire practical action and educate people to care for and protect the natural world through dharmic values and philosophies.

Following this, a Children’s Showcase will highlight the impact of Bhūmi Spirit classes on young people. Students will share their experiences and reflections on caring for Bhūmi Māta, demonstrating the power of youth engagement in values-based eco-action.