I do certainly support Prof. Dr. Nandkumar Kamat's point of view concerning D.D.Kosambi Festival of Ideas. Kosambi ( 1907-1966) has his place in world history in general and in the Goan one in particular, as a scientist, as a historian and as a Marxist philosopher. I would qualify him as a fulfilled intelectual. Any event held in his honour must bear his renowned personality and be held in full dignity. However, Kosambi is a full handed intellectual. Summing up all his endeavours one can say that his mindfulness is assessed in the *welfare of humanity. *Kosambi is as current in the 21st century as he was in the beginning of the 2oth century. Issues such as AI, start-ups, the efforts for peace and social harmony, the scientific efforts in planetary exploration and oceanic research - all for the sake of a better and a fraternal human living matters for the Kosambi Festival to be festive. Best wishes to all and thanks to Prof. Dr. Kamat and to Dr. Noronha. from Antonio Bernardo Colaço
Frederick Noronha <[email protected]> escreveu (segunda, 24/02/2025 à(s) 16:45): > The changing focus of the D.D. Kosambi Festival of Ideas > By Nandkumar M Kamat in The Navhind Times - > 2025-02-23 > Nandkumar M. Kamat > > Mathematician and historian Damodar Dharmanand Kosambi (popularly known as > DDK) passed away peacefully on June 29, 1966, just weeks before his 59th > birthday, at his residence on Bhandarkar Road in Pune. While his High > School yearbook lists his birth date as July 31, 1907, the exact location > remains uncertain. > > After Margao MLA Digambar Kamat was sworn in as the Chief Minister in June > 2007, he retained the Department of Art and Culture. Toward the end of > June, I phoned him to inform him that the birth centenary of DDK, the great > son of Goa, begins on July 31, 2007, and the government should form a > state-level committee to organise year-long programmes. He immediately > acted, and a representative committee was formed. He brought in a very > influential, erudite late writer Maria Aurora Couto to guide > > the committee. The first programme was held on July 31, 2007 at MES > College, Zuarinagar, where a brochure I had prepared as a committee member > on DDK was released. It is available here https://shorturl.at/WvJmg. Our > committee came out with the plan of launching an annual DDK Festival of > Ideas, and the first series of lectures was held in 2008. > > The official website of the Art and Culture Department on Festival Of > Ideas is available at https://ddkfestivalofideas.com/index.php, but its > contents are poor and not updated. There is no archive of the videos of > previous lectures from 2008 to 2020. However, 15 videos from 2008 and 2009 > were uploaded in September 2016 and are available on this link: > http://www.youtube.com/@directorateofartculturegoa3836. One good thing > was that the CDs of the lectures were prepared and are still available at > nominal prices from the Department of Art and Culture. Major books by DDK > are available at https://tinyurl.com/2p8k3b6r, his biodata can be seen at > https://tinyurl.com/2p8k3b6r, useful blogs on him are available at > http://ddkosambi.blogspot.com/ and https://tinyurl.com/2p8k3b6r. All > these websites should not be missed by students, teachers, and those > planning to attend the 14th edition. > > Kosambi was an intellectual polymath whose scholarship transformed Indian > historiography. His work in Marxist historiography, rationalist inquiry, > economic history, scientific numismatics, and archaeological analysis set a > high intellectual standard, making him one of the most original thinkers of > his time. The festival initially sought to honour this legacy by inviting > speakers whose academic pursuits aligned with Kosambi’s interdisciplinary > and critical approach to history, science, and social structures. > > The first edition in 2008 featured Romila Thapar speaking on ‘D. D. > Kosambi’s Legacy to the Study of Ancient Indian History’, Meera Kosambi on > ‘D. D. Kosambi: A Scholar and The Man’, and P. Sainath on ‘Rising > Inequality and the Danger to Democracy’. These sessions directly engaged > with Kosambi’s approach to historical materialism, socio-economic > inequality, and the scientific study of history. > > The subsequent editions from 2009 to 2012 continued this intellectual > engagement. Rajdeep Sardesai (2009) discussed the media’s influence. > Ramachandra Guha (2009) analysed India’s political evolution, and Medha > Patkar (2012) critiqued development paradigms through the lens of people’s > movements. Other prominent figures included Girish Karnad (2010) on > ‘Colonialism and Culture’, Nandan Nilekani (2009) on ‘Imagining India: > Future Challenges’, and Muhammad Yunus (2012) on social entrepreneurship. > These discussions were intellectually rigorous and relevant, staying true > to Kosambi’s principles of rationalism historical materialism and > socio-economic analysis. > > From 2013 onward, the festival broadened its themes, introducing corporate > leaders, motivational speakers, and spiritual figures, signalling a > noticeable departure from Kosambi’s core areas of inquiry. This edition > included a panel discussion on the portrayal of women in media with current > finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman as a speaker; and Bhikhu Parekh > discussing ‘The Indian Tradition of Public Debate’. The significant themes > reflected a shift away from historical materialism and rationalist inquiry. > The 2014–2015 editions included figures such as Narayan Murthy from > Infosys, environmental activist Vandana Shiva, media expert Alyque > Padamsee, and economist Raghuram Rajan. While some discussions maintained > academic depth, others veered into broad leadership governance and > development discourses, moving away from Kosambi’s materialist approach to > history and economic systems. > > By 2017–2020 the festival saw a near-total shift toward personal > inspiration, adventure and corporate philosophy with speakers such as Sudha > Murthy (2016) on ‘The Circle of Life’, George Papandreou (2016) on global > dialogue, Sandesh Kadur (2017) on environmental conservation and Deepa > Malik (2020) on overcoming disabilities. While these topics were > undoubtedly valuable, they bore little direct connection to Kosambi’s > academic focus. > > The 2025 edition continues this trend, featuring motivational talks, > personal stories of resilience, adventure sports, and spiritual guidance. > > Gaur Gopal Das is a popular motivational speaker and spiritual guide from > ISKCON known for his talks on personal growth philosophy and > self-improvement. Alka Sarogi is a Hindi novelist. Sarogi’s discussion on > mental health through literature is undoubtedly essential, but it does not > engage with Kosambi’s areas of research. A session exploring historical > narratives in literature class struggle in fiction or the materialist > interpretation of literature might have been more relevant. Aditya Gupta is > a mountaineer and entrepreneur. Gupta’s discussion on personal resilience > and leadership through mountaineering is inspiring but far removed from > Kosambi’s focus on scientific methodology, historical critique, and > economic history. Nivedita Bhide, associated with Vivekananda Kendra, > represents a school of thought emphasising cultural revivalism. Abhilash > Tomy is a naval officer and solo circumnavigator. Tomy’s discussion on > maritime adventure and resilience is an inspiring story of human endurance. > However, its connection to Kosambi’s historical materialism and scientific > historiography is again tenuous. > > While the line-up reflects a broadening of intellectual engagement, it no > longer serves as a tribute to Kosambi’s specific academic and philosophical > contributions. This raises an important question: Should the festival be > restructured to return to its original intellectual vision or be > repositioned as a more general discourse on ideas? To continue bearing > Kosambi’s name, a more deliberate effort must be made to integrate > discussions on historiography, rationalism, scientific temper, and economic > history. > > Future editions could include a balanced mix of scholars and contemporary > voices, ensuring that at least some sessions engage with Kosambi’s > intellectual domains. Potential speakers might include indologist Michel > Danino, Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Arvind Sharma, Jean Drèze, Dipankar Gupta, K. > K. Muhammed, et al. These scholars could explore themes such as materialist > interpretations of history, the impact of economic forces on civilisations, > and the scientific study of ancient societies, ensuring a connection to > Kosambi’s academic vision. > http://www.navhindtimes.in/2025/02/23/magazines/panorama/the-changing-focus-of-the-d-d-kosambi-festival-of-ideas/ > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Goa-Research-Net" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAMCR53%2B%2BTnJtV_zjBmBpdcf%2B-PexKL96esNtTkJ9SpvHz5EdJw%40mail.gmail.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/goa-research-net/CAMCR53%2B%2BTnJtV_zjBmBpdcf%2B-PexKL96esNtTkJ9SpvHz5EdJw%40mail.gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- normetica.blogspot.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Goa-Research-Net" group. 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