Welcome Remarks by the Director VIF during the Vimarsh -cum-book release on the book This is Sanatan Dharma: The Quest for Truth authored by Sh Partho

• Swami Parmatmananda, Convener and Secretary General Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha
• Shri Partho, Poet, Writer and Teacher
• Dr Anirban Ganguly, Chairman, Dr Syama Prasad mookerjee Research Foundation
• Distinguished guests

Dear Friends,

I would like to extend warm welcome to all to today’s Vimarsh event in which we will release Sh Partho’s book "This is Sanatan Dharma: The Quest for Truth"

Shri Partho is a poet, writer and teacher of Vedanta. He writes on spiritual Yoga, Dharma and Vedanta. A follower of the integral Vedanta philosophy of Sri Aurobindo, Sh Partho’s was deeply influenced by the vision of Swami Vivekananda when he was young. It was Swami Vivekananda’s vision, which brought him to Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.

In his book, Sh Partho explores the philosophical and mystical foundations of Sanatan Dharma. According to him, Sanatan Dharma is more than a religion to be followed. It is a truth to be realized. The author also holds that Sanatan Dharma is a dynamic and evolving religion that leads towards self-awakening and self-realization.

While many of us live by Sanatan Dharma, we may not be in a position to explain its basic concepts and their meaning. This is where this book comes in handy. It explains the key philosophical, foundational and divine ideas of Sanatan Dharma in a simple and accessible manner. It talks about the main concepts like Brahman, Advait, Atman, Yoga, Gyan, Karma, Moksha, Purush, prakriti and Buddhi and also delves into the divine aspects like the Ganesha, Shakti, Krishana, Shiva, the Divine Mother and the concept of Guru in Sanatan Dharma. The book will be particularly useful to the young generation. The book emphasizes the need for dharmik education. It also discusses the role of Dharma in the 21st century.

Sh Partho’s book is an effort to not only inform the readers of the key features of Sanatan Dharma but also highlight the contribution of Sri Aurobindo as one of the greatest spiritual rishis of modern India. The chapter on Maharishi Sri Aurobindo is particularly illuminating as it encapsulates Sri Aurobindo’s vast vision and key messages and their continuing relevance to India but also for the humanity. The author laments that our schools and university hardly touch Sri Aurobindo in any depth.

We are honored to have two distinguished scholarsto discuss the book. Swami Pramatmananda Saraswati is Convener and Secretary General Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha. He is senior disciple of Swami Dayananda Saraswati. A scholar of Vedanta and a founder Acharya of Arsha Vidya Mandir, he gives talk on contemporary problems of society informed by profound knowledge of Vedanta. His discourses are lively. Swami Ji has deep empathy for society.

Dr Anirban Ganguly, the Chairman of Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Foundation is a member of National BJP Executive committee. He is a scholar of civilisation, history, politics and culture and a member of Central Advisory Board of Education. He has a PhD in education from Jadavpur University Kolkata. Author of several books, Dr Ganguly has travelled extensively and spoken at a number of think tanks and conferences. He had his early education at Sri Aurobindo International Education Centre Pudducherry. He is a member of the governing board of Auroville Foundation as well as a member of Visva Bharti Samsad Santiniketan.

I now request the author, the distinguished panelists and publisher to join us to release the book.

I request the author to introduce the subject matter of the book.

Thereafter, I would request Swami Pamatmananda Ji and Dr Anirban Ganguly to make their remarks.