Ugc sponsered National Conference On "Influence of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata on Indian English Litereture" is scheduled on 20 and 21 Feb.at Bharati Vidyapeeth's Yashwantrao Mohite College,Pune.
Chaturvedi Swami is going to bless the Conference with his Lecture.
All are cordially invited.
here is an excerpt of editorial
"
It is needless to say that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata transcend the description of mere classics or classical literary texts. They are the very well-springs of unfailing and everlasting inspiration; they are an ever-shining beacon light for artists, writers, for the historians, for the critics and the exegesists as also for the nondescript common man in this country. We have learned our philosophy, our morality, our and ethics, our aesthetics, manners, mores and etiquette ,and as matter of fact -a whole way of life from these very writs. For the man of letters they are the fountain heads of archetypes of myth, allusion, form motif and idiom, irrespective of the mindboggling diversity of details of cultures and languages across this vast and ancient land of ours. They are our breath and lifeblood that have guided and sustained us over ages together, through our ecstasies and agonies, triumphs and failures, hopes and despairs ,and have always shown us the right way of life when emergencies emerged. The Ramayana is held as the celebration of ideals in all walks of life, and especially in human relationships, creating paragon s of personalities: parent children, father-sons, mothers-sons, husband-wives, brothers-sisters, masters-servants, guru-shishya, ruler-ruled, friendships and so forth. On the other side, the Mahabharata presents life in its stark and naked realities full of faults and foibles, avarice and animus, trickery and stratagem, duplicity and diplomacy, lust and lechery, selfishness and sacrifice, retribution and retreat, temptations and machinations, conspires and candidness, and in fact the very way humans live and love, hate and kill : warts and all, so to say.
These two epics have established living and lasting traditions that have been closely relevant to all ages and times to date. One is aware that have been closely relevant to all ages and times to date. As it is rightly said in the Mahabharata :
यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित् //(१/६२/५३)
One is aware that despite piles on piles of scholarly interpretations, critical commentaries , artistic adaptations and countless creative engagements, the two epics still remain inexhaustible , finding their reflections and refractions, imitations and images in all literatures of India ,including Indian writing in English. To explore all these reflections and engagements is an impossible venture. Even so, it is our effort to revisit the depths of these two icebergs with reference to Indian Writing in English during the present seminar. We have already approached the scholars and specialists to guide us as resource persons. All the same we are aware that many teachers of Indian writing in English in the country have their own interesting and original observations to offer.
The sub-themes of the seminar:
1. Reflections of characters from these classics
2. Plot structure
3. Human relationship, human psychology
4. Retelling of these epics.
5. Influences on governance, leadership and lifestyle etc.
6. Ethical and cultural foundations
7. Recreations of contemporary ethos
8. Translations and trans-creations of these epics
9. Understanding of these epics from aesthetic values
10. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata epics
11. Influence of style and language
12. Virtues and Vices: the moral and immoral standards
13. Social and political administration, family issues
14. Representations of the downtrodden
15. Controversies and intrigues
16. World-view and philosophy
We are very delighted to put on the record that different scholars from various states in the country have gathered together to deliberate on the relevant issues of the seminar. We have got an immense response in the form of 43 full research papers and 83 abstracts from almost every part of the country for instance, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra etc. We are equally happy that eminent resource persons have also been associated in the entire proceeding of this academic exercise.
We owe a great debt of gratitude to the warm and huge response to the present seminar. It will surely work as ‘driving force’ in the organizing of upcoming literary ventures.
Chaturvedi Swami is going to bless the Conference with his Lecture.
All are cordially invited.
here is an excerpt of editorial
"
It is needless to say that the Ramayana and the Mahabharata transcend the description of mere classics or classical literary texts. They are the very well-springs of unfailing and everlasting inspiration; they are an ever-shining beacon light for artists, writers, for the historians, for the critics and the exegesists as also for the nondescript common man in this country. We have learned our philosophy, our morality, our and ethics, our aesthetics, manners, mores and etiquette ,and as matter of fact -a whole way of life from these very writs. For the man of letters they are the fountain heads of archetypes of myth, allusion, form motif and idiom, irrespective of the mindboggling diversity of details of cultures and languages across this vast and ancient land of ours. They are our breath and lifeblood that have guided and sustained us over ages together, through our ecstasies and agonies, triumphs and failures, hopes and despairs ,and have always shown us the right way of life when emergencies emerged. The Ramayana is held as the celebration of ideals in all walks of life, and especially in human relationships, creating paragon s of personalities: parent children, father-sons, mothers-sons, husband-wives, brothers-sisters, masters-servants, guru-shishya, ruler-ruled, friendships and so forth. On the other side, the Mahabharata presents life in its stark and naked realities full of faults and foibles, avarice and animus, trickery and stratagem, duplicity and diplomacy, lust and lechery, selfishness and sacrifice, retribution and retreat, temptations and machinations, conspires and candidness, and in fact the very way humans live and love, hate and kill : warts and all, so to say.
These two epics have established living and lasting traditions that have been closely relevant to all ages and times to date. One is aware that have been closely relevant to all ages and times to date. As it is rightly said in the Mahabharata :
यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित् //(१/६२/५३)
One is aware that despite piles on piles of scholarly interpretations, critical commentaries , artistic adaptations and countless creative engagements, the two epics still remain inexhaustible , finding their reflections and refractions, imitations and images in all literatures of India ,including Indian writing in English. To explore all these reflections and engagements is an impossible venture. Even so, it is our effort to revisit the depths of these two icebergs with reference to Indian Writing in English during the present seminar. We have already approached the scholars and specialists to guide us as resource persons. All the same we are aware that many teachers of Indian writing in English in the country have their own interesting and original observations to offer.
The sub-themes of the seminar:
1. Reflections of characters from these classics
2. Plot structure
3. Human relationship, human psychology
4. Retelling of these epics.
5. Influences on governance, leadership and lifestyle etc.
6. Ethical and cultural foundations
7. Recreations of contemporary ethos
8. Translations and trans-creations of these epics
9. Understanding of these epics from aesthetic values
10. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata epics
11. Influence of style and language
12. Virtues and Vices: the moral and immoral standards
13. Social and political administration, family issues
14. Representations of the downtrodden
15. Controversies and intrigues
16. World-view and philosophy
We are very delighted to put on the record that different scholars from various states in the country have gathered together to deliberate on the relevant issues of the seminar. We have got an immense response in the form of 43 full research papers and 83 abstracts from almost every part of the country for instance, Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra etc. We are equally happy that eminent resource persons have also been associated in the entire proceeding of this academic exercise.
We owe a great debt of gratitude to the warm and huge response to the present seminar. It will surely work as ‘driving force’ in the organizing of upcoming literary ventures.
