NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Saturday launched Project Udbhav, an attempt to weave India’s 5,000 years of ancient wisdom from texts such as Chanakya’s Arthashastra with contemporary military practices, to forge a unique and holistic strategic approach to address modern security challenges.
The aim of the project is to build a strategic vocabulary and conceptual framework deeply embedded in India’s philosophical and cultural heritage.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh launched ‘Udbhav’, a joint collaboration between the Indian Army and the United Service Institution of India. Singh inaugurated the first edition of Indian Military Heritage Festival, which aims to celebrate India’s rich military culture and heritage that has evolved over the centuries through conversations, art, dance, drama, story-telling and exhibitions.
“‘Udbhav’, which translates to 'origin' or 'genesis', embodies the Indian Army's sincere endeavour to revisit the roots of India's military thoughts. It acknowledges, the nation’s vintage scriptures and writings, that span centuries in the past, contain profound knowledge that can benefit modern military strategies," said Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar Aich, deputy chief of Army Staff (Strategy).
Lt Gen Aich said it is an initiative by the Indian Army that seeks to integrate age-old wisdom with contemporary military pedagogy. He said it will facilitate emergence of previously under-explored thoughts and theories related to strategic thinking, statecraft and warfare, foster deeper understanding and contribute to enriching military training curricula. He said a series of events and workshops will focus on various facets of our strategic culture and culminate in January next year, with a publication, to document and institutionalise such knowledge.
“Literature such as Chanakya's Arthashastra underscores the importance of strategic alliances and diplomacy, aligning with modern military practices such as international cooperation and soft power projection," said Lt Gen Aich.
He pointed out that Chanakya’s teachings on statecraft and warfare are taught in the US War College in Pennsylvania, USA.
