Indian Knowledge Systems Explained

Indian Knowledge System (IKS)
Mcaption:	Sahitya Akademi main building
Abbreviation:	IKS
Type:	Governmental organisation
Headquarters:	Vasant Kunj, Delhi, India
Region Served:	India
Language:	English, Hindi
Leader Title:	National Coordinator
Leader Name:	Prof. Ganti S. Murthy
Parent Organisation:	Ministry of Education, Govt. of India

The Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), or the Bhāratīya Jñāna Paramparā Vibhāga, is a division of the Ministry of Education of the Government of India which purports to promote indigenous Indian systems of knowledge.^{[1] [2]} Established in October 2020, it is located in the AICTE headquarters in New Delhi.

History

The Indian National Education Policy (NEP), as enacted in 2020, emphasizes the inclusion of IKS into curriculums at all levels of education;^{[3] [4] [5]} in line with this, the National Credit Framework (NCF) has made it possible for students to earn credit in courses relating to ancient Indian sciences and arts.^[6] IKS is also being included under the Vision 2047 for Bharatiya Rasayanasastra initiative.^[7] In the 2022-2023 budget, IKS's financial allocation was doubled to .^[8]

Under University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines, it is advised that 5 per cent of a student's total credits should be in IKS courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.^[9] The UGC aims to train 1.5 million teachers in IKS by 2025, and has launched an online IKS MOOC course.^[10]

IKS has also spearheaded and funded certain research initiatives relating to traditional Indian knowledge,^[11] such as in relation to agriculture and architecture.^{[12] [13] [14]}

Topics

Vedic mathematics, various shastras such as the Arthashastra, and Indian astronomy will be taught under the IKS initiative.^{[15] [16] [17]} IKS topics for students taking UG medicine courses will include yoga, meditation, and ayurveda.^{[18] [19]}

Research

Focus Area	Received Proposals	Selected
Science, Engineering, Technology	55	4
Health, wellness	14
Psychology, Cognition	8
Linguistics, Phonetics, Epistemology, Language technology	10	4
Management, Administration, Law, Governance	6	1
Arts, Literature, Culture, Aesthetics folklore, Education	24	2
Indian Classical Music, Drama	3
Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy	10	1
Indian Traditional Knowledge Base	26	3
Total	156	15

Initiatives

Implementation in Universities

• In January 2024, IIT Roorkee and IIT Bhilai signed an MoU on December 29, 2023 to strengthen the academic and research collaboration between the two institutions. MoU includes promoting Indian culture, IKS, and developing projects across domains.^[20]
• In July 2024, IIT Mandi launched MS (research) And PhD programs in Music and Musopathy. The programs aim to explore therapeutic values and science behind Indian music for the overall well-being of human body, mind, and consciousness by leveraging the connection between music, technology, and health.^{[21] [22]}
• In July 2024, Department of Higher Education (Madhya Pradesh) included political concepts from Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Arthashastra, and problem solving skills from Vedic text and Chanakyaniti in its undergraduate and postgraduate programs. DHE confirmed creation of "Indian Knowledge Tradition Centres" in government and private universities across the state.^[23]
• In August 2024, IIT Mandi introduced a compulsory course for its BTech fresher students. The course is developed under the IKS division of the institute and it is called 'Introduction to Consciousness and Wellbeing'. The course covers a wide range of topics including theories of consciousness, anatomy and functionality of the physical body, reincarnation and out-of-body experiences. Some topics sparked controversy.^{[24] [25]}

Reactions

Support

The work of the IKS division has been interpreted by some as being guided by a mission to preserve Indian heritage,^[26] apply ancient knowledge to modern problems such as climate change,^{[27] [28]} and decolonise Indian education in a way that reduces undue Western influences.^{[29] [30] [31]}

The IKS Division of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) selected 15 research topics covering six focus areas ranging from Science and Engineering to Linguistics, Arts, Management, Yoga, and Indian Traditional Knowledge Base. The main vision is to train researchers who will embody the ‘Indian way’ of doing research.^[32]

Criticism

See also: Saffronisation. Critics of the IKS division have asserted that its curricula pedal pseudoscience and pseudohistory, do not constitute a genuine scholarly "decolonisation" programme, are a tool of indoctrination by the Hindutva ideology of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and will economically and professionally disadvantage Indian graduates in the workforce.

Writing for The Wire, Vasudevan Mukunth criticised the introduction of a new textbook under the auspices of IKS as a "Trojan horse of pseudoscience".^[33] The textbook in question dismisses as a myth the commonly accepted belief that "aeronautics was developed by Wright Brothers in 1903," asserting instead that 5,000 years before the Wright Brothers, "Maharshi Bhardwajan wrote an epic called Yantra Sarvasva and aeronautics is a part of the epic [...] Yantra Sarvasva is not available now but out of whatever we know about it, we can believe that planes were a reality in Vedic age." The textbook also asserts that "It’s a Myth that Theory of Gravity was discovered by Isaac Newton in 1666 AD; the truth is that thousands of years before Newton, a number of epics were written on the gravitational force and we can find the evidence in the Rig Veda".^[34]

Manasi Thapliyal Navani, a professor in the School of Education Studies at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi, has criticized the IKS curriculum as not being genuinely decolonial, stating that "Indigenous knowledge education or decolonisation projects begin with a critical dialogue with history and with the dominant forces that have shaped modern disciplines," and because IKS curricula lack such critical engagement, "the whole project essentially boils down to becoming one of indoctrination."^[35]

Jaheer Mukthar, an assistant professor of economics at Kristu Jayanti College in Bangalore, asserted that "the government is clearly using the textbook as a tool for propagating the Hindutva agenda".^[35]

Another criticism is that the IKS curricula may deprive students of access to useful Western knowledge, or bias them against it.^[36] In his article for The Wire, Mukunth also warned that an IKS education "would render [Indian] graduates even more unemployable, or under-employed, than they already are".^[33] Some critics have urged that IKS courses be made optional so as to not create issues for students who want to take courses that are better for their employment prospects.^[37]

Critics have also alleged that it serves to disseminate propaganda to further the political agenda of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its far-right Hindutva/Hindu nationalist ideology.

See also

• Vedic Heritage Portal
• Traditional Knowledge Digital Library
• Traditional knowledge

Notes and References

1. Web site: about . iksindia.
2. News: Chakrabarty . A. M. Jigeesh & Sreeparna . 2023-10-07 . UGC to train over 1,000 teachers to teach Indian knowledge systems from degree level . en-IN . The Hindu . 2023-10-25 . 0971-751X.
3. Web site: Kumar . Mamidala Jagadesh . 2023-07-29 . Embrace Indian Knowledge System, enrich higher education . 2023-10-25 . The Sunday Guardian Live . en-US.
4. Web site: IIT Madras workshop for educators to implement Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) . 2023-10-25 . Edex Live . en.
5. Web site: Bhagavad Geeta to be taught in NCERT textbooks: Centre . 2023-10-25 . The New Indian Express.
6. Web site: Philosophy is necessary: Exploring Indian knowledge systems beyond Science . 2023-10-25 . Free Press Journal . en.
7. News: 2023-02-14 . Conference on ancient Indian knowledge system commences in Varanasi . The Times of India . 2023-10-25 . 0971-8257.
8. Web site: 2023-02-03 . Union Budget 2023-24: Promotion of Indian languages receives impetus . 2023-10-25 . Hindustan Times . en.
9. Web site: 2023-06-27 . Mandatory 'Indian knowledge' course seen as 'indoctrination' . 2023-10-25 . Times Higher Education (THE) . en.
10. Web site: 2023-06-27 . UGC Launches Indian Knowledge System Online Course For Students; Classes From July 31 . 2023-10-25 . News18 . en.
11. Web site: 2022-02-12 . Impact of ragas on humans among proposals selected for govt funding . 2023-10-25 . Hindustan Times . en.
12. Web site: 2023-04-04 . Charaka Samhita to using dung as biofertiliser: 11 topics picked for govt funds . 2023-10-25 . Hindustan Times . en.
13. Web site: 2022-10-09 . Education ministry identifies 9 areas of research under IKS programme this year . 2023-10-25 . Hindustan Times . en.
14. Web site: Sanskrit language use, modern applications of ancient knowledge among research topics selected by AICTE for IKS . 2023-10-25 . India Today . en.
15. Web site: UGC releases draft guidelines on Indian knowledge systems in higher education . 2023-10-25 . India Today . en.
16. News: Chandra . Jagriti . 2022-12-15 . UGC recommends training in Indian Knowledge Systems . en-IN . The Hindu . 2023-10-25 . 0971-751X.
17. News: 2023 . Indian Knowledge Systems to focus on Sanskrit texts, Indian math proofs . The New Indian Express .
18. Web site: UGC issues guidelines on integrating Indian Knowledge System with UG, PG syllabi . 2023-10-25 . OnManorama.
19. Web site: UGC pushes for IKS courses in UG, PG, MBBS programmes . 2023-10-25 . news.careers360.com . en.
20. Web site: 2024-01-02 . IIT Roorkee, IIT Bhilai partners to preserve and promote Indian Knowledge Systems . 2024-07-23 . India Today . en.
21. Web site: 2024-07-06 . IIT Mandi introduces first-of-its-kind MS, PhD programmes in Music and Musopathy . 2024-07-23 . India Today . en.
22. Web site: MSN . 2024-07-23 . www.msn.com.
23. News: 2024-07-23 . Indian knowledge system to be part of UG, PG curriculum . 2024-07-23 . The Times of India . 0971-8257.
24. Web site: 2024-08-13 . IIT Mandi's mandatory 'Consciousness' course teaches reincarnation, sparks debate . 2024-08-14 . India Today . en.
25. Web site: August 13, 2024 . IC-181: Course Modules IKSMHA . August 14, 2024 . IKSMHA, IIT Mandi.
26. Web site: Kumar . Mamidala Jagadesh . 2023-07-29 . Embrace Indian Knowledge System, enrich higher education . 2023-10-25 . The Sunday Guardian Live . en-US.
27. Web site: 2021-12-06 . Reviving India's knowledge systems for modern Indian education and society . 2023-10-25 . Financialexpress . en.
28. Web site: Merge indigenous knowledge systems with modern technology for a better planet . 2023-10-25 . The Week . en.
29. Web site: 2023-09-25 . Autonomous colleges in state face challenges in implementing Indian Knowledge System . 2023-10-25 . Hindustan Times . en.
30. 2023-04-22 . 'Indian Knowledge Systems' in the Curriculum . en . 58 . 16.
31. Web site: 2023-10-10 . Opinion Indigenising Education: Ancient Indic Knowledge is Finally Getting its Due in New India . 2023-10-25 . News18 . en.
32. Web site: 2022-02-18 . Sanskrit language use, modern applications of ancient knowledge among research topics selected by AICTE for IKS . 2024-07-12 . India Today . en.
33. Web site: The Modi Government's Pseudoscience Drive Is More Than an Attack on Science . The Wire . 2018-03-30 . 2023-12-10.
34. Web site: Sharma . Kritika . In engineering courses soon: Wright brothers didn't invent plane, batteries existed in Vedic age . ThePrint . 2018-09-26 . 2023-12-10.
35. Web site: Thomas-Alexander . Tiya . Mandatory 'Indian knowledge' course seen as 'indoctrination' . Times Higher Education (THE) . 2023-06-27 . 2023-12-10.
36. Web site: 2023-04-18 . G N Devy writes: Replacing 'western knowledge' with 'Indian knowledge' could result in intellectual disaster . 2023-10-25 . The Indian Express . en.
37. Web site: 2023-04-24 . 'UGC credit courses on Indian Knowledge Systems relevant, should be optional for students, not burden students': Stakeholders react . 2023-10-25 . The Indian Express . en.