In order to promote learning of Sanskrit Language among students and youth for attaining personal and professional excellence, KIIT School of Languages (KSOL) organized an orientation webinar titled “Relevance of Sanskrit in Contemporary Society and its Scientific Dimensions” on 25th September 2021. A team led by Prof. (Dr.) Harekrishna Satapathy, Former Vice Chancellor of National Sanskrit University Tirupati and KISS Deemed to be University, Bhubaneswar made the presentation for the webinar.
Prof. Satapathy is a renowned educationist and eminent scholar and an expert in Ancient Indian Literature, Ancient Indian Ethics and Jurisprudence with over 40 years of experience in teaching and educational administration.
Dr Biswajit Das, Dean, KSOL graced the session with the welcome remark and encouraging words for the aspiring students.
The webinar was initiated with the chanting of Saraswati Vandana by Ms Madhusmita Sahoo. Ms Sahoo also recited slokas from Vedas and Upanishads. Relevance and healing effects of the slokas were explained in detail by Prof. Satapathy for awakening the supreme inner consciousness ‘Self’ of every individual to attain a peaceful and accomplished life.
Dr. Mrutyunjay Nayak, a scientist and scholar of Physics, explained the scientific perspective of Sanskrit by throwing light on findings in ancient Indian scriptures by sages of yesteryears on spirituality, metaphysics, architecture, astronomy, etc. They have proved to be the beacon of rationalistic discovery and inventions across humanity through generations, he added.
During his one-hour talk, Prof. Satapathy covered the whole gamut of subjects involving Sanskrit as a medium of communication since the advent of humanity which also marked its influence on early European language of Latin and Greek. Projecting Sanskrit beyond the purview of religion, he cited examples of Vedic chanting by Sanskrit scholars to initiate proceedings in the U.S. Senate to explain the universal appeal of the language. He also set examples of how the ancient Indian Jurisprudence of Dharma and Satya has dominated today’s system of Governance and Justice through their motto of Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs) and Yato Dharmastato Jayaḥ (whence justice (dharma), thence victory) respectively derived from Upanishads written in Sanskrit. He stressed on the pursuit for learning of Sanskrit along with professional studies to enrich our day-to-day life for attaining a healthy lifestyle as well as spiritual, intellectual & economical well-being.
Around 200 people attended the seminar. The Q&A session was very interactive where many students asked their genuine concerns.
Mr. Sameer Kumar Das, Deputy Director, KSOL proposed the vote of thanks, while inviting the audience to enrol for the newly inducted Certificate Course in Sanskrit Language Proficiency of 30 hours duration for the upcoming session October- December 2021. Interested students may visit https://ksol.kiit.ac.in/certificate-courses/ for information related to the admission process and fees. Detailed information and syllabus of the Sanskrit Certificate Course is available at https://ksol.kiit.ac.in/sanskrit/. Students may also enrol for 8 other Certificate Courses on Language Proficiency and Skill Development; i.e. French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Odia, Communicative English, Advanced English (IELTS Preparatory). Last date for enrolment is Sunday, 10th October 2021.