Indian philosophy to be part of varsity curriculum Maharashtra minister Chandrakant Patil

Mumbai, Jun 24 (PTI) Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil on Tuesday said that Indian philosophy, including the concept of `integral humanism', will soon be part of university curriculum across the state.
"Each university will now include integral humanism in its curriculum. Students will not receive academic credits unless they complete this subject," Patil said at an event here.
Integral humanism, notably, was a concept propounded by late Jana Sangh stalwart Deendayal Upadhyaya.
"Philosophy-based actions" led to 25 crore people rising above the poverty line, Patil further said, adding that some 80 crore people receive foodgrains from ration shops in the country, and even as per global reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lifted millions out of poverty.
This was Upadhyaya's dream, the BJP leader added.
The country needs to shed the "colonial mindset and slave mentality", said in the minister.
"India once dominated 32 per cent of global trade. You came here for trade, and we gave the world mathematics, philosophy and even the world's first surgical operation 2,800 years ago. A 10,000-capacity stadium was recently excavated in Gujarat, which is the evidence of our advanced civilisation," Patil said.
Communism and capitalism are "hollow from inside," he said.
"Communism taught that everyone must struggle. It created jealousy between nations. If one country progresses, others are told to envy it. That kind of mindset is destructive," the BJP leader said.
Speaking on the global demand for Indian talent, Patil said, "The German government recently announced it needs four lakh skilled workers. We were able to send nearly 10,000. Japan too is expecting a supply of skilled youth. This shows how valuable our talent is on the world stage."

Recalling his own political journey, Patil said he was unaware of the Emergency for a long time. "I had no idea about the Emergency. More than 20 lakh people were jailed by Indira Gandhi. I was living in Mumbai's Ray Road area then. After the Congress lost in 1977, ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) decided to expand its work. That's how I got involved," he said.

Indian culture is resilient, Patil noted. "Despite 500 years of Mughal rule and 150 years of British rule, efforts to convert India religiously did not succeed. Indian society remained largely Hindu. That is the strength of our civilisation," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)