Events
The Department of Modern South Asian Languages and Literatures cordially invites you to the talk by Prof. Ithamar Theodor (Associate Professor of Hindu Studies at Zefat College, Safed, Israel) entitled “Bankim Chandra Chatterji's Anandamath as a Modern Bhagavad Gita Commentary”. The lecture takes place on June 10, 2016, 2:00 pm in room 317 of the South Asia Institute.
Bankim Chandra Chatterji's Anandamath published in 1882, was instrumental in shaping a modern Hindu identity as well as the ideology of early Hindu nationalism. It captured the imagination not only of Bengalis aspiring for freedom from British colonial rule, but also of leading nationalist-minded Indians. Its famous hymn Vande Mataram eventually became India's national song, despite its evoking controversy in Hindu- Muslim relations in the subcontinent. Reading Anandamath , one gets the impression that the novel is deeply grounded in the Bhagavad gita, and that it is an indirect Bhagavad gita commentary, engaging with major Gita themes such as devotion, knowledge, renunciation, divine descent and more. This paper aspires to shed light on the deep association of Anandamath and Bhagavad gita.
Ithamar Theodor is Associate Professor of Hindu Studies at Zefat College, Safed, Israel, and is concurrently lecturer in Hindu-Jewish Studies at The University of Haifa. He is the author of Exploring the Bhagavad Gıta: Philosophy, Structure and Meaning (2010), a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2011 and winner in 2013 of the Dharma Academy of North America (DANAM) Book Award for Excellence in Indic Studies
