Governor N.N. Vohra inaugurated “Kashmir Philosophy with Special Reference to Abhinavagupta”, a two day International Seminar which has been organized by the Centre for Comparative Religions and Civilizations at the Central University of Jammu, here today.The Governor welcomed the participants and complimented the University for organizing a seminar to discuss an important theme. He observed that Kashmir’s contribution to philosophical thought, spirituality, ethics and aesthetics is of tremendous significance as almost all of the ancient and medieval Indian aesthetics in Sanskrit originated and developed in Kashmir. Paying tributes to Acharya Abhinavagupta, an early medieval period philosopher of unparalleled versatility from Kashmir and a great synthesizer of varied streams of thinking, the Governor observed that he was instrumental in rationalising the philosophical knowledge of that age into a coherent form which enabled the development of Kashmir Shaivism.Governor opined that the whole corpus of Kashmir’s speculative philosophy and mysticism, which are inalienable part of Indian cultural mosaic, need to be examined and appropriated so that this rich heritage is preserved and continues to enlighten and enrich us and future generations.
Governor observed that in the name of religion, the world is being torn apart by radical and fundamental ideologies; conflicts are taking place in many parts of the world; terrorist violence has emerged as an international phenomenon; the values of tolerance, communal harmony and brotherhood have been severely eroded and the world at large appears incapable of resolvingdisagreements through peaceful means, civilized debates and discussions. Governor said that if peace and normalcy is to be restored and humanity is to remain civilized, radical ideologies shall have to be denounced and collective efforts shall need to be made to revive the centuries old traditions of tolerance and brotherhood which transcend the barriers of religion, language, caste, colour and creed.Governor stressed the need of our Universities being proactive and make the people at large aware of our great heritage through discussions, debates and writings in simple language. The Governor hoped that the discussions in the Seminar over the next two days will give a strong message for the vigorous revival of pluralistic thought, communal harmony and brotherhood. He wished fruitful deliberations to the participants.Prof. Mark Dyczkowski, eminent Shaivite scholar, presented the Key Note Address. Prof. Ashok Aima, Vice Chancellor of the University, also addressed the gathering on the occasion.Prof. G.M. Khawaja, Director, Centre for Comparative Religions and Civilizations presented the Welcome Address and Sh. Ajay Kumar Singh, Asstt. Professor, Centre for Comparative Religions and Civilizations, gave the Vote of Thanks.