Going down memory lane to provide personal and professional perspectives of scholars who adorned the Department of Philosophy at the University of Mysore is one of the salient features of the three-day national seminar that is under way at Manasagangotri.
The seminar, on the theme ‘Hundred years of philosophy in Mysore university – an overview’, was inaugurated by Kannada litterateur S.L. Bhyrappa on Thursday.
Established in 1916
The university created a niche for itself in the field of philosophy when it was established in 1916 and the seminar seeks to illumine the contribution of a generation of scholars who worked in the department to shore up its reputation besides making immense contribution to the field of Indian philosophy.
The opening day of the seminar saw tributes being paid to the founder of the department A.R. Wadia apart from S. Radhakrishnan, M. Hiriyanna, Brajendra Nath Seal, and G. Hanumantha Rao.
On Friday, H.R. Ramachandra presented an overview of the contribution of his father late H.N. Raghavendrachar, who is reckoned by his peers as a doyen of Indian philosophy. The sole motto of presenting the paper was to revive the memory of Raghavendrachar and his works, and introduce him to those who did not know him or were not aware of his contribution, he said.
The perception among foreign scholars of that age was that the works on India philosophy are generally written by those who have not studied the original Sanskrit works and hence were unreliable. This view was independently confirmed by Raghavendrachar in his interaction with international scholars and it promoted his entry into writing in this vast field of Indian philosophy, recalled Mr. Ramachandra.
Raghavendrachar wrote important books on various aspects of Indian philosophy such as the Dvaita philosophy and its place in Vedanta, Brahma–Mimamsa, Madhava Siddhanta, and Dvaita Vedanta besides innumerable scholarly articles for reputed journals. In recognition of his scholarship, he was bestowed the coveted position of Dharmadhikari of the Mysore palace by the then maharaja Jayachamaraja Wadiyar, according to Mr. Ramachandra.
New perspectives
Earlier, K.B. Prabhu Prasad recalled his interactions with his teachers T.A. Purushottam and H.K. Raja. There were other sessions on the similar lines with speakers going down memory lane to present a fresh perspective or personal traits of philosophy teachers such as H.T. Shantha and M.N. Narasimhan.
On Saturday, scholars will speak on professors S.S. Raghavachar and Yamunacharya, and historian and former Vice-Chancellor B. Shaik Ali will deliver the valedictory address.
