Dialogues on Knowledge in Society
A PPST Initiative
Issue 7, October 2026
About this Issue
In the context of the ongoing youth movement in the country on the question of Education and Jobs, this issue of the Journal focuses on this theme through four articles.
The article by C N Krishnan sees the problem with the formal education system in our country as being one of both its contents as well as organisation; essentially that these are grossly disconnected from the realities of our economy and our society. To reestablish this connection and make education meet the needs of our economy and society, it is argued, among other things, that the States of India have to take full charge of it, from conception up to delivery, and the role of the Centre should be limited to one of being an enabler.
Suyash Saboo and Rajeev Sangal in their paper sees the problem with education as being not just one of inability to ensure employment and income, but equally of a failure to inculcate moral and ethical values such as empathy, compassion, harmony and responsibility. They share their own experiences of attempting a corrective to it.
Through an exposition of Dharampal's work on education in pre-colonial India, J K Bajaj in his article argues that the indigenous education system that we had was closely integrated with our society and economy, and a recapturing of that spirit and approach is needed now once again.
The article on Nai Talim by A. Annamalai presents how precisely such an effort was made during our freedom movement under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi , and argues that we need to reconnect with that chapter of our nation's history once again to address some of the core issues with education we are facing today.
It is hoped that the readers would send in their critical responses through the "Comments" column at the end of each article.
Dialogues on Knowledge in Society is a journal intended to serve as a platform for open and inclusive debates on contemporary issues in Development, carried out from a Knowledge standpoint.
The question of Knowledge has increasingly become a component of all debates on Development, directly or indirectly, along with ideas of Equity, Freedom and Sustainability. Modern Science and Technology have already been a topic of contention in such debates for nearly a century now, and this questioning of Modern Science & Technology by the non-Westernised world is presently expanding to cover otherareas of the Knowledge Domain as well, going beyond just Science & Tech.
In the Indian context, what is giving additional strength to this questioning has been the existence of strong Indigenous Traditions of knowledge, covering almost all areas of human endeavour. A similar situation presents itself in many other non-Western societies too. The aim of such a questioning or challenge is not so much to do away with Western knowledge altogether, but rather to claim the rightful place for the Indigenous and the local in the knowledge domain. That the Knowledge space is beginning to get contested is an important and positive development for the entire world. It could help put an end to the destruction and ravages caused in the last few centuries by the domination of the West in almost all the fields, especially so in Sciences and Technologies. The contestation in the Knowledge space could potentially show a way out, and come up with something that is more holistic, humane, inclusive, tolerant, non-hegemonistic and
sustainable. Going beyond the concept of narrow "scientific rationality", this new Knowledge would also include concepts of Justice, Compassion and Duty, besides Equity, Freedom and Sustainability.
The proposed Journal would address these broad concerns in the Knowledge space.