Times Litfest: ‘Indian literature is indistinguishable from spirituality’, says Times Group VC & MD Samir Jain

NEW DELHI: India’s spiritual texts can and should be read as great works of literature, especially by the young, who will find these works beautifully different from the books they are asked to read.

Making this the central theme in his welcome and keynote address at the Times Litfest, Samir Jain, Times Group Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, told a predominantly young audience that they must not be bound by what they are taught. Indian literature is indistinguishable from spirituality, he said.



The address drew several rounds of applause as well as some laughter. The latter, when Jain, specifically addressing the young attendees, said universities may have ‘universe’ in their name but don’t teach them about the universe. Education is often only about making students fit for the job market, he pointed out.

Elaborating on his key theme, he said the world of words and learning is vast and rich, and there’s no better way to explore it than by reading texts that have passed down generations, their timeless relevance guaranteed by the power of their wisdom.


Jain quoted passages and couplets from the writings of Kabir and Guru Nanak, and pointed to the aesthetics of language as seen in the magisterial alliteration found in the works of the great Sufi poet Raskhan.

Breaking from conventional wisdom, Jain said literature is often appreciated for its portrayal of the dark side of human impulses but readers should question this.

Recalling his days as a student, he said he was taught Macbeth and the intensity of the pedagogy has ensured that he still remembers the dark passages from that play.


While there’s nothing wrong with such literature, Jain said, keen young minds must not be bound by this pedagogic requirement. Suggesting that children and young adults should be introduced to the great works of spirituality as literature, he said when the young encounter these texts they will not merely find them interesting but also uplifting.

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