Chhattisgarh journalism university to organise a seminar on Lord Hanuman

A journalism university in Chhattisgarh is set to hold a two-day seminar on Hindu monkey god Hanuman’s attributes although its vice-chancellor distanced himself from the seminar, saying it was not a university event.

The seminar at Kushabhau Thakre Journalism and Mass Communication University is being conducted by the department of Indology and Heritage Management, which is headed by Ashutosh Mandavi, the state chief of Akhil Bhartiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP), on September 7 and 8.

The department is yet to enrol a student this year as those who had applied were not up to the mark, according to Mandavi.

Hanuman is part of the department’s course work and the department had invited research papers on 19 themes related to Hanuman’s “attributes” such as life management skills, modern and ancient forms of Hanuman, importance of Ram and Ramayana in public life, and Hanuman in Sabar Matras.

“We have received 55 research papers from across the country,” said Mandavi.

University vice-chancellor Maan Singh Parmar sought to distance himself from the seminar, saying it was not a university event but hosted by the Uttar Pradesh government‘s Ayodhya Research Institute and Culture Department.

“I don’t think there is any harm in telling students about spiritual communication,” Parmar said.

Another faculty member said one can learn a lot from Hanuman, whose time management was “excellent”.

Y P Singh, director of Ayodhya Institute, which was set up in 1986 in Faizabad, said, “For journalism students, it is important to understand that how Hanuman reached across the globe. There are many aspects of (his) that should be read and learned.”

First Published: Sep 05, 2018 11:47 IST