Bengaluru

Politicalsubjugation and internal shortcomings were among the major reasons for the decline of Hindu civilisation, UPSC Secretary Shashi Ranjan Kumar said on Saturday. While speaking at a dialogue event in Bengaluru on his book, ‘The Decline of Hindu Civilization: Lessons from the Past’, he stressed that the concept of ‘Anvikshaki’, or critical inquiry, formed the foundation of Indian intellectual traditions.

The event was organised at Central College of Bangalore University by the Department of Communication, Bangalore University, the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication of Dr Manmohan Singh Bengaluru City University, the Karnataka State Journalism and Mass Communication Teachers Association, and the Indian Communication Congress.

India’s history is not merely a chronicle of political transitions, but a continuous journey of exploration in knowledge, science, and philosophy, Kumar said.

Kumar said ancient India had achieved remarkable milestones in mathematics, astronomy, medicine and philosophy, adding that Indian civilisation contributed the concept of “zero” to the world and understood negative numbers long before Arab mathematicians rejected them.

He said Indian science differed from Greek science in its emphasis on empirical observation and algorithmic procedures, whereas Greek science relied more on deductive reasoning and physical models.

Addressing the decline of Hindu civilisation, Kumar said the weakening of intellectual traditions resulted from both political domination and internal failings. “The rich intellectual traditions waned due to political subjugation and internal flaws,” the UPSC secretary said.

Strategic and technological thinking diminished in India after Kautilya’s Arthashastra, causing the region to fall significantly behind the advancements of European science, he said.

He also observed that India’s geographical advantages, including the protection offered by the Himalayas and fertile lands, reduced the drive among people to explore the outside world.

“The collapse of a civilisation is rarely the result of a single isolated event; rather, such tragedies occur due to the accumulation of numerous small, uncorrected mistakes,” Kumar said.

He cautioned that declining construction quality and lack of attention to detail in modern India reflected a growing tendency to tolerate mediocrity instead of striving for excellence.

Kumar further said the present education system had failed to nurture a critical civilisational consciousness, making self-study essential for acquiring deeper historical understanding.

Vice-Chancellor of Bengaluru North University Prof B K Ravi and Vice-Chancellor of Dr Manmohan Singh Bengaluru City University Prof Ramesh B also shared their views on the book.