NEW DELHI: A study conducted by the College of Defence Management (CDM) recently has recommended that relevant teachings from ancient Indian texts like Kautilya's Arthashastra and Bhagavad Gita be inducted into the military training curriculum. The study has also suggested that an Indian Culture Study Forum and a faculty be arranged to carry out a research on the matter.
CDM, located at Secunderabad, is a premier tri services military training institute. Senior officials of army, navy and air force are trained in this institute for higher defence management.
As per media reports, Headquarter Integrated Defence Staff has sponsored the project (study) titled "Attributes if Ancient Indian Culture and Warfare Techniques and its incorporation in present day strategic thinking and training". The project was envisaged at exploration of specific ancient texts in the context of strategic thinking and leadership in the Indian Armed Forces and chalk out a way so that best practices and thoughts from those, which have relevancy in present times, could be adopted.
The government has pushed with an intensified approach for "Indianisation" of the Indian military in the past few months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had at a conference held in Kevadia in Gujarat in March this year sought greater indigenization in the national security apparatus. There were two sessions on Indianisation of traditions and culture in the Armed forces in that three-day conference.
The Army War College, Mhow had in the year 2016 published a paper which had mention of instances from the epic Mahabharata and Arthasashtra and claimed the strategic thoughts found in those ancient texts are relevant in today's context as well.
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