Kozhikode: As many as 110 scholars from 16 countries will participate in the four-day international Vedic conference to be held here from January 7.
Some 65 foreign scholars from prominent universities, including Oxford, University of Paris, Russian Academy of Sciences and University of Texas, will present papers at the seminar organised by the department of South Asian Studies of Harvard University.
The University of Calicut, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, and IIT Kanpur will send scholars to the conference. Delegates from the University of Michigan will also attend it.
Chief coordinator of the conference Dr Vinod Bhattathiripad told DC that 15 delegates from various universities in the country will present papers.
Only 80 papers were accepted by the committee. The major universities sent the delegates at their own expenses reducing the financial burden of the organisers, he said. The organisers decided to conduct the workshop in the country of Vedas where the spirit is still alive to provide an ‘on ground’ experience of Vedic practice and direct interaction with practising scholars, he added.
The international committee of the workshop includes Prof. M. Witzel (University of Harvard, USA), Prof. Shrikant Bahulkar (India), Prof. Yasuke Ikari (Kyoto University, Japan) and Prof. Julita Raotaru (Centre for Eurasiatic and Afroasiatic Studies, Bucharest, Romania). Prof MGS Narayanan, former chairman, Indian Council for Historical Research, is a member of the core committee.
The programme will start with Rig Veda chanting.
