Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Practices in India: Preservation, Promotion, and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s Vision as an Alternative Development Model

Abstract

This article examines India’s traditional knowledge systems and indigenous practices, covering traditional agriculture, craftwork, Ayurveda, and community-based environmental management, through the twin lenses of preservation and contemporary policy engagement. It situates these practices within Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya’s idea of Integral Humanism, which valorizes indigenous knowledge not only as cultural heritage but as a viable alternative to Western-driven development paradigms. Drawing on national initiatives, international frameworks, and scholarship on intellectual-property challenges and biopiracy, the article argues for pluralistic, community-centred governance of traditional knowledge systems. It concludes with policy recommendations to strengthen community rights, participatory documentation, equitable benefit-sharing, and integrative research that respects epistemic pluralism.