Historical and Civilisational Studies
Asian Buddhist Media Conclave – Mindful Communication for Conflict Avoidance and Sustainable Development

Organised by the International Buddhist Confederation in association with the VIF, and attended by luminary intellectuals like Dr Dhammapiya and Dr S Gurumurthy, the Conclave delved into the salience of mindful communication in conflict...

Talk on ‘Indian Scholars in China: Voyages for Cultural Advancement’

Dr. Shashi Bala, Dean, Centre of Indology, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, gave a talk on ‘Indian Scholars in China: Voyages for Cultural Advancement’ at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) on 13 Aug 2018. This was the second in a lecture...

UIHC Lecture Series, ‘Dharma & Ecology’ by Dr. Pankaj Jain

The first in a new VIF lecture series ‘Understanding Indian History & Civilisation’ was a talk on ‘Dharma and Ecology’ by Dr. Pankaj Jain, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy & Religion, University of North Texas, USA. Dr....

Shared Values and Democracy in Asia - 4th Samvad Conference at Tokyo

The Conference on the theme of ‘Shared Values and Democracy in Asia’ was addressed by PM Abe in which he returned to the theme that democracy in Asia was not a foreign idea introduced from the West. Prime Minister Modi in his message emphasised...

Talk by Dr. Shashibala, Dean, Centre for Indology, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, on ‘Echoes of Indian Culture in China’

Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a lecture cum discussion by Dr. Shashibala, Dean at the Centre of Indology, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan. The topic of the lecture cum discussion was ‘Echoes of Indian Culture in China’. Dr. Arvind...

Vimasha: Dr. Bibek Deb Roy’s talk on ‘Understanding the Ancient Indian Texts: Puranas and the Bhagavad Gita’

Dr. Bibek Deb Roy, eminent scholar and Chairman, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, gave a talk on the Bhagavad Gita. He announced at the outset that he would not deal with the ‘big things’ about the Gita—dharma, karma, tyaga,...

Panel Discussion on India’s Cultural Linkages

On 5 April 2018, a panel discussion on India’s cultural linkages was organized at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF). The panelists were Dr. Shashi Bala, Dean, Centre for Indology, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and Ms. Masooma Rizvi,...

Discussion on Vivekananda International Foundation ‘History of Ancient India’ Series

In 2013, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) published the first five volumes of its multi-volume History of Ancient India Series. Three of the remaining six volumes are to come out shortly and the last three are scheduled to be out...

A talk on ‘Netaji's Contribution to the Freedom Moment’ by Dr. Kalyan De

On 10 February 2017, Dr. Kalyan De, a US-based Netaji enthusiast and engineer by profession, delivered a refreshingly insightful talk on Netaji Subash Chandra Bose’s inimitable contribution to India’s freedom struggle. Quoting extensively from...

VIMARSHA: ‘Sister Nivedita’s Thought on Nationalism, Nationhood, Education and its Relevance in Contemporary Times’

Talk by Pravrajika Divyanandaprana, Monastic Member of Ramakrishna Sarada Mission and Principal, Nivedita Vidyamandir, New Delhi

Panel Discussion to Commemorate the 155th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized a panel discussion to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda on 12 January 2018. The eminent speakers in the panel were Dr. Swapan Dasgupta, Member of Rajya Sabha, Dr. K...

SAMVAD-II: Dialogue for Peace, Harmony and Security - Global Initiative for Conflict Avoidance and Environmental Consciousness

It will be recalled that ‘SAMVAD’ is an initiative of Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) that was borne out of dialogue between the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The purpose was to adopt...

Talk on Netaji's Contribution to the Freedom Moment

The VIF arranged a talk on the contributions towards India’s independence made by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The talk was delivered by US-based Dr Kalyan De, an engineer by profession and an authority on India’s freedom struggle. Quoting...

Launch of Book, ‘Snowflakes of Time’

Amb Kanwal Sibal, former foreign Secretary and one of India’s best-known diplomats, launched his collection of poems ‘Snowflakes of Time: Memories and Musings’ at a public event organised by the VIF. The collection, besides revealing a...

Interaction with Prof. Daya Thussu on Leveraging India’s Soft Power

‘Soft Power’, a term coined by Joseph Nye in the late 1980s, has been gaining increasing salience in foreign policy debates the world over. While in India, the use of soft power as part of Indian diplomacy had begun even before the term was...

Buddhism as a Science: A Talk by Robert Thurman

Robert Thurman, an internationally acclaimed American Buddhist scholar specializing in Asiatic religions, especially Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, also recognized as one of the twenty-five most influential Americans of 1997 by Time, visited the...

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