Kozhikode has been chosen as the venue for the sixth International Vedic Workshop. The workshop, prominent get-together of Indologists involved in the study of the Vedas the world over, will be held here from January 7 to January 10 in 2014. This is the first time that such a workshop is being held in India, local co-ordinator of the workshop Vinod Bhattathiripad said .A website for the event which can be accessed at www.ivw2014.org was inaugurated here on Thursday.
The previous five International Vedic Workshops were held in the Harvard University, U.S., in 1989, Kyoto University, Japan in 1999, Leiden University, the Netherlands in 2002, University of Texas, U.S. in 2007 and in the Centre for Eurasiatic and Afroasiatic Studies (CEAS), Bucharest in Romania in 2011.
These workshops have already made some major advances in vedic studies.
Vinod Bhattahiripad said the forthcoming workshop in Kozhikkode will focus on the Vedic texts and rituals, the scholarly interpretation of Vedic texts, the traditional performance of Vedic texts, the Vedic traditions of Kerala such as recitation, texts, commentaries, and rituals, and their applications in Srauta, Grhya, and Tantra, the general Vedic traditions of other parts of India and Nepal, and recent resurgence in interest in the field in the West.
The workshop committee has already called for research papers, internationally. A committee of international Vedic scholars, headed by the workshop chair, Prof. Michael Witzel (Harvard University), will make the final selection of papers to be presented, totally expected to be around 40 in number.
About 80 vedic scholars from different parts of the world including 20 from the United States, 15 from Europe, 18 from Japan and 20 from India are expected for the event.
