1

Vol.20 No. 8 August - 2019

bhavanblrhns50@gmail.com

LAUNCH OF DIGITIZED VERSION OFBHAVAN’S JOURNAL - ARCHIVES 1954 - 2016

Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India being felicitated byJustice Dr. M.N. Venkatachalaiah, former Chief Justice of India while others from left :

Shri. K.G. Raghavan, Vice Chairman, BVB, Shri H.N. Suresh, Director, BVB,Shri. N. Ramanuja, Chairman, BVB, Shri. A.V. Narasimhamurthy, Chairman, BVB,

Mysuru, Shri Manandi N. Suresh, Hon. Secretary, BVB join.

The much-respected and

popular Bhavan’s journal hasassumed a new avatar now, as ithas been digitized.

The digitized version waslaunched on July 4, 2019,

by none other than formerPresident of India, Dr.PranabMukherjee. The event alsohad the additional distinction ofthe presence of the legalluminary, Justice Shri.Dr. M. N. Venkatachalaiah,

2

former Chief Justice of India onthe dais as the Guest of Honour.

The event was held atBharatiyaVidya Bhavan,Bengaluru.

Speaking on the occasion,the former President praisedKulapathi Dr.K.M.Munshi, thefounder of Bharatiya VidyaBhavan saying, “Bharatiya VidyaBhavan was one of the pioneeringsteps in a series of selfless effortsput in by Dr. K.M. Munshi inemancipating the people of thisnation from lack of education.The founding of the Bhavanechoed his deeply entrenchedbelief in the instrument ofeducation, which he wasconvinced could offer wings forthe growth and development ofIndia.”

He also quoted Dr. Munshias saying, “India will once againbe acknowledged as the vishwaguru – a super power thatembodies the ideals of vasudhaivakutumbakam –the global family.”

The former Presidentmentioned that Dr. Munshilooked upon the Bhavan as an“Adventure in Faith,” a faith inIndia’s past, present and future,in India’s people who have a richand unbroken cultural heritage.He added, “I firmly believe thatrevitalizing ancient values andreintegrating them to suit thechanging needs of modern timesalone will give people the strengthto assimilate whatever is good inthe new, without being sweptaway from the traditionalmoorings.”

Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India (centre) and JusticeDr. M.N. Venkatachalaiah, former Chief Justice of India launching the

digitized version of Bhavan’s Journal while others join.

3

He said that he was notsurprised at Bhavan’s growth,blossoming into one of the largestNGOs in the country with morethan 126 Kendras including6 abroad, 395 institutions with astudent and staff strength ofmore than 2.30 lakh and 15,000respectively. Besides, itspublication division had so farpublished more than 2000 titleswith more than 32 million copiessold till date.

Shri Pranab Mukherjee saidthat the use of technology hadbrought many benefits but ruedthe fact that the habit of readinghad decreased. People spentmore time on social media

platforms, which resulted inpeople reading lessotherwise.

Guest of HonourFormer ChiefJustice of India, M.N.Venkatachalaiah said thatthe collected digitisedversion of the Journal wasa unique marvel madepossible “by a felicitousconfluence of two greatcivilisational streams – oneof culture and the other ofScience and Technology.”According to him,

Bhavan’s Journal was a treasure-house of culture and the digitisedpresentation was a virtualdictionary and compendium ofIndian culture.

The former CJI also quotedfrom the late jurist, diplomat andpolitical leader M.C. Chagla’sautobiography, where Chaglareferred to K.M. Munshi as beinga most versatile man, and that hewas one of the greatest literaryfigures India had produced.Further, he said Dr.Munshipioneered the publication of theprecious treasure-house, namely,‘The History and Culture of theIndian People,’ adding that wemust recall with reverence and

Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, former President of Indiaaddressing the gathering

4

gratitude Dr.Munshi’s servicesto the nation.

He also went back in timeto throw light on another facetof Dr. Munshi’s personality,speaking about the famousLakshmi Kanatam case andhow Dr.Munshi, exhibitingbrilliant cross-examinationskills as a barrister, extracteda crucial admission. Such washis genius.

The digitized version wasthe result of a labour of loveby Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,Mysuru Kendra, in associationwith M.P. Birla Institute ofManagement, Associate,

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,Bengaluru, as well as Bhavan’sPriyamvada Birla Institute ofManagement, Mysuru.

Established in 1954,Bhavan’s Journal, a fortnightly,has a reach of 7,25,000,focusing on life, literature andculture.

The digitized version ofBhavan’s Journal contains63 years of the journal’spublications (from 1954 to2017), 1551 issues, 32,293articles, 4,465 authors andincludes 1,68,217 pagestotally.

For copiesplease contact :

Bharatiya VidyaBhavan

Pustaka Bharati,Race Course

Road,Bengaluru - 1

Ph : 22267421 /22267303

5

Message of Mahabharata,

the seventh in the series of megaannual conference that BharatiyaVidya Bhavan held in associationwith ISKCON in Bengaluru fromJune 26 to June 30, promised tobe a five-day festival on the greatepic. But it truly transcended intoa unique event far beyond that,enthralling audiences from acrossIndia and the world, and whettingtheir appetite for more.

For not only was it acelebration of the epicwhich is so firmly embedded inthe psyche of India—but it also

offered a gamut of perspectivessuch as intellectual, spiritual,emotional, and moral; and at thesame time, offered much food forthought, reaching the expert andthe layman, the artistically inclinedand the aesthetically sensitivealike.

This it did with theextraordinary range of subjectsthat it spanned over five days:such as character development,slavery, Mahabharata and itsimpact on other literatures likeHindi, Kannada, Telugu,English and Malayalam, idioms

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ONMESSAGE OF MAHABHARATA - 2019

Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa,Padmashree and

SaraswathiSamman Awardeeand Dr. Madhu

Pandit Dasa,PadmashreeAwardee and

PresidentISKCON,Bengaluru

lighting the lampto inaugurate five

days NationalConference on

Message ofMahabharata.

Shri H.N. Suresh,Director, BVB isalso seen in the

picture

6

used in the epic as also crimeand punishment, ecology,eschatology, female characters,its oral versions, cow worship,its influence on the arts, films,Yakshagana, the aesthetics,sculpture and paintings,management and legal ethics,not to forget the pithy subhashitasit employs.The speakers alsochose to explore characters in theMahabharata such as Vidhura,Bhishma Deva’s uniquedevotional service, and thedevotion of Kunti, alongsidedelving deep into the epic’smultiple perspectives.

Over 40 scholars andexperts in the Mahabharatafrom across India – Jammu toKolkata, Pune to Chennai,Varanasi to Gokarna, Lucknowto Hubli, Bangalore to Hampi—expounded on the Mahabharata

and interpreted the epic ininteresting ways through theirsessions, even as they quotedSanskrit verses from theMahabharata effortlessly tosubstantiate their perspectives.The youngest among them mayhave been in their early thirties,while the senior-most werein their late 80s.

Shatavadhani Dr. R.Ganeshdelivered absorbing lectures eachday on different aspects of theMahabharata, and his intellectcombined with wit andremarkable communication skillswere much acclaimed by theaudience. The examples from theMahabharata which he elaboratedon were not only reflective ofthose ancient times but alsorelevant to our current times, thusconnecting the ancient with themodern and contemporary

Releasing of the book ‘Beliefs and Beyond’ : The book on the papers presented at lastyear’s two days International Conference organised by BVB on the 50th coronation

year of Shri Veerendra Heggade as Dharmadhikari of Srikshetra Dharmasthala

7

seamlessly through the timelessepic.

The first day saw 108children of Sandipani Gurukulachanting verses from “Values ofBhagavad Gita” under thedirection of Smt. RohiniChakravarty. They were 3-12years old.So also, on the last day,

the children did the honours againat the Valedictory Programme.

Each day of the festivalstarted befittingly with GamakaVachana from Rajasuya Yaga inSabha Parva by various gamakisfrom Karnataka Gamaka KalaParishad and set the tone for theday.

Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa after being felicitated pose with other dignitaries

Prof Prabhunath Dwivedi, from Varanasi being felicitated byDr. Madhu Pandit Dasa and Shri N. Ramanuja

8

Likewise, every eveningwas concluded with a culturalperformance in keeping withBhavan’s legacy of preservingand propagating Indian cultureand heritage. This year,it included a Yakshaganaperformance, a Bharathanatyam

recital on Droupadi, and aCarnatic classical vocal duet.

Dr. S. Ranganath, reputedSanskrit scholar, as master ofceremonies, introduced thespeakers and summed up theirsessions with his remarkable

Dr. Saroja Bhate, from Pune being felicitated by Dr. Madhu Pandit Dasa,President, ISKCON, Bengaluru, while others join

Dr. Veni Madhava Shastry, from Dharwad being felicitated byShri. Pathi Sridhara, Philanthropist while others join

9

depth of Sanskrit and knowledgeof the Mahabharata.

The venue chosen matchedthe theme of Message ofMahabharata, located as it was

at the Multi-vision theatre,ISKCON temple.

The event was free. However,the event was also webcast byshaale.com, besides the videos

Swami Japasiddhananda, from Kolkata being felicitated byShri. H.N. Suresh, Director, BVB while others join

Ms. N. Sridevi, Philatelist explaining the postal stamps on Mahabharata after it wasinaugurated by Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa. Also seen in the picture Dr. Madhu Pandit Dasa,

President, ISKCON, Bengaluru, Shri H.N. Suresh, Director, BVB.

10

being available onFacebook pages ofwww.bhavankarnataka.com

Thus, it was open to allviewers who watched it from theconvenience of their homes, fromanywhere in the world. On anaverage, an audience of about300 were present at all sessionson all days.

There were about 5000viewers of the webcast at theInaugural session and 3000 eachon the other four days.

On the sidelines of theconference, philatelistN. Sridevi exhibited severalitems of postal stamps based onthe theme of Mahabharata.

Inauguration onJune 26, 2019

Coming to the Inauguralevent on June 26, ShriN Ramanuja, Chairman,Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,Bengaluru, gave the welcomeaddress, while Dr.S. L. Bhyrappa,noted Kannada writer,Padmashree and SaraswathiSamman awardee, who hadtravelled to the sites of theMahabharata for researchpurposes while he wrote the novelParva, spoke on the Mahabharataand the role of myths in the epic.He believed that there was muchdepth of meaning in myths, andthat myths allowed us tounderstand reality.

Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Tamil Nadu and Vice President BVB,Worldwide being felicitated by Shri K.G. Raghavan, Vice Chairman, BVB and

Shri. N. Ramanuja, Chairman, BVB, Bengaluru while others join.

11

He said that the great epics,Ramayana and Mahabharatahave had a profound influenceon the moods and thinking ofIndians. As an example, hequoted how the eldest brotherin the family was even nowconsidered equal to the fatherin terms of respect and hadto be obeyed, drawing a parallelto Yudhishtira, the Pandavaprince in the epic. “This traditionwas concretised in theMahabharata,”saysDr. Bhyrappa.

The writer also released thebook on the papers presented atlast year’s two days InternationalConference on ‘Beliefs andBeyond’ organised by BVB onthe 50th coronation year ofShri Veerendra Heggade as

Dharmadhikari of SrikshetraDharmasthala.

Well known Sanskrit scholarslike Dr.Prabhunath Dwivedi fromVaranasi, Dr. Saroja Bhate fromPune, Dr. Veni Madhava Sastryfrom Dharwad, and SwamiJapasiddhananda from Kolkatawere felicitated on the occasion.

Shatavadhani Dr. R. Ganeshgave the keynote address on thisoccasion.

The Presidential address wasgiven by His Grace Sri. MadhuPandita Dasa, President ofISKCON, Bengaluru. He saidthat ISKCON Bangalore wasprivileged to be part of theconference. He also suggestedthat anecdotes from theMahabharata could be culled byscientists to generate hypothesesfor research.

‘Message of Ramayana’ book being launched by Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Hon’bleGovernor of Tamil Nadu (Centre) whle others joins.

12

The ValedictoryProgramme

The ValedictoryProgramme was held onJune 30 at ISKCON, whereHon’ble Shri Banwarilal Purohit,Governor of Tamil Nadu andVice President, Bharatiya VidyaBhavan, Worldwide, was theChief Guest.

Speaking on the occasion,Hon’ble Shri. Banwarilal Purohitobserved that Bharatiya VidyaBhavan, Bengaluru Kendra, hadbeen creating and craftinginnovative projects and

programmes: “Conferencessuch as these have a uniqueflavour. They attract the best ofminds from all over India underone roof to analyse research andpresent papers which are thenwell documented for the benefitof posterity,”he said,congratulating the Kendra.

The Presidential Addresswas given by Shri Stoka KrishnaMaharaj of ISKCON.

Sri H. N. Suresh, Director,Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,Bengaluru Kendra, proposedvote of thanks.

MESSAGE OF MAHABHARATA : 2019

Section of the audience during the Conference

13

MESSAGE OF MAHABHARATA : 2019 - SPEAKERS

GAMAKA VACHANA : RAJASUYA YAGA IN SABHAPARVA

Vachana : Smt. Gangamma KeshavamurthyVyakhyana : Smt. Sunanda Gururaj

Swami JapasiddhanandaKolkata

Dr. Saroja Bhate Pune

Dr. Veni MadhavaShastry, Dharwad

Dr. Prabhunatha DwivediVaranasi

Dr. S.L. Srinivasa MurthyBengaluru

Dr. C. NagannaMysuru

14

YAKSHAGANA : ‘VEERA VRUSHABHASENA’

MESSAGE OF MAHABHARATA : 2019 - SPEAKERS

Dr. Sesha ShastryBengaluru

Dr. Mohana KuntarHampi

Shatavadhani Dr. R GaneshBengaluru

Dr. M.K. SridharBengaluru

Prof. Hari Dasa BhatBengaluru

Artists ofYakshaKala

Academy,Bengaluruperformingunder the

Direction ofShri

K. KrishnaMurthyTunga

15

GAMAKA VACHANA : RAJASUYA YAGA IN SABHAPARVA

Vachana : Smt. Shobha ShashidharVyakhyana : Smt. Vijaya Ranganath

MESSAGE OF MAHABHARATA : 2019 - SPEAKERS

Dr. Shantha ShaivaliniBengaluru

Dr. A. Ramaswamy IyengarBengaluru

Dr. Krishna JoshiGokarna

Dr. C.N. RamachandranBengaluru

Dr. Ved Kumari GhaiJammu

Vid Madhusudan ShastriDharwad

16

MESSAGE OF MAHABHARATA : 2019 - SPEAKERS

BHARATANATYA RECITAL :

‘Droupadi’by

Dr. SoundaryaSrivatsa

Shri Stoka Krishna MaharajISKCON, Chennai

Prof. N.Manu ChakravarthyBengaluru

Shri Sukhadeva Dasa,ISKCON, Lucknow

Shri Samudrala VenkataRanga Ramanujacharya,

Hyderabad

Shri Rajiv LochanaISKCON, Hubli

Dr. Radhavallabh TripathiPune

17

MESSAGE OF MAHABHARATA : 2019 - SPEAKERS

GAMAKA VACHANA : RAJASUYA YAGA IN SABHAPARVA

Vachana : Smt. Gangamma KeshavamurthyVyakhyana : Smt. Geetha Prabhakar

Dr. ChoodamaniNandagopalBengaluru

Dr. Sandhya HegdeBengaluru

Shri L. RamaswamyVedanta Institute,

Kolkata

Shri N.S. SridharamurthyBengaluru

Dr.Vishwanath HampiHoli, Kumta,

Dr. G..N. BhatMangalore

18

MESSAGE OF MAHABHARATA : 2019 - SPEAKERS

Dr. M.G. SasibhooshanThiruvananthapuram

Dr. Raghavendra BhatBengaluru

Dr. T.V. RajuBengaluru

Shri K.G. RaghavanBengaluru

Dr. S. RanganathBengaluru

CHANTING OF VERSES FROM ‘VALUES OF BHAGAVAD GITA’

Chanting by students of Sandipani Gurukula.under the direction of Smt. Rohini Chakravarthy

19

MESSAGE OF MAHABHARATA : 2019GAMAKA VACHANA : RAJASUYA YAGA IN SABHAPARVA

Vachana : Smt. Vasuki SharmaVyakhyana : Smt. Shantha Gopal

A view of the book exhibition organisedduring the ‘Message of Mahabharata’ Conference

Carnatic Classical Vocal Duet by Vidwan M.B. Hariharan andVidwan. Ashok S. and Party

20

21

22

Fri 6.30 p.m. - KRG Hall2. Bharatanatya recital :Smt. Prakruthi Sreerangaraju

Sat 5.00 p.m. - KRG Hall03. Prof. M.S. Hanumantha RaoMemorial Endowment LectureTopic : SubhashithaSpeaker : Dr. Raghavendra Bhat

Chief Guest : Shri Pathi Sridhar

Fri 6.30 p.m. - KRG Hall09. Kathak recital :Ms. Pooja Nath

Sun 6.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall11. BVB-Maha Maya organisedProf U.S. Krishna Rao andSmt. Chandrabhagadevi EndowmentBharatanatya recital byGuru Pulakeshi Kasturi.Scholarship Awards toSharavan U.M.Disciple of GuruShri B.K. Shyamprakash

Thu 8.30 a.m. onwards15. Independence daycelebrations : Flag hoistig at BVBpremises, RC Road and9.00 a.m. : Flag hoistig and culturalprogramme at BVB-BBMP PublicSchool premises, Srirampuram.

Thu 10.00 a.m. - Khincha Hall22. Shri JayachamarajendraPolytechnic Sound andCinematography Fraternity (Now GFTI)

75th Platinum Jubilee Celebration

Chief Guest : H.H. Shri YaduveerKrishnadatta Chamaraja Wodeyar,Scion of Mysuru.

Fri 6.30 p.m. - KRG Hall23. Mohiniyattam recital :Ms. Moumita Sasmal

Sat 6.00 p.m. - KRG Hall24. Carnatic classical musicconcert :Vocal : Ms. B. GayathriViolin : Shri. Prithvi SankethMridanga : Shri N. Karthik PranavDisciple of Guru Vidushi BharathiVenugopal

Sat 6.00 p.m. -24. BVB -Infosys FoundationCultural Outreach Programme :Krishna Gana SudhaVocal : Ms. Aishvarya MaheshKeyboard : Shri DushyanthTabla : Shri Krishnananda PrabhuVenue : Vasantha Vallabha Kalyani,Konanakunte, Vasanthapura,Bengaluru.

Sun 6.00 p.m. - Khincha Hall25. Gouri Shankar GupthaEndowment :Kathak recital : Ms. Shruthi Guptha

Fri 6.30 p.m. - Khincha Hall30. Bharatanatya recital :Ms. Bhuvana G. Prasad

PROGRAMME :AUGUST - 2019

Fri 6.30 p.m. - KRG Hall16. Bharatanatya recital :Smt. Rajini Pramod.

24

August - 2019

BOOK POST

SMT. GEETHA RAO