TS Eliot, Indian thought, and the philosophical horizons of the NEP 2020

The National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020 may well be described as a decisive moment in India’s intellectual and cultural life. It is not merely an administrative blueprint for educational reform; it is a manifesto for the civilisational renewal of India. At a time when the world is grappling with the marvels and perils of artificial intelligence, the uncertainties of climate change, and the erosion of human values, education can no longer be confined to the acquisition of technical skills. It becomes, rather, a question of the soul and of consciousness: what kind of human being do we wish our young to become? In this context, the writings of TS Eliot acquire renewed relevance, for Eliot not only diagnosed the fragmented consciousness of modern civilisation but also sought its remedy in the philosophical depths of Indian thought. It also exemplifies how the NEP is not parochial, but rather an inclusive mindset that promotes Indic knowledge beyond spatio-temporal boundaries.

Eliot’s intellectual journey stretched from the mechanical modernity of the West to the spiritual landscapes of India. He matured his childhood interest as he studied Sanskrit and Pali at Harvard, immersing himself in the Vedanta, the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali, and the Buddhist canon. His engagement with these texts, unlike that of his contemporaries, was not an exercise in antiquarian curiosity or Orientalist fascination; he drew upon them as instruments to interpret and heal the ruptures of Western civilisation through holistic knowledge. The NEP, in its own way, seeks to address contemporary crises with a holistic vision wherein yoga, Ayurveda, the classical arts, and philosophy engage in dialogue with modern science and technology. The policy reminds us that the aim of education is not efficiency alone but self-realisation. Just as Eliot transformed his poetry and criticism through the assimilation of Indian philosophy, the NEP envisions the revitalisation of India’s knowledge traditions as a medium of dialogue with the challenges of the future.

Eliot’s 1922 masterpiece The Waste Land embodied a universal code for restoring balance to human life. Its climactic invocation — “Datta (Charity), Dayadhvam (Compassion), Damyata (Self-restraint)” — is not a decorative citation but a shloka from the Brhadaranyaka Upani?ad, offered as an ethical prescription for a Europe scarred by the First World War. Here, Indian philosophy is not merely supplemental to Western modernity; it emerges as its guide. The urgency of this message grows sharper today. Artificial intelligence is reshaping work, thought, and communication at a staggering pace, pressing education towards narrowly technical training. Yet the real question remains: do we wish to cultivate “mechanical experts” capable of innovation but devoid of compassion and wisdom? Or do we aspire to form citizens who, while mastering technology, remain grounded in human dignity, ecological balance, and cultural dialogue? The NEP’s answer is unambiguous: knowledge is meaningful only when bound to ethics, and education is complete only when it fashions individuals who are at once local and global. The climate crisis makes this imperative all the more pressing. The NEP not only emphasises scientific research but also regards environmental consciousness, sustainability, and responsibility as integral to education. This echoes Eliot’s Four Quartets, where the balance between nature and eternity discloses itself as a condition of human meaning. Just as Eliot wrote that “the significance of human life lies not only in the present moment, but in the capacity to go beyond it,” so too education derives its meaning not from immediate utility but from the preservation of the future and the renewal of eternal values.

Eliot had warned that the true crisis of modernity was not material but spiritual. Machines and economies cannot provide direction to life. This truth is now revealed in the crises of climate and inequality. The NEP, therefore, insists that value education, the arts, yoga, and philosophy form essential components of learning. This is not merely an Indian prescription; it is a message from the Global South to the world: that development is not mere production and consumption, but balance and restraint.

In adopting Indian thought, Eliot did not abandon his Western heritage; he deepened it. He demonstrated that civilisations endure through dialogue. In his poetry, the Upani?ads converse with Dante and the Gospels. Similarly, the NEP envisions Sanskrit texts conversing with artificial intelligence and environmental science. Such dialogue is neither narrowness nor imitation; it is creative redefinition.

The central insight of this dialogue is clear: knowledge severed from moral and cultural foundations becomes sterile, but nourished by the wisdom of tradition, it becomes a power of renewal. Eliot transformed modern poetry through Indian philosophy; the NEP seeks to transform the future of Indian education through the same. At a time when the world does not seek fragmented specialists but integrated human beings, the shared message of Eliot and the NEP acquires new urgency. This has been successfully demonstrated by the “Design Your Degree” programme of the University of Jammu, which has envisioned education beyond the confining walls of separate disciplines. It also exemplifies the practicality of the implementation of the NEP: that, if adopted in its true essence, it can create responsible citizens who are not only a future-ready workforce but also understand the responsibility of belonging to a region and to the nation. Such learner-centric courses, like DYD of Jammu University, with revolutionary pedagogy that fosters the humility of knowing rather than the pride of knowledge, play out the true spirit of the NEP.

Eliot once wrote that “the little wisdom we may acquire is the wisdom of humility.” In embracing Indian thought, he lived this humility. His works — The Waste Land, Four Quartets, The Elder Statesman  —  testify that the final fulfilment of life lies in the confluence of love, compassion, and eternal consciousness. This is the path NEP-2020 seeks to make the foundation of Indian education. Thus Eliot and the NEP remind us alike that civilisations endure not by wealth or power alone but by their capacity for wisdom, compassion, and restraint. These are the very values that resound from the Upanisads to the present journey of Indian education — reminding us that the path to the future lies at the confluence of past wisdom and present responsibility.

Both writers are professors at the University of Jammu; views are personal