Archive

New Windows on the Sun and a Gateway to the Cosmos

Prof. Siraj Hasan (IIA, Bangalore)

Indira Gandhi Centre for National Arts (IGCNA), October 29th

The talk by Prof. Siraj Hasan focused on Alexander von Humboldt’s ideas of science as a holistic endeavour. As states in his magnum opus Kosmos, Humboldt defined the "most important aim of all physical science is this: to recognize unity in diversity”. Prof. Hasan argued that this paradigm is as relevant today as it was then. In this lecture, it was used as a way to understand the Sun, our closest star, which is a gateway to the cosmos and the source of energy that provides sustenance to our planet and humanity. Unravelling the mysteries of the complex processes continues to pose a major challenge to scientists. He thus examined some of the fundamental and deeper questions concerning the nature of the Sun, its influence on the Earth and long-term future.

Professor Siraj Hasan is currently Honorary Professor at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, India. He received his Master in Physics from Delhi University in 1972 and Doctorate in Theoretical Astrophysics from the University of Oxford, U.K. He joined the faculty of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics in 1978 and was its Director from 2006 to 2012. He has been the recipient of many international fellowships that including the Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship. He is an Associate of the Harvard College Observatory and a Life Member of Clare Hall College, Cambridge. He is the Principal Investigator of India's 2-m National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) project to be built in the Jammu & Kashmir region.

This film screening and discussion was jointly organised by Goethe-Institut/ Max Mueller Bhavan (MMB), DFG and Heidelberg Centre South Asia (HCSA) on Thursday, November 20th.

Within the Cluster of Excellence at the University of Heidelberg, Prof. Niels Gutschow and Prof. Rabindra Vasadava have made a documentary about “Jain Architectural Heritage. Building new and Restoring Old Temples in Gujarat"  in 2011 (39 minutes, Thede Filmproduktion). The film addresses architectural conservation from the vantage point of transcultural studies, and thus provides a crucial contribution to the Cluster of Excellence “Asia and Europe”, at Heidelberg University.

Prof. Niels Gutschow graduated in architecture from Darmstadt University, and wrote his PhD thesis on the Japanese Castle Town in 1973. In addition to many other fields of research, Niels Gutschow has concentrated on urban space and rituals in India and Nepal for many years. Since 2004, he is an honorary professor at Heidelberg University, Dept. of Indology, and he was one of the re-searchers of the prestigeous DFG's SFB "Ritualdynamik".

Prof. Rabindra Vasavada is an Architect-Researcher based in Ahmedabad. He is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland as well as a life member of the Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTA-CH). Since 1980, he has been involved in studies of Indian temple architecture. He has extensively worked for sever-al conservation projects (UN-ESCO) and also for DFG projects, and he was also a Senior Research Fellow at the Cluster of Excellence.

The screening of the film was followed by a lively discussion with the two scholars and film makers. Comments concentrated on the important interface of academic research and conservation work, for documenting the cultural heritage o India. The event was also graced by the presence of Prof. Ved Prakash (Chairman, University Grants Commission)  and Prof. Manju Singh (UGC).

Photos:  Prof. Vasavada and Prof. Gutschow when introducing their film Prof. Vasavada being handed over the Heidleberg University Atlas as a gift Prof. Ved Prakash (UGC) with Prof. Gutschow