An evening with Prof. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit
On Friday, May 31, we had a very engaging session by Prof Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit, Vice Chancellor of JNU. The topic was: "Indian Knowledge System: The gaps and the roadmap". Prof Pandit explained the importance of knowledge and why India must document and propagate her indigenous knowledge system to build a compelling narrative.
About Prof. Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit
Prof Pandit was born on 15 July 1962 at Leningrad, Russia. She was educated in Chennai at the Presidency College. She was a gold medalist in both B.A. and M.A. Prof Pandit completed her M.Phil and Ph.D in International Politics from the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New-Delhi. She did her Post-Doctorate in Peace and Conflict Studies from the Uppsala University, Sweden. Prof Pandit is the first woman Vice Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University. She took charge on February 7, 2022 for a period of five years.
Prof Pandit’s teaching, and research career has spanned over three and half decades. She began as a lecturer at Goa University in 1988. In 1991, she joined the University of Pune. In 2006, she became Professor in the Department of Politics and Public-Administration holding the additional charge of Director-International Centre.
Prof Pandit has published four books and edited two. She has published several research papers and is widely traveled. She has completed several major and minor projects. Some 30 students have completed their Ph.D. under her supervision.
Prof Pandit was the General Secretary of the Pune University Teachers’ Association from 1996 to 2009. She was elected to the University of Pune Senate and Management Council [ Syndicate] during the period 2001 to 2006. She has been on the Board of Studies of several universities as an expert in her area of specialization- International Relations, Asian Studies, Culture and Foreign Policy, Conflict, Violence and Gender. She has been a member of several national academic and research bodies.
Prof Pandit knows several languages: Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Hindi, Sanskrit, English. She can also understand Kannada, Malayalam and Konkani.
The need for a narrative
India aspires to be the third largest economic superpower in the world. For that, India needs a strong narrative. Economic power is substantiated by political power. Money and power go together. Political and economic power go together. This is where the narrative becomes so important. And that can come from our indigenous knowledge system. This knowledge exists not only in Sanskrit literature and Hindu texts but also in regional languages (Tamil, Telugu, etc.) and other religions like Buddhism and Jainism.
For example, the Sangam literature has pearls of wisdom. The greatest of Buddhist scholars, Nagarjuna propounded the concept of Sunyata. All is empty. All is possible. This is very much related to quantum physics where a position cannot be defined with certainty.
The knowledge also lies in architecture. Consider the Sun temple where the deity is suspended by magnets. Or look at the Brihadhiswara temple in Tanjore: How did they erect the Vimana? It is remarkable that even after hundreds of years, there are no cracks. In contrast, today, most of our recently constructed bridges collapse in a few years. We must propagate our glorious ancient knowledge across the world.
Rediscovering our past
Foreign invasions destroyed many of our temples and other structures and even books. Our memory has been erased. We must rediscover our glorious heritage.
The British made us feel inferior to them. They made it look as if we were uncivilized and they were civilizing us. But our civilization is much older.
In fact, excavations and archaeological research indicate that our civilization is at least 8000 years old. American and European civilizations were not around then. Indeed, they came much later. So, the West is not qualified to pass judgment on our knowledge system.
Prof Pandit often jokes that if we spend 6 months in India, we can write a book. This is often based on a simplistic understanding of our culture. If we stay in India for more than 2 years, we will be confused. And if we stay for more than 5 years, it will sound too complicated. That reflects the richness and diversity of our knowledge system. It is not easy to understand the Indian Knowledge System in a few months.
Sanatana Dharma
Our religion is best described by the term Santana Dharma. This is very different from the Abrahamic faiths. For Indians, Sanatana Dharma is not the same as religion. Santana Dharma is a way of life. For the Abrahamic faiths, order is important. But Santana Dharma tolerates chaos and diversity. In fact, as mentioned by Kafka in his book, The Tao of Physics, Hinduism and Buddhism are close to quantum physics where nothing can be defined with complete precision.
The western tradition is binary and restrictive. The Indian system is full of greys. Ravana for example is generally considered a villain. But he was an anti-hero. He was a learned person and spiritual too. He wrote the Shiva Tandava Stotra. So, our knowledge system is not black and white. It is full of grey. It is also not linear. It can be visualized as concentric circles. Even agnosts and atheists are a part of the Hindu tradition.
Science and spiritualism
India is a blend of science and spiritualism. Here are a few examples. India’s greatest mathematician, Ramanujan wrote equations which even the accomplished Prof Hardy could not understand. Ramanujan did not even go to college as he struggled in all the subjects except mathematics. His proficiency in mathematics was probably inherited from his mother who was good at doing computations for horoscopes. Ramanujan would say that Goddess Saraswati came on his tongue. In the morning, he would get up and write the equation. Similarly, the spiritual guru of the Asuras, Shukracharya was good at accounting and finance. The Vaiseshikha Darsanam blends scientific knowledge and spirituality seamlessly. So does the Garbha Upanishad.
Once history is destroyed, new books are written, and new cultures are shaped. The nation forgets what it was. We must revitalize, reimagine and reconstruct our collective memory.
Diversity
We are the only civilization that accepts and celebrates diversity. There is a lot of talk about gender diversity these days. But women have always held a special place in the Indian knowledge system. The Upanishads feature various women scholars like Gargi, Maitreyee and Lopamudra. They debated with other sages like Yagnavlakya.
Patriarchy is associated with organized faiths. In our system, women have traditionally been given great respect. We first say Matru Devo Bhava, then only Pitru Devo Bhava and Acharya Devo Bhava.
When Shankaracharya debated with Mandana Mishra, his wife Ubhaya Bharati (a great scholar in her own right) was the judge. According to legend, Sankara defeated Maṇḍana Miśhra. As agreed, Maṇḍana became a disciple of Sankara and assumed the name Suresvaracharya.
Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge exercised her rights as a woman, redefined marriage and chose not to have children. Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Parvati are also greatly respected. Many gods are named after their wives: Sitapati, Lakshmipati, Umapati.
Connecting the past with the present
Can we connect the past with the present? The West has documented its knowledge. But we have traditionally been an oral civilization dependent on Shruti and Smriti. Many of the written texts were lost. Even the Arthashastra was discovered only in 1923.
Shruti essentially refers to the four Vedas.
Rig Veda: Rig means praise, a form of expressing the gratitude. This Veda has various hymns praising the elements of nature and cosmos.
Yajur Veda: Yajur means worship. This Veda explains the different procedures for worship of the nature and cosmos.
Samaveda: Sama means song. This Veda gives a music driven canonical format to the other Vedas for ease of recitation.
Atharva Veda: Atharva means stable mind. This Veda sets the rules for a steady daily life.
Smritis are authored by the sages and saints who mastered the Vedas and brought in their experiences and revelations. They are theses that the sages have prepared in different areas like theology, philosophy, science, etc. They are completely subservient to Shruti which is the final authority.
Concluding remarks
To be a superpower, the narrative becomes important. Unlike the West, we are comfortable with chaos and complexity. We are a knowledge-based civilization. We should embrace multilingualism and a interdisciplinary approach to propagate our knowledge system. The aim should not be to put down anybody but to add to the global pool of knowledge and enrich the world.
India is a civilization state and not a nation state. The USA gained legitimacy as a global superpower due to its narratives in finance/management and international relations. Knowledge systems must back our political power base. It is often said that knowledge is power. But power is also knowledge. From a position of power, the US has been able to propagate its knowledge. India needs a narrative to connect the past to the present.
Q&A
Prof Pandit lost her mother when she was just 15 days old. But she had the full support of her father, an IAS officer. He was 39, when his wife died but chose not to remarry just to take care of his child. He encouraged his daughter to learn Sanskrit and various other languages like Telugu besides Tamil and English which were taught at school. Even as a child, Prof Pandit developed the habit of reading various books for at least one hour every night.
Prof Pandit attributed 99% of her success to hard work and the remaining 1 % to luck/divine blessings. She emphasized that women must be 20 times as good as men to get a seat at the table. Women must take care of children. They must deal with mid-career challenges.
Prof Pandit mentioned that she did not have any political connections to get the post of Vice chancellor. She gives full credit to the present government for giving her the opportunity to lead JNU. Hard work and integrity often mean it takes longer to succeed but it is more sustainable in the long run.
Today’s environmental crisis is largely due to the efforts of the West to conquer nature. Unfortunately, developing countries have also imitated the west in recent decades to accelerate their development. But in our tradition, we have been taught to show great respect to the Panchabhootas (water, air, fire, earth, space) and live in harmony with them. Prof Pandit’s grandmother would tell her that if we disrespect the Panchabhootas, they will take revenge. A remarkable feature of IKS is that it accepts that humans are only a small speck in the cosmos. There are many other beings with their own functions. We must live in harmony with them.
Note: Recall the webinar delivered by Dr Rajender Singh on Jan 19. He had quoted the Atharva Veda: when nature gets angry, there are floods. Not only does the Atharva Veda give a lot of importance to water but it also recommends punishment to the wrong doers.
We must connect these ideas with the present to solve today’s large problems: climate change, stress, etc. Whether it is the Ayurveda for medicine, from Kerala or the accounting system followed by the Marwaris or Yoga for physical and mental wellbeing, we have a lot to offer to the world.
We must keep changing our syllabus in line with the challenges the world is facing today. Young people have an important role to play.
The West is good at theorizing and developing conceptual frameworks around their ideas. But we do not do such a good job here.
At JNU, the 14 schools (and 10 special centers) have enough autonomy and flexibility to design their curriculum. The School of Life Sciences is doing research on Indian scientists who have come up with pioneering inventions. For example, JC Bose discovered that plants could talk. None believed him but now his work has been accepted. Today, we know that if we talk to plants, they grow better.
The great Subramaniam Chandrasekhar developed the concept of black holes. His hypothesis could not be tested as there were no instruments then. So, he had to wait for a long time to get the Nobel prize. But many of the students he taught went on to win the Nobel Prize. We must include the work of such great Indian scientists in our curriculum.
AI cannot replace the human mind. We must know how to leverage the mind. Unfortunately, young people are losing the ability to read, write and think. Their attention span is short. They are addicted to and get distracted by smartphones. In the process, and probably due to the impact of social media, they are becoming depressed. They have become mentally fragile and vulnerable. We must teach children to use gadgets wisely. They should be trained to control their minds. We must not allow students to be distracted by mobile phones/laptops. In JNU, these are not allowed.
There is always resistance to change. Even Buddha admitted this. But change is the way of life. In fact, every instant, the reality is changing. Even though change is an integral part of life, we do not embrace it willingly. We must move out of our comfort zone and start taking risks. Failures are the stepping stones to success.
Advertising has often been used to change the mindset of customers. Advertising can make luxury items look like necessities and change buying habits. Similarly, we must package the ideas of IKS attractively and sell it to a wider audience.
Rather than depending on standard examples, we can give examples from Jataka tales. We can give examples of Tenali Rama, Birbal and Rudrama Devi, the great Kakatiya queen.
Our scriptures are full of great examples in ethics, leadership and management. There is a well-known Buddhist parable. Two Buddhist monks, a senior and a junior, were traveling together. They encountered a river with a strong current. At the river bank, they saw a woman who needed help reaching the other side. The younger monk was hesitant because their vows forbid physical contact with women. However, the elder monk, without any hesitation, picked up the woman up and carried her across the river. After safely taking her to the other side, they continued their journey. The younger monk could not understand how the elder monk could break his vow. He thought over it for hours. Finally, he confronted the elder monk, expressing his confusion. The elder monk simply replied, "I set her down by the river hours ago. Why are you still carrying her?"
We must share such experiences and stories. We must write blogs.
Academics should write and publish more. Students should be encouraged to do research.
To climb a mountain, we must take the first steps. We must move ahead even if we are not sure about the path. We can start with conjectures and refine our assumptions as we go along.
When she took over as Vice Chancellor of JNU, there was a general perception that the left which dominated the campus, would not allow any change. On the other hand, there was also a concern that the present government was incapable of nurturing the university and its intellectual tradition. There was even a feeling that only leftists could be intellectuals. Today, the perception has changed. Mrs Pandit has turned around the situation. She has been selling the university to a global audience. JNU has scored globally 69 in QS rankings.
There is a saying that if we tell a lie and repeat it several times, it becomes the truth! We need not tell lies. We can tell the truth and substantiate it with facts. If we keep doing this on a sustained basis, IKS will gain acceptance. It is a long journey. We have a lot of hesitation to get started. But if we begin now, the next generation will benefit. We may even win the Nobel prize for our work on IKS if we connect the past with the present.
AT JNU, there is an emphasis on the Mimamsa research methodology. Mimamsa, attributed to the sage Jaimini, emphasizes the importance of correct ritual performance and the study of the Vedas to achieve desired outcomes. Mimamsa philosophy is concerned with the practical application of Vedic teachings. The Indian tradition emphasizes thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis.
Collaboration is important. As researchers, we should not be too secretive. Unfortunately, we are too individualistic, thinking of only our own career prospects. We must start sharing our knowledge. JNU is working together with various Sanskrit scholars and Sanskrit universities. JNU is also collaborating with Delhi University and IIT Delhi.
UGC has prescribed that 5% of the total credits and 50% of the credit in the chosen area must be on IKS. One compulsory course must be taken by the students. But there are no books available on some topics. How can we adopt IKS in universities? Materials must be built from scratch. At JNU, the different schools design their own courses. Particularly, in Social Sciences, good work has been done. Teachers are being encouraged to innovate.
One book has been made compulsory for the students. They are made to read and interpret these books as part of coursework. For example, the key principles of Politics/Economics/ Sociology can be taught through Arthashastra.
India only spends about 3% of GDP on education. Educational outcomes are very poor. The Radhakrishnan and Kothari committees recommended a budget of 6% of GDP. But South Korea/China when they were at a similar stage of development, allocated 15% of their GDP for education. So, Prof Pandit feels that we must allocate at least 10% of GDP. Education is a must for development. When there are huge inequalities, the state must step in. The state cannot shirk its responsibility. We have a well-known saying: Acharya Devo Bhava. We must respect teachers and pay them well. We are a civilization that respects knowledge. We must revive this tradition. Otherwise, we cannot call ourselves a knowledge civilization.
We must decolonize the Indian mind. We are still conditioned by the colonial mindset. We still think we are inferior to the west.
But we must recall that Vivekananda had persuasively argued that our civilization is superior and second to none. Dr S. Radhakrishnan had written a book, The Hindu way of life. We can also draw inspiration from the work of Swami Dayanand Saraswati in this context. Parents also have a huge role to play. Prof Pandit’s grandmother made a big difference. She was not educated but taught more than any teacher. She explained the importance of Panchabhootas and frugality.
Knowledge gives us power. At the same time, if we have economic and political power, we can create our own knowledge. To be a superpower, we need a unique knowledge system. The US is a declining superpower, but we are still influenced by their knowledge system. Knowledge is long lasting and creates a sense of power, even after the power has started to decline. Knowledge keeps a nation going. The US is a superpower today (though its power has declined a lot) because of its knowledge system. We continue to use their textbooks.
India is only one of two continuous civilizations, along with China. Other civilizations have perished. But along with continuity, we also need change. It is continuity with change that will enable us to flourish.