Indic Studies

Prof. Raimundo Panikkar President	U.R. Ananthamurty (Co-Chair)
Madhu Purnima Kishwar Convenor	Ashis Nandy (Co-Chair)
Kapila Vatsyayan Special Advisor	Presidential Address by Raimundo Panikkar

Programme Committee
Abrahim H. Khan	Aditya Behl	Arjun Bhagat	Ashis Nandy
D.L. Sheth	Kapil Kapoor	Kunal Chakravorty	Madhu Kishwar (Chair)
Muzaffar Alam	R.K. Srivastava	Ramakant Agnihotri	Roddam Narasimha
Sabyasachi Bhattacharya	Shail Mayaram	Vasudha Narayanan	Vinay Lal

The Indic Studies Network (IsNew) based at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in collaboration with Manushi - A Journal about Women and Society and supported by Infinity Foundation invites participation in the Second International Conference on Religions and Cultures in the Indic Civilisation to be held from 17-20 December 2005.

The First Conference on Religions in the Indic Civilisation held in December 2003 brought together, for the first time, a diverse group of scholars working in the field of Indic religions and cultures, including, Jainism, Buddhism, Neo-Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Hinduism as well as their various sects, cults and branches. The Conference hosted 55 panels and seven plenary sessions. The enthusiastic response to the Conference from a large cross section of academics, both within India and abroad encouraged us to form the Indic Studies Network (IsNew). This is a nascent association of individual scholars and institutions interested or engaged in the field of Indic religions and cultures and we hope through this and other such events this Network will consolidate into a vibrant intellectual community.

Panels, symposia and individual papers for the Second Conference on Religions and Cultures in the Indic Civilisation are on themes that include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Religious Texts: Contexts, Interpretations and Ramifications
•	Ideas of the common or public good; norms about accumulating and sharing income and wealth
	Gender perceptions and familial relations
	Theories of kingship, justice and political authority
	Relations between the divine and mortals, rulers and ruled, nature and human beings

2. Beliefs, Practices and Institutions
	Syncretism, anti-syncretism
	Role of dharmasthans, pilgrimage centres as well as the control and management of religious institutions
	The rise, decline and renewals of shramanic religious traditions
	Religious conversions, rituals, identities and practices
	Believers and non-believers and godless religions
	Popular and folk religions, local cults and practices and their links with the canonical
	Case studies of the making and unmaking of religious and spiritual authority and the role of dissent

3. Religious Movements and Social Change
	Caste, sects and religious movements
	Religious reforms and the rise of nationalism
	Role of religious philanthropy and their diverse forms in different religious traditions
	Role of intermediaries between the divine and the individual
	Re-invocation of faith through a personal god and the bhakti and sufi traditions

4. Communalism and Pluralism
	Hate literature and hate websites
	Anatomy of communal violence, retaliation and the ghettoisation of communities
	Personal laws and uniform civil code
	Shared space among religious communities and inter-faith initiatives

5. Religion and Science
	Cosmological links of Indic religions with the Indic scientific traditions
	Moral and ethical issues of modern science and the response of religious authorities
	Convergence and conflict between science and religion in the future

6. Indic Religions and Globalisation
	New religious movements and institutions and the renewed role of 'godmen' and spiritual leaders in expanding the space of Indic religions in the universe of world religions
	The diaspora, transnationalism and the reinterpretation of Indic religious and cultural traditions

7. Religion, Performing Arts and Mass Media
	Cultural contexts of religious discourse on folk, classical and non-classical art forms (music, dance, drama, fairs, festivals, paintings and handicrafts)
	Mass manufacture of religious identity and the impact of religious TV channels, audio/video CDs, religious gatherings and popular religious literature and magazines
	Indian films as interpreters of popular faiths and cultures

8. Special methodological concerns in the study of religions within Indic civilisation.

Conference Structure
There will be a total of two hours allocated per session, including presentations and discussion. Unless otherwise indicated, the person who submits the proposal for a panel or symposium will be considered the chair. He or she should list at least two but no more than three scholars who make a commitment to present a paper on the topic, as well as one other person who will respond to the panel of speakers.

Each presenter will have 20 minutes to give their paper; the respondent will have 10 minutes at the end of the presentations to make comments on the papers. The remaining time will be devoted to discussion from the floor. Please ensure that your paper reaches us not later than 15th October 2005.

Opening Day	December 17
Concluding Day	December 20 after farewell dinner
The Programme will have two Key Note Speeches by eminent speakers. On two other days there will be a Plenary Panel of three persons each.
First Session for Panels	10.00 A.M. to 12.00 A.M.
Lunch	12.00 A.M. to 1.30 P.M.
Second Session for Panels	1.30 P.M. to 3.30 P.M.
Tea	3.30 P.M. to 4.00 P.M.
Plenary Session	4.00 P.M. to 5.30 P.M.
We plan to have about six parallel sessions for the panels.

We welcome observer participants to the conference. However, everyone must register to attend. If you would like to be an Observer Participant, please Click Here to register online.