Indian Languages and Knowledge Traditions Take Centre Stage as Vishwarang Moves 8th Edition to Nalanda

Santosh Choubey, Director General, Vishwarang, says the October 3 to 8 programme will connect India’s cultural and intellectual heritage with contemporary questions as writers, researchers and representatives from universities including Nalanda University, IIT Kharagpur and University of Delhi gather in Bihar

Nalanda will host the eighth edition of Vishwarang from October 3 to 8, bringing writers, academicians, artists, translators, researchers and cultural practitioners together for discussions on Indian languages, knowledge traditions, education and cultural connections with Asia.
Organised by Vishwarang, Bhopal, the multidisciplinary programme will examine how India’s linguistic, literary and intellectual heritage can be considered alongside contemporary cultural and educational questions.
Nalanda has been selected as the setting for the programme because of its historical association with knowledge, education and the exchange of ideas between the Indian subcontinent and other parts of Asia.

Representatives from a wide range of educational institutions are expected to participate. These include Rabindranath Tagore University, Bhopal; Nalanda University; C. V. Raman University, Vaishali; AISECT University, Hazaribagh; Scope Global Skills University, Bhopal; C. V. Raman University, Bilaspur; C. V. Raman University, Khandwa; Gauhati University; IIT Kharagpur; Tripura University; Mizoram University; University of Delhi; Indira Gandhi National Open University; University of Calcutta; Film and Television Institute of India; and Amity University, Gurugram.
The literary and cultural participants will include Nand Kishore Acharya, Arun Kamal, Alka Saraogi, A. Aravindakshan, Devendra Raj Ankur, Jitendra Srivastava, Jayant Parmar, Prafulla Shiledar, Yatindra Mishra, Soma Bandyopadhyay and Anant Vijay, among others.

Indian knowledge traditions and education will form a major part of the programme. Sessions will consider Nalanda’s educational vision alongside research, multidisciplinary learning and Indian intellectual traditions.
The discussions will also explore connections between historical Indian approaches to education and contemporary higher education.
Indian languages will receive particular attention, with conversations planned around the cultural foundations shared by South Asian languages, their relationships with one another and the connections that exist within India’s linguistic diversity.

Languages and literature from Northeast India will form a separate area of attention during the programme.
Translation will also feature prominently, with sessions examining literary translation between Indian languages, the relationship between language and tradition and the role translated literature can play in cultural exchange. Readings of works translated from Indian languages are also planned.
Another part of Vishwarang will examine India’s historical and contemporary connections with South and Southeast Asia. Discussions will trace links associated with Nalanda, travel, trade, cultural contact and the movement of ideas, while considering how these relationships can be viewed in a contemporary context.

The programme will additionally address the relationship between trade, culture and sustainable development. Renewable energy, environmental balance, responsible enterprise and changing approaches to development will be considered from cultural perspectives.
Patna will host a special discussion devoted to Rabindranath Tagore’s cultural consciousness and contribution. A painting exhibition and workshop will also form part of the programme.
Santosh Choubey, Director General, Vishwarang, said the programme is intended to look beyond recalling historical achievements and instead connect India’s cultural and intellectual heritage with questions facing the present and future.
According to Choubey, Nalanda offers a setting where India’s historical relationships with Asia in knowledge, language and culture can be considered together with contemporary challenges.

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