While many departments celebrate Department Foundation Day, Sanskrit Department in University of Hyderabad celebrates World Sanskrit Day, says Prof. Amba Kulkarni during the event organized by the Sanskrit Department and coordinated by Mr. Abirlal Gangopadhyay, a Ph.D. student of the department.
On account of World Sanskrit Day, celebrated on Shravana Poornima each year, Department of Sanskrit Studies, headed by Prof. JSR Prasad, University of Hyderabad has organized a couple of events last month. One event is sloka competition where the participants were asked to recite select slokas from Charaka Samhita and explain the meaning. This event is exclusively for students of Undergrad and Graduation students of the University and also for the students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, UoH Campus. Around 17 students have participated in this event and students were recognized for their excellence in pronunciation, style and memorization of the slokas.
The second event conducted by the department is a samvada on the topic ‘Peace and Conflict in Society’, for which Swami Kripakarananda Maharaj was invited to respond to the inquiries that the students have on the topic.
Swami Kripakarananda Maharaj, a monk of Ramakrishna Math and Mission is serving as a medical doctor at Varanasi Sevashram, Shivakshetra Kashi since the last three years. He has offered his services as a medical doctor in many capacities over the last couple of decades. He also is an apt Indian Classical musician and painter. Other guests for the event include Prof. B.R. Shamanna and Prof. Kavi Narayana Murthy. Prof. B.R. Shamanna, a doctorate in Medical Sciences from AIIMS is currently working as a Prof at University of Hyderabad. Prof. Kavi Narayana Murthy, a doctorate in Computer Science from University of Hyderabad is currently working in the Department of CIS, University of Hyderabad.
The one-hour samvada extended to almost 2 hours as the questions posed by the current and past students were interesting and very relevant to the current situations that this generation face in todays’ world. The samvada started with understanding what exactly is peace and what is conflict and how it is defined at individual vs society level, which leads to the other. Swamiji’s answer to this is that the concept of peace is not properly instilled in our minds and that only a society in which peace is attained by each individual leads to peace at the society level. Universality should be the goal. Our sanaathana dharma also is meant universally for the human kind, not only for Indians. In understanding what is peace itself, there is a conflict. Once we understand to respect and accept the diversity among the different cultures in the world, like how one accepts the diversity in nature and like how a mother nourishes the diversity among her children, then one can be free of conflict. Our Rishis have also taught the same but these teachings are somehow not being passed on to the younger generations due to the change in education system, and it is the responsibility of the parents to instill these values in their children and in that pursuit should not hesitate to discipline them with love. Awareness of the ultimate truth as told by our Rishis helps us with how to come to agreement with one’s self when we are sometimes forced to the norms of the society which is very varied in its principles.
(Reported by Smt. Sri Vani Potluri, M.A. Student of the department)