Every country boasts its exclusiveness but India is the only country that encourages inclusiveness despite its unimaginable and infinite diversity, said eminent scholar from Dara Shikoh Studies Krishna Gopal.
Delivering the keynote address at the valedictory of the two-day international conference at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) on Wednesday, he said that a large part of Indian literature was based on dialogue. “Dara Shikoh restarted the stalled dialogue process and also established libraries in Benaras, Delhi, Agra, Lahore, and Srinagar,” he said.
The conference “Majma-ul-Bahrain of Dara Shikoh Harbinger of Pluralistic Approach towards Religion and Spirituality” organised by the Department of Persian & Central Asian Studies (DP&CAS), MANUU, was supported by the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL).
The book “Deewan-e-Dara Shikoh” published by NCPUL was also released by the guest. Chancellor Mumtaz Ali was the chief patron and Vice-Chancellor Syed Ainul Hasan presided over the conference, where the participants spoke on different aspects of the multi-faceted personality of the Mughal Prince.
Dr. Krishna Gopal said that God created all human beings and Dara Shikoh conveyed this message. “We want to be separate but it creates discord and that’s why we must embrace inclusion. Organisations like United Nations and UNESCO are looking for a way to remedy the separatism spread in the world,” he added.
Mr. Mumtaz Ali pointed out that Majma-ul-Bahrain brings our minds together to think and find out solutions so that we can live in peace. Prof. Ainul Hasan said that we carry several identities, but the biggest identity should be Indian.
“On one hand when I reveal several identities based on mother tongue, religion, birthplace, and education, I carry one particular soul identity as an Indian”, he said.
