Bhubaneswar: City-based aspiring thinktank All Things Odisha organised its 16th monthly discussion circle Odisha Manaska on Sunday at the head office of ExtraOdinari and Safe Odisha For Her (SOFH) in Saheed Nagar.
As the theme of discussion for this month’s session was about our knowledge and belief systems and how these systems contribute towards making of our opinions and identities, the circle witnessed healthy participation from people of various age groups and social backgrounds.
The session was conducted by Sandip Bal and Sonali Priyadarsini, who navigated the discussion through the knowledge systems and how our beliefs hinder us from knowing more as we get confined in our own make-believe worlds.
Today’s topic was “Between Knowing and Believing: How We Make Opinions and Identities”, it struck a chord among the participants who were curious to listen to others, share their thoughts and learn from each other. The participants like all its earlier sessions were encouraged to speak from their lived experiences and share their thoughts without being noisy or a nuisance to others, keeping the democratic tradition of Odisha Manaska intact.
Participants of the discussion included Monalisa Padhee, Nachiketa, Aditya, Akankshita, Alka and Pranay Manjari.
In today’s world of technological upgradation and easy information available to everyone at the fingertips, we forget to differentiate knowledge from information and fall prey to false or fake information. Certain information shared by cunning individuals to cater to gullible people creates havoc while the knowledge system gets badly impacted by the free-flow of misinformation. At this juncture it’s our prerogative to sanitize knowledge from random information and accordingly form our opinions. The need for critical and rational thinking at a time when misinformation rules the roots, must be promoted to break the shackles of blind beliefs that blind our systems.
The monthly circle, known for its uniquely curated topical subjects related to identity, and lively discussions among its participants, has touched upon hundreds of people from various walks of life and gathered a lot of praise for such splendid initiative.
Odisha Manaska, as a physical platform to enable discussions on matters pertaining to Odisha and Identity, and gather collective wisdom, where each individual shares their thoughts, ideas, views and lived experiences, was initiated by All Things Odisha in August 2024.