Course Content

The course will examine the ecosystem of learning in ancient India, which funded scholars to produce works of excellence in myriad disciplines. It will probe into the translation revolution that lit the lamp of knowledge across the globe as Sanskrit works were translated to Persian, Chinese, Tibetan, Arabic, Latin and English.

The course will take students across the Dark Ages of India when universities and temples were destroyed, scholars were killed, and Islamic education was imposed on the natives. Anecdotes of brave scholars who saved manuscripts from being lost will be shared. The course will make use of Dharampal’s research as well as the writings of other observers on the destruction of the indigenous schooling system and the process by which India discarded the Bharatiya Drishti and switched to a Euro-centric system of education.

Modern education, which takes inspiration from the Greeks, Romans and later Europeans has paid little attention to the richness of learning traditions of India that institutionalized storytelling, memory training, debating, deep reflection and research along with development of character. This course will highlight the successful examples of transformational aspects of India’s Gurukula system which are being re-introduced into mainstream education.