Thought Experiment: You Receive a Call from the PMO
Here’s a thought experiment: You receive a call from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). They’ve conducted a lottery using Aadhar numbers, and your number was drawn. You are invited as a special guest for the next Mann Ki Baat broadcast. Along with this, you are granted one wish—something the Prime Minister can fulfill immediately.
There’s a catch: Your request must be symbolic—it cannot require a budget, new laws, or even a cabinet approval. It must be something he can declare on the spot, a gesture that has a lasting impact and a ripple effect.
What would you ask for?
We Have Yoga, Ayurveda, and Meditation Days—How About a Oneness Day?
As someone involved in preserving, protecting, and promoting Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), I believe a day celebrating our intellectual and spiritual heritage would fulfill all the above criteria.
Since 2014, we have seen the establishment of International Yoga Day, followed by Ayurveda Day, and now, December 21st has been declared Meditation Day. As an Advaitin, I would love to celebrate Adi Shankaracharya’s birth anniversary as World Oneness Day—honoring the first saint who systematically distilled Vedic wisdom into a vision of non-duality.
With the growing global fascination with Consciousness studies, and the West still wrestling with defining Consciousness, such a day could eventually gain international traction. However, I am dropping the idea for now, considering my friends who follow Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita philosophies. I wouldn’t want to be accused of bias!
IKS Day: A Celebration of Our Knowledge Heritage
How about an Indian Knowledge Systems Day—one that celebrates the entirety of our indigenous wisdom and traditions.
Such a day would:
- Amplify the ongoing efforts of the government, activists, and institutions working to revive IKS.
- Highlight the continued relevance of IKS, particularly in areas of health, happiness, and harmony.
- Offer an annual opportunity to assess progress made in IKS-related initiatives and plan for the year ahead.
- Serve as a step toward decolonization, reminding us of the heritage we lost under colonial rule.
Selecting the Day
Which day would be most fitting for this celebration? I propose three options:
- Basant Panchami – Since we are a civilization that reveres knowledge through Goddess Saraswati, this day would be symbolic and appropriate.
- Guru Purnima – As our knowledge has been transmitted through the Guru-Shishya Parampara, celebrating IKS on this day would honor that tradition.
- World Indigenous Day (August 9th) – This UN-recognized day honors indigenous peoples and their cultures. Since we seek to revive and honor the indigenous knowledge of our land, declaring this as IKS Day would also be fitting.
What’s Your Choice?
Please go through the thought experiment, considering the criteria I have outlined above that is your ask should not require a budgetary allocation, introducing new laws or a cabinet approval and let me know your thoughts.
If you agree with the idea of a dedicated IKS Day, which of the three dates would you choose?