Misappropriation of Indian Knowledge Resources by the West: A Study of Select Works by Rajiv Malhotra

For far too long now, the western appropriation and commercialization of Indian knowledge resources has been going on without any meaningful resistance, primarily due to the colonial mindset prevalent in the Indian academy. This appropriation has not only been happening without acknowledgement but also been subjected to clever manipulation and substitution to serve their interests. Where they failed to do so, they simply discredited our ancient knowledge. The well-researched books by Rajiv Malhotra and his co-authors challenge several western concepts and commentaries, postulates and theories about India to bring out their incongruities and misinterpretations. In this, Malhotra, as the lead author, also highlights the civilizational bias of the West that continues to exist since the period of colonization. Besides, he rips apart the western project to hegemonize rest of the world through its ever-changing theories and concepts under the façade of universalism. The role of Indian scholars and philanthropists, foreign universities and agencies has been scrutinized. My article takes a critical look on different works by the acclaimed author and his co-authors, in a bid to underline their significance in highlighting the appropriation and assimilation of Indian knowledge resources by the western academy, in addition to furthering the cause of decolonization of Indian intelligentsia.