Centre for Bhasha Studies (CBS) is a center for advancing the beauty of Bharatiya literature and the wisdom of our classical texts. At CBS, we commission and publish translations by engaging with scholars rooted in our heritage. We organise talks, symposiums, conferences, workshops, and festivals.
INDICA launched the Indica Classical Library (ICL) [now part of Center for Bhasha Studies] in June 2021 and it aspires to be a trusted platform for faithful, decolonized translations of classical texts indigenous to Bhārata. The center has engaged with bi-lingual scholars who are indisputably rooted in our heritage to publish new as well as revising existing translations of Indic textual masterpieces across time. The Center is spearheaded by Megh Kalyanasundaram who joined Indic Academy as Director Special Projects to lead ICL.
In FY 2024, over 4,000 pages of facing-page translations were typeset across 5 INDICA Classical Library volumes: 3 volumes of the Nāṭyaśāstra (translation and commentary by Dr Pappu Venugopala Rao t.ly/CyPYO) and 2 volumes of Śrīkaṇṭhacaritam (translation and commentary by Dr Shankar Rajaraman t.ly/oCwOi). These five volumes are expected to be in-print in FY 2025.
INDICA Bhasha organised 6 online symposiums in FY 2024:
- Yāskācārya’s Nirukta (Concept note, Speakers: t.ly/UA5wP Videos: https://shorturl.at/aABH3)
- The Art & Science Of Sutra-s (Concept note and Speakers: t.ly/jYiIU Videos: https://shorturl.at/dfGPW)
- Vedāṅga-s (Concept note and Speakers: t.ly/v6RzY Videos: https://shorturl.at/ltNVZ)
- Bharatiya Bhasha Family (Concept note and Speakers: t.ly/a1Oih Videos: https://shorturl.at/flowI),
- Saṃskṛtam and Tamiḻ (Concept note and Speakers: t.ly/yx5Dc Videos: To be uploaded soon)
- Contribution of Indian Knowledge Traditions to the World (Concept note, Speakers: https://shorter.me/kB4ej Videos: https://shorter.me/vzhHX)
Featuring close to 40 talks by invited subject-matter-experts, these symposiums, amongst other things, provided a platform for scholars and experts to present their research and exchange ideas on various topics related to language studies, literature, culture (and more).
Megh Kalyanasundaram recorded 34 individual sessions with well-known scholars including but not limited to Mahamahopadhyaya Dr Korada Subrahmanyam, Professor [and retired Vice Chancellor of Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (now Central Sanskrit University)] Dr Radha Vallabh Tripathi, Professor (and Director at Chinmaya International Foundation) Dr Gauri Mahulikar, President-award recipient (and retired Professor) Dr Vasant Kumar Bhatt, Professor (at Jawaharlal Nehru University) Dr Rajnish Mishra (amongst others). The Center of Bhasha Studies participated in INDICA’s festival Rama Raama Raamaa (Jan 10 – Jan 21, 2024 https://shorturl.at/ejALS) with two sessions on the theme Rāmāyaṇa across Bhāṣā-s (Videos: https://shorturl.at/apDO1 and https://shorturl.at/cotRV).
In 2023 April, Megh Kalyanasundaram was invited to deliver a two-part lecture On Sanskrit’s Vitality and Role: Some Reflections as part of IIT Gandhinagar’s course Introduction to Indian Knowledge Traditions. The Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems at IIT Madras invited him to speak on the same topic on Feb 29 2024, as did the Commission for Scientific and Technical Terminology (CSTT), on March 07 2024. He was consulted by the Bharatiya Bhasha Samiti for inputs pertaining to some aspects of an upcoming Museum related to Indian languages. Based on his Sanskrit music album Bhārata and her Kāśmīra [recognised and listed by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, featured in the Ministry of Culture organised Vitasta festival (2023, Chennai & Pune)] and associated research presented at INDICA’s conference on Kashmir, his contributions were featured in Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh Through the Ages, an exhibition organised by the Indian Council of Historical Research at the New Delhi World Book Fair (2024).
(This report has been compiled by Director Center for Bhasha Studies Shri Megh Kalayanasundaram)
