INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS: Let us strive for the wisdom that leads to the welfare of all

The BhāratīyaJñānaParamparāVibhāga or Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) is an innovative cell under the Ministery of Education (MoE) at AICTE, New Delhi. It is established to promote interdisciplinary research on all aspects of IKS, preserve and disseminate IKS for further research and societal applications. It will actively engage for spreading the rich heritage of our country and traditional knowledge in the field of Arts and literature, Agriculture, Basic Sciences, Engineering & Technology, Architecture, Management, Economics, etc.

India developed its knowledge system, tested it through practice, verified and improved it over thousands of years. As a result, the Indian Knowledge System is founded on the ‘wellbeing of all’

सर्वेभवन्तु सुखिनःसर्वेसन्तु निरामयाः
वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्एकम्सत् विप्राबहुधावदन्ति
कृण्वंतोविश्वंआर्यं

It is based on a deep understanding of human being as well as of nature and entire existence (Courtesy: IKS Initiative, GoI). A knowledge system which ensures right understanding and clarity of living in harmony at all levels of human existence can be called a holistic and humane knowledge system. Many cultures and civilisations over millennia have tried to evolve such knowledge systems.

एकम्सत् विप्राबहुधावदन्ति

The Indian culture and civilisation is one such example

The National Educational Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) recommends the incorporation of Indian Knowledge System (IKS) into the curriculum at all levels of education: “The heritage of ancient and eternal IKSand thought has been a guiding light for this Policy. The pursuit of Knowledge (Jñāna), wisdom (Prajñā), and truth (Satya) was always considered in Indian thought and philosophy as the highest human goal. The Indian education system produced great scholars such as Charaka, Susruta, Aryabhata, Varahamihira, Bhaskaracharya, Brahmagupta, Chanakya, ChakrapaniDatta, Madhava, Panini, Patanjali, Nagarjuna, Gautama, Pingala, Sankardev, Maitreyi, Gargi and Thiruvalluvar, among numerous others, who made seminal contributions to world knowledge in diverse fields such as mathematics, astronomy, metallurgy, medical science and surgery, civil engineering, architecture, shipbuilding and navigation, yoga, fine arts, chess, and more. Indian culture and philosophy have had a strong influence on the world. These rich legacies to world heritage must be nurtured and preserved for posterity and researched, enhanced, and put to new uses through our education system” (NEP 2020, p.4. Emphasis added.) UGC provides guidelines for incorporating IKS into undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum.

Research on Indian Knowledge System should be among the mandated tasks to be undertaken by all our institutions of higher learning. Indian Knowledge System should form an essential part of the curricula taught in our schools, colleges and other institutions of higher learning.

1. 1. In view of the importance accorded in the NEP 2020 to rooting our curricula and pedagogy in the Indian context and in the corpus of Indian Knowledge System, every student enrolled in a UG or PG programme should be encouraged to take credit courses in IKS amounting in all to at least five percent of the total mandated credits. It is envisioned that the interested students studying in UG and PG courses may be allowed to take a larger fraction of the total mandated credits in the fields of IKS.
2. 2. At least 50% of the credits apportioned to the IKS should be related to the major discipline and should be accounted for the credits assigned to the major discipline.
3. 3. All the students who are enrolled in the four-year UG programmes should be encouraged to take an adequate number of courses in IKS so that the total credits of the courses taken in IKS amount to at least five percent of the total mandated credits. The students may be encouraged to take these courses, preferably during the first four semesters of the UG programme. At least half of these mandated credits should be in courses in disciplines which are part of IKS and are related to the major field of specialization that the student is pursuing in the UG programme.
4. 4. All students should be exposed to the common underlying philosophical foundation of the various disciplines that are part of IKS.
5. 5. At least one to two lectures on the fundamental vocabulary of IKS should be conducted to familiarize faculty with the common terms used in IKS.
6. 6. A strong emphasis should be placed on providing exposure to the primary texts of IKS, which is required for acquiring a deeper understanding.