NATIONAL SAMSKRTA YOUTH CONFERENCE

Recently, I had been to a house-warming at Kajakke (a village in Dakshina Kannada). The host uttered, "One should always roll out the carpet for our guests and not for a random crowd." Despite the fact that he meant it in a very different context, I understood it as "The number of people assembled in a gathering does not carry weight; the bona fide and flair in them signifies weight". Those words started sizzling in volumes day before yesterday. 

It was around 4 P.M when Jhanvi and I boarded the metro from Mantri Square enroute National College. We were incredibly excited as we were not going to Jain College, VV Puram for attending college but something else. As we scanned our cards at the exit gates, we noticed a few people from different age groups, following us from the station to the college. On the way, we also met a drunkard and got yelled by him for no apparent reason. Adhering to all the instructions given, we entered the program hall. Entering the seminar hall itself was so nostalgic, considering the number of memories we made there.

The time was 5 minutes shy to 5 and all the guests were asked to take their seats. The curtains of the First National Samskrta Youth Conference unfolded. The theme of the conference being 'INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS', each one of the audience graced, decorated themselves with a sense of pride towards our motherland. My Guru, Dr Suneel Acharya (Sir) welcomed the gathering. After the inaugural in the Indic way, the key speakers sermonized. Post that was the main event. Only 10 presenters were selected and had the privilege to present their research papers. The presenters covered different topics ranging from Ayurveda to Music. My topic was, "A Journey through time: An attempt to understand the evolution of Prime Ministerial Roles". Towards the end, the chief guest addressed the gathering. His words served as a wake-up call to think about our ways further in this journey. He added his points which could be used to rejuvenate and mainstream our Indian Knowledge Systems which are now International Knowledge Systems. This was an overview of the program.

Each of the presenters and their expertise in their chosen field was truly inspiring. I personally had a lot to learn from each of the presenters and the key speakers. The whole program and the topics chosen by scholars, undoubtedly made me wonder if the whole event was curated only catering to my interests. Being a Kathak dancer, theatre artist, political enthusiast and also an aspiring psychologist, I couldn't have asked for any better. I'm fairly certain that everyone present there had a similar notion. The audience size was limited but the knowledge each one possessed is way beyond comprehension. Although I met the folk for the first time, each one of them felt very familiar as they were so warm. I truly felt blessed to have gotten the chance to be a part of such a magical evening. As the curtains of the unforgettable symposium furled, my anticipations to attend many such enlightening events knew no bounds. I felt delighted to see people from different walks of life, yet being ardent practitioners and advocates of doing things in the Bharatiya way.

I extend my deepest gratitude to Suneel Sir for giving me this opportunity. He has always been one of the biggest support systems who has encouraged me to explore new things. I will write more about sir soon, probably in my next blogs. Special note of appreciation to my dear friend Jhanvi for being the solid cheer leader as always.

Attaching a few photographs from the conference:-

Aapti Patwardhan