Dr. Shilpa Khatri Babbar, gestakennari í indverskum fræðum við Háskóla Íslands, heldur fyrirlestur um gömul indversk handrit. Í fyrirlestri sínum, sem ber heitið „India´s ancient manuscripts and knowledge systems“, mun dr. Shilpa fjalla um þessi ómetanlegu handrit og þekkingarkerfi þeirra sem lýsa því hvernig þau eru samofin indversku samfélagi og menningu.

Fyrirlesturinn verður haldinn á ensku.

Útdráttur úr erindi dr. Babbar

„India stands as one of the world's most ancient and enduring sustainable civilizations, with an estimated five million manuscripts—the largest repository of manuscript wealth globally. These extraordinary treasures encompass an incredible diversity of themes, materials, scripts, and languages, preserved on an array of surfaces including palm leaves, tree bark, paper, cloth, and even precious metals like gold and silver. The manuscripts explore an astonishingly broad range of subjects: from precise sciences like astronomy and architecture to intricate arts such as music, dance, and theatre, and profound disciplines including philosophy, medicine, and grammar.

Beyond its written heritage, India maintains an unbroken oral tradition of Vedic knowledge spanning more than 5,000 years. The Vedic heritage comprises four Vedas—often referred to as "books of knowledge"—despite being transmitted exclusively through oral recitation. These texts were preserved using unique recitation techniques based on nuanced tonal accents, a practice so remarkable that UNESCO has recognized it as an intangible heritage of humanity."