Universalism & Oneness at Universities and Indian Philosophy

(Several learned and giant personalities have defined the purpose of education and universities. The following discussion is just a personal viewpoint and shouldn’t be considered or compared as an accurate and in-depth analysis.)

‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam- वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्’ is the phrase from the ancient Indian philosophy which means world is one family. This single philosophy has the capability to embrace the unity in diversity by converging all faiths for the wellbeing of the entire human population. Universities are the place for assimilations of various cultures so that the society gets rid of social evils and create world knowledge societies. India had a glorious past when universities like Nalanda and Taxilla had invited world citizens. They flourished by encouraging and providing a discussion & study forum for divergent cultures, ideas, faiths while maintaining their unique identities. The revival of Indian education sector on that line will showcase Indian capabilities of providing solutions to world issues. This will be a significant step forward with the growth story of Indian economy which is projected to become third largest economy in the near future.

A country can’t sustain the leadership role for a long if it fails to create a knowledge society and that should be the prime focus of the education policy. The economic progress comes with responsibility and a strong knowledge society is the backbone for a sustainable growth. Any protective approach will go against the fundamental concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam- वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्’. Only an open minded knowledge society attracts talents and promotes universal brotherhood.

The new education policy has rightfully given importance on holistic development of youngsters (society) through education. There can’t be a second opinion for the need of all-round holistic development imbibing the spirit of responsibility and cultural nationalism. Any society who doesn’t respect its past glory can’t change the world. India has a legacy of ancient civilizations and a knowledge chain spanning over several centuries that promoted universalism as the core principle for the wellbeing of the entire living organisms, doesn’t necessarily limited only to humanity. That’s the basic difference with the other beliefs or philosophies. It has universal appeal for resolving all conflicts hide in it which once understood by all will lead to the world peace. Therefore, it’s important to focus on building the future based on the strong foundation of learnings from the civilizations since the time known. It’s unfortunate that when world was busy in research laboratories searching for the truth of numerous scientific discoveries during 1700-1900 centuries, India was occupied by invaders and was busy in fighting for its freedom. As a result, India missed the bus for the first wave of science (industrial) revolution and that continued till the semiconductor revolution. It had created a huge vacuum in our thought process that leads Indians to slowly lose the confidence. Indians born and brought up post industrial revolution forgot the fact that India was far superior to the rest of the world as confirmed by the ancient scriptures before the industrial revolution in language, culture, knowledge, and all major index of human developments. The presence of hundreds of languages, beliefs, food habits, and rich heritage of varied cultures provides the testimony to it. India was paralyzed in past by not respecting and preserving its achievements spanned over several civilizations, and new India can’t afford the same mistake again. Therefore, one can’t ignore the ancient education system and there is no harm in attempting to revive it in modern context for academic interest. However, nothing is permanent except the change and India has to move ahead with a forward-looking education policy. Rightfully, policy makers have understood the importance of education in shaping the future of India. No one can ignore the positive role of cultural studies in building a healthy society. What is also needed is to liberalize the education from political clutches and make it truly universal.

Disruptive technology is a good idea, but disruptions in human resources may sometimes become counterproductive (because technology can’t be allowed to control the human behavior). Therefore, technology should play the role of an assistant, but it shouldn’t become the instructor and if teachers are under stress than one may anticipate a downfall of the society in the instance of teachers becoming robots lacking a human touch. Academicians should not feel isolated and be allowed to freely celebrate the knowledge like any other festivities. This is where we face the contradiction: will commercialization of education allow celebration of knowledge freely? The profitmaking and holistic approach of education move in opposite direction. Therefore, it is important to isolate the idea of entrepreneurship and holistic education. The holistic education should produce good teachers while entrepreneurship will only create future businessman/businesswoman. The purpose of education is to prepare a youngster to face the future challenges with grace, equip with knowledge for value addition to the society and essentially to prepare for earning livelihood by meaningful way but education itself shouldn’t enter into the profiting business.

The lack of wisdom or power struggle of administrators at various levels will create a suffocating atmosphere for many academicians. Academic discussions and debates don’t lead to any indecisions, but it helps to bring out the best by the peers. That’s why the absolute government control of education ecosystem is not good for any country. If academicians fail to express their views in free and fair atmosphere, irrespective of whether such opinions are in consonance with the administrative decisions, it may lead to a total collapsing of the very purpose of education. If it happens, there will be serious implications in country’s development and ecosystem. All political leaders find it comfortable when they don’t face any questions on their decisions, but the society may suffer if such decisions are not scrutinized by peers. However, it is important for academicians to understand their responsibilities in playing a constructive role in nation building and any deviation in it may certainly invite troubles.

Currently, traditional universities are placed at the bottom of the pyramid in India. As a consequence, they are struggling to overcome from various short comings including fund crunch. It’s unfortunate that those universities are untouchable for the elite class. India can’t ignore traditional universities because they are directly linked to more than 80 % of masses. If we ignore, the targets of sustainable growth and the very purpose of uplifting the society will fail. However, it will need mobilization of massive resources and the cost will be exceptionally high. One possible solution for addressing the issue of scientific research infrastructure is to integrate various national research laboratories with traditional universities. For instance, CSIR of India is the equivalent counterpart of CNRS of France, but CNRS is directly linked to French universities, and they have successfully implemented joint campuses for advancing scientific research and it has delivered the desired results. 

On the other hand, internationalization of education may not happen in vernacular graduate or post graduate institutes. In the past, millions of Indians got the opportunity to study in world class universities elsewhere and settle down there because they find it user friendly and comfortable living condition. They proudly represent India and have become the torch bearers at the world stage when they are occupying the top positions of many of the global companies contributing significantly towards the growth of both the host countries and India. They bridge India with several countries at world stage. The larger question is how it has happened? The answer lies in the ease of living without having restricting or scary laws, English as teaching medium, and universally appealing educational infrastructure. Any attempt to clipping their wings would be counterproductive for India in long run, rather we should encourage them to engage in India by providing a conducive environment by creating an open knowledge society at the core of which will be the Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam- वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्’.

The world is already vertically divided – it’s high time to promote openness and oneness which is the core principle of Indian philosophy. The wisdom is a matter of cultivation and language should not come on the path of universal knowledge society if we truly believe in the principle of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, because language is just a medium of communication and Indian scriptures don’t advocate for any supremacy over others.  In broader perspectives, saints of India since ancient times realized that any attempt to establish the supremacy is the root cause of the unrest in the world that leads to widespread destruction. A forward-looking approach will help India to build a universal knowledge society by respecting our core principles because these principles were derived from the absolute understanding of the universe and these principles are immortal.

 Weeping Rose

14.10.2023