K. J. SOMAIYA BHARATIYA SANSKRITI PEETHAM
A Cultural and Research Institute
&
An Institution for training teachers in Value Education
Institute of Management Studies and Research,
Somaiya Vidyavihar Campus, Vidyavihar, Mumbai - 400 077. Maharashtra, India.
Tel : 91-22-514 72 65, Fax : 91-22-515 65 83
91-22-509 20 06
Sponsors
Vision
K. J. Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham is committed to the promotion and propagation of Indian Culture and Sanskrit and language. It also endeavors to cultivate the spirit of peace, harmony and universal brotherhood through spirituality.
Mission
· It provides opportunities for scholastic training and research in ancient Indian Culture , Philosophy and Sanskrit language.
· It trains teachers of schools and colleges in Value Education
· It organises workshops, seminars and conferences for inter-faith dialogue and understanding.
· It conducts graduate classes in Yoga
· It networks, collaborates with national and international institutions for promotion and propagation of Indian Culture and Values encompassing all religious beliefs.
'K. J. Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham' was established on 20th October 1989 by Padmabhushan Late K. J. Somaiya, a humanist and a philanthropist with great foresight and vision. Presently Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya is the Chairman of K. J. Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham. The institute is a part of Somaiya Vidyavihar, an educational society which has established institutions of higher learning.
Somaiya Vidyavihar campus is a vibrant educational centre dedicated to excellence with a sense of mission. It is situated on a campus of 60 acres of prime land in the heart of Mumbai. The emphasis on values cherished by the Indian Culture has been the hallmark of Somaiya institutions. The founders of Somaiya Vidyavihar were deeply disturbed by the lack of sense of commitment and the deterioration of morality and values in modern Indian Society. It was felt that to keep the future generation on the right path, the teachers have to be trained. K. J. Somaiya Trust has foreseen the need and had taken the first step in this direction by establishing K. J. Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham, an institute to train teachers. The institute hereafter mentioned as the Peetham believes in value based education and has accordingly devised a full time course in Indian Culture. A galaxy of eminent scholars- both traditional & modern - visits the Peetham regularly as resource persons and guest lecturers.
The Peetham imparts training to school teachers and a few others who are involved in social services. The institute does not merely impart information to teachers but also creates interest and involvement in value based education. In short, it gives the trainees some feel of culture and sense of belonging to the vast Indian heritage which deepens their insight. Since its inception, the Peetham has trained about 350 teachers from remote rural schools and metropolitan schools who can be rightly termed as cultural ambassadors of the Peetham.
The Peetham organizes special orientation programmes for teachers who cannot join the full time course. It has trained lecturers from the Teachers' Training Colleges. The faculty members of the Peetham always extend co-operation as resource persons to the Education Department, Government of Maharashtra whenever the Department arranges programmes in 'Value Education'.
Resources & Facilities
The Peetham has a well equipped library covering a vast range of subjects such as Indian Culture, Philosophy, Ancient Indian Scriptures, comparative Religion, Sanskrit Language and allied subjects. It has a good collection of reference books. It houses nearly 11000 books. It has a good number of audio cassettes of important speeches, in Sanskrit, English, Marathi and Hindi.
The courses in Indian Culture and values is free for the teachers who are deputed by their schools. The teachers who are not from the Mumbai are offered hostel facility. The research scholars from countries other than Indian also get accommodation in the Hostel. The library of Peetham charges no fees from the students and researchers.
The position regarding the Educational Status of the Peetham has been as under:
(i) The Government of Maharashtra by its Gr. No. P.T.C./1089/1090 (173/89) dated 10.8.1990, accorded its recognition to the course of the Peetham in 'Indian Culture and Values'.
(ii) The Government of Maharashtra has recognised the Peetham as a "Research and Cultural Centre" in 1995 and thus endorsed the research activities conducted by the Peetham. The research wing of the Peetham was inaugurated by Dr. Karan Singh, Former Indian Ambassador to USA, eminent Sanskrit Scholar and a renowned educationist.
(iii) Since 1999 the Peetham is recognized by "Kavi Kulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University" - a statutory University established by the Government of Maharashtra . Thus, the Peetham has emerged as a nucleus for all Sanskrit based cultural activities.
The K.J.Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham is a growing institute. It is recognised by Kavi Kulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University established by Govt. of Maharashtra. The Peetham conducts a number of courses under the aegis of the said University such as :
1. Diploma in Indian Culture and Moral Values (A full time course for the duration of 9 months),
2. Diploma in Sanskrit language,
3. Three years Degree course in Yoga. (in collaboration with K. J. Somaiya Yoga Academy),
4. Short-term courses in value-education,
5. M. A. Sanskrit,
6. Diploma Course in German Language,
7. Research leading to Ph. D. in Sanskrit,
In the past, the institute has conducted orientation courses in Sanskrit for IAS students, condensed courses for Lecturers in B. Ed. Colleges, Sanskrit Sambhashana classes for school children .
The Structure of the courses conducted by the Peetham is as follows
Diploma Courses
|
Sr. no |
Name of the course |
Duration |
Eligibility |
Subjects offered |
|
1 |
Indian Culture and Values |
One year |
School Teachers, H.S.C., D.Ed., for non-teachers, graduation. |
(1) Origin and Development of Vedic Culture. (2)Ancient Indian Political, Cultural and Philosophical thoughts. (3) Modern Indian Thought (4) Sanskrit Language and introduction to Sanskrit Literature. |
AN OUTLIINE OF THE CURRICULUM OF THE COURSE IN INDIAN CULTURE & VALUES
Unit I Outline of Sidhu Sarasvati Sanskriti, Vedic culture, Vedic Literature and Vedángas.
Detailed Study : Isha, Katha, Mundaka Upanishads and Bhagavadgeeta-text in the context of Jnana, Bhakti and Karma
Orthodox and Heterodox systems of Indian Philosophy
Unit III Dharmashastra, Rajadharma, Epics and Puranas.
Smruti literature - concept of scope, selected portions of
Manusmruti and Yajnavalkyasmruti
Feasts and Festivals of India : Samskaras emphasizing Upanayanam and Vivaha, Sacred places of India.
Rajadharma : with reference to Kautilya Arthashastra.
Epics : Outline of Epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Detailed Study : Sundarakandam, selected passages from the Mahabharata .
Ornate Epics : Outline of the contents and the style of the poets.
Outline of Puranas : Characteristics, Classifications and contents, Dharma depicted in the Puranas .
Detailed Study : Select portion from Bhagavata Purana .
Unit IV Great Modern thinkers and their views on Indian Culture.
Detailed Study : Tilak, Gandhiji, Tagore,
J. Krishnamurthy, Swami Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Dr. Radhakrishnan, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Sri Raman Maharshi, R.D.Ramade. Narayan Guru etc, Bhakti Cult, mysticism : Concept of Bhakti, Definitions of Bhakti, Narada-bhaktisutras, Gopigitam, Shakti cult and Tantra philosophy. General features of mysticism and characteristics, mysticism as a method of philosophy, Mysticism in the Vedas and Upanishad, Jnaneshvara, Ekanatha, Namadeva, Janabai, Meera, Alwars, Nayanmmars and Sri Tyagaraja Swami.
Unit V Comparative study of world religions Hinduism including Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Value Education in schools.
Detailed Study : Similarities in different religions.
Unit VI History of Sanskrit literature - crash course in spoken Sanskrit and selection of prose and poetry.
|
Sr. no |
Name of the course |
Duration |
Eligibility |
Subjects offered |
|
2 |
Sanskrit Parichaya |
One year |
H.S.C. |
(1) Text book prepared by the University. (2) Grammar and Introduction to Sanskrit Literature. (3)Unseen passages- Prose & Verse form. (4) Niti Literature
|
|
3 |
Diploma in German |
One year |
H.S.C |
(1) Grammar (2) Composition (3) Viva-voce (4) Project |
Degree Course
|
Sr.no |
Name of the course |
Duration |
Eligibility |
Subjects offered |
|
1 |
Degree in Yoga First year |
One year |
H.S.C. |
(1)Sanskrit (2)History, Philosophy and Principles of Yoga (3)Anatomy & Physiology (4)Education Principles and Practices. (5) Practical |
|
2 |
Degree in Yoga Second year |
One year |
|
(1)Philosophy and Principles of Yoga. (2)Anatomy & Physiology and Psychology. (3)Bhakti Yoga and Mysticism and Yoga (4)Applied Yoga (5) Practical (6) Project |
|
3 |
Degree in Yoga Third Year |
One year |
|
(1)Philosophy and Principles of Yoga (2) Yoga Therapy (3)Yoga and Cultural Synthesis (4) Applied Yoga (5) Practical (6) Project |
Post Graduate Course
|
Sr. no |
Name of the course |
Duration of the course |
Eligibility |
Subjects offered |
|
1 |
M.A.in Sanskrit |
2 years consisting of part-I & part-II |
Graduate from any faculty.+ Basic knowledge of Sanskrit. |
Part-I Paper I – Vedic Literature Paper II - Classical Sanskrit Literature Paper III - Ancient Indian Philosophical texts Paper IV - Grammar, Poetics
Part-II Paper V- Modern Sanskrit Literature Paper VI- Composition in Sanskrit. Paper VII&VIII - Specialisation papers in areas prescribed by the University such as Grammar, Vedanta, Ramayana – Mahabharata and Epics etc. |
Research leading to Ph.D. in Sanskrit
The students can enroll as research students for Ph.D. The subject for the research may be related to the topics based on Ancient Indian Culture, philosophy, religion and the research should be based on the study of original texts in Sanskrit. The institute has a resourceful library that can cater the needs of research student. The Director of the institute Dr. Kala Acharya and the Co-ordinator Dr. Lalita Namjoshi are recognized by the Kavi Kulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University as Ph.D. guides.
K. J. Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham and Hindu Christian Inter-religious Dialogue.
The Peetham has many activities; the prominent among them is organizing seminars at National and Inter-national level. The Hindu-Christian Inter-religious Dialogue is a salient feature of the Peetham. The Peetham believes in the true spirit of tolerance & reverence for all faiths. The scholars from the Church regularly deliver lectures on Christianity as a part of the course in Comparative Religion and the faculty members of the Peetham participate in Seminars and inculturation programmes arranged by the Church. The Peetham has been working as a nerve centre of the Hindu-Christian Dialogue in India. The honest and earnest attempts of the Peetham to establish an open platform for Hindu-Christian Interfaith Dialogue have been appreciated by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Vatican. The institute has organized four seminars ; the first one in Mumbai (India), the second at Parma & Rome (Italy) and the third & fourth again in Mumbai. The second meeting which was held in October 98 at Parma-Rome, Italy was a resounding success. With utmost humility and sincerity the participants viz. K. J. Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham, DIM , St. Giovannis Benedictine Monastic sought inspiration from 'Persons of Peace in a troubled World'. The efforts were blessed by H. H. Pope John Paul II when the participants had the golden moment of having audience with the Holy Father.
The response to the Inter religious meetings has reawakened the hope in search of concord. The differences no more threaten. A bridge of understanding is built from a mere academic deliberation, the meetings are elevated to the status of a noble cause and the participants and the institutes represented by them commit themselves to the said cause.
The Peetham has successfully conducted the following National and International Seminars.
1 ) March 1993 :National Seminar on Purushartha.
2 ) December 1994 :Yoga, Workshop and Seminar
3 ) March 1995 :National Seminar on Veda, Tantra
and Sri Aurobindo
4 ) February 1996 :National Seminar on J.
Krishnamurthi andEarly Buddhism
5 ) September 1996 :National Seminar on Sri Vinoba
Bhave
6 ) January 1997 :International Seminar on Puranas-
Philosophical and Cultural Perspective.
7 ) October 1997 :International Seminar on Hindu-
Christian Cosmology and Anthropology in collaboration with the Institute for Asian Studies, Sassari, Italy, University of Turin, Italy and the Inter-religious Monastic Dialogue.
8 ) February 1998 :Seminar on Knowledge, Values and
Experts.
9 ) October 1998 :International seminar on Persons of
Peace in a Troubled World in collaboration with the Institute for Asian Studies. University of Turin, and DIM, Italy, at Parma-Rome (Italy).
10 ) December 1998 :National Seminar on Secular Concepts in the World Religions
(Sponsored by the Dept. of Culture,
Ministry of Human Resource
Development Govt. of India.)
11 ) January 1999 :Seminar on India's Vision for the
Third Millennium.
12 ) February 1999 :Seminar on Hinduism and Ecology.
13 ) February-March2000 :International Seminar on Religious
and Ethical Foundations of Family
and Social Life in Hinduism and
Christianity.
14) February 2001 :International Seminar on Mahavakyas in Hinduism and Christianity .
15) March 2002 International conference on Tolerance in collaboration with the Dept. of German and Russian Mumbai University at Mumbai
16) June 2002 Interfaith Dialogue Symposium on 'Bhakti in Hinduism & Christianity in Collaboration with Focolare Movement at Castel Gandolfo, Rome.
17) November 2002 The 19th Session convention of the Maharashtra Tattvajnana Parishad Jointly with Dept. of Philosophy Mumbai University, at Mumbai.
Publications
1) Buddhanusmrti A Glossary of Buddhist Terms - Dr. KalaAcharya
2)Sri Aurobindo and Vedic Interpretations. edited – Dr. Kala Acharya, Dr. Shubhada Joshi.
3) 'Hindu Christian Cosmology & Anthropology', edited – Dr. Kala Acharya, Fr. Nicolas Manca, Dr. Lalita Namjoshi.
4) Bharatiya Sanskriti (in Marathi) edited Dr. Kala Acharya and Dr. S. M. Bhatkhande
3) Siddhartha Sanskrit Pustakam (in Sanskrit for children) - Dr. Kala Acharya
The proceedings of the seminars on
1) 'Purushartha',
2) 'Yoga',
3) J. Krishnmurthi and Early Buddhism',
have been published by the Dattalaksmi Trust, Pune.
Soon to be published
1) Samir Sanskrit Adhyayanam - A companion to Sanskrit Grammar
2) Bhakti – Path way to God. (Proceedings of the Interfaith Dialogue Symposium )
Faculty :
Dr.(Smt.) Kala Acharya Dr.(Smt.) Lalita Namjoshi (Director) (Co-ordinator & Lecturer)
Smt. Supriya Deshmukh Dr. R. S. Pandey
(Lecturer) (Lecturer)
Honorary Faculty :
Dr. Geeta Mehta Dr.S.G.Nigal
Dr. D. K. Kharwandikar Dr. Ramesh Dave
Resource Persons :
Dr.(Smt.) Kamal Abhyankar Shri. Shriram Agashe
Prof. Mohan Apte Mrs. Vidya Mahajan
Dr. S. S. Antarkar Mrs. Rashmi Badve
Dr. S. K. Bhavani Dr. S. M. Bhatkhande
Dr.(Smt.) S. L. Bhatt Mrs. Meera Bhattacharya
Dr. Nalinee Chapekar Dr. N. N. Dalal
Dr. Nizamuddin S. Gorekar Pt. Gourishankar
Dr. Prof. Shubhada Joshi Dr. N. N. Joshi Dr.(Smt) Meenal Katarnikar Shri.G.V.Karandikar Miss Devyani Lapalikar Prof. B. A. Naik
Smt. Rajul Kavadia Dr. M. D. Paradkar
Shri M. D. Pandey Dr. S. G. Pandit
Dr.(Smt.)K. Sankaranarayan Dr. M. S. Thakar
Dr.G.U.Thite Dr. P. M. Upadhye
Guest Professor
Dr. A. P. Jamkhedkar Prof. N. G. Kulkarni
Dr. P. G. Lalye Dr. Fr. Felix Machado
Fr. Michael Rosario
The Director
Dr Kala Acharya has been the Director of the Peetham since its inception in 1989. She is a scholar of international repute and has contributed papers in National & International Seminars. Some of these papers are published in journals and seminar volumes. For her contribution to the activities related to Sanskrit she has been felicitated by Govt. of Maharashtra as Sanskrit Pandita in 1974. 'Himotkarsha' a cultural organization in Una, Himachal Pradesh felicitated her in 1998. She is recognised as Ph.D. guide by Kavi Kulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University. She has been an external examiner for Ph.D. theses for many Universities such as Delhi University, Punjab University, Nagpur University and Pune University.
Dr. Kala Acharya has worked a lot for the cause of Inter-religious Dialogue. She has contributed a scholarly chapter to the book 'Jnaneshavri- Path to Liberation' by Msgr. Felix Machado. She is specially invited to participate the Inter religious meetings organised by Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue at Vatican.
Faculty Members
The other faculty members of the Peetham also have a good academic record. They are involved in all activities of the Peetham. Dr. Lalita Namjoshi, co-ordinator and Lecturer has presented papers in national and international seminars. She has participated in many Inter-religious Dialogue activities. She is recognised as Ph.D. guide by Kavi Kulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek Nagpur.
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