English literature and Bharatiya values: Exploring soft skills through a comparative lens

After the World Wars, literature across the continent witnessed continental, national, regional and societal voices through diverse literary and artistic expressions. As a result of that in literary tradition such as American literature, Indian literature, Dalit literature has raised voices and artistic creativity. Over the time English literature evolved and spread across the continents. Thus in India, English language and literature had witnessed colonial past where after decolonization, the language of representation has evolved. In which Indian literature also depicted the harsh reality, pain, struggle and societal imbalances through the use of language.

In India, English literature curricula often detached from Indigenous knowledge systems. Life skills including soft skills were considered as western contribution. They were attached to human as external entities to learn and adapt. On the other hand Indian ancient knowledge system considered soft skills as integral part human personality development. Thus cultural rootedness, societal reality, decolonization, oriental voices and holistic development became the need of the time. Where Even NEP 2020 emphasized IKS with skills inculcation as moral ethical human competence rather than merely employability skills.

Thus, the paper aims to present literary analysis of selected texts and Bharatiya values which were essentially inbuilt in human nature and cannot be taught separately by detaching them from personality. The paper contributes in soft skills development through comparative lens by comprehensively understanding the soft skills through English literature and Bharatiya value system. For this the paper uses analytical, mixed, critical, demonstrative and textual methods. As in contemporary world, soft skills development is the need of the time.