India's Knowledge System Was Drained During Colonial Rule: Vice President
The Vice President made the remarks while speaking at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) during the inauguration of a three-day academic conference on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), themed 'The Resurgence of IKS'.
The conference, being held from July 10 to 12, brings together scholars and academics to explore ways of integrating traditional Indian knowledge systems-including philosophy, science, arts, and spirituality-into modern education and governance frameworks.
Referring to the invasions by Turko-Afghan military general Bakhtiyar Khilji, the Vice President said, "Barbarism prevailed over civilization," adding that "instead of embracing and assimilation, there was contempt and destruction," and that the country's ancient centres of learning were destroyed.
Mr Dhankhar said the conference was an effort to correct a "historic wrong" and highlighted how colonial-era education policies are still being taught. "British colonisation brought the second interlude. Institutions changed their motives-the compass was redirected. The East India Company's need for 'brown babus' replaced India's need for thinkers. Our great knowledge systems were systematically drained and destructed," he said.
"India did not just teach. It welcomed, debated, exchanged, and inspired," Dhankhar said, underlining the role of Indian traditions in shaping global discourse.
"At the heart of this conference lies a profound truth: India is not just a political construct; it is much beyond. It was not formed in the mid-20th century; it is a civilizational continent, a flowing river of consciousness, enquiry, and learning that has endured across millennia," he added.
Urging for the digitisation of classical Indian texts, he emphasised the need for academic access and global dissemination.
He said, "There is a growing need to bridge what is often seen as a divide between tradition and modernity. That divide is artificial and intellectually lazy... The wisdom of the past does not obstruct innovation-IKS enhances it."
Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal, who also attended the event, echoed the Vice President's sentiments about ancient Indian learning, from Ayurveda to Vedic sciences.
"Our Vedic sciences, Ayurveda, philosophy, and maritime wisdom offer students a holistic, decolonised framework, blending instinct, intellect and intuition. I believe that JNU's initiative is timely and transformative. IKS must guide future learning and global wellness," he added.
JNU Vice Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit underlined the importance of intellectual discourse in shaping national identity. "Political power requires narrative power. So, intellectuals are very important, and it is the duty of higher education institutions to do it."
She added that the conference aimed to produce "path-breaking" research that would form the basis for long-term academic engagement with Indian knowledge systems.
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