In his pioneering research on global economic history, Angus Maddison, a renowned British economist, estimated that India accounted for over 35% of the world’s GDP until the 17th century, making it one of the world’s most prosperous civilizations for nearly 1,500 years. This sustained prosperity was not accidental.It was deeply rooted in a robust and forward-thinking educational ecosystem that thrived across the subcontinent.
Far from being limited to rote learning or isolated disciplines, India’s ancient knowledge systems were inherently multidisciplinary, practical and holistic. Great centres of learning such as Takshashila, Nalanda, Somapura, Odantapuri, Vallabhi, Sharada, Vikramashila and many more, were world-renowned universities where thousands of students from across Asia came to study subjects ranging from astronomy, mathematics and architecture to medicine, philosophy, linguistics, music, governance and metaphysics, all under a single intellectual roof.
This model was anchored in the Guru-Shishya parampara, which emphasized personalized mentorship, experiential learningand the integration of ethical, spiritual and practical knowledge. Learning was not confined to classrooms, it was deeply immersive, preparing individuals not just for livelihood but for leadership, inquiry and self-realization. The very fabric of Indian education was multidisciplinary, viewing knowledge as interconnected and inseparable from life.
Then came Macaulay, who once said that “I want to create a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinions, in morals and in intellect”. He was successful in introducing Macaulay system in the 19th century that created a fragmented education system designed primarily to produce clerks and administrators.
Specialization was encouraged at the expense of breadth and knowledge became siloed or compartmentalised. The aftermath of this is still visible in our current university system, where students often remain confined to narrow academic streams with little room for interdisciplinary exploration.
Today, India stands at a pivotal juncture. As the country envisions a bold and inclusive future under the banner of Viksit Bharat @2047, the foundation for transformation must be laid in its knowledge ecosystem, particularly, in how it educates and empowers its youth. One of the most profound elements of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is its call for the development of multidisciplinary universities and institutions. It aims to break down artificial boundaries between disciplines, promoting institutions that foster the convergence of ideas, creativity and innovation. This is a return, in spirit, to the ancient but timeless model of education India once offered, now shaped to meet the demands of a dynamic, globalized world.
In today’s interconnected world, real problems are not subject-specific. Climate change, mental health, artificial intelligence, sustainable cities and ethical governance, none of these can be solved by a single academic discipline. Future leaders and problem-solvers must be equipped to think across boundaries.
Multidisciplinary universities empower students to pursue a major in one subject and a minor in another, allowing flexible and personalized learning pathways. They develop professionals who can approach challenges from multiple perspectives. For example, a student inEngineering with a minor in sociology may design more human-centric solutions. A biologist with training in ethics could contribute meaningfully to debates on genetic engineering. A liberal arts graduate with coding skills becomes an invaluable asset in the digital economy.
Similarly, the students of B.Sc. (Major in Physics) with a Minor in Philosophy encouragesthemto explore the philosophical foundations of science and develop critical reasoning and ethical sensitivity that will be useful for research and scientific writing or students of B.A. (Major in Political Science) with Minor in Environmental Studies can enable them to develop careers in policy-making, climate diplomacy or NGO leadership.
Multidisciplinary education is India’s gateway to preparing youth not just for jobs but for solving problems, innovating meaningfully and staying relevant in a world that is changing faster than ever. It is not just an academic model; it is a nation-building strategy. In the corporate world, companies like Google build products like Google Assistant by blending computer science, linguistics, cognitive psychology and design thinking, showing how modern innovation thrives at disciplinary intersections.
Technology firms like Infosys increasingly seek professionals with hybrid skills, engineers who understand human behaviour or liberal arts graduates fluent in data analytics. Whether in shaping public policy, building climate-resilient systems or designing ethical AI, the message is clear, the future belongs to those trained not in silos or compartment of a discipline but at the crossroads of disciplines.
Some of the India’s leading institutions are already demonstrating how a multidisciplinary culture fuels impactful innovation. At IIT Bombay, collaborations between design and engineeringhas led to the creation of e-Yantra, a national robotics education platform reaching thousands of colleges. IIT Madras’s student-led Centre for Innovation enabled the development of Tvasta, India’s first 3D-printed house, combining civil engineering, materials science and entrepreneurship to address affordable housing.
IIM Ahmedabad’s CIIE incubates agri-tech startups like AgroStar, where data science, rural management and behavioural economics converge to transform farmer livelihoods. In some other universities, researchers are combining biology, neuroscience and philosophy to explore consciousness and AI ethics. These examples highlight that India’s future innovations, in housing, agriculture, technology and human developmentwill come from ecosystems that break academic silos and foster true multidisciplinary collaboration.
During my interaction with various academicians across the country, most of the institutions claim to be multidisciplinary or NEP 2020 compliant. These claims often exist in brochures and reports but not in student experience or academic reality. Elective options remain narrow, departments function in isolation and faculty development for inter-disciplinary teaching is largely missing.
I think the true test of a multidisciplinary institution lies not in labels or documents but in the lived academic experience it provides. Some pertinent questions that need to be asked are:
- Can students actually choose courses across faculties or tailor their own degree programs?
- Are there real examples of curriculum flexibility, integrated assessmentsand project-based inter-disciplinary learning?
- Are faculty collaborating across departments to co-design, co-teach and co- research?
- Are these research outcomes creating social or economic impact?
Unfortunately, in many cases, the answer is “not yet.”
Despite the good intentions of NEP 2020, implementation faces several structural and cultural hurdles. Becoming truly multidisciplinary presents deep-rooted challenges for Indian institutions that extend far beyond formal policy declarations. Structural rigidities such as departmental silos, outdated curricula and limited administrative flexibility continue to impede integration across disciplines. Many faculty members have had limited exposure to cross-disciplinary pedagogy or research and institutional mechanisms for capacity building remain inadequate.
Equally important is the need for a shift in mindset from focusing narrowly on subject delivery to embracing the broader role of shaping well-rounded, future-ready learners. In many cases, institutional leadership and bureaucratic oversight lack the visionary clarity and agility needed to drive this transformation. An important enabler for the successful implementation of multidisciplinary initiatives is ensuring sufficient budgetary support.
As new institutions are announced, aligning them with adequate operational and developmental funding will strengthen their long-term impact and effectiveness. Additionally, the growing unionization and corporatization of interests within faculty and staff bodies, while important for safeguarding rights, sometimes detracts focus from the core academic and nation-building responsibilities that institutions are meant to serve.
Addressing these cultural, financial and structural issues with sensitivity, collaboration and a shared sense of purpose is essential to achieving the true spirit of NEP 2020 and preparing India’s higher education for a dynamic and multidisciplinary future.Moreover, a major gap in most universities is the absence of robust evaluation frameworks to objectively measure the outcomes of interdisciplinary initiatives. In many cases, institutions undertake activities and implement reforms without clearly assessing their effectiveness, relevance, or long-term impact.
From my own observations, numerous well-intentioned actions are carried out simply to demonstrate compliance or progress (tick in the box). They lack clear metrics or feedback mechanisms to evaluate their success. This absence of data-driven decision-making and evidence-based evaluation makes it difficult to distinguish between meaningful reform and superficial change.Unless institutions invest in defining measurable indicators, tracking student and faculty engagement across disciplines and evaluating real outcomes, the transition to multidisciplinary education will risk remaining symbolic rather than truly transformative.
To truly realize the vision of NEP 2020 and contribute meaningfully to the Viksit Bharat mission, higher education institutions must shift from symbolic compliance to authentic transformation. This begins with curriculum reform that goes beyond merely offering electives, institutions must structurally embed major-minor combinations, offer interdisciplinary and skill-based courses, mandate projects that integrate diverse knowledge systems and ensure students are exposed to real-world challenges aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).Equally important is faculty development, which requires investment in training educators to design and deliver interdisciplinary content, along with policies that support quality co-teachingand incentivized research across disciplines. Institutions must adopt a student-centred academic model by enabling flexible and personalized learning pathways, supported by trained academic advisors and the seamless implementation of the Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) for mobility across courses and institutions.
At a strategic level, collaborative partnerships should be fostered, both nationally and globally, through joint programs with industries, think tanks and international universities and by establishing centres of excellence focused on critical themes like AI & Ethics, Climate & Policy or Indian Knowledge Systems.Crucially, institutions must move towards a culture of accountability, developing and publishing measurable indicators of success, such as percentage of students enrolled in interdisciplinary programs, number of cross-disciplinary research outputs or extent of credit mobility. These steps are not checkboxes but strategic imperatives that redefine institutional relevance, enhance graduate employability and position Indian universities as future-ready, innovation-driven ecosystems.The institutions, once they prepare their strategy and plans must also target and measure the percentage ofUG/PG Programs with major-minor, percentage students enrolled in cross domains, faculty trained in interdisciplinary teaching, number of cross disciplinary research publications, integration of credit mobility.
In addition, annual NEP Implementation Reports should be made mandatory and publicly available, showing data on student flexibility, faculty collaboration, inter institutional collaboration, research output and impact and curriculum reforms.If we glance globally, we will find that the top global universities have embedded multidisciplinary learning through flexible, problem-based structures. At MIT, students can pursue hybrid degrees like Computation & Cognition, Climate System Science, Urban Science & Planning with CS, or Chemistry & Biology. Stanford Engineering offers interdepartmental majors such as Biomechanical Engineering, Biomedical Computation and Atmosphere & Energy, taught jointly by faculty across engineering, medicine and science. Meanwhile, the MIT–Harvard HST program seamlessly integrates medical and engineering education, training physician-scientists since 1970.
These institutions also emphasize team-teaching, co-designed curricula, real-world projects and shared academic spaces, ensuring graduates can innovate across technology, health, environment and society.Top global universities like Stanford and MIT also demonstrate the measurable impact of multidisciplinary education through real-world innovation.At Stanford, over 50% of biomedical projects in the SPARK program have moved beyond labs into commercial or clinical use, while StartX and engineering alumni have founded companies like Google, Netflix and Snapchat, contributing over $2.7 trillion to the global economy and creating 5.4 million jobs.Social innovation programs have reached over 7 million people globally and environmental research hubs have attracted millions in follow-up funding. These outcomes show that a multidisciplinary model not only drives cutting-edge research but also delivers scalable solutions, economic value and global impact, setting a benchmark for Indian institutions aiming to transform education through NEP 2020.
If India is to truly strengthen its multidisciplinary education ecosystem, it must begin by rethinking the performance and funding model of its public institutions. A one-size-fits-all budgetary approach is no longer effective. The government should undertake a performance-based assessment of institutions, categorizing them based on their age, capacityand demonstrated outcomes, for example, universities above 20 years, those between 10–20 years and emerging institutions under 10 years.
Budget allocations should then be strategically linked to clearly defined performance benchmarks, innovation indicators and objective institutional development goals. This would not only drive accountability but also enable the creation of targeted pockets of excellence rather than superficial uniformity.
University leadership must rise to this moment, moving beyond a dependency mindset to embrace resource optimization and long-term sustainability.They must see NEP not as a mandate, but as a movement. Rather than lamenting limitations, institutions should actively leverage their financial, intellectual and reputational capital. This includes cultivating industry partnerships tapping into CSR opportunities and building consulting or translational research platforms that both enhance knowledge exchange and generate revenue.Demonstrating visionary leadership, strategic collaborations and an outcome-driven culture will be key to transforming Indian universities into globally competitive, multidisciplinary hubs of learning and innovation.
As we look toward 2047, let us remember that Viksit Bharat will require Viksit Universities, institutions that don’t just teach students what to think, but how to think across boundaries. Let us measure progress not by the number of new programs launched, but by the freedom, creativity and courage we give our students to shape their own futures.
(The Author is Founding Vice Chancellor of Shri Vishwakarma Skill University and OSD to CM Haryana)
