Resurgence of Sanskrit is a prerequisite for the state's academic growth.
This was the underlying message at the three-day Sanskrit national meet hosted by Jamshedpur Workers' College, which started on Thursday.
The topic of the seminar is "Diversity and relevance of Kalidasa's literature in modern times".
Inaugurated at Madan Mohan Malaviya auditorium of Motilal Nehru Public School in Sakchi, Ark Nath Chaudhary, vice-chancellor (VC) of Somnath Sanskrit University, Veraval, Gujarat, was the chief guest and Abhiraj Rajendra Mishra, former VC of Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Varanasi, the keynote speaker.
Other notables like Pankaj Kumar, a faculty member of the Sanskrit department of Delhi University; D.P. Shukla, principal of Jamshedpur Workers' College; and Prasoon Dakshin, head of the Sanskrit department of Jamshedpur Workers' College, were also present on the occasion.
"Sanskrit is considered the mother of all Indian languages. Promotion of Sanskrit language is essential for academic growth of Jharkhand. Kalidasa was a master poet and dramatist. He demonstrated the depth of the language and took Sanskrit to greater heights by revealing the essence of the language to an entire civilisation," Mishra told the audience, comprising Sanskrit scholars, faculty members of colleges and Jamshedpur Workers' College students.
The organising committee of the college expects 150 research papers. The plenary sessions will take place on the college premises in Mango.
Around 70 delegates from across India will take part in the seminar in the coming days. Research scholars from Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Jharkhand will share their thoughts and present their papers at the seminar. The papers will in turn be published as research books in separate volumes.
"We wanted to find out if Kalidasa's works are still relevant. The forum will also enlighten students about his various works," said professor Dakshin of the host college.
The seminar will also throw light on Kalidasa's two epics Raghuvamsa and Kumarasambhava and plays Abhijnanasakuntalam, Malavikagnimitram and Vikramorvasiyam.
The college held a similar meet on Sanskrit in 2014.
