Srinagar, Aug 2, CNS: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday emphasized the need for India to take pride in its civilizational legacy while actively working to build a developed and knowledge-driven future.
Speaking at the Chinar Book Festival at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, Sinha said that despite facing centuries of foreign invasions, India’s civilizational and cultural foundations have endured.
“Greece, Egypt, Rome — all vanished, but India continues,” the LG said, asserting that no external force can erase the essence of India’s cultural heritage. He described India as the world’s most ancient civilization, which evolved not in a linear direction but through a blend of science, spirituality, literature, and knowledge.
Sinha said that India must transform this rich heritage into a modern knowledge system accessible to all sections of society. Quoting William Nelson Polk’s The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World, he said Indian thought, spiritual insights, and scientific understanding formed the backbone of several global advancements.
He highlighted that long before many parts of the world developed scientific temper, Indian knowledge in mathematics, astronomy, and medicine had already been flourishing. “Our ancient texts were translated into Arabic, taken to Baghdad and Persia, and had a deep influence on the early scientific world, particularly in the Islamic golden age,” he said, adding that these very ideas later contributed to the European Renaissance.
Sinha urged for a revival of India’s knowledge traditions within the mainstream education system and called for monographs and innovative educational tools to introduce youth to the country’s rich intellectual heritage.
“Our knowledge economy is not a new concept — it is part of our civilizational DNA,” the LG said, adding that colonial narratives have distorted India’s history and undermined its achievements. “It is time we correct these gaps and pass on an evidence-based understanding of India’s contributions to the world.”
Sinha concluded by calling for collective efforts to restore India’s rightful place as a global knowledge hub, rooted in its timeless civilizational values. (CNS)
