RSS Sah Karyavahak calls for rediscovering India’s civilisational roots at DU’s IKS book launch

New Delhi, Nov 20 (PTI) A 21-book series on the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) was released at an event held at Delhi University on Thursday, with speakers asserting that India must revive, document and disseminate its civilisational contributions in science, governance and philosophy.

Titled 'Bharat Buddhiks' and published in Hindi and English, the series has been brought out jointly by Delhi University (DU) and the Vidya Bharati Uchcha Shiksha Sansthan, an official statement said.

Addressing the gathering, RSS Sah Karyavahak Krishna Gopal said India gave the world its first republic and contributed decisively to the development of mathematics, metallurgy and medical science.

“Indian civilisation is more than 8,000 years old. All of Europe inherited its civilisation from Greece, and Greece inherited it from India,” he said.

Citing the Iron Pillar in Delhi, he said its construction indicated the existence of high-temperature metal furnaces in ancient India. He also said evidence of dental surgery dating back 7,000 years had been found.

Gopal said Vidya Bharati runs more than 13,000 schools with 3.4 million students, and said nearly four million students have entered public life after completing their schooling in the network.

Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood, who attended as a special guest, said the National Education Policy emphasises that India must be not only a consumer but also a producer of global knowledge.

He praised the DU faculty for preparing the book series, saying the work reflected the university’s academic commitment “from even the remotest corners of the country”.

Presiding over the event, DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh said India had been the “economic capital of the world for thousands of years” and understanding this required deeper engagement with texts rooted in the Indian knowledge tradition.

He said the NEP-2020 encourages institutions to integrate IKS into mainstream curricula.

Former GB-IKS head and NETF chairman Anil D Sahasrabudhe, Vidya Bharati Uchcha Shiksha Sansthan president Kailash Chandra Sharma, Ambedkar University Delhi Vice Chancellor Anu Lather and other senior academics were present at the event organised at DU's Convention Hall at the Vice Regal Lodge.

DU Registrar Vikas Gupta, several vice chancellors, college principals, faculty members and students from multiple institutions also attended the event. PTI MHS RHL