Reclaiming Knowledge Sovereignty: Nalanda VC Calls for Indigenous Lexicon Amid Hindu Nationalist Education Reforms
Original framing: “‘We should find our own lexicon’: Nalanda Vice-Chancellor Sachin Chaturvedi on India’s soft power” — bing news
The source ignores the deep historical pattern of Nalanda’s rise as a Buddhist mahavihara, its violent destruction by Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193, and the subsequent colonial reinterpretation that framed the site as a emblem of Hindu glory. This amnesia reproduces a cycle where dominant groups appropriate ancient institutions to legitimize contemporary power, erasing the very communities that originally sustained them. Re‑inserting this history shows that current saffronisation efforts echo colonial knowledge‑politics, where control over curricula serves to rewrite the past.
The interview’s call for a unique Indian lexicon emerges from a deeper epistemic project that seeks to consolidate Hindu nationalist power by selectively reviving Nalanda’s Buddhist heritage while erasing its pluralistic past and marginalizing minority knowledge systems.
Historical analysis shows this mirrors colonial patterns of knowledge appropriation, whereas indigenous, artistic‑spiritual, and scientific lenses reveal that genuine soft power rests on multilingual, contemplative, and empirically validated educational practices. Cross‑cultural comparisons with Confucius Institutes and intercultural universities demonstrate that reciprocity, not unilateral assertion, builds lasting influence. Incorporating marginalized voices and a trickster‑aware irony exposes the performative solemnity of the discourse and opens space for democratic, pluriversal knowledge policies that could enhance India’s global standing by 2035.