06-15-2006, 10:02 PM
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Center for Indic Studies
June 14, 2006
Conference to Resolve Aryan/Non-Aryan Origin of Indian Civilization
Recently, a controversy arose in California which has serious
implications in America and elsewhere. Today's multicultural world
requires new noncombative ways of preventing and resolving cultural
misunderstandings. The California controversy involves the portrayal
of India and Indian origins in the California education system as well
as in various textbooks. In response to this, the Center for Indic
Studies at UMass Dartmouth has organized a symposium to discuss and
debate the essence of the issue: whether Hindus of today are the
products of Aryan invasion or survival of indigenous peoples.
This will be the first time in a conference on this topic that
population geneticists such as Dr. Peter Underhill of Stanford
University and Dr. V. K. Kashyap of National Institute of Biologicals,
India, will share the stage with prominent international scholars on
archeology, history, linguistics, and anthropology to try to resolve
the vexed issue of Aryan vs. Indigenous origin of the oldest surviving
civilization on earth.
"Given the list of speakers and topics being covered, the discussions
are going to be hard. I hope we can keep it civil", commented Dr. Petr
Eltsov, of Deutches Archaeologisches Institut, Berlin, Germany. The
symposium speakers include Dr. B. B. Lal, former director of
Archeological Survey of India, and Dr. N. S. Rajaram, author of a
recently published book, SARASVATI RIVER AND THE VEDIC CIVILIZATION
(Aditya Prakashan, 2006).
The symposium is part of the Fourth Annual Indic Conference organized
by the Center for Indic Studies at University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth, June 23-25, 2006. The conference will be held at UMass
Dartmouth campus, Board of Trustees Room.
The conference also includes a symposium on the Indian Family System
that will debate issues of philosophy, traditions, and practicality of
Indian family culture in modern times.
The family symposium will include a presentation by Honorable C. M.
Bhandari, Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, on the ways
to practice the joint family system in modern times using his own
example as a case study. Other topics to be discussed include
economics of the Indian family system by Dr. Mona Khaitan of MassBay
Community college, and the role of women in Indian family by Dr. Divya
Tripathi, DAV College of Girls in India.
A workshop on Indian Civilization is also being offered at the
conference in an effort to develop a textbook on Indian Civilization
for American college students. The workshop will discuss developing
introductory course content by experts in Indian science, archeology,
astronomy, history, philosophy, dance, music, social structure,
politics, culture, and geography, among about two dozen topics of the
proposed book.
Workshop participants include Drs. Shiva Bajpai of California State
University at Northridge , Subhash Kak of Louiana State University,
Vanita Shastri of Meru Education Foundation, V. T. Patil, former Vice
Chancellor of Pondicherry University, Yvette Rosser of UMass
Dartmouth, and R. P. Singh from Jawaharlal Nehru University, among
others.
Bal Ram Singh, Director of the Center for Indic Studies commented,
"I'm very excited about the topic and timing of the conference. It so
happened that the focus of this year's conference was Indian
Civilization. The controversy on California textbooks just provided us
an extra impetus to contact scholars in the field to put together a
symposium on the topic. I am very grateful for the response of
scholars to the symposium."
During the conference weekend, a special concert by vocalist par
excellence Vidushi Sumitra Guha (www.sumitraguha.com) has been
arranged. The concert will be held on the UMass Dartmouth campus
Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 PM. The public is welcome.
For more information on the conference or about tickets for the
concert please contact Dr. Jerry Solfvin via email
(jsolfvin@umassd.com), or phone (508-910-6630). And visit the Center
for Indic Studies website: http://www.umassd.edu/indic/c2.htm.
Internet address: http://www.umassd.edu/indic
June 14, 2006
Conference to Resolve Aryan/Non-Aryan Origin of Indian Civilization
Recently, a controversy arose in California which has serious
implications in America and elsewhere. Today's multicultural world
requires new noncombative ways of preventing and resolving cultural
misunderstandings. The California controversy involves the portrayal
of India and Indian origins in the California education system as well
as in various textbooks. In response to this, the Center for Indic
Studies at UMass Dartmouth has organized a symposium to discuss and
debate the essence of the issue: whether Hindus of today are the
products of Aryan invasion or survival of indigenous peoples.
This will be the first time in a conference on this topic that
population geneticists such as Dr. Peter Underhill of Stanford
University and Dr. V. K. Kashyap of National Institute of Biologicals,
India, will share the stage with prominent international scholars on
archeology, history, linguistics, and anthropology to try to resolve
the vexed issue of Aryan vs. Indigenous origin of the oldest surviving
civilization on earth.
"Given the list of speakers and topics being covered, the discussions
are going to be hard. I hope we can keep it civil", commented Dr. Petr
Eltsov, of Deutches Archaeologisches Institut, Berlin, Germany. The
symposium speakers include Dr. B. B. Lal, former director of
Archeological Survey of India, and Dr. N. S. Rajaram, author of a
recently published book, SARASVATI RIVER AND THE VEDIC CIVILIZATION
(Aditya Prakashan, 2006).
The symposium is part of the Fourth Annual Indic Conference organized
by the Center for Indic Studies at University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth, June 23-25, 2006. The conference will be held at UMass
Dartmouth campus, Board of Trustees Room.
The conference also includes a symposium on the Indian Family System
that will debate issues of philosophy, traditions, and practicality of
Indian family culture in modern times.
The family symposium will include a presentation by Honorable C. M.
Bhandari, Indian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, on the ways
to practice the joint family system in modern times using his own
example as a case study. Other topics to be discussed include
economics of the Indian family system by Dr. Mona Khaitan of MassBay
Community college, and the role of women in Indian family by Dr. Divya
Tripathi, DAV College of Girls in India.
A workshop on Indian Civilization is also being offered at the
conference in an effort to develop a textbook on Indian Civilization
for American college students. The workshop will discuss developing
introductory course content by experts in Indian science, archeology,
astronomy, history, philosophy, dance, music, social structure,
politics, culture, and geography, among about two dozen topics of the
proposed book.
Workshop participants include Drs. Shiva Bajpai of California State
University at Northridge , Subhash Kak of Louiana State University,
Vanita Shastri of Meru Education Foundation, V. T. Patil, former Vice
Chancellor of Pondicherry University, Yvette Rosser of UMass
Dartmouth, and R. P. Singh from Jawaharlal Nehru University, among
others.
Bal Ram Singh, Director of the Center for Indic Studies commented,
"I'm very excited about the topic and timing of the conference. It so
happened that the focus of this year's conference was Indian
Civilization. The controversy on California textbooks just provided us
an extra impetus to contact scholars in the field to put together a
symposium on the topic. I am very grateful for the response of
scholars to the symposium."
During the conference weekend, a special concert by vocalist par
excellence Vidushi Sumitra Guha (www.sumitraguha.com) has been
arranged. The concert will be held on the UMass Dartmouth campus
Saturday, June 24 at 7:30 PM. The public is welcome.
For more information on the conference or about tickets for the
concert please contact Dr. Jerry Solfvin via email
(jsolfvin@umassd.com), or phone (508-910-6630). And visit the Center
for Indic Studies website: http://www.umassd.edu/indic/c2.htm.
Internet address: http://www.umassd.edu/indic