INDIA’S EDUCATIONAL ESSENCE AND ITS INTERACTION WITH THE DIGITAL AGE

India as a country has undergone several changes and it has developed its own unique form of education throughout history. Classical Indian education in its ancient era could be traced back to the Vedic Ages, followed by a rise of Buddhist learning centres. Education in Medieval India was also influenced by Islamic education during the Delhi Sultanate period which later blended into a Persianate form of education. The early modern period witnessed the advent of the Europeans, Westernised education was initiated. Sustainability and education can be amalgamated to form something which has the potential to suit everyone. Swati Lal points out that Rabindranath Tagore, after observing the Indian education system for nearly fifty years established Shantiniketan where he established Sriniketan, an ashram school and Viswa Bharati, an international university. He created a style of learning in an aesthetic form of education. The uniqueness of this type of education is set out to be an example for promoting environmental awareness. India has now stepped into the age of Digitalization and the education sector is no exception. With the help of government initiatives such as Digital India, SWAYAM, and DIKSHA aimed to reach students in remote and rural areas. Education during the Covid 19 pandemic has heavily relied on digital medium. Despite having the aim to deliver quality education to all, it has also highlighted the unavailability of gadgets due to economic conditions. This paper would be aiming to show a brief evolution of Indian education system in order to better understand the potential it has to incorporate its unique essence with the rapidity of Digitalization.