In her fourth lecture of the series, Dr. Bala spoke about the small kingdoms situated on the Silk Routes that connected China and India through a vast expanse of desert. Kashgar as a centre of Vedic learning and Khotan as a centre of Buddhist learning were mentioned with the evidences of archaeological excavations which exemplified the influence of Indian culture along the Silk Route.

The adoption of 21st June as International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, in response to an India-led resolution with a record high number of co-sponsors, was a landmark event. Taking the cue from the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, it was felt that it is important to mobilise our ancient ideas and use them practically and strategically to build an Indian narrative. Prime Minister Modi has highlighted ancient Indian aphorisms such as ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, ‘Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya’ and others on different forums.

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized an important seminar ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Relevance of India’s Ancient Thinking to Contemporary Strategic Reality’ in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Indian Council of Philosophical Research (ICPR) on 16 and 17 January 2019. The adoption of 21 June as International Day of Yoga by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, in response to an India-led resolution with a record high number of co-sponsors, was a landmark event.

In order to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s 156th birth anniversary this year, the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organized a panel discussion on ‘Swami Vivekananda and Nation Building’ on 17th January 2019. The panelists were: Param Pujya Swami Paramatmananda Saraswati, Secretary General & Coordinator of Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha, Swami Shuddhidananda, Ramakrishna Mission, Kolkata, Kum. Nivedita Bhide, Vice-President, Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, and Shri Dhanendra Kumar, Former Secretary, Government of India.