Robert Thurman, an internationally acclaimed American Buddhist scholar specializing in Asiatic religions, especially Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, also recognized as one of the twenty-five most influential Americans of 1997 by Time, visited the Vivekananda International Foundation on 5 April 2016 to deliver a talk on ‘Buddha as a Scientist’.
A Chinese translation of Sursagar (the ocean of poems, originally composed by Surdas, a late 15th century blind saint, poet and musician) was released by Mr. Tarun Vijay, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, at the Vivekananda International Foundation on January 08, 2016 in the presence of Mr. Sun Shoushan, Vice Minister, State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, and Film & Television of the Republic of China, Prof.
The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) jointly organised a three-day global conclave ‘Samvad:Hindu-Buddhist Initiative on Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness’, in collaboration with the International Buddhist Federation and the Tokyo Foundation, from 3 to 5 September 2015. Proceedings of the conclave were conducted in the first two days at VIF in New Delhi, while the venue shifted to Bodh Gaya in Bihar on the third day. The conclave was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of highlighting India’s civilizational links with world.
A book, Nehru: A Troubled Legacy, authored by Shri R.N.P. Singh, Senior Fellow, VIF, was formally released by Hon’ble Shri Vijai Kapoor, former Lieutenant Governor Delhi, at a simple ceremony held in the auditorium of Vivekananda International Foundation on 18 August 2015. Following the release, a discussion was held on Nehru and his political legacy.
The Vivekananda International foundation (VIF), in association with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), held a two-day national seminar on the theme of ‘Indian Civilization (2000-500 B.C) on 17 & 18 Jun 2015. The seminar was essentially aimed at underlining the need to start a course correction in the study of India’s ancient history, especially in light of the new historical research and evidences which have surfaced over the past 70-80 years. Till about the beginning of the 20th century the antiquity of Indian civilization was thought to be about 600 B.C i.e. from the time of Buddha.
Vimarsha, VIF’s monthly series of talks on contemporary issues by eminent persons, was held on 30th Oct 2014, with Shri Balmiki Prasad Singh, former Governor of Sikkim, talking about ‘Bahudha in the post 9/11 world’. In his introductory remarks, General NC Vij, Director VIF, explained that Bahudha (a Hindi acronym for pluralism or diversity) epitomizing Indian culture and civilisation, provides the right panacea to a world torn apart by religious bigotry and terrorism. He highlighted that India’s unity truly lies in its diversity.
Indra's Net - Defending Hinduism's Philosophical Unity, written by best selling author Rajiv Malhotra was released by noted author, journalist and scholar Shri Arun Shourie at an impressive function at the VIF on Wednesday, 29 January, 2014. VIF Director Shri Ajit Doval was also present on the occasion.
Dr Navratna S Rajaram, the Boston-based Indian mathematician with a keen interest in ancient Indian history, delivered a talk on ‘Towards a New Historiography for Ancient India’ at the VIF on February 21, 2014. Debunking the Aryan Invasion Theory (AIT) in toto, he said Indians have lived in the sub-continent for 50,000 years and described the Harappan Civilization as the “twilight” of the Vedic age.
‘Defining Hindutva’, authored by Amb O P Gupta, was released at the VIF on February 24, 2014 by Dr Mohan Rao Bhagwat, Sarsanghchalak, RSS in the presence of Ajit Doval, Director, VIF and Santosh Taneja, Coordinator, Sankalp. Listing out the manifold intellectual challenges before the nation, Doval, in his introductory remarks, emphasised on the importance of a common past and a common vision to build a strong nation. For this, the current ideology would have to change, he said.
The first five Volumes of the 11 volume series on ‘History of Ancient India’ being prepared under the aegis of the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) were released by former Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Opposition National Democratic Alliance, Shri L.K. Advani on 23rd December 2013 at an impressive ceremony at the VIF Auditorium. The Editors of the 11 volumes series are Prof. Dilip K. Chakrabarti (Professor Emeritus of South Asian Archaeology at Cambridge University) and Prof. Makkhan Lal (noted historian and archaeologist).