By Sasanka Perera

Taking the book, J. Krishnamurti and Educational Practice: Social and Moral Vision for Inclusive Education (2018) edited by Meenakshi Thapan, as its point of departure, the presentation will explore J. Krishnamurtis ideas on education, learning, organized religion, revolution etc. In this context, it attempts to explain why Krishnamurtis ideas despite their embrace of humanity as opposed to sectarian identities did not make a significant impact on educational policy, public discourse or politics in South Asia. It poses the question if Krishnamurtis ideas are still relevant in South Asia, and if so, how to ensure these ideas enter the domain of everyday politics.

Sasanka Perera is Professor of Sociology at South Asian University, New Delhi. He has been the Chairman of the Department of Sociology from 2011 to 2014; the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences from 2011 to 2018, and the Universitys Vice President from 2016 to 2019. He is the Editor of Society and Culture in South Asia (co-published with Sage India). Some of his publications in English include the following: Sociology and Social Anthropology in South Asia: Histories and Practices (co-edited with Ravi Kumar and Dev Nath Pathak, 2018); Culture and Politics in South Asia: Performative Communication (co-edited with Dev Nath Pathak, 2018); Warzone Tourism in Sri Lanka: Tales from Darker Places in Paradise (2016); Violence and the Burden of Memory (2015).