ABSTRACT: This talk is an intervention in an aspect of the dominant narrative in India today. This narrative emphasizes the superiority of Indian Knowledge Systems stemming from the philosophy of the textual traditions, claiming to pre-empt modern knowledges, and thereby a superiority to it. From my study of Ayurveda and drawing from a host of studies on other ‘traditional’ knowledge systems, I argue that the significance of these knowledges lies in their practices over time, including when they negotiated with modern knowledges. These practices, and by them I mean mainly the systems of production based on these knowledges, are ecologically embedded, while drawing upon a common epistemology. While they owe allegiance to texts, they are adaptive and dynamic over time, which is what actually makes them relevant for today. Further, in the light of the planetary polycrisis, I argue that they offer concrete alternatives as models of sustainable production systems, possibly their greatest value. | 
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Laura Flynn
