The Indian tradition holds the Guru in high esteem as enlightened masters who impart knowledge and wisdom in a specific domain to their students, without any expectation of material or other gains. Throughout history, the Guru has been the primary conduit for transmitting knowledge and tradition, and has received abundant praise in Dharmic literature. The Upanishads refer to the Guru as the “dispeller of darkness” and assert that their grace is necessary for students to achieve success or spiritual realization.
Many notable Gurus have played significant roles in preserving and advancing Dharma during times of crisis. Adi Shankaracharya, for instance, almost singlehandedly revived the Upanishadic tradition as a living philosophy when India was overwhelmed by Buddhism and Karmamarga. Later, Ramanujacharya and Madhvacharya developed their own paths from the Upanishads, and also popularized Bhakti. During the invasions, Gurus nurtured the empires that led the resistance against the Sultanates. Swami Vidyaranya of Sringeri inspired the founding of the Vijayanagara kingdom by Hakka and Bukka to protect Dharma, which went on to become a prosperous empire. Chattrapathi Shivaji sought the counsel of Swami Ramdas, who influenced his thinking on various statecraft matters.
Amidst the din of modernity, there are several people who perform the task of preserving Dharma, often hidden from the plain eye and without the slightest expectations of name and recognition. It is due to these unsung heroes throughout the ages that so many of our traditions have survived intact until the present times.
INDICA introduced the concept of Grateful2Gurus a few years ago, an initiative to honour the Gurus living amongst us today. Previous recipients of this felicitation include luminaries such as Dr. David Frawley (Pt. Vamadeva Shastri),Shrikant Talageri, Prof. Kapil Kapoor, Dr S.Kalyanaraman, Prof. B. B. Lal, Dr. R. Nagaswamy, Shatavadhani Dr. R. Ganesh, Dr. Sonal Mansingh, Dr. Kanagasabapathi, Dr. R. Vasudevan, Prof. Umadevi Ganesan, Dr. Sadhana Rao, R. Saraswathi Jois, Rajiv Malhotra, Mohan Hemmadi, Dr Ramaa Kausalya, Raghu Ananthanarayan and many more.
After a gap of two years, we are pleased to announce the program for the year 2023 with two components.
Felicitation at the residence of the Guru:
INDICA is providing an opportunity to nominate and honor exceptional Gurus from all over India. If you know someone near you who has devoted themselves to serving Dharma, is above 60 years old, and has consistently worked for at least a decade to preserve and propagate Dharma, you can nominate them for this recognition. To nominate, please provide us with information about the person. Our selection committee will review the nominations and select the Gurus to be felicitated this year. If your nomination is selected, you will have the chance to visit the Guru’s home on Guru Purnima, July 3rd, 2023, and present them with a shawl and a token cheque of ₹ 11,000, which will be sponsored by INDICA.
Last date for nominations is 31st May 2023
Felicitation in Chennai:
INDICA will also organise a felicitation ceremony on Gurupurnima in Chennai where 9 selected Gurus will be felicitated in a traditional ceremony. We invite nominees for this ceremony too.
We urge our readers to help us identify and honour such Gurus who have contributed to preserving and propagating Dharma. Please share this message with your friends, family and acquaintances and help us identify the deserving Gurus.
Let us all be #Grateful2Gurus.
