New Delhi, November 27 (IANS). A two-day international conference has been started at Jamia Millia Islamia. The special thing is that this conference focuses on Dara Shikoh. It was also mentioned how Dara Shikoh contributed in translating the Upanishads into Persian, which helped in better understanding of Sanatan Dharma.
The title of the conference is ‘Dara Shikoh: Cultural Pluralism and Religious Syncretism’. Along with many international personalities, the ambassadors of Iran and Uzbekistan to India were also present here.
The conference is being organized by the Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution of Jamia under the joint aegis of the Center for Persian and Central Asian Studies, SLL&CS, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Dara Shikoh Research Foundation.
Along with faculty members of Jamia and JNU, students from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Iran etc. also participated in this program. Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia Prof. Mazhar Asif threw light on the character of Dara Shikoh. Explained in detail about the contribution of Dara Shikoh.
The Vice Chancellor said, “No country can match India. This is a land that has given birth to people like Kabir, Rahim and Raskhan. Ganga-Jamuni culture and inclusive mentality has flourished here. The unique outlook of this country has led to the emergence of personalities like Dara Shikoh, who have been loved by the people.
He discussed the rich fabric of India’s inclusive culture and emphasized that the country has not only accepted different religions and their followers but also allowed them to flourish. The way the Persian language was adopted and propagated in India, people from those regions came here to learn and understand it. India is known for its respect for languages and cultures around the world.
JNU Prof. Akhlaq Ahmed elaborated on the contribution of Dara Shikoh in translating the Upanishads into Persian. This step of Dara Shikoh helped in better understanding of religions, especially Sanatan Dharma.
Dr. Mohammad Shams Iqbal, Director, NCPUL, during his speech highlighted the specialties of Dara Shikoh. Researchers and speakers from India and abroad will also address on Thursday in this international program sponsored by Dara Shikoh.
More than 120 research papers will be presented in this program in twelve academic sessions. In the program, Vice Chancellor of Jamia and convener of the conference, Prof. Mazhar Asif, Registrar of Jamia, Prof. Many professors and educationists including Mohammad Mahtab Alam Rizvi were present. Apart from these, Iran’s Ambassador to India Iraj Elahi and Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to India Sardar Mirzayusupovich Rustembayev were present.
–IANS
GCB/ABM
