Amritesh AR

Dr. Amritesh A. R. currently serves as an Assistant Professor at the Amrita School for Sustainable Futures, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri Campus. He holds a Ph.D. in Sustainable Development from the same institution. His doctoral research, titled “The Role of Sociocultural Practices and Management Systems on the Sustenance of Sacred Groves in Kerala: An Exploratory Study,” explores the intricate relationship between cultural traditions and ecological conservation.

He has over 10 years of experience in research and industry, with a strong focus on sustainability, cultural heritage, ecology, and community engagement. For the past five years, he has served as a Program Officer for the Live-in-Labs® program, leading various community development and sustainability initiatives across rural India. He also serves as the Program Manager of AYUDH (Amrita Yuva Dharma Dhara), mentoring university students in academic and extracurricular initiatives.

Dr. Amritesh holds a postgraduate degree in MBA and previously worked as a Program Coordinator in the Corporate and Industrial Relations Department at Amrita, contributing to strengthening industry–academia collaborations.

With a strong foundation in Indian cultural heritage and ecological systems, his research primarily focuses on sacred groves (kavu) in Kerala, cultural landscapes, and diverse forest ecosystems. His work emphasizes the interconnectedness of traditional knowledge systems, biodiversity conservation, and cultural practices. He has coordinated several internships, workshops, leadership camps, and international conferences.

In 2017, he was awarded a UNESCO Fellowship by Sahapedia for his research on the sacred groves of Kerala. He has presented scholarly papers at several national and international conferences, including:

• “Sociocultural Heritage of India: A Review of Studies of the Sacred Groves of Kerala”
  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14728028.2025.2461162
• “An Indian Approach to Diversity Management at the Workplace – Cues from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras”
  International Conference on Diversity Management, SDM PG Centre, Ujire, Karnataka
• “Vrukshakkani and Vishuthaineettam Ritual of Vishu as a Periodic Updation of Religious Rites and Ceremonies to Fight Climate Change – A Study”
  International Conference on Ecology & Culture, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
• “Tracing the Legacy of Kashmiri Tantra in Kerala: A Journey Through 13 Abodes of Rurujit Kali”
  Conference on Yatras, Indic Academy, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

He also played a key role as the Coordinator of Amrita Helpline during the Kerala floods (2018 and 2019) and co-authored the research paper “Dynamic and Time-Critical Emergency Management for Level Three Disaster: A Case Study Analysis of Kerala Floods 2018,” presented at the 21st International Conference on Distributed Computing and Networking (ICDCN), Kolkata.