Prayagraj: Under the discussion series organized by North Central Zone Cultural Centre (NCZCC), Ministry of Culture, Government of India, on Saturday in the multipurpose hall of the center, former Head of Sanskrit Department of Allahabad University, Prof. Haridutt Sharma expressed his views as the keynote speaker. In the program, he shared his experiences related to the research and publication of his famous book Kavyachandrika. The program was inaugurated by lighting the lamp along with the keynote speaker, Center Director Sudesh Sharma, Deputy Director Dr. Mukesh Upadhyay and Program Advisor Kalpana Sahay.
He explained that his connection with this rare manuscript began during a trip to France as part of the Indo-French Cultural Exchange Program in 1990. Renowned Sanskrit scholar Professor Pierre-Sylvain Fillioza played a key role in the discovery and research of this manuscript, now preserved in the French National Library.
In his lecture, Prof. Sharma also highlighted the global recognition of the Indian knowledge tradition. He said that his research journey began in Germany, where he witnessed a deep interest in Indian literature and Sanskrit texts abroad. During this, he mentioned the famous play Abhijnanashakuntalam written by the great poet Kalidasa and discussed its worldwide popularity. Also, remembering the contribution of the great German scholar Max Muller, he said that foreign scholars played an important role in giving a new recognition to Indian culture and the study of Vedas at the global level. Recalling his visit to Germany in 1987, he said that he met Kalidasa in Germany.
Professor Sharma explained that Kavyachandrika was originally written in Bengali script, and various incomplete versions were preserved in various countries. Preparing the final critical edition by studying manuscripts obtained from Paris, London, and Oxford proved quite challenging. With the assistance of Dr. Ram Kishore Jha, the Devanagari transliteration and editing of the text became possible. He presented his book, Kavyachandrika, to Centre Director Sudesh Sharma and uploaded it to the “Gyanbharatam” app. On this occasion, he urged young researchers to come forward to preserve and publish Indian intellectual heritage.
The program also highlighted Prof. Sharma’s achievements. He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award (2007) for the poem Lasalatika, the Delhi Sanskrit Academy Award (1998) for the play Aakrandanam, the President’s Certificate of Honor (2015), the Souharda Samman (2020), and the Sanskrit Pratishtha Samman (2022).
Professor Sharma has teaching experience in 18 countries, including Germany, France, the United States, Japan, Canada, and Mauritius. He taught for 44 years at Allahabad University and universities abroad, and under his guidance, 29 scholars received PhDs. He has published 17 books and over 85 research papers. Summer Workshop – Due to the intense heat and heatwave conditions, the North Central Zone Cultural Center has rescheduled the Summer Workshop. The workshop will now be held from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
