New Delhi, Leading News Service: A special seminar on “We are Indians: Indian Voice, Global Footprint” was held in Delhi by the World Intellectual Foundation. Thinkers from across the country participated in two panel discussions on the theme “How Historical Narratives Contribute to National Pride” and “Kashmir: Kalhana Se Kalantar Tak”. More than 450 people from different parts of the country and the world participated. The program was conceptualized by Hemangi Sinha, Project Head of World Intellectual Foundation.
The program was guided by Sudhanshu Mittal, founder mentor of the World Intellectual Foundation. While Indonesian Gandhian thinker, Padmashri August Udayan spoke about the shared cultural characteristics between India and Indonesia. Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha attended the event and extended his greetings through video surveillance system. He commented on the changing situation in Kashmir.
The first session of the program was attended by various dignitaries from different parts of India. Swapan Dasgupta, famous journalist and member of Rajya Sabha, Dr. Meenakshi Jain, historian and professor Padmashri Anand Ranganathan and Supreme Court lawyer J Sai Deepak were among the participants. It is important to understand who is in control of the narrative of history, opines Dr. Meenakshi Jain expressed. J Sai Deepak summing up the points of discussion pointed out that the main fault of one-sided historical narratives is the indifference of the Hindu community towards their own culture. He said that the failure of the Hindu community to fight for its own identity allowed the separatist forces to politicize the issue of dividing Hindu identities under various headings like caste, race, region etc.
Ashutosh Bhatnagar, founder of Jammu-Kashmir Study Center, film director Vivek Agnihotri, journalist Yana Mir participated in the second seminar on the history of Kashmir. Ashutosh Bhatnagar commented on the historical relevance of Kashmir depicted in Rajatarangini. While Vivek Agnihotri spoke about the historical facts that influenced the history of Kashmir. Yana Mir made a comparative analysis of the situation in Kashmir during the reign of Rajatarangini and the modern history of Kashmir.
