In today’s era, when higher education is often defined by global benchmarks and technological prowess, there is a growing conversation around the need to preserve and integrate India’s own intellectual traditions within modern academic frameworks. In recent years, Indian higher education has witnessed a renewed interest in the country’s own intellectual traditions, broadly described as Indian Knowledge Systems. It includes philosophical, scientific, artistic, and ethical thought and is recognized as a necessity to contemporary education.
The Indian Knowledge System has a broad range of disciplines, from the philosophical insights of the Upanishads and the ethical frameworks of classical Nyāya and Vedānta, to traditional sciences such as Ayurveda and Vedic mathematics. As the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 introduced, it explains how it is not merely historical curiosity but a thought that can enrich subjects as literature, science, arts, and even technology by offering alternative lenses for understanding how the human experiences evolved.
This policy advocates integration of Indian Knowledge System’s elements across curriculum and recommends that a portion of students academic credits should be involved in its study. Therefore, in alignment with this policy, Lucknow University has introduced courses such as Indian Knowledge Traditions and Knowing India’s Heritage as part of its undergraduate curriculum. The syllabus covers core themes such as Indian philosophical traditions, ancient systems of learning, classical texts, indigenous scientific and mathematical thought, art and aesthetic theory, social institutions, and ethical concepts such as dharma and kartavya.
Beyond formal coursework, Lucknow University has also fostered scholarly engagement with Indian history and thoughts through seminars, conferences, and research initiatives. Academic events are organised, such as the three-day academic conference on “Second Urbanisation,” held on January 10, 2026, organized by the Department of Anthropology to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Lucknow School of Anthropology. It was also supported by the Indian Society for Prehistoric and Quaternary Studies, the Indian Archaeological Society, and the Human Ecology Society.
This conference focused on understanding the rise of early Indian cities around the 6th century BCE and examining ancient urban planning, social structures, trade networks, and material culture, and highlighting how traditional knowledge helps in explaining the long-term historical and societal transformations.
However, the integration of the Indian Knowledge System into modern academia is not there without the challenges. There are many ongoing debates here and there about how best to teach traditional knowledge to students in ways that are rigorous, relevant, and accessible from diverse academic backgrounds.
Following the policy of NEP 2020, which called for the systematic inclusion of Indian knowledge traditions in higher education. The Indian Knowledge Systems Division of the Ministry of Education was established in October 2020 to integrate India’s traditional knowledge into modern education and research. It supports IKS centres, interdisciplinary research, faculty development programmes, and student internships across universities.
It is guided by the principles of Paramparā (The continuous knowledge traditions of Bharat since time immemorial), Dṛṣṭi (The unique perspective that makes this knowledge system ‘Indian’ and valuable to the world), and Laukika-prayojana (The practical utility to solve current and emerging problems of India and the world).
Its objective is to cultivate a living knowledge tradition that bridges classical wisdom with contemporary innovation.
Contemporary education is heavily influenced by the Western epistemologies and it often prioritises technical competence over ethical reflection. Indian knowledge traditions offer the perspectives which are alternatives on leadership, governance, sustainability, and human well-being and the areas where modern societies face crises. The concepts such as dharma, kartavya, and lokasangraha are largely absent from conventional curriculum.
As the Indian Knowledge System finds its place within modern academia, it offers more than a link to the just past. They provide a framework for cultivating critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and cultural awareness in students. And in today’s world where anything can be manipulated and changed, we have to learn and know the raw and unfiltered of what exactly happened, how and when.