A unique course MA in Hindu Studies started by BHU
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
Banaras Hindu University (BHU),a largest residential university in Asia, started first of its kind, MA in Hindu Studies at its Bharat Adhyayan Kendra (BAK).Last year, senior members of the Board of studies BHU had passed the proposal to start the course after a long deliberation.
In the first batch for the course, the university admitted 45 students, including a foreign student from Trinidad and Tobago. The university selected these students after they cleared an All India written test.
Sadashiv Kumar Divedi, the coordinator of the ‘Bharat Adhyayan Kendra’, said that this two-year course will have four semesters and 16 papers. The course includes nine compulsory and seven optional papers.
Students will enrich themselves with knowledge of ancient war craft, Hindu chemistry, military science, art, classical music etc.
The course under Faculty of Arts would be conducted in collaboration with the varsity’s Department of Philosophy and Religion, Department of Sanskrit and Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology.
Director of the Varanasi Center of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts Vijay Shankar Shukla said that the idea of starting such a course was first given by scholars Pandit Ganganath Jha and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.
“The MA course includes all Hindu philosophy and Mimamsa. Those who teach it are also scholars from different higher educational institutions of the country,” said Prof. Vijay Shankar Shukla, Rector, BHU.
He also said that students will gain knowledge and self-satisfaction after studying this course which will help them all through their lives.
Through this course, students will get to learn a lot to pass on to their future generations, he said, adding that the course would also teach the Vedas and Puranas.
He said that about 15 years ago, Hindu culture spread in Southeast Asia, and now Hindus from those areas were joining this course at BHU.
January 22,2022
