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Hindu encyclopaedia to be unveiled on Monday
PTI
In a milestone for Indian studies, the English edition of Encyclopaedia of Hinduism, a product of 25 years of relentless academic efforts by nearly 1000 scholars, will be unveiled on Monday.
The 11-volume encyclopaedia which covers Hindu spiritual beliefs, practices and philosophy, encompasses more than 7,000 articles that span Indian history, civilisation, language and philosophy; architecture, art, music and dance; medicine, sciences and social institutions; and religion, spirituality and the role of Hindu women.
More than 1,000 colour illustrations and photographs bring the Hindu traditions and culture alive for readers.
Conceived, compiled and produced by the India Heritage Research Foundation and published by Mandala Publishing, the voluminous product is scheduled to be unveiled at the University of South Carolina (USC) during a day-long conference.
The conference will be attended by Rajendra K. Pachauri, the chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007; Anna Hazare, an anti-corruption activist, besides Swami Chidanand Saraswati, president of Parmarth Niketan Ashram and founder of India Heritage Research Foundation.
"The encyclopaedia, a comprehensive compilation of the spiritual and cultural heritage of India, provides a rich tapestry of Hinduism in the global context, a great gift to mankind," said Meera Narasimhan, a professor and chairman of neuropsychiatry and vice-dean at the USC School of Medicine.
"It has been an ambitious undertaking," said Hal French, a USC distinguished professor emeritus of religious studies, who has served as associate editor of the encyclopedia.
"The Encyclopaedia of Hinduism is a milestone in research for this culture and religion, reflecting the very best in India and Western scholarship," said Hal French, a USC distinguished professor emeritus of religious studies, who has served as associate editor of the encyclopaedia.
The encyclopaedia's volumes run from 600 to more than 700 pages. Some 3,000 copies are being issued in the first printing, French said. Hinduism is the world's third largest religion, with one billion followers, according to a Pew Research Center study published this year. Christians number 2.2 billion and Muslims 1.6 billion.
"Encyclopedia of Hinduism is a historic milestone in Indian studies. It will facilitate the understanding of the culture and civilisation of India and its Diaspora scattered all over the world," said Subhash Kak, a computer science professor.
"Indic Civilisation is among the brightly shining stars in the firmament of humanity's heritage. Volumes have been written on it. There are copious commentaries on the abundant treasures of Indic culture," said V.V. Raman, emeritus professor of physics and humanities.
"But one thing it has not had until now: a multi-volume encyclopaedia dedicated to it, in which the primary authors are scholars and thinkers from the Hindu tradition. That serious lacuna has disappeared as a result of this major publication."
Now, a Hindu encyclopaedia with all you need to know about its practices and beliefs
Sunday, Aug 25, 2013, 14:29 IST | Place: Washington, DC | Agency: PTI
The 11-volume encyclopaedia has more than 1,000 colour illustrations and photographs that bring Hindu traditions alive.
In a milestone in Indian studies, the English edition of Encyclopaedia of Hinduism, a product of 25 years of relentless academic efforts by nearly 1000 scholars, will be unveiled tomorrow.
The 11-volume encyclopaedia which covers Hindu spiritual beliefs, practices and philosophy, encompasses more than 7,000 articles that span Indian history, civilisation, language and philosophy; architecture, art, music and dance; medicine, sciences and social institutions; and religion, spirituality and the role of Hindu women.
Additionally, more than 1,000 colour illustrations and photographs bring the Hindu traditions and culture alive for readers.
Conceived, compiled and produced by the India Heritage Research Foundation and published by Mandala Publishing, the voluminous product presenting one of the world's oldest living traditions is scheduled to be unveiled at the University of South Carolina tomorrow during a day-long conference.
The conference would be attended by Rajendra K Pachauri, the chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007; Anna Hazare, an anti-corruption activist, besides Swami Chidanand Saraswati, president of Parmarth Niketan Ashram and founder of India Heritage Research Foundation.
"The encyclopaedia, a comprehensive compilation of the spiritual and cultural heritage of India, provides a rich tapestry of Hinduism in the global context, a great gift to mankind," said Dr. Meera Narasimhan, a professor and chairman of neuropsychiatry and vice dean at USC School of Medicine.
"It has been an ambitious undertaking," said Hal French, a USC distinguished professor emeritus of religious studies, who has served as associate editor of the encyclopaedia.
"The Encyclopaedia of Hinduism is a milestone in research for this culture and religion, reflecting the very best in India and Western scholarship," he said.
The encyclopaedia's volumes run from 600 to more than 700 pages. Some 3,000 copies are being issued in the first printing, French said.
Hinduism is the world's third-largest religion, with 1 billion followers, according to a Pew Research Center study published this year. Christians number 2.2 billion and Muslims 1.6 billion.
Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A Primer of India's Soul (Set Of 11 Volumes) [Hardcover]
Rupa Publications Publication Date: December 7, 2011 | ISBN-10: 8129115883 | ISBN-13: 978-8129115881 The 7184 page Encyclopedia of Hinduism in 11 volumes with rich illustrations of temples, places, thinkers, rituals and festivals is a work of wide and deep scholarship that constructs Hinduism as an alternative knowledge culture with its own distinctive tenets and belief systems.
The volumes propound the paradigm that Hinduism is, a belief system based in the lived life of what is called Sanatana Dharma, or the given way of life'. The set of 11 volumes printed on art paper distinguishes between religionand dharma, between a dogma with a rigid parameter of beliefs and practices on the one hand and a way of life that is an evolving spiritual, cultural and ethical tradition on the other.
The Encyclopedia came to fruition with the research and expertise of a team of scholars under the leadership of the Editor-in-Chief, Dr Kapil Kapoor, a professor of both English Literature and Sanskrit Studies. The team worked arduously on all aspects of the project, both academic and administrative. The foreword is written by the scholar extraordinary - Dr Karan Singh and the introduction to the Encyclopedia is by Dr. Kapil Kapoor.
http://www.rupapublications.co.in/books/encyclopedia-hinduism-11-volumes
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Encyclopedia of Hinduism The editors have drawn on over 2,000 scholars for contributions. The encyclopaedia does not confine itself to religion alone, and has in it entries on art, history, language, literature, philosophy, polity, sciences, and even women studies
Hinduism has a hoary past, and countless attempts have been made to understand the faith, its precepts and practices. Indeed, the list of scholars who have worked on Hinduism is as long as it is impressive. It is an ocean into which many have taken a dip and explored what they found, yet they were always acutely aware that what they had grasped was merely a microcosm. The sheer span of this set of volumes is enough to make you exclaim. Handsomely produced, they bear more than a little resemblance to the most famous of all encyclopaedias, the one that, unlike this set, still spells its name with an 'a'. LikeEncyclopaedia Britannica, this encyclopaedia too has a US connection, but more on that later. The Foreword by the redoubtable Dr Karan Singh neatly sets the stage for the reader, and is in itself an illuminating essay on the ethos of Hinduism. As he points out, "Hinduism calls itself the Sanatana Dharma, the eternal faith, because it is not based upon the teachings of a single preceptor, but on the collective wisdom and inspiration of great seers and sages from the very dawn of Indian civilisation." Increasingly, we have seen that Indian scholars abroad contribute significantly to scholarly studies of religion and history. Brij Vilash Lal, Professor of Pacific and Asian History, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, at the Australian National University, edited The Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora. Produced in Singapore, it gives a fascinating account of Indians abroad. Much of the recent work on Sikh scholarship has been done by scholars abroad, especially in California. Here too, it is the US-based India Heritage Research Foundation, which became the enabler of this project. The University of South Carolina provided the academic infrastructure for the compilation of this encyclopaedia. The 'foreign hand' enabled scholars, connected with India, to work together for years and along with several other offices in India and abroad, they produced the 7,064 entries. The submissions by contributors were edited by a team of 24 editors at Rupa, led by Dr Kapil Kapoor, who was a Professor at the Centre for Linguistics and English, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He also helped set up the Centre for Sanskrit Studies at the university, and held important positions there. The editors have drawn on over 2,000 scholars for contributions. The encyclopaedia does not confine itself to religion alone and has in it entries on art, history, language, literature, philosophy, polity, sciences, and even women studies. The inclusive nature of the selection of topics makes for an interesting mix, and a perusal of some of the entries shows that the contributors have taken considerable pain in ensuring lucidity and depth. The language used is non-intimidating. Once you get past the diacritical mark, so essential for universal understanding, makes familiar terms appear esoteric even to a common Indian reader's eye. The English-reading younger generation, too, will have a ready source of knowledge, and will thus be helped along in the wish to learn more about an ethos that we take for granted, simply because we are born into it, but know precious little about. In these volumes, you will find concise entries as well as good bibliographical references. These will lead them to other sources where they can study the subject in greater depth, especially since the entries encompass a fairly wide canvas that include major Indic traditions, including Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. The volumes are richly produced. The publishers have eschewed the matt finish of Encyclopaedia Britannica,for a modern one with glossy paper and full-colour printing. Obviously, the publishers have pulled out all stops in printing and production, and the result is obvious for anyone who goes through the volumes. There have been a number of encyclopaedias of Hinduism over the years, and many even have the same title. It remains to be seen exactly where this particular set finds its place and how it stands the test of time. There is, no doubt, however, that many libraries abroad and in India will be interested in the set. The publishers have been conservative in pricing the set, and thus it is easy to imagine it in many homes, as well. |
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120219/spectrum/book1.htm
