Learning Outcomes – National Seminar on IKS and English Studies

 

Learning Outcomes – National Seminar on IKS and English Studies

Date: 25 April 2026

Participation in the National Seminar on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) and English Studies proved to be an intellectually transformative experience that significantly deepened my understanding of the intricate relationship between indigenous epistemologies and contemporary literary studies. The seminar foregrounded the relevance of traditional Indian philosophical, cultural, and intellectual frameworks in reshaping modern academic discourse, particularly within the domain of English Studies. It demonstrated how Indian perspectives can offer alternative interpretative paradigms, thereby contributing to a more inclusive, pluralistic, and critically balanced scholarly approach.

Through a series of rigorous lectures and thought-provoking discussions, I developed a nuanced awareness of the necessity of integrating Indian Knowledge Systems into both pedagogy and research. The seminar prompted critical reflection on the hegemonic dominance of Western theoretical models in literary studies and emphasized the urgency of revisiting indigenous modes of knowledge production. Furthermore, it introduced the possibility of interdisciplinary engagements where literature, language, philosophy, ecology, and cultural studies intersect through IKS frameworks.

Overall, the seminar was an enriching academic engagement that expanded my intellectual horizons, sharpened my critical faculties, and inspired me to approach research through diverse and culturally rooted methodologies.

Inaugural Ceremony & Plenary Sessions

Date: 23 March 2026

Plenary Session by Prof. Dushyant Nimavat

Prof. Dushyant Nimavat articulated a compelling argument for understanding Indian Knowledge Systems not as a monolithic construct but as a heterogeneous and pluralistic body of knowledge. He cautioned against engaging with IKS through reductive binaries of superiority and inferiority, instead advocating for rigorous scholarly inquiry grounded in critical evaluation.

Drawing upon Dharampal’s The Beautiful Tree, he illuminated the sophistication of pre-colonial Indian educational structures, which were systematically marginalized under colonial epistemic frameworks. He underscored the necessity of empirically investigating such claims rather than accepting them uncritically.

Prof. Nimavat further emphasized that Western methodologies often impose epistemological constraints when applied to Indian texts, leading to interpretative distortions. By invoking Linda Tuhiwai Smith’s Decolonizing Methodologies, he highlighted the imperative of developing indigenous research paradigms. He also aligned this discourse with the objectives of NEP 2020, advocating for the integration of Indian intellectual traditions into mainstream academia.

He concluded by asserting that IKS should function not as a replacement but as a complementary framework that enriches academic inquiry and fosters culturally sensitive scholarship.

Plenary Session by Dr. Kalyani Vallath

Dr. Kalyani Vallath’s lecture explored the profundity of Dravidian Knowledge Systems, particularly classical Tamil poetics, and their applicability within English literary studies. She dismantled rigid disciplinary boundaries and proposed an integrated approach to literary and cultural analysis.

Focusing on the Thinai system derived from Tolkappiyam and Sangam literature, she explained its sophisticated ecological-emotional mapping, where landscapes correspond to specific human emotions. The bifurcation into Akam (interior/private) and Puram (exterior/public) realms offered a structured understanding of human experience.

She elaborated on the five landscapes Kurinji, Mullai, Marudam, Neithal, and Palai each symbolizing distinct emotional states such as union, longing, conflict, and separation. Importantly, she demonstrated the transhistorical and transcultural applicability of Thinai, linking it with Sanskrit aesthetics, Western literary movements, modern ecological criticism, and Northrop Frye’s archetypal theory.

Her lecture ultimately positioned Thinai as a potent comparative and ecocritical framework capable of contributing significantly to global literary discourse.

Plenary Session by Dr. Kalyan Chattopadhya

Dr. Kalyan Chattopadhyay critically interrogated the colonial foundations of English Studies in India, tracing its origins to Macaulay’s educational policies that sought to produce culturally subordinate subjects aligned with British values. He argued that this legacy perpetuated a Eurocentric academic structure characterized by Paulo Freire’s “banking model” of education.

To counter this, he advocated for the incorporation of Indian Knowledge Systems as foundational analytical frameworks rather than peripheral additions. He highlighted the interpretative potential of Indian philosophical traditions:

Nyaya for logical reasoning

Vedanta for metaphysical inquiry

Rasa Theory for aesthetic analysis

Dhvani Theory for understanding suggestive meaning

He emphasized the importance of dialogic pedagogy, inspired by the Bhagavad Gita, where knowledge emerges through interaction, questioning, and critical engagement. He proposed curriculum reforms that integrate Indian and Western theories in a comparative framework, thereby fostering intellectual plurality and decolonizing English Studies.

Day 2 – Plenary Sessions

Date: 24 March 2026

Plenary Session by Ashok Sachdeva

Ashok Sachdeva examined the profound influence of Indian philosophy on British and American literary traditions. He argued that concepts such as Vedanta, Maya, Karma, Moksha, and spiritual unity significantly shaped Western writers during the Oriental Renaissance.

He illustrated this influence through literary figures such as Wordsworth, Shelley, T. S. Eliot, and W. B. Yeats, as well as American transcendentalists like Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman.

A particularly insightful comparison was drawn between Hamlet and Arjuna, both of whom grapple with moral dilemmas. While Arjuna resolves his crisis through divine guidance, Hamlet’s lack of such philosophical grounding leads to tragedy. This comparison demonstrated the applicability of Indian philosophical frameworks to Western texts.

Plenary Session by Prof. Atanu Bhattacharya

Prof. Atanu Bhattacharya explored the epistemological dimensions of language within Indian Knowledge Systems. He rejected the notion of historical discontinuity, asserting instead a continuous intellectual tradition from Sanskrit to regional literatures.

Key arguments included:

Language as a producer of knowledge, not merely a communicative tool

The centrality of Sanskrit in shaping linguistic traditions

The importance of narratives and literature in language education

The generative and analytical sophistication of Panini’s Ashtadhyayi

He contrasted this with colonial language pedagogy, which reduced language to a utilitarian function and marginalized interpretative and multilingual practices. He advocated a return to holistic, knowledge-centered language education.

Plenary Session by Sachin Ketkar

Sachin Ketkar foregrounded the critical role of translation in sustaining Indian Knowledge Systems. He argued that the inaccessibility of foundational texts due to linguistic barriers necessitates robust translation practices.

Challenging the notion of equivalence, he asserted that translation is inherently interpretative and shaped by cultural, historical, and ideological contexts. Using examples of Sri Aurobindo and A. K. Ramanujan, he demonstrated how translations actively reconstruct meaning rather than merely replicate it.

He concluded that translation is a dynamic process of knowledge production and cultural negotiation, essential for the continuous reinterpretation of Indian intellectual traditions.

Plenary Session by Dr. Amrita Das

Dr. Amrita Das’s lecture examined the concept of divine femininity in Hindu traditions through the theoretical lens of Luce Irigaray. She argued that Hindu goddess traditions provide a powerful alternative to Western religious frameworks that often marginalize feminine divinity.

By analyzing contemporary texts such as The Girl and the Goddess and Urmila: The Forgotten Princess, she demonstrated how mythological narratives facilitate female empowerment, self-realization, and spiritual autonomy.

Her discussion highlighted themes of maternal lineage, feminine solidarity, and embodied spirituality, ultimately asserting that the reclamation of goddess traditions can redefine women’s subjectivity beyond patriarchal constraints.

Conclusion

The National Seminar on IKS and English Studies was not merely an academic event but a profound intellectual engagement that challenged entrenched epistemological hierarchies. It illuminated the necessity of integrating indigenous knowledge systems into contemporary scholarship, thereby fostering a more equitable, diverse, and culturally resonant academic landscape.

The seminar ultimately reinforced the idea that knowledge is not monolithic but dialogic, evolving through the interaction of multiple traditions. It has inspired me to pursue research that is not only critically rigorous but also deeply rooted in indigenous intellectual heritage.