Symposium On JATRAS – The Sacred Hindu Congregations

Bhaarateeya Vidyaa Vibhuutih Dr. Nagaraj Paturi is a polymath and thought leader who has played a pivotal role in advancing Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). His contributions have significantly shaped academic programs, research collaborations, and dialogues between traditional Shaastric scholars and contemporary academia, ensuring their continued relevance in academia and policy-making. Trained at home in Sanskrit and Advaita Vedanta by his erudite father, the late Sri Paturi Sitaramanjaneyulu Garu, Dr. Paturi cultivated profound expertise in classical Indian knowledge traditions from an early age. His intellectual journey reflects a rare synthesis of deep traditional wisdom and modern scholarly inquiry, making him a vital bridge between ancient and contemporary thought. His life’s work focuses on reviving, preserving, and contemporizing Indian traditions, guiding scholars and institutions to embrace authentic Indian perspectives. As Senior Director and Dean at INDICA, Dr. Paturi spearheaded mentorship programs, research fellowships and curated diverse conferences and symposiums. These initiatives brought together distinguished scholars to explore domains such as Vedic mindfulness, yoga, Hindu aesthetics, environmentalism, polytheism, meditation, Hindu ethics and law, and various Indic traditions including Shaivism, Vaishnavism, Tantra, Bhakti, Jainism, and Buddhism. His ability to integrate Shaastric and contemporary academic frameworks has expanded INDICA’s impact, making Indian knowledge accessible to scholars, students, professionals, and homemakers alike. For over three and a half decades, Dr. Paturi has mentored thousands of Civil Services aspirants, equipping them with logical rigor, historical clarity, and a profound experiential understanding of Indian culture and governance. His contributions have reshaped intellectual and administrative spaces, challenging colonial frameworks and restoring an authentically Indian approach to policymaking. Dr. Paturi serves on the boards of studies and advisory councils of multiple universities and is a leading figure in Bharatiya Vidvat Parishat, a prestigious body of traditional scholars dedicated to Sanskrit and Shastric studies. His academic positions include Distinguished Professor and Curriculum Designer at the MIT School of Vedic Sciences and Board Member at Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Kavikulaguru Kalidasa Sanskrit University, and Veda Vijnana Gurukula. He has served as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Studies in Public Leadership and continues to serve on academic boards in the Departments of Sanskrit and Dance, as well as the School of Humanities, University of Hyderabad. His PhD from the University of Hyderabad is a pioneering study that applies Vedic parallels to Anthropology, Psychology, Philosophy, and Aesthetics, establishing connections with classical Telugu poetry. His MPhil research introduced Paniniyan Linguistic Theory, establishing Vakyapadiyam as the theoretical foundation of Ashtadhyayi and unveiling its universal linguistic principles. His academic contributions include over 120 publications on Indian Knowledge Systems, Linguistics, Mythology, and Cultural Studies, along with 60+ conference papers on Vedic Sciences and Folk Culture Studies. He has provided consultancy for cultural research projects in theatre, dance, and literature and contributed to creative works, including scriptwriting for Classical Dance and Modern Theatre. Additionally, he is a distinguished Telugu poet, renowned for performing Ashtavadhanams, a rare literary and intellectual feat. His institutional impact includes co-founding the Maharshi Veda Vyas MIT School of Vedic Sciences at MIT ADT University, Pune, where he designed UG, PG, and research programs that set benchmarks for IKS education. His work has influenced the expansion of IKS studies across institutions, shaping initiatives under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. As a Senior Professor at FLAME University, he pioneered courses in Comparative Religion, Law and Justice, Historiography, and Media Research. He has also served as faculty at DJ Academy of Design (Coimbatore), NID (Bengaluru), and MIT Institute of Design (Pune), developing specialized courses in Design Ethnography, Semiotics, Research Methodology, and Indian Design Aesthetics. As a Visiting Faculty at the University of Chicago, he introduced Indian traditions and linguistics to a global audience. At the University of Hyderabad, he has led extensive research on religious transgenderism, ritual-officiating sub-castes, yogic mystic folk songs, the Bonalu festival, the folk-classical interface, and inter-traditional studies. Through his extensive research and teaching, Dr. Nagaraj Paturi continues to bridge ancient Indian wisdom with contemporary academia, policy, and governance. His work continues to revitalize and strengthen Indian sciences and cultural traditions, ensuring that Indian Knowledge Systems remain dynamic, evolving, and integral to India’s intellectual and governance framework.

Sumanaspati Reddy has been a writer, critic, translator and radio broadcaster. Photography, documentary cinema, theatre, folk and cultural studies as well as ethnographic documentation are among his primary interests. After retiring from All India Radio, he is now pursuing farming as a living practice near Adilabad, Telangana.

Deepa holds degrees in engineering and management from the University of Pune and IIM Calcutta. Her desire to understand the āgama-s and make them more accessible for a modern audience led to an interdisciplinary Ph.D. on “Temple Management in the Āgama-s” at the Department of Sanskrit, University of Madras that is now published as a book by Indic Academy. She has taught the same as an online course on the Indica.Courses platform. She hopes to continue exploring this ancient system that seems to be at the core of sanātana dharma in practice.

Prof. Pulikonda Subbachary, Former Head, Department of Folklore and Tribal Studies, is currently Adjunct Professor in the Departments of Folk Arts and Telugu, PS Telugu University. He was Part-time Lecturer (with full workload) at the Department of Telugu Osmania University. Worked in the Centre for Folk Culture Studies and Visiting Professor CDAST, University of Hyderabad. He has a Ph.D from the Osmania University. Dr. P. Subbachary has numerous awards and recognitions to his credit. He authored 32 books and published 270 research papers in Telugu and English. He attended 105 Seminars/Workshops. Dr. P. Subbachary has successfully completed 4 research projects and is also part of an ongoing project.

Sivasankar Babu (Babu) is a Techno Functional Banker with a passion for marketing and Mentoring, Now he is leveraging his Business Analysis, Presentation & Marketing Experience in spreading awareness about Our Rich Heritage to the younger generation thru Talks, Walks and workshops under his umbrella brand of Babu4Heritage. Unlike a Scholar or Researcher, his role as a Heritage Awareness speaker focusses on shring his understanding the vast amount of research in indian heritage and present in a simple and visual form easy to understand to the beginners, students so that they quickly graduate to next level of art appreciation. He is also Central Govt Ministry of Tourism certifed Incredible India Tourist Guide - Advanced Heritage Level.. He is also part of Tamil Heritage Trust (THT) and several other Heritage NGOs in Tamilnadu and mentors training for Heritage to teachers & Temple & Monument guiding to Docents (Voluntary Guides) His YouTube Channel “babu4heritage” contains his temple art & architectural talks as well as 80+ categories of curates categories of Popular Heritage videos

Rudra Vikrama Srivastava is a scholar of ancient history and Archaeology. I have completed my Master's in Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology from Banaras Hindu University. I am currently working as in independent scholar of early-mediaeval epigraphy of North India.

Dr Sharda Narayanan completed Sahitya Examinations at Sri Chamarajendra Sanskrit College in Bengaluru and then MSc (Physics), MA (Sanskrit) from Bangalore University before PhD (Sanskrit) from JNU, New Delhi. Teaching Indian Philosophy and Aesthetics at MGR Janaki College for Women, Chennai since 2012, she has presentations at several international conferences, published papers and books to her credit. She was awarded a citation by Indoi Analytics at Chennai Litfest in 2021 and received project funding from ICPR for “Critical Study of Bhatta Mimamsa with special reference to Slokavartika” in 2020. She is a member of the team of CSU currently working on translating Rajiv Malhotra’s book”The Battle for Sanskrit” into Sanskrit. Since 2023 she has also been involved in course development on IKS as Faculty member at Sri Siddhanta Knowledge Foundation, Chennai.

Dr B C Anish Krishnan Nayar holds multiple masters degrees in English, Linguistics, Philosophy and Religion and Psychology.His doctoral research was on multivalency ie how a text can provide multiple at times contradictory interpretations.He is mAdhva by faith and focuses on Agamic systems.His research works mainly focuses on colonial constructs and narratives of religion and their effect on the colonized.He has written numerous articles in Tamil and English on Tantra , Comparative Literature and related topics.He teaches Technical Communication in college level and does independent research. Some of his writings can be read here: https://tamizhini.in/2018/11/14/devadasis-beyond-constructs-and-contentions-b-c-anish-krishnan-nayar/

Dr. Ketu Ramachandrasekhar is the Deputy Director, Academics, Siddhanta Knowledge Foundation, a recognized IKS Teachers Training Center under IKS Division, Ministry of Education. Throughout his academic pursuits, he has demonstrated a keen interest in Indian Epistemology, culminating in his Doctorate in the field. His exemplary performance earned him the esteemed Prince of Wales Medal for scholarly rigor during his tenure at the University of Madras. Dr. Ramachandrasekhar serves as an expert panel member, offering valuable insights and guidance to prestigious institutions such as the Sangeet Natak Akademi. In addition to his academic laurels, Dr. Ramachandrasekhar has adorned the stage as an actor in Sanskrit dramas produced by Samskrita Ranga. Selected as an INFOSYS Fellow under BORI’s Academic Development Program, Dr.Ramachandrasekhar's contributions extend beyond traditional academia, encompassing interdisciplinary studies in Neuro-Aesthetics and Indian Rhetoric. He was also selected amongst hundred young scholars nationwide for specialized studies under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. His participation in academic discussions across Europe and membership in the academic panel at Aix-en-Provence University, France, attest to his global engagement. He has authored several books on Indian Literature and Culture and has been on Editorial Board of several Publications. He conducts classes for interested aspirants on Pratyabhijna and Tantric texts. Beyond the confines of academia, Dr. Ramachandrasekhar's practical insights are sought after in matters relating to the practice aspects of Tantra Shastra by esteemed centers of Shakti worship. He attributes all his humble achievements to the guidance and blessings of his revered Guru, Vidya Vacaspati Brahmashri Goda Venkateshwara Shastri, whose teachings continue to inspire and shape all his pursuits.

T. Ganesan, with Ph.D. in Sanskrit has been working as Director of Research at the prestigious French Institute, Pondicherry (IFP) since 1985 and now he continues to be a Research Associate there. He is working on the projects A Comprehensive History of Śaivasiddhānta in Tamilnadu as well as on the project Critical Edition of the Śaivāgama-s. He is one of the editors of the Sukshmagama (3 volumes published and the 4th volume under preparation) published by the French Institute of Pondicherry. The first two volumes of the Paushkaragama along with the two unpublished commentaries of Umapati and Jnanaprakasa critically edited by him for the first time has been published by the National Mission for the Manuscripts (NMM), New Delhi in 2014 and 2020. Śivajñānabodhasūtra with the Laghuṭīkā of Śivāgrayogī, Varuṇapaddhati with the commentary Vilocana of Nigamajñānadeśika, Siddhāntaprakāśikā of Sarvātmaśambhu with Tamil and English translations (published 2009), Śivajñānabodhasūtra with the unpublished commentary of Nigamajñānadeśika (published 2009 by Rashtriya Sanskrit Samsthan) and a few other Śaivasiddhānta texts are some of the important Saiva texts critically edited by him. Two Śaiva Teachers of the 16th century: Nigamajñāna I and Nigamajñāna II which is an analytical study of all the œuvres of these two Śaiva Ācāryas, was published from IFP 2009. He has presented more than 40 seminar papers and research articles concerning Saivism and Saivasiddhanta. He had delivered special lectures concerning various aspects of Saivasiddhānta at The Tamil University, Thanjavur, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry, University of Madras as well as at the Université de Paris III-Nouvelle Sorbonne, Paris and at the University of Marbourg, Germany. Two articles of 10,000 words each on the Śaivasiddhānta and on the Śaiva Āgama-s were published in the volumes of the Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism in 2011 and in 2018. Presently T. Ganesan heads the Centre for Shaiva Studies (CSS), Pondicherry. He is now working on the critical edition of the Kāmikāgama (Pūrva) based on 18 manuscripts which is going to be soon published in the series of the CSS.

Nidhi Katti is a research scholar pursuing a PhD in History at Rani Channamma University, specializing in the socio-economic and cultural history of the Madhwa community. With 7 years of teaching experience across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, she has demonstrated research, education, and event organization expertise. Nidhi holds a Master's in History and Archaeology, achieving a university rank, and has furthered their credentials with diplomas in Tourism, Sati studies Gender Sensitization and Manuscriptology. As the Founder and Vice President of The History Enthusiasts Association, Nidhi actively promotes underrepresented aspects of history, organizing innovative events and discussions. The multidisciplinary research spans feminist history, art and architecture, South Indian religious history, Madhwa studies, and heritage conservation. Nidhi has presented numerous papers at national and international conferences, published e-books and research papers, and edited works on diverse historical themes. Proficient in English, Kannada, and Hindi, they excel in teaching and research methodology. Adept in skills like communication, educational modelling, and organizing workshops, Nidhi aims to enhance research and academic engagement. Her future goals include postdoctoral studies, furthering The History Enthusiasts Association, and contributing to a nuanced understanding of the history and heritage of India. She has five years of teaching experience at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD at Rani Channamma University, Belagavi, focusing on the socio-economic and cultural history of the Madhwa community, with a special emphasis on Karnataka. Her research interests span a wide range of subjects, including Cultural History, Archaeology, Indian Religious History, South Indian Art and Architecture, South Indian Iconographical Study, South Indian Religious History, Indigenous Studies, Epigraphy, Heritage and Tourism, the History of Cinema, Temple History and Architecture, Indology, South Asian History, Brahminical History, and Manuscriptology. Additionally, she has expertise in ancient scripts, including Brahmi, Grantha Lipi, and Sharada Lipi.