Today, 11.09.2021, is the day of Rishi Panchami, and it also happens to to be the The Ninety-sixth Death Anniversary of Sir Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar.
Each year the day is solemnized through a purely academic lecture, which deals with a specific topic related to Indology and Sanskrit Studies.
Prof. Madhav M. Deshpande (Professor Emeritus, Sanskrit and Linguistics, University of Michigan, USA, Senior Fellow, Oxford Center for Hindu Studies, UK, and Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore) will deliver the Anniversary Address on The Orientalism Debate and the Responses from the Orient.
As Prof. Deshpande points out, Orientalism was a European effort to understand asian cultures including the Indian civilisation. It began in the 19th century. An Indian counter to the "oriental" theories slowly emerged through the efforts of the likes of Sir R. G. Bhandarkar, Justice Ranade, Bhau Daji Lad etc. In this lecture, Prof. Deshpande takes a detailed view of the efforts of Sir Bhandarkar and Justice Ranade.
Beginner viewers are advised to note that this lecture deals with the discourse of the 19th century and thus includes discussion on prevailing theories then.
While a lot has changed, the efforts of the luminaries then and their intellectual contributions have been vital in bringing the field of Indology where it is today, and also shaping the evolution of India.
...
The first part of the video also includes a long-standing tradition of the institute, of announcing new publications of the Institute. This years new publications include - latest fascicule of the Cultural Index of Mahabharata, 97th Issue of the Annals of the Institute, Reprints of History of Dharmashastra and Budha Bhushan.
