The sixth international vedic workshop slated to be held at Kozhikode from January seven to 10 has attracted Sanskrit and veda researchers and writers from universities across the world. Besides theoretical deliberations, veda chanting would be a special feature of the workshop, the event co-ordinator Vinod Bhattathiripad and programme core committee members Dr MGS Narayanan and P Bhaskaran Nair said at a press conference on Saturday.
The workshop would begin with chanting of Rig veda by Dr Parvathy, who, the organizers said, is the only female Rig veda chanter in Kerala.
This is the first international vedic workshop to be hosted by India. The others were held in Harvard University, US, Kyoto University, Japan, Leiden University, the Netherlands, University of Texas, US, and the Centre for Eurasiatic and Afroasiatic Studies, Bucharest in Romania.
The vedic workshop in Kozhikode would focus on vedic texts and rituals, scholarly interpretations of vedic texts, vedic traditions of Kerala, and the recent resurgence of interest in the Vedas in the West. As many as 75 research papers would be present at the seminar in Kozhikode.
Out of the nearly 120 participants expected for the event in Kozhikode, as many as 50 are from within the country and the rest from other countries. While 14 scholars from universities and research institutes in the United States and 12 from Japan have confirmed participation, five vedic experts are expected from France and four each from Germany and the United Kingdom.
The event has evoked worldwide interest among Sanskrit and vedic scholars, proof of it being the fact that scholars from Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Croatia, Russia, Australia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Lexumberg and Canada would also be participating in the event
The workshop is being arranged by a committee comprising Dr P Bhaskaran Nayar of Lincoln University, UK, MGS Narayanan, former chairman Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), CM Neelakantan, former Professor- Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kaladi and C Rajendran, former Professor of Sanskrit, Calicut University.
