Makarand Paranjpe discussed how India struggles with the tension between heritage and modernity, the overemphasis on STEM education, digital distraction, and the fading culture of deep thinking. Paranjpe said the tension between tradition and modernity has long shaped Indian intellectual debates. According to Paranjpe, contemporary India is witnessing renewed efforts to glorify the past, but he warned against uncritical revivalism. These ideas, Paranjpe said, differed fundamentally from Western epistemologies, particularly during the period of imperial arrogance under the East India Company, when Indian knowledge systems were systematically marginalised. Paranjpe argued that systemic issues such as caste-based quotas, limited recognition of intellectual labour and a persistent colonial hangover continue to shape Indian society.