JNU V-C calls for support to Indian Knowledge Systems

JNU Vice Chancellor Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit emphasised on the challenges facing the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) initiatives during the Annual Academic Conference on IKS, which concluded today. She stated that many IKS initiatives remain underfunded, poorly implemented, and inadequately conceptualised, often treated as peripheral electives.

Speaking at the conference, Pandit said, “Despite institutional efforts following the NEP-2020, the colonial mindset persists, creating a hierarchy where Western frameworks are viewed as universal, while Indian frameworks are seen as parochial.”

She highlighted the urgent need for dedicated Oral History Departments, noting that Western institutions have successfully adopted such models, while India has yet to fully explore them. Additionally, she pointed out the acute shortage of trained teachers and the lack of curricula that can effectively integrate IKS into mainstream education. “This is a call for democratising knowledge and enabling a renaissance that reclaims our intellectual heritage. Integrating perspectives from tribal communities, feminism, Shramanism, Buddhism, and Jainism is essential for democratising knowledge,” the VC stated.

Prof MS Chaitra, Director of the Indian Knowledge Systems and Heritage Association (IKSHA), added that IKS is playing a transformative role not only in India but globally. “The need to mainstream this wisdom led to the establishment of IKSHA, a dedicated initiative aimed at nurturing an academic ecosystem around IKS,” he noted.