Vivekananda International Foundation | Seeking Harmony in Diversity

Re-conceptualizing Religious History: Archaeological Findings from Itkhori, a Composite Sacred Space

VIF organized a talk by Professor Rupendra Kumar Chattopadhyay (Vivekananda Chair Professor of Social Science, University of Calcutta) under the VIF Lecture Series ‘Understanding Indian History & Civilization’. The talk was titled...

July 16, 2020

Tags: Bhadrakali temple, Brahmanism, Buddhism, Civilization, Itkhori, Understanding Indian History, Historical and Civilisational Studies

The Shared Heritage of Yoga: Ideas and Practices from Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism

Dr Arpita Mitra

On the occasion of International Day of Yoga, VIF organized a talk by Professor Christopher Key Chapple (Loyola Marymount University, USA) under the VIF Lecture Series ‘Understanding Indian History & Civilization’. The talk was titled The...

June 22, 2020

Tags: Buddhism, Hinduism, International Day of Yoga, Jainism, Key Chapple, Philosophy, Shared Heritage of Yoga, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Book discussion on Dharma in Governance authored by Gunjan Pradhan Sinha

Dr Arpita Mitra

VIF organized an online book discussion on Dharma in Governance: Towards a Welfare State (Aditya Prakashan, 2018) authored by Gunjan Pradhan Sinha on 21 May 2020. The panel included the author, Prof. Arvind Sharma (McGill University), Col....

May 21, 2020

Tags: Arthasastra, Buddhism, dharma, governance, Public policies, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam Revisited: Exploring India’s Soft Power Assets

Dr Arpita Mitra

In January 2019, Vivekananda International Foundation organized the seminar Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Relevance of India’s Ancient Thinking to Contemporary Strategic Reality to mobilize the Indian repository of ideas—ancient and modern—and bring...

March 3, 2020

March 4, 2020

Tags: Ayurveda, Bollywood, India’s Soft Power Assets, Soft Power, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, Yoga, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Book Discussion on Dilip Chakrabarti’s Ancient Rajasthan

Dr Arpita Mitra

On 24 February 2020, VIF organized a book discussion on Prof. Dilip K. Chakrabarti’s latest book Ancient Rajasthan: Research Development, Epigraphic Evidence on Political Power Centres, and Historical Perspectives (New Delhi: Aryan Books...

February 24, 2020

Tags: ancient India, Ancient Rajasthan, Feudalism, Rajputs, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Vimarsha: Vivekananda and National Regeneration

“My faith is in the younger generation, the modern generation, out of them will come my workers. They will work out the whole problem, like lions.”

January 13, 2020

Tags: National Regeneration, Salvation of India, Self-realization, Spiritual power, Swami Vivekananda, Upanishads, Vocational Training, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Talk by Ambassador Basant Gupta on Spirituality and International Politics: India’s Role

Dr Arpita Mitra

VIF organized a talk by Ambassador Basant Gupta on Spirituality and International Politics: India’s Role on 9 January 2020. The purpose was to cull out strategic insights from our ancient texts. Amb. Gupta spoke about the Bhagavad Gita. He said...

January 9, 2020

Tags: CAGE, dharma, ekam sat, International Politics, Spirituality, Yagna, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Talk on ‘Indian Impact on Chinese Art’ by Dr. Shashi Bala

Dr Pravesh Kumar Gupta, Associate Fellow, VIF

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a lecture by Dr. Shashibala, Dean at the Centre of Indology, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi, the topic being, ‘Indian Impact on Chinese Art’. Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF, chaired...

November 6, 2019

Tags: Buddhism, Caves in China, Chinese Art, Sanyas, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Vimarsha: Panel Discussion ‘Indraprastha- A Capital Journey’

Aakriti Vinayak

Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) held its monthly ‘Vimarsha’ lecture series on 14th October 2019, which was a panel discussion that focused on a very pertinent topic ‘Indraprastha-A Capital Journey’. The topic is highly relevant for...

October 14, 2019

Tags: Alexander, Indraprastha, Mughal periods, Pandava state, Tiratha, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Talk on ‘Cave Temples in China’, by Dr. Shashi Bala, Dean, Centre for Indology, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan

Dr Pravesh Kumar Gupta, Associate Fellow, VIF

Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a lecture by Dr. Shashibala, Dean at the Centre of Indology, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi. The topic of the lecture was ‘Cave Temples in China’. Dr. Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF chaired...

September 12, 2019

Tags: Atharvaveda, Cave Temples in China, Chinese narrative, Indology, Philosophical importance, Shatapatha Brahmana, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Samvad: Global Hindu-Buddhist Initiative for Conflict Avoidance - Inter-Religious Understanding and Interdependent Sustainability, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, September 6 and 7, 2019

The III Edition of Samvad at Ulaanbaatar was a great success in many ways. In particular it cemented the relation between India and Mongolia as Spiritual Partners. It was held in the premises of Gandan Monastery in Ulaanbaatar.

September 6, 2019

September 7, 2019

Tags: Conflict Avoidance, Global Hindu-Buddhist Initiative, Inter-Religious Understanding, Interdependent Sustainability, Samvad, Ulaanbaatar, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Vimarsha: ‘Need for Hindu Buddhist Alliance in Sri Lanka and World Over’

Sanjay Kumar

In the run-up to the ‘SAMVAD-III: Global Hindu Buddhist Initiative on Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness’, which will be held from 6th to 8th September 2019 at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the VIF held its monthly Vimarsha on 22 August...

August 22, 2019

Tags: Buddhism in Hinduism, Conflict Avoidance, Environment Consciousness, Hindu Buddhist Alliance, Religions, SAMVAD-III, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Talk on Buddhist Monasteries and Temples in Ancient Capitals of China

Dr Pravesh Kumar Gupta, Associate Fellow, VIF

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a lecture by Dr. Shashibala, Dean at the Centre of Indology, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi. The topic of the lecture was ‘Buddhist Monasteries and Temples in Ancient Capitals of China...

June 13, 2019

Tags: Ancient Capitals of China, Buddhist Monasteries, Buddhist monks, Gyanodaya, Shashi Bala, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Talk on ‘Faith and Empire-Tombs to Temples in China’

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a lecture by Dr. Shashibala, Dean at the Centre of Indology, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi, the topic of the lecture being, ‘Faith and Empire-Tombs to Temples in China’. Dr. Arvind...

May 24, 2019

Tags: Ancient Capital, Shashibala, Temples in China, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Talk on ‘The Role of the Buddhist Master Kumarajiva in India-Chinese Relations’

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a lecture by Dr. Shashibala, Dean at the Centre of Indology, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi. The topic of the lecture was ‘The Role of the Buddhist Master Kumarajiva in Indo Chinese...

April 15, 2019

Tags: Buddhism, India-Chinese Relations, Kumarajiva, Historical and Civilisational Studies

Book Discussion on The Borderlands and Boundaries of the Indian Subcontinent, by Padma Shri Professor Dilip K. Chakrabarti

A distinguished panel of scholars and VIF faculty participated in examining the basic elements of geographical, historical, economic and religious interactions between the accepted outer boundary line of the Indian sub-continent and the major...

March 18, 2019

Tags: Borderlands, Boundaries, Indian Subcontinent, India’s borderlands, Historical and Civilisational Studies