Photo Credit: Sanjiv Sanyal/ X

Pune, May 15: Renowned economist, author and member of Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council Sanjiv Sanyal asserted that the identity of our country 'India' is very ancient and it has become stronger with time.

He was speaking at the conclusion of his lecture on 'Bharatvarsha - The Origins of Our Civilizational Identity' organized under the 'Pune Samvad' initiative at Shankutala Shetty Auditorium of Karnataka School. Famous industrialist Abhay Firodia and organizer of Pune Samvad Manoj Pochat were present on this occasion.

First of all, a Vedic community called Bharata-Tritsu is mentioned in the Rigveda as being on the banks of the holy river Saraswati. It is mentioned that the head of this community Sudas and sage Vasistha defeated ten other communities and Sudas became the first Chakravarti king of India. Then he united all the communities and their philosophies and converted them into the code of the Vedas. Thus the foundation of the first civilization was laid in our country. In which the emphasis was on integration rather than opposition. In the Puranas, mainly the Brahmapurana and the epics, the country north of the sea and south of the Himalayas is India and its people are referred to as Bharati. Sanyal said that this also helps us to understand the geographical and cultural history of India and how ancient our identity is India.

A study of Shakti Peethas, mountain ranges, rivers, accounts of foreign travellers, journeys made by Shankaracharya and geographically important Peethas established by him shows that India's identity as a civilized nation is very ancient. This identity evolved over thousands of years by adopting new ideas. He also said that trade, exchange of ideas, migration, foreign invasions etc. had a great impact on it.

While laying the foundation of the Republic of India after independence from the British rule, we can see that all the founders respected the fact that this is a modern manifestation of an ancient culture, Sanyal.Sanjeev Sanyal also advised the audience that they should use popular tools initially to create a taste for the rich ancient culture of India in the new generation. He said that he himself enjoyed reading 'Amar Chitrakatha' in this subject. Tulsidas's Ramayana is also a good example of such literature, he said. 

Sanjeev Sanyal and Abhay Firodia were felicitated on this occasion by Malti Kalmadi, secretary of Kannada Sangh, Pune.