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A sociological and philosophical view of deviance To understand the need for prison reform, let us first understand the need for prisons. Eminent sociologist Emile Durkheim described deviance as a shift from the norm. The philosopher would argue about the existence of the norm, while the political scientist may argue for the power creating the norm (Erikson, 1962). Regardless of the system that has come about, a norm, once established, embeds certain expectation of conformity

A polymath, according to the Cambridge Dictionary, refers to "a person who knows a lot about many different subjects" ("Polymath," 2024). The gurukul system in India is famous for birthing many polymaths who went on to derive their fame in a multitude of fields, like the scholar Vedantika Desika of the late 13th to early 14th century (Raghavan, 1978). Even further back, the Pandava and Kaurava brothers, educated by the guru Dronacharya, specialised in weaponry but derived the