Challenges of Mainstreaming Indian Knowledge System in Academia

The Indian Knowledge System (IKS) represents centuries of intellectual, cultural, and philosophical traditions encompassing diverse fields such as philosophy, sciences, medicine, mathematics, arts, and governance. Despite its depth and global contributions, mainstreaming IKS into modern academia faces significant challenges. These include structural barriers, colonial legacies in education, epistemological differences, lack of adequate research infrastructure, insufficient standardization, and questions of authenticity and validation. While the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 provides an important framework for integrating IKS into higher education, the process of making it a part of mainstream academia is still nascent and contested. This paper critically examines the challenges of mainstreaming Indian Knowledge System in academia, explores the tensions between traditional knowledge and contemporary scientific frameworks, and highlights pathways for bridging the gap through policy reforms, curriculum design, interdisciplinary research, and global collaborations.