A two-day international seminar on “Darśana of Radhakrishnan: Eternal and Temporal” was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Rashtrapati Nivas Shimla, bringing together scholars and researchers from India and abroad to deliberate on the philosophy and intellectual legacy of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.
The inaugural programme began with Vedic chanting and the ceremonial lighting of the lamp. In his welcome address, IIAS Director Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi highlighted the global relevance of Dr. Radhakrishnan’s thought, noting that he successfully brought Indian spiritual traditions into dialogue with modern intellectual discourse and promoted the idea of the spiritual unity of humankind.
Seminar convener S. Ranganath outlined the objectives of the event and said that Radhakrishnan’s philosophy acts as a bridge between Indian intellectual traditions and global philosophical thought, offering deep insights into ethics, human life and the future of civilisation.
Delivering the keynote address, Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Vice-Chancellor of Central Sanskrit University, said that Radhakrishnan played a vital role in presenting India’s knowledge traditions to the world by interpreting Indian philosophy, particularly Vedanta, in a modern context and encouraging dialogue between Eastern and Western thought.
In her presidential address, IIAS Chairperson ShashiPrabha Kumar emphasised that Radhakrishnan’s philosophical vision promotes spiritual unity, ethical values and intercultural dialogue. She added that such academic seminars help pass on the rich heritage of Indian philosophical traditions to younger scholars while strengthening global academic exchange.
During the programme, several publications of the institute were also released, including Garland of Tribute compiled by Dr. S. Ranganath, and Ayurveda: Holistic Science of Wellbeing for the World and Dayananda Saraswati and His Legacy, both edited by Prof. ShashiPrabha Kumar. The vote of thanks was delivered by institute librarian Rajeev Mishra, while the session was moderated by Public Relations Officer Akhilesh Pathak.
The seminar features multiple academic sessions where scholars are presenting research papers on themes such as Radhakrishnan’s humanism, his interpretation of Vedanta, his engagement with the Bhagavad Gita, his views on education and his reflections on the future of civilisation.
On the occasion, a state-of-the-art conference hall at the Siddharth Vihar Guest House of IIAS was also inaugurated. Equipped with advanced audio-visual systems, digital presentation facilities and modern conferencing technology, the hall is expected to strengthen the institute’s academic programmes and support national and international scholarly interactions.
Scholars from across India and abroad will continue their deliberations during the remaining sessions of the seminar, exploring various dimensions of Dr. Radhakrishnan’s philosophical thought and the relevance of India’s knowledge traditions in contemporary global discourse.
Nurturing Creativity – Keekli Charitable Trust, Shimla
