Yaduveer Wadiyar, the 'Maharaja of Mysore,' said on March 8 that India no longer requires an education system from the East or the West.
Instead, the scion of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru suggested that a ‘uniquely Indian and Swadeshi approach’ will enable India to achieve its global aspirations in the future.
“I know invokED, Shikshagraha and other institutions work a lot on changing curriculum and the means in which we are learning.…I think what India requires no more is any specific system coming either from the west or from the east,” Wadiyar said speaking at the fourth edition of InvokED, education leadership dialogue, hosted by ShikshaLokam non-profit in Bengaluru.
"But requires its understanding and its own means of working forward which is essentially the Swadeshi system which our forefathers enshrined for India," says Wadiyar, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP).
Wadiyar said that India was uniquely positioned to take over given the geo- political factors and advancements the country has been making. He also said India has the advantage of youth, language and talent and that world over, India was being recognised as one of the most advanced societies in terms of taking advantage of facilities given to them.
“In this viewpoint, I think India needs to correctly position itself, understanding its grassroots strength and, of course, global trends as well. We need to recognise the fact that we have come up from a very ancient culture. We have managed to conserve that culture… for aeons, if not thousands and thousands of years,” said.
Hosted at the Prestige Center for Performing Arts (PCPA) in Bengaluru, the two day event brought together 1000+ civil society, government and market players to honour individuals for driving grassroots change in public education.
We need to recognise the fact that we have come up from a very ancient culture. We have managed to conserve that culture… for eons, if not thousands and thousands of years.
“And, if we are to built the Viksit Bharat that we are envisioning, it has to be on the basis of ancient tradition and culture. Because in that lies our true identity and our true principles that the world over we need to share. This idea of grassroots strength and also positioning ourselves towards global trends is where the education sector needs to take advantage of,” Wadiyar said in his speech on the second day of the event on Saturday.
Uniquely Indian and Swadeshi approach
“Whether it is our economy or our education system… it has to be uniquely Indian and Swadeshi approach. And I think, within these few spheres of working, we will be able to achieve what our global aspiration as a country is going forward,” he said.
The scion of the erstwhile royal family of Mysuru Yaduveer Wadiyar won the elections to the Lok Sabha from Mysuru seat in 2024.
In his maiden electoral plunge, Wadiyar defeated Congress party’s M Lakshman by a margin of 1,39,262 votes and extended the BJP’s winning streak in Mysuru for a third straight term.
Key Takeaways
- India should adopt a Swadeshi education system instead of models from the West or East.
- Utilizing India's ancient culture and grassroots strength is essential for educational reform.
- India's youth and talent can help the country achieve its global aspirations in education.
