Project Sarlikaran | प्रकल्प सरलीकरण

"Sum total of all knowledge is Governance" – Mahābhārata

Project Sarlikaran is founded upon a civilizational epistemic principle rooted in Bharatiya thought: that knowledge fulfils its highest purpose only when it becomes accessible, meaningful, and transformative for all beings. This principle, 'Sarlikaran' (the conscious simplification and universalisation of knowledge without dilution of essence), draws from the pedagogical, philosophical, and ethical foundations of Bhāratīya Jñāna Paramparā (Indian Knowledge Systems) and Bharatiya Sanātana Darśana.

In classical Indian traditions, knowledge was never intended to remain confined to elites, institutions, or textual scholarship. Rather, it was designed to circulate through society in forms accessible to all cognitive, linguistic, social, and sensory contexts. The transmission of profound metaphysical, ecological, and ethical truths through narratives such as Itihasa (Ramayana and Mahabharata), through Purāṇic storytelling, bhajans, kīrtans, and oral traditions, reflects a deliberate pedagogical architecture that prioritised comprehension, participation, and lived transformation over abstraction. This civilizational commitment reflects what may be termed epistemic compassion — the duty to ensure that wisdom reaches every individual regardless of ability, literacy, geography, or socio-economic position. This pedagogical philosophy is elegantly articulated in the Natya Shastra verse:

यतो हस्तस्ततो दृष्टिर्यतो दृष्टिस्ततो मनः। यतो मनस्ततो भावो यतो भावस्ततो रसः॥
(Yato hastastato dṛṣṭiryato dṛṣṭistato manaḥ । Yato manastato bhāvo yato bhāvastato rasaḥ ॥)
This is a verse from Natyashatra, an ancient Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts written by Bharata Muni, an ancient Indian sage.

This sequence establishes a cognitive chain: action guides attention, attention guides cognition, cognition generates emotion, and emotion produces experiential understanding. The verse reveals a sophisticated learning theory predating modern pedagogy, one that recognises multisensory engagement, embodied cognition, and affective learning as essential for true comprehension. In contemporary terms, this mirrors the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which emphasise multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression. Project Sarlikaran, therefore, does not import accessibility frameworks into Indian contexts; it demonstrates that accessibility has always been intrinsic to Bharatiya knowledge traditions.

Within this framework, Sarlikaran is not simplification as reduction; it is simplification as illumination. It is the process through which complex wisdom is translated into forms that preserve depth while expanding reach. This principle resonates with civilizational ideals such as Antyodaya (the upliftment of the last person) and reflects the ethical responsibility embedded in dharmic thought that knowledge must serve collective welfare.

The project’s Dhyey Vakya (guiding maxim) — “ज्ञानस्य पराकाष्ठा धर्मयुक्तं शासनम्” (The highest culmination of knowledge is governance aligned with Dharma), establishes the normative endpoint of education. Knowledge is not an end in itself; it must shape just systems, ethical decision-making, and dharmic societal structures. Knowledge that does not inform governance risks being shaped by governance; thus, democratizing access to knowledge is a prerequisite for Dharma Sthapana (moral order) and Nyāya (justice).

Project Sarlikaran operationalises this civilizational philosophy through contemporary educational practice. By embedding Universal Design for Learning (UDL), interactive storytelling, educational games, indigenous pedagogies, and culturally rooted narratives into environmental and sustainability education, the project transforms learning into a resilient, inclusive, and justice-oriented process. Climate change, disaster risk, pollution, and environmental degradation are not merely scientific challenges; they are civilizational tests of collective wisdom, ethics, and adaptability. Addressing them requires educational systems that cultivate understanding across diverse cognitive realities and lived experiences.

Thus, Project Sarlikaran represents the convergence of ancient epistemology and modern pedagogy. It positions accessibility not as accommodation, but as the natural state of knowledge when aligned with Dharma. In doing so, it advances a model of education that is simultaneously rooted in tradition, responsive to contemporary global challenges, and scalable across cultures. In essence, Sarlikaran is the Dharma of knowledge, ensuring that wisdom becomes universally accessible, socio-culturally relevant, and civilizationally transformative.

'Embedding Universal Design for Learning'
Motto – ज्ञानस्य पराकाष्ठा धर्मयुक्तं शासनम्। The highest culmination of knowledge is governance aligned with Dharma (righteousness).