From Gurukul to Global: Indian Knowledge Systems Shaping NEP 2020

Abstract

India's educational system experienced an important shift with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which focuses on a return to the roots while educating students for a global future. The intentional integration of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), an immense collection of indigenous philosophies, sciences, arts, and pedagogies that have developed over millennia, lies at the core of this change. This paper examines how Bhartiya Shiksha is repositioned by NEP 2020 as a dynamic and full basis for learning in the twenty-first century, rather than as a legacy from the past. In the journey "From Gurukul to Global," the chapter serves as an example of how traditional Indian educational systems—based on principles like experiential learning, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and harmony with nature—are being reframed within modern frameworks. It examines important policy provisions and charts their relationships to traditional Indian traditions, such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Ayurveda, Natyashastra, and the Nitya Shastra. These include multilingualism, value-based education, arts integration, yoga, environmental sustainability, and vocational training. The paper highlights the potential of IKS to promote intellectual, emotional, physical, and spiritual growth as well as to close the gap between local wisdom and global significance through a multidisciplinary perspective. The chapter continues by making the case that the rebirth and mainstreaming of Indian Knowledge Systems under NEP 2020 represents a strategic breakthrough in education policy rather than just a cultural renaissance. It allows India to produce a generation of students who are both firmly grounded in their culture and with the skills necessary to successfully navigate and make a significant contribution to a globalized society. An education system that is both globally influential and authentically Indian is the obvious aim.