The Indian Army has launched 'Project Udbhav' to revive a vast reserve of ancient Indian wisdom in statecraft, strategy, diplomacy, and warfare.
The Army Training Command (ARTRAC) recently organized its first hybrid seminar in partnership with the United Service Institution of India (USI) that focused on the "Evolution of Indian military systems, war-fighting, and strategic thought – current research in the field and way forward."
The initiative aimed to rediscover India's heritage of statecraft and strategic thought as drawn from ancient Indian texts, as well as draw lessons and treatise ancient Indian philosophy.
Some of the ancient texts revived include Kautilya’s 'Arthashastra', Kamandaka’s 'Nitisara' and Tamil poet-saint Thiruvalluvar’s 'Thirukkural.'
Under Project Udbhav, experts will draw relevance of these centuries-old strategic doctrines in the 21st century.
During the panel discussion, Colonel Sudhir Chamoli, spokesperson for the army, highlighted the objective of comprehending the profound richness of indigenous military systems.
Chamoli emphasized that through the revival of these traditional teachings in the present military and strategic spheres, the Indian Army seeks to nurture the officers to apply age-old wisdom in modern situations, thereby gaining a deeper comprehension of international relations and foreign cultures.
In the past, the Indian Army backed a project about the compilation of Indian stratagems based on ancient texts which led to the publication of 75 aphorisms text, and a book titled 'Paramparik Bhartiya Darshan — Ranniti aur Netritva ke Shashwat Niyam' (Traditional Indian Philosophy — Eternal Rules of Warfare and Leadership).
At present, the armed forces are prioritizing the development of indigenous military practices and weapons and have been actively taking measures to eliminate colonial traditions.