At Haridwar meet, scholars propose renaming Oriental Studies as Indian Studies

The 52nd session of the All India Oriental Conference, a national gathering of scholars of Sanskrit, the Vedas, Indian philosophy and history, was inaugurated by Uttarakhand Governor Dhal Singh Bisen at the University of Patanjali in Haridwar on Thursday, October 29, 2026. At the opening, the conference chairman, Prof. Srinivas Varkhedi, proposed that the term "Oriental Studies" be replaced with "Indian Studies" so that the field reflects India's own perspective. The host university's founder, Swami Ramdev, announced a campaign he called the Sanatan Shastra Shuddhi Abhiyan, which he described as a drive to correct what he said were distortions and misinterpretations in religious texts. The conference runs until Saturday, October 31.

The All India Oriental Conference has, since its founding in 1918, been a meeting place for scholars who study India's classical languages and texts. The word "Oriental" comes from an older European tradition of studying Asia from the outside, in which "the Orient" meant the lands east of Europe. Prof. Varkhedi's proposal to call the field "Indian Studies" is part of a wider debate among Indian scholars about naming and framing: whether India's knowledge traditions should be studied through categories inherited from colonial-era scholarship, or through terms drawn from India's own intellectual history. A name change would need the agreement of the conference's members and would not by itself change how research is done, but it signals how the field sees itself.

The Governor's address centred on the purpose of the Indian knowledge tradition, which he said was the development of wisdom, social harmony and a benevolent outlook towards all creation. He also cited the grammar of Panini and the Yoga philosophy associated with Patanjali as major contributions of ancient Indian scholars. These references connect the conference to the Indian Knowledge Systems agenda now promoted in universities, which encourages students to study classical works on language, mathematics, medicine and philosophy alongside modern subjects.

The announcement of a campaign to "purify" scriptures is a separate matter and is Swami Ramdev's own initiative. He said the texts had been distorted by earlier writers, and the vice-chancellor said the conference would look at alleged interpolations, meaning passages added to a text after it was first composed. Identifying such passages is a long-standing scholarly task that depends on comparing old manuscripts and applying careful methods of textual study. Readers should note that the claims of distortion are the campaign's own and have not been independently assessed; how the campaign will work, who will take part and what standards it will use have not been made public.

For students and teachers of Sanskrit and Indian philosophy, the three days in Haridwar are a chance to hear new research, present papers and meet scholars from other universities and countries. The conference's sessions and any resolutions it adopts at the close on October 31 will show whether the "Indian Studies" proposal gains support.

Short-term: Scholars at the conference will debate the proposal to rename the field, and Swami Ramdev's campaign on scriptures is likely to draw attention and discussion among religious and academic groups.

Long-term: If the conference adopts the name "Indian Studies", universities and journals may follow, adding to the shift towards Indian Knowledge Systems in higher education. Any work on the texts will be judged by how transparent and scholarly its methods are.

Who is affected: Researchers, teachers and students of Sanskrit, Indology and Indian philosophy; universities building Indian Knowledge Systems courses; and readers of classical Hindu texts.

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