15th World Sanskrit Conference at New Delhi, Jan 5-10, 2012

15^th World Sanskrit Conference at New Delhi, Jan 5-10, 2012

          The 15^th World Sanskrit Conference (WSC), organized by Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi in association with International Association of Sanskrit Studies, will be inaugurated by Honorable Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on 5^th January 2012 at 10 a.m. Honorable Minister of Human Resource Development Shri Kapil Sibal will be the Guest of Honour in the Inaugural Session. Soon after the inaugural session, Dr. Ashok Aklujkar and Dr. Lokesh Chandra will deliver special lectures, which will be chaired by Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan. Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan will release the catalogue of approximately 57000 manuscripts belonging to its Ganganatha Jha Campus. The catalogue in ten volumes in hard copies will be released in the inaugural session of the Conference and it will also be uploaded on the website of the Sansthan. Some other publications of Sansthan will also be released on this occasion. Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi will be the venue for the inaugural and valedictory sessions as well as for all academic sessions of the 15^th WSC. All exhibitions, the section on manuscriptology and book stalls will be arranged at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (INGCA).

          In collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA), National Manuscript Mission (NMM) and other institutions, a series of exhibitions entitled Viśvavārā is being planned at IGNCA. A Sanskrit Book Fair is being arranged in the premises of IGNCA which will remain open from 5^th January 2012 to 10^th January 2012. The exhibitions and around 100 book-stalls in the Book Fair will remain open during conference days from 10.00 AM to 8.00 PM for scholars, students, delegates and Sanskrit lovers. The book exhibits will offer a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the recent publications.  Viśvavārā will have the following sections – Revitalization of knowledge systems through manuscript wealth with focus on scientific traditions of India, Sanskrit and Sanskritic inscriptions in South East Asia, Historical traditions of India through manuscripts, Exhibition on Information Technology and computer tools related to Sanskrit.    

         On the 4^th January 2012, pūrvaraṅga, a programme to mark the beginnings of the 15^th World Sanskrit Conference will be organized. Dr. Ramakanta Goswami, Minister for Industries, Labour and Election will inaugurate the Sanskrit Book Fair, and Shri Chinmay R. Garekhan, Chairman, IGNCA will inaugurate the series of exhibitions in the premises of IGNCA.

          A five-day festival of Sanskrit theatre will be organized by the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan during the Conference. Sanskrit plays as performed in traditional theatres of Kūṭiyāṭṭam, Katha-kali, Nāṅgiyār Kuttu, Yakṣagānam, Ankiyā Nāt and Manipuri Rāsa will be staged as under:

·         Kūṭiyāṭṭam by Margi Madhu: Abhiṣekanāṭakam  

·         Nāngiārkūttu and Kathakalī: Kathakalī: Duśāsanavadham by E.N. Narayanan & P.M. Damodaran, Department of Sahitya Sree Sree Sankaracharya University, Kalady Nāngiārkūttu by Usha Nangiar

·         Yakṣagānam: Gajanan Hegde and his troupe

·         Ankiyā Nāta: Shrimanta Shankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati

·         Gītagovindam in Maṇipurī Rāsa: Radha Madhav Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya, Manipur

            Technical sessions on various themes of the conference will commence from the afternoon of the 5^th Jan.2012 and will continue till the 10^th Jan.2012 at Vigyan Bhavan. The Conference will operate in twenty sections. About eight sessions will be running concurrently in four cakras (slots) on most of the days. The conference will run in the following sections - Veda; Linguistics; Epics and Purāṇas; Tantra and Āgamas; Vyākaraṇa; Poetry, Drama and Aesthetics; Sanskrit and Asian Languages and Literatures; Sanskrit and Science; Buddhist Studies; Jain Studies; Philosophies; Religious Studies; Ritual Studies; Epigraphy; Sanskrit  in Technological World; Modern Sanskrit Literature; Pandit-parishad;  Kavisamvayaḥ;  Law and Society; and Manuscriptology. Apart from these sections, the twelve special panels will also be organized.

            The valedictory function of the conference will be held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi on the 10^th Jan. 2012 at 4.30 p.m. Dr. Karna Singh, Honourable Member of Parliament, and Chairperson of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, will be the Guest of Honour in the valedictory function. Mrs. Sheila Dixit, Honorable Chief Minister of Delhi will preside over this session. After the valedictory session, a dinner at the residence of Mrs. Sheila Dixit, Chief Minister of Delhi will be arranged by Delhi Sanskrit Academy. The 15^th World Sanskrit Conference is going to be an important meet of Sanskrit scholars of various Universities and Institutions of the world who are working in different disciplines of Sanskrit Studies. Likely two hundred foreign delegates and one thousand Indian delegates will participate in the conference. They will interact and deliberate upon important issues of Sanskrit learning and research in the global scenario and present the essence of wisdom as well as the treasures from the Sanskrit-based knowledge systems. Visit Website for more details:   www.sanskrit.nic.in