Dr PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, recently addressed the third convocation of Nalanda University at Bihar’s Rajgir and called for the 21st century to be a period of “intellectual decolonisation.”
During the event on May 19, Mishra congratulated the 221 graduates representing 14 nations, marking their academic accomplishment as a milestone built on hard work and perseverance.
He even recognised the ancient Nalanda Mahavihara as one of the greatest learning centres in history and said, “There are universities that are institutions. And then there are universities that are civilisational symbols. Nalanda belongs to the latter category”.
While highlighting the historical and geographical significance of the region, Dr Mishra underscored Nalanda’s core philosophy that knowledge must remain open to dialogue, connected across disciplines, and directed towards humanity’s greater well-being, read a statement.
Further, he lauded the university’s new Net Zero campus, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while recalling Bodh Gaya, where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment.
“Indeed, the entire Asian continent has greatly benefited from the teachings of Lord Buddha. I am sure, the learning from this great University will spread far and wide across the continents,” he said.
Addressing the broader context of the current era, Dr Mishra pointed out the paradox of the 21st century, wherein humanity possesses unprecedented technological capabilities in AI, biotechnology, and quantum computing. However, this period even coincides with profound uncertainties, such as climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and growing societal polarisation.
“The central question before humanity is not merely whether we can generate more information or technology, but whether knowledge will remain connected to wisdom, ethics, compassion, and human responsibility,” he said.
He also reflected on Nalanda’s foundational intellectual traditions and mentioned its interdisciplinary approach. He stressed the importance of cultivating vāda, rigorous dialogue and inquiry, as an antidote to modern intellectual passivity, cautioning that while technology provides instant answers, it cannot replace ethical reasoning and moral responsibility, or fully comprehend human meaning, suffering, dignity, or aspiration, the statement added.
“Civilisations decline not when they lose information, but when they lose the capacity for reflection and independent thought,” Dr Mishra said.
While talking about the historical impact of colonial domination, Dr Mishra explained how it altered intellectual frameworks and marginalised holistic indigenous traditions like Ayurveda, Buddhist epistemology, and the Arthashastra.
Meanwhile, he even called for the 21st century to be a period of intellectual decolonisation, urging the recovery of civilisational self-confidence to contribute homegrown ideas and knowledge systems to the global discourse. “The revival of Nalanda University reflects India’s belief that openness, pluralism, dialogue, and inquiry remain essential to the future of humanity,” he stated.
On India’s commitment to democratising learning, Dr Mishra outlined the National Education Policy’s focus on multidisciplinary education, multilingual instruction, and the formal integration of Indian knowledge systems.
Speaking over the impact of artificial intelligence, Dr Mishra put up crucial questions regarding ethics, bias, privacy, and human agency. He warned that AI models trained predominantly on English-language and Western datasets may not adequately capture the agricultural, medical, or climatic realities of Asia and the Global South, risking a dangerous gap between technological models and local realities.
In response, he emphasised the necessity of initiatives like the IndiaAI Mission to build domestic technological capabilities and ensure knowledge sovereignty.