“When it was decided that that Sir Asutosh [Mookerjee] should be the person to receive the Relic of the Buddha from the hands of Governor of Bengal at the Government House, he reminded that no person could before the Governor with bare feet; and as a Brahman he said it would be showing disrespect to the holy Relic of the #Buddha if he does not receive it in his Brahmanical dress with bare feet, an in official attire he declined to go. I thereupon wrote to the Private Secretary of Lord Ronaldshay that at the reception of the Relic at the Government ancient ceremonies will be observed. For the first time since the construction of the Government House, the ceremonial rule was relaxed, and the Buddhists entered barefooted the Government House in a grand procession. We thought it an honour to have the foremost personality in Bengal [Sir Asutosh Mookerjee] as the President of the Maha Bodhi Society…” Anagarika Dharmapala
Addressed Buddhist scholars, professionals etc at Buddha Triratna Mission, New Delhi. Spoke on three stalwarts from Bengal – Sir Asutosh Mookerjee, Prof Beni Madhav Barua and Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee who established and nurtured Pali & Buddhist studies and research in India. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s re-establishing of #Nalanda University and of conferring classical Language status on #Pali is a great tribute to the legacy of these last stalwarts.
We were delighted to host at SPMRF a batch of bright, sharp and well-informed group of students and scholars from across various colleges of Maharashtra for a “Policy, Public Policy and Governance” session. The youth delegation is part of the “Campus to Sansad” programme, an imaginative initiative- conceived and put …
Rishi Rajnarayan Basu (1826-1899), Sri Aurobindo’s maternal grandfather, was one of the leading figures, the anchor of Indian awakening and nationalism. Often endearingly referred to as the “Grandfather of Indian Nationalism”, Rishi Rajnarayan strode his era as an intellectual colossus and as one of the earliest and staunchest advocate and …
For our generation – Shri Ashok Singhal Ji’s presence and energy was galvanic. Too young to participate in the Ram Mandir Andolan physically, it was Shri Ashok Singhal Ji’s towering personality, his whirlwind tours, his inspiring articulation and fearless stance, that created a deep impression on us and made us …