At a time when the whole world is searching for sustainable solutions to manage uncertainty and to redesign the world, India is on the threshold of launching a major drive to create the India of our dreams. An India that not only accelerates economic progress but works with a new normal to achieve the goal of inclusive development where no one is left behind is what needs to be achieved. Further, our dream should be to create an unemployment free India, inhabited by law abiding responsible citizens that have a caring concern for humanity at large and an abiding faith in the dignity of man and conviction to protect Mother Nature and its environment. Such an India is achievable in the near future provided we create the public and political will, have the policies in place and create mass awakening of the community to work together with the government to achieve the goals and targets as partners in progress. Universities have a major role to play in creating both the empowered human capital as well as the advanced science and technologies that offer great opportunity to achieve the goals of Viksit Bharat@2047 with certainty and at an accelerated pace of development.

India’s higher education system is the third largest in the world, next to the United States and China. As of 2023, India has over 1,000 universities, comprising of 56 Central Universities, 460 State Universities, 128 Deemed Universities, 430 Private Universities, 7 Institutes under State Legislature Act, and 159 Institutions of National Importance which include IIMs, AIIMS, IITs, IIITs, IISERs and NITs among others. Together with Universities we also have around 50,000 Colleges enrolling over 4.14 Crore students with a GER of 27.1. This is targeted to go up to 50% by 2035 as per the NEP- 2020.

Education alone can make a real difference both to the shift in the mindset tuned to growth sustainability as well as the quality of life of people. After all, the advancement of Science and Technology propelled by education in universities made industries flourish in nations around. But the accelerated industrialization and the growth in GDP in advanced as well as developing nations has been achieved at the enormous cost of the environmental health and that too by creating a deep economic divide in the society. But now on, we should be unconditionally committed to create a bright and green future for our great nation and to its 1.45 billion people.

But then it requires a major shift in our focus and object of universities in India. We need to take on board the responsibility of creating self-disciplined, deeply motivated and wholeheartedly committed individuals as graduates of universities who besides their career goals have a heart for the vast humanity and a caring concern for protecting Mother Nature.

Historically, Indian universities such as VikramShila of Lord Krishna’s times, Gurukuls of Kulguru Sandeepni in Ujjain, Ashramas of Dronacharya in Gurugram, Maharishi Augusta in Nasik, Maharishi Bhardwaj at Chitrakoot and Maharishi Viswamitra in Tapovan near Ayodhya of ancient times, Takshila and Nalanda of the Ashokan times and Shantiniketan of Rabindranath Tagore have provided holistic education in a multidisciplinary environment. Education in Ancient India was not just for developing capabilities but well-grounded individuals who would stand to the Ethical Standards, Professional Morals and also Competence and Caliber unmatched. They were to be the torchbearers of the rich wealth of knowledge and noble citizens in their society. Great responsibility rested on their shoulders to nurture Compassion, Harmony, Peace and a Society providing justice and liberty. After independence, somehow and rather in our lust for career prospects and our greed to accelerate GDP without care and concern for the environment and climate, we sacrificed the basics of human development. We are paying a heavy price for this neglect of nurturing human values in persons of capabilities and knowledge and for the neglect of environmental health.

The Info-Nano-Bio led new sciences and new and innovative technologies are emerging rapidly to create a new environment of learning and R&D for new age universities and for growth of new enterprises. The power of Mind and the rapid pace of Innovations are giving rise to new technologies that shall drive the future growth and development of the economies of the nations around the world. AI, ML, IoT, Robotics, VR, integrated supply chain management, online services, online and on demand education and a life increasingly shifting away from the age old tenets of a social group to a ‘community of empowered and networked people’ largely communicating using most modern technology are now a reality.

To address the role of the scientific method in producing solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges, we need a more robust S&T ecosystem to drive accelerated growth and development for S&T advancement and solution research in India. A more balanced approach to what science and technology can do both for urban as well as rural India is the need of the hour. We need to go rural with high tech minds and scientific solutions to maximize the benefits of S&T for inclusive growth and development in India. The universities in India need to respond to this challenge while engaging themselves into the development of the talent as well as the reservoirs of innovative technologies and advanced scientific solutions.

To create the India of our dream, we need breakthrough leadership for our universities that should focus on employability, industry readiness and future research readiness. We need speed leadership that promotes Integration of education and research, supports interdisciplinary education and research and builds islands of excellence for solution research. Focus of universities has to necessarily be on man making besides knowledge creation, outcome-based R&D and translational research, innovations that lead to new product development supported by a vibrant eco-system for innovations and startups infrastructure in the university campuses.

Further, as the Viksit Bharat of our dream is Bharat of law-abiding and responsible global citizenship, a caring and compassionate society understanding the meaning and purpose of life, we need pay a greater attention to nurturing the dimensions of human behavior and conduct akin to a civilized society of the era of AI. A prosperous and developed Bharat, free from economic disparity and social divide, free from religious overtones (Dharmic Unmad) and inbuilt respect for all religions requires a self-disciplined righteous minds tuned to sab ka sath, sab ka vikas to bring glory to Mother India, the Bharat Mata that had ordained all of us to preach and practice the dictum of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. We cannot afford to miss this great opportunity to rebuild our universities to respond to this prime need of the hour.

--Professor P B Sharma is President W-AHEAD, Founder Vice Chancellor DTU and RGPV and Past President of Association of Indian Universities, AIU, and Vice Chancellor AUH