Read presentations from events held in 2014.
A History of Influence through Translation: The Pañcatantra from India to Italy
12 September 2014
In this seminar at Victoria University of Wellington, Dr Marco Sonzogni drew upon his research into the world-wide diffusion, reception and translations of the Pañcatantra, an ancient Indian collection of animal fables believed to have been authored by the Indian sage Pandit Vishnu Sarma around 200 BCE.
Over the last 1500 years, he mentioned, more than 200 different versions in about 60 languages have been produced. As early as the 11th century this work reached Europe, and before 1600 it appeared in Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Spanish, Italian, German, French, English, Czech, Old Slavonic (and other Slavonic languages). It has also been retranslated into its original language, Sanskrit.
Dr Sonzogni argued that translations of fables such as these quickly made animal symbolism a truly universal model for ethical conduct, intelligent living and peaceful relationships, and thus informed the wisdom and knowledge of target cultures with idiomatic expressions, nursery rhymes, ballads, proverbs, fables and other forms of adaptation.
Dr Sonzogni is currently mapping and digitalising this spread of influence from ancient India through translations into European literary traditions and cultural usage over a long period of time.
New Zealand Indian Diaspora Convention
26 July 2014
In collaboration with AUT Business School, ANZ and INZBC, the New Zealand India Research Institute sponsored the first New Zealand Indian Diaspora Convention in Auckland. The convention initiated a dialogue between academic, business and community leaders on various issues facing the Indian Diaspora in New Zealand, as well as the role they can play in developing closer business, social and political ties between India and New Zealand.
The day was organised into three main sessions: first an Academic panel “Indians in New Zealand: past and present”, followed by a Business panel “Indian business in NZ and doing business with India” and finally a Community panel “opportunities and challenges for Indians in NZ”. Each panel finished with a 40-minute discussion session.
The Academic session introduced particularly informative papers which are now on the NZIRI website, and the Community panel produced an interesting and constructive debate, bringing out many issues that the Indian community faces in New Zealand, such as the treatment of the elderly. The feedback session at the end of the day confirmed that the Convention was very well received, with calls for it to become an annual event.
The Convention was inaugurated by Hon. Judith Collins, Minister of Ethnic Affairs, Government of New Zealand. The Chief Guests who spoke at the Convention were the Rt Hon. Sir Anand Satyanand, the 19th Governor General of New Zealand (2006–11) and now the Chair of the Commonwealth Foundation, and His Excellency Mr Ravi Thapar, the High Commissioner of India in New Zealand. Apart from them, Prof. Kate Kearins, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Business and Law, AUT, Mr Sunil Kaushal, Head of India Relations, ANZ Bank, Prof. Sekhar Bandyopadhyay, NZIRI Director, and Prof. Edwina Pio, Associate Director of NZIRI, also spoke during the inaugural session.
Lecture by Professor Ranabir Samaddar at Victoria University of Wellington.
Many have termed the recent change of union government in India as a kind of paradigm shift. The elections have been analysed over and over again, and appear in the eyes of the commentators as exceptional.
However, these commentaries are as confusing as the elections themselves. Given the complexity of this election, probably it is too early to say anything definite on the political history that this election will create. Yet if we take this election as the starting point of any analysis that claims that a paradigm shift has taken place with the new government in power in Delhi, we shall have to examine four posers:
The answers will help us to understand the evolving nature of Indian democracy.
