Reviving India’s Ancient Wisdom with AI and AR: Opportunities and Challenges

With India’s growing digital infrastructure, administrators can advance this vision through teacher training and platforms like SWAYAM, bridging tradition and modernity.

Dr. Tasaduq Hidayat

India’s ancient wisdom, known as Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), encompasses treasures like Ayurveda, Vedic mathematics, yoga, and cultural philosophies. As a researcher and educator from Kashmir, I am passionate about ensuring this heritage thrives in today’s digital age. The key lies in harnessing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) to make IKS education engaging, personalized, and accessible. These technologies can bridge tradition with modernity, but challenges like India’s technological limitations and Kashmir’s unique educational context must be addressed. In this article, I share my vision for transforming IKS education, detail a comprehensive model to achieve it, highlight the hurdles we face, and propose how administrators can drive this change forward, particularly in regions like Kashmir.

A Vision for IKS Education

IKS is more than history. Tt’s a living system of knowledge that offers solutions to modern challenges. My research explores how AI and AR can make IKS education immersive and inclusive, preserving India’s cultural heritage while engaging young learners. The goal is to create a learning environment where students connect with their roots, understand complex concepts through interactive tools, and access education tailored to their needs, regardless of language or location. This vision aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasizes blending tradition with technology to build an equitable education system.

Imagine a student in Kashmir exploring ancient Indian astronomy through an AR app or a rural learner mastering yoga with AI-guided lessons in Kashmiri. This is a future where technology revitalizes IKS. However, India’s technological landscape and Kashmir’s educational challenges present obstacles that must be overcome.

AI: Personalizing the IKS Journey

AI acts like a personal tutor, adapting lessons to each student’s pace and interests. For example, a student curious about Ayurveda can receive AI-curated lessons on herbal remedies, complete with quizzes to reinforce learning. This personalization makes IKS accessible and engaging, ensuring students remain motivated.

In a diverse nation like India, AI’s ability to break language barriers is crucial. Tools like speech recognition and text translation can deliver IKS content in regional languages, such as Kashmiri or Hindi, enabling students in remote areas to connect with their heritage. AI also monitors progress, identifying when a student struggles and offering targeted support, like simplified explanations. This approach ensures that IKS education is inclusive, aligning with NEP 2020’s focus on equity.

AR: Bringing IKS to Life

AR transforms learning by creating virtual worlds where students can interact with IKS concepts. A student studying ancient architecture could use AR to “walk” through the architecture of various North & South Indian states and exploring their cultural significance. Similarly, AR can project 3D yoga poses, making them easier to learn and practice.

AR also preserves India’s heritage by digitizing artifacts and traditions. Virtual archives of manuscripts or simulated cultural rituals allow students to engage with IKS in meaningful ways. By making abstract concepts tangible, AR bridges tradition and modernity, strengthening a deeper appreciation for India’s legacy.

The Techno-Cultural Adaptive Learning Model: A Detailed Blueprint

To transform IKS education, my research proposes the Techno-Cultural Adaptive Learning Model, a comprehensive framework designed to integrate AI and AR seamlessly. This model is built on three interconnected modules: Personalized Knowledge Adaptation, Immersive Cultural Reinterpretation, and Contextual Feasibility. Together, they ensure that IKS education is tailored, engaging, and practical, addressing the diverse needs of learners while preserving cultural heritage.

The Personalized Knowledge Adaptation Module leverages AI to deliver customized IKS content. By analyzing a student’s learning style, interests, and progress, AI creates a tailored educational journey. For instance, a student in Kashmir fascinated by traditional medicine might receive lessons on Ayurveda’s principles, with AI suggesting relevant texts and interactive exercises. Another student exploring Indian literature could dive into the works of Rabindranath tagore, with AI adjusting the complexity based on their comprehension. This module employs algorithms to track engagement, identifying areas where students need support and providing resources like videos or quizzes. Crucially, it incorporates AI-driven language tools, such as speech recognition and real-time translation, to deliver content in regional languages like Kashmiri, Urdu, or Tamil. This ensures inclusivity, making IKS accessible to students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. By personalizing education, this module aligns with NEP 2020’s emphasis on equitable learning, empowering every student to connect with India’s heritage.

The Immersive Cultural Reinterpretation Module uses AR to create interactive, culturally rich experiences. This module transforms abstract IKS concepts into tangible, engaging encounters. For example, students can use AR to explore a virtual model of the Jantar Mantar, manipulating its instruments to understand ancient astronomical calculations. Similarly, AR can simulate cultural practices, allowing students to participate in a virtual festival or interact with digitized manuscripts. These experiences are designed to be immersive, strengthening emotional and intellectual connections to IKS. The module also prioritizes cultural preservation by creating digital archives of artifacts, texts, and traditions, safeguarding them for future generations. By blending AR’s interactivity with IKS’s depth, this module bridges tradition and modernity, making learning memorable and meaningful. It ensures that students not only understand IKS but also feel a sense of pride in their cultural roots.

The Contextual Feasibility Module addresses the practical challenges of implementing AI and AR in diverse settings, particularly in resource-constrained areas like Kashmir. This module focuses on scalability and equity, ensuring that technology-driven IKS education reaches all learners. It proposes partnerships with platforms like SWAYAM to deliver AI and AR enhanced courses to millions, leveraging India’s digital infrastructure. The module also emphasizes teacher training, equipping educators with the skills to integrate these technologies effectively. For instance, teachers can learn to use AR apps to demonstrate yoga poses or AI tools to monitor student progress. Additionally, this module tackles logistical barriers, such as limited internet access, by advocating for offline compatible tools and lowcost devices. By prioritizing practical implementation, the module ensures that the benefits of AI and AR are accessible to urban and rural students alike, aligning with the vision of inclusive education.

This model is dynamic, with each module reinforcing the others. Personalization ensures relevance, immersion drives engagement, and feasibility guarantees accessibility. Together, they create a holistic approach to IKS education, transforming how students learn and connect with India’s ancient wisdom.

Limitations in Indian Technology and Kashmir’s Education

While AI and AR hold immense potential, India’s technological landscape presents significant challenges. In rural areas, unreliable electricity and limited internet access hinder the adoption of AI and AR tools. This is particularly acute in Kashmir, where frequent electricity shutdowns disrupt online learning.

Kashmir’s education system faces additional challenges. Prolonged school closures due to conflict, coupled with a shortage of trained teachers, make it difficult to implement technology-driven education. The region’s linguistic diversity requires AI tools to support Kashmiri and Hindi/Urdu, but developing such tools is costly and complex. Moreover, high costs of AR devices and software pose barriers for underfunded schools in Kashmir and across India.

Teacher training is another limitation. Many educators in Kashmir lack familiarity with AI and AR, and without proper training, these tools remain underutilized. Data privacy concerns also arise, as AI systems collect student data, raising ethical questions about security and misuse, especially in a region with heightened surveillance. These challenges threaten to limit the reach of AI and AR in IKS education, particularly in underserved areas like Kashmir.

The Role of Administration in Brightening the Concept

Administrators can play a pivotal role in overcoming these challenges and advancing AI and AR in IKS education. First, they should prioritize infrastructure development. In Kashmir, administrators can collaborate with the central government’s Digital India and BharatNetinitiatives to expand internet connectivity and provide reliable electricity to schools. Subsidizing low-cost AR devices and AI software for schools can address cost barriers, making technology accessible to rural and conflict-affected areas.

Second, teacher centric training programs are essential. Administrators in Kashmir can partner with organizations like the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which has designated 2025 as the ‘Year of Artificial Intelligence,’ to train educators in AI and AR tools. Workshops and online courses can equip teachers to integrate these technologies into IKS lessons, ensuring effective implementation. 

Third, administrators can leverage platforms like SWAYAM to deliver AI and AR enhanced IKS courses. By hosting multilingual content, SWAYAM can make IKS education accessible to students in Kashmir and beyond, overcoming language barriers. Public-private partnerships with EdTech companies can develop affordable, region-specific tools, such as AI-driven Kashmiri-language tutors or AR simulations of local cultural sites.

To address data privacy, administrators must establish clear guidelines for ethical AI use, ensuring student data is protected. In Kashmir, transparent policies can build trust among parents and educators. Finally, pilot projects in Kashmiri schools can test the Techno-Cultural Adaptive Learning Model, providing insights for scaling up across India. These administrative actions can transform IKS education, making it a beacon of innovation and inclusivity.

A Call to Action

Integrating AI and AR into IKS education is a bold step toward preserving India’s heritage while preparing students for the future. Despite challenges like the digital divide, teacher training needs, and Kashmir’s unique educational context, the potential is immense. Administrators hold the key to unlocking this potential by investing in infrastructure, training educators, and fostering partnerships.

In Kashmir, where education often faces disruptions, AI and AR can offer hope, connecting students to their cultural roots through technology. Across India, these tools can make IKS vibrant and accessible. Educators, policymakers, and administrators must unite to overcome limitations and embrace this vision. Let’s ensure that India’s ancient wisdom shines in the digital age, inspiring generations to come.

Dr. Tasaduq Hidayat has completed Ph.D. in Journalism and Mass Communication from Islamic University of Science and Technology Awantipora Kashmir. He can be reached out at: tasaduq.hidayat@iust.ac.in

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