Bridging the pivotal language-knowledge gap for a Viksit Bharat by 2047

As we strive towards a “Viksit Bharat” by 2047, the pivotal role of languages in shaping the knowledge landscape, especially in the domains of science and technology, cannot be overlooked. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a developed India rests on the inclusive participation of all citizens, regardless of the language they speak. Thus, modernization of Indian languages to disseminate knowledge, particularly in science and technology, becomes essential.

India’s diverse languages also contain rich repositories of traditional knowledge and ancient systems of thinking. Languages such as Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, and Malayalam have preserved vast amounts of scientific thought from ancient India, particularly in the realms of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and architecture. Making these texts accessible through AI-driven translation and interpretation will open new avenues for scientific research that are uniquely Indian.

The integration of Indian knowledge systems into modern education holds tremendous potential in bridging the gap between traditional Indian thinking and contemporary science and technology. For instance, ancient Indian methods of astronomy, particularly those used in the construction of the Indian calendar system, can be incorporated into algorithms and programming education. Computational tasks involved in tracking planetary movements, creating complex calendars, and predicting eclipses can be used to teach students programming logic, algorithms, and data structures. Conversely, translation and interpretation of ancient Indian texts into modern scientific language can aid researchers in accessing centuries-old knowledge for potential modern-day applications.

Achieving this, however, will require overcoming the twin barriers of publicly accessible datasets and skills that can bridge the gap between Indian languages and modern science and technology. The scarcity of accessible, large-scale public datasets that capture the uniquely Indian context and are representative of our socio-economic, cultural/linguistic diversity calls for large organizations, public bodies, government agencies, corporates, and NGOs to consider donating relevant data to a common public repository. By making diverse datasets publicly available, we can empower our startups, developers, and researchers to innovate, experiment, and develop solutions that cater specifically to Indian contexts. Such an open data ecosystem calls for a national movement on “Data Daan” to persuade sharing of datasets for a wide range of applications.

This idea of donating datasets to spur AI development is not new. In fact, the “Anuvadini” effort out of AICTE has been advocating for “Bhasha Daan” to aid in the translation of educational content. It is commendable that with a combination of AI and translation expertise, the UGC and the education department under the aegis of the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti have attempted the gargantuan task of translating entire course materials across thousands of courses at all levels of education in more than twenty Indian languages.

While “Data Daan” as a movement can help overcome the public datasets challenge, overcoming the skills barrier calls for out-of-the-box ideas such as leveraging the large talent pool of Sanskrit students, who innately are equipped with such diverse language-knowledge skills. This out-of-the-box idea emerged from Chamu Krishnashastry, who heads the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti, at a recent event organised jointly by three Central Universities of Sanskrit. A strikingly similar idea was also advanced by Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, during a podcast conversation with Brian Greene of the World Science Festival on the polymathic skills that would be required in the Age of AI.

Polymaths have historically been instrumental in advancing civilization, from Leonardo da Vinci's contributions to art, science, and engineering to India’s own ancient scholars like Aryabhata, who were well-versed in multiple disciplines and were revered for their ability to see connections between different fields of study. This interdisciplinary knowledge was integral to their ability to perform computational tasks, such as predicting eclipses, calculating planetary movements, and developing sophisticated calendar systems. This tradition of interdisciplinarity is highly relevant in today’s AI-driven world, drawing connections between seemingly unrelated fields.

Polymaths, with their broad knowledge base, are better equipped to think laterally. Particularly those trained in Sanskrit, with their multilingual skills and deep understanding of traditional subjects, can potentially break down learning barriers across Indian languages. Strong analytical abilities that come from the rigorous study of Sanskrit grammar rules, logic, and philosophy make them particularly suited.

One of the most fascinating examples of polymathic skill from Indian tradition is the ancient art of Avadhanam. Practitioners, known as avadhanis, showcase extraordinary mental faculties by performing multiple complex tasks simultaneously. Shatavadhana, which involves executing one hundred cognitive tasks at once — ranging from memory recall to solving mathematical problems, reciting poetry, and addressing questions — requires intense concentration, memory power, and mental agility. The cognitive and analytical prowess demonstrated has parallels with the polymathic skills required in the age of AI that would require analysing multiple streams of information and drawing insights from diverse knowledge sources in a short span of time.

As AI and automation continue to reshape the job market, the need for workers who possess a diverse set of skills will only grow. In an AI-enabled future, jobs will increasingly require the ability to integrate knowledge from multiple domains, rather than focusing on a single area of expertise. By fostering a new generation of polymaths, India can create a knowledge worker ecosystem tailored for this AI-enabled future. 

This will be key to achieving the Prime Minister’s vision of a Viksit 

Bharat that is both technologically advanced and culturally rooted, where no Indian is left behind because of his or her native language.

The author is former CEO of Prasar Bharati