Indian Knowledge System in Indian English and Literature: A Critical Analysis of National Education Policy 2020

Abstract

This paper explores the knowledge systems of India which were once beacon to the world. For scholars and knowledge seekers of the world like Fahien and Huen Tsang, who came to India to acquire knowledge, these Indian systems served as the reservoir and generously shared its knowledge in various fields. It saddens us to note that the youth of India flock to the West in pursuit of gaining and creating knowledge.

With regards to the role of English in enhancing the Indian knowledge system, one may point out that English being the lingua franca serves as a platform to project the vastness and richness of Indian knowledge in diverse areas to the rest of the world. For example, drama is a primary art form in India from which every other art form emerged. It is unique to India to have the first systematic text on the art of drama and aesthetics. The Rasa theory is the most fundamental and complete philosophy which cuts across all disciplines of arts.

India has the longest epic in the world, Mahabharata, and equally popular Ramayana. India also has one of the largest collections of folk tales in the world. Most of the famous folk tales all over the world, including the Aesop’s Fables and the Arabian Knights, are considered to have been inspired by Panchatantra and other story collections in India. In order to connect with the local populace who were basically uneducated, they resorted to the use of common tropes, proverbs and dialects to establish a connection with the common people. In addition, Raja Rao’s Kanthapura is an example of how ‘sthal purana’ is used as a device to connect with the masses using a narrative technique that can be related to the ordinary rural people.

In order to explore the native techniques in Indian literature, the NEP has opened its doors to give a prominent place to indigenous genres and literature to make learning interesting, inclusive, holistic, multicultural and multilingual in secondary and higher education.