Education & Healthcare Under Siege: VP Dhankhar Warns Against Commodification, Calls for Revival of India's Intellectual Heritage

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday stated the country's healthcare and education system are being hounded by commodification and commercialisation, highlighting that philanthropic activities should not be guided by this philosophy.

Addressing the annual day event of KPB Hinduja College in south Mumbai, Dhankhar stated that the endowments of a few of the universities in the United States run into billions of dollars.

In the Western world, anybody who emerges out of an (academic) institution is committed to contributing some financial input. Quantum is never a consideration," he exhorted corporates to move along those lines.

Philanthropic activities must not be based on the philosophy of commodification and commercialisation, he added, and said, "Our healthcare and education (systems) are being hounded by these.

The Vice President referred to education as the most powerful transformative mechanism because "it brings about equality, cuts into inequalities".

Sanatan, he said, in an obvious reference to Sanatan Dharma, has been a part of India's civilisational ethos and essence, reported PTI

"Sanatan has to be a part of the nation's culture and education because it is about inclusivity," said Dhankhar, adding a word of caution about the necessity to remain well-grounded or rooted in it.

He mentioned that ancient India boasted great institutions such as Odantapuri, Takshila, Vikramshila, Somapura, Nalanda, and Vallabhi and students flocked to them from all corners of the world to learn, provide knowledge, and exchange knowledge.

The Vice President informed that the ancient Nalanda University had 10,000 students and 2,000 teachers but was conquered by Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1193.

(In) 1193 Bakhtiyar Khilji, a senseless destroyer of our culture, our educational institution, the buildings were burned down. For months, fire ravaged huge libraries, reducing hundreds and thousands of irreplaceable manuscripts on mathematics, medicine, and philosophy to ashes," he said.

This destruction was not just physical but symbolized the systematic destruction of centuries of knowledge, said Dhankhar.

"We need to enlighten people about our Sanatan values. What was lost in those fires was the live record of ancient Indian thought, leaving an intellectual vacuum. We have re-appeared on the international scene, We need to regain that glory. We have to adopt a holistic approach towards education in the country," the Vice President stated.

He stated that India cannot be allowed to fall victim to stories that originate from forces that are anti-Bharat. "We need to work towards reviving such intuitions as Nalanda, our intellectual heritage which is vital in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047," he added.