IIT Roorkee Hosts International Ramayana Conference; ‘Gita Word Index’ Unveiled

Dehradun/Roorkee: An international Ramayana conference has begun at IIT Roorkee (Indian Institute of Technology) in Uttarakhand on Thursday. The conference aims to highlight the importance of the Ramayana in education.

The conference is being jointly organised by IIT-Roorkee and Shri Ramcharit Bhavan, USA. The ‘Gita Shabd Anukramanika’ ('Gita Word Index') was released during the inaugural session. On the first day of the conference, renowned Sanskrit scholar Professor Mahavir Agarwal was posthumously awarded the 'Ramayana Ratna' award.

Scholars, saints, and researchers from India and abroad are participating in the three-day international Ramayana conference at IIT Roorkee, discussing Indian knowledge traditions. Approximately 150 research papers will be presented at the conference.

Speakers at the international Ramayana conference emphasised the need to understand and internalise the values ​​of the Ramayana in modern education. They stated that the purpose of education is not merely to earn a livelihood, but also to serve humanity.

Addressing the conference, IIT Roorkee director professor KK Pant said, "Our institute's anthem is also inspired by a verse from Goswami Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas. The line from Ramcharitmanas, 'Parhit saris dharma nahin bhai' (There is no greater dharma than serving others), and IIT Roorkee's anthem, 'Sarjan hit jeevan nit arpit' (Life is always dedicated to the welfare of creation), both underscore the importance of social service."

The director of IIT Roorkee said that the principles of the Indian knowledge tradition are invaluable. He connected the values ​​of the Ramayana, such as duty towards parents, social responsibility, honesty in public life and the ideal of 'Ram Rajya', to contemporary issues like sustainable development, health, ethics and nation-building. He urged the youth to consider knowledge not merely as a means to earn a high salary, but as a means to serve society and contribute to building a 'Developed India by 2047'.

At the International Ramayana Conference, Saint Mahamandaleshwar Swami Hari Chetananand spoke about the importance of the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and other scriptures for character building and inner peace in this era of chasing after mobile phones and material possessions.

Om Prakash Gupta, founder of Shri Ramcharit Bhavan and professor at the University of Houston-Downtown, said that approximately 150 research papers based on the Ramayana and related spiritual literature will be presented at the conference.