For decades, the study of English literature in the post-colonial world has been viewed through what Dr. Dushyant Nimawat aptly calls a "static singular lens." We have dutifully applied Western frameworks—structuralism, psychoanalysis, postmodernism—to texts that often resist such categorization. This raises a pressing question for the modern scholar: Can "English Studies" truly claim to be a global discipline if it continues to marginalize the sophisticated knowledge systems of the East?
The recent National Seminar on Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) and English Studies at Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University (MKBU) provided a profound intellectual corrective. The gathering was not a retreat into "colonial grievances" or a rejection of the English language. Instead, it was an act of intellectual reclamation. By positioning IKS as an equal participant in global dialogue, the seminar suggested that the future of the humanities lies in a "rooted" education—one that uses ancient methodologies to sharpen our modern critical faculties.
1. Research Methodology is 2,000 Years Old
One of the most striking "a-ha" moments came from Dr. Dushyant Nimawat, who argued that ancient Indian logic provides a "microscope" for research that is as rigorous as any Western empirical model. While we often treat "Methodology" as a European invention, the Nyaya Sutras offered a structured framework for validating knowledge two millennia ago.
Dr. Nimawat highlighted the six prammanas—the valid means of knowledge—not as historical curiosities, but as practical tools for literary inquiry. When a student performs a "close reading," they are engaging in Pratyaksha (Perception). When they argue for the presence of a subtext through what is not said, they are utilizing Anupalabdhi (Non-apprehension). By re-labeling these acts, we do more than change the vocabulary; we decolonize the mind, acknowledging that the "scientific" pursuit of truth has deep, non-Western roots.
"The Western lens has become a very static singular lens. Only 12% of ancient scripts are available at present, but with this 12%, we can definitely go ahead with the knowledge we have to provide a multifaceted alternative to the universalized Western model." — Dr. Dushyant Nimawat
2. The "Tinai" System: The Original Eco-Criticism
If the prammanas offer a decolonial microscope, the Tinai system provides a map for the soul. Dr. Kalyani Vallath’s synthesis of Dravidian and Tamil poetics demonstrated how the Tolkappiyam anticipated modern eco-criticism by thousands of years. The Tinai system maps five distinct landscapes (Kurinji mountains, Mullai forests, Marudam plains, Neythal seashores, and Palai wastelands) to specific human emotions and phases of love.
This "landscape-emotion mapping" challenges the Western view of nature as a mere backdrop. In the Tinai tradition, the environment and the human psyche are one. This is most vividly seen in the distinction between Agam (the interior world of the heart) and Puram (the exterior world of action and battle). Dr. Vallath contextualized this through the moving image of a hero's mother speaking of her son on the battlefield—a classic Puram landscape where maternal pride is mapped onto a harsh, heroic reality.
"Classical Tamil poetics provides an extraordinary systematic model for understanding the relationship between language and human emotion. As the hero's mother says of her son in the Puram tradition: 'My womb is only a layer for that tiger; you can see him now only in battlefields.'" — Dr. Kalyani Vallath
3. Moving Beyond Binaries: The Yin-Yang of Knowledge
The seminar's intellectual architect, Dr. Dilip Barad, urged us to move beyond the "either/or" trap of post-colonial study. Drawing on the Eastern concept of "complimentary" systems—much like the Yin-Yang or the Ardhanarishvara (the half-male, half-female form of Shiva)—he argued that IKS and Western thought can grow together.
This is nowhere more evident than in "Indian English." Dr. Barad posited that our English is not a failed "mimicry" of the Queen’s tongue, but a vibrant, localized version—a "Gujarati English" or "Tamil English" that carries its own cultural soul. It is a "both/and" existence: we are local, yet global. By embracing this synthesis, we transition from being victims of a colonial relic to owners of a global medium.
Complementary Pairs in IKS:
Male and Female (The Ardhanarishvara).
Black and White.
East and West (Orient and Occident).
4. Reclaiming the Divine Feminine through a French Lens
In a fascinating cross-cultural bridge, Dr. Amrita Das explored how French feminist Luce Irigaray utilized Hindu goddess culture to challenge Western patriarchal structures. Irigaray looked to the East to find the "subjective position" for women that she felt was missing in the West.
Dr. Das synthesized this through the concept of "sensible transcendence"—realizing the divine through the body rather than in spite of it. By focusing on "breathing" as a spiritual emancipation and reclaiming a "maternal genealogy" through goddesses like Ratri (Night) and Usha (Dawn), women can find an autonomy that is both ancient and postmodern. This sisterhood, as seen in the works of Nikita Gil and Smitti Dwan, offers a radical alternative to the "mute victim" trope often assigned to Third World women.
"Divinity is what we need to become free, autonomous, sovereign... becoming a divine incarnation is necessary to realize the self both as flesh and divine spirit." — Dr. Amrita Das
5. The "Argumentative Indian" in English Fiction
The seminar’s final major takeaway focused on the "Indianization" of the novel. Researcher Jyoti Agrawal presented a compelling case for how Raja Rao revolutionized English fiction by embedding Indian epistemology directly into the narrative structure. Rao did not just write stories about India; he wrote Indianly.
* Circular Narratives: Unlike the linear progression typical of Western fiction, Rao’s narratives (notably in Kanthapura) reflect the circularity of the Puranas. This mimics an Indian way of knowing where truth is revealed through reflection and recurrence, not just a straight line to a conclusion.
* Myth as Reality: In IKS, myth is not a "falsehood" to be debunked but a lens through which reality is understood. Agrawal argued that by framing the freedom struggle through the Ramayana, Rao showed that history only gains its true meaning when situated within a larger spiritual framework.
Conclusion: The Future of a "Rooted" Education
The mission of the MKBU National Seminar was to prove that integrating IKS into English Studies is not an "anti-English" movement; it is a pedagogical evolution. By bringing Rasa, Dhwani, and Pramana into the classroom, we move from being passive consumers of imported theory to active creators of global knowledge.
A "rooted" education allows us to stand firmly in our own heritage while reaching out to the rest of the world. It invites us to consider a final, transformative thought: If we change the lens through which we read a book, do we fundamentally change the world we live in? The consensus from Bhavnagar suggests that the shift has already begun.
Refference Videos :
https://www.youtube.com/live/tO3HnYd89ZA?si=GVN2suNP1hoS6nkL
https://www.youtube.com/live/T5hBnKS5qLA?si=giOLhiI-7hh9wxGq
https://www.youtube.com/live/Ha22wmEZJoY?si=r_sJz41xF2jNoBos
https://www.youtube.com/live/mhBXRBo62pw?si=T4OcsRDNKsH6pUDy
https://www.youtube.com/live/bNk6P9HYCCs?si=KyNL9-UDEL30HsXd
