Philosophy of Sankaradeva in Harvard curriculum
It is my habit to occasionally check the net for posts about myself. I do this to find out who all are discussing my articles/books or which universities have collected my books for their libraries. While I was doing it in the afternoon of 1st May, I was pleasantly surprised to see my name in a link of Harvard University courses. It was in a tutorial website of USA which ran online tuition for different institutions.
When I opened the site I saw that Harvard University had included my article on Srimanta Sankaradeva’s Religious Philosophy in their course material for the course RELIGION S-1010 run by the Department of Religion. The title of the article was "Unique Features of Srimanta Sankaradeva’s Religious Philosophy ‘Vivartanavâda’: [Comparison with other Sanâtana Hindu Philosophies]". It was uploaded in the facebook group Followers of Srimanta Sankaradeva as a file on 23rd June, 2011. I showed a major characteristic of Srimanta Sankaradeva’s philosophy in it that it preached equality of the Nirguna Brahma and Saguna Iswara. His philosophy, Vivartanavâda facilitated the elevation of the Jiva from the primary dual state to the non-dual state of identity with Brahma. The full article was also made available in the website of our organisation, Society for Srimanta Sankaradeva, where it was uploaded on 29th December, 2011. Another website http://atributetosankaradeva.org/ also uploaded the same article. Harvard took the article from that link.
I thought that it was an important achievement as philosophy of Srimanta Sankaradeva was hardly taught in any university. And it was now included in the curriculum of Harvard University. I gave a post in my Facebook timeline at 5.30 pm that evening with the website link alluding to Harvard.
There were a lot of likes as well as comments of appreciation on the post. Engineer Devanjan Bora phoned from Numaligarh to give me compliment. That was all for the day. Next morning Dr Premanand Goswami called from Qatar to express his happiness. Some time later Eminent Sanskrit singer Ranjan Bezbaruah phoned me and asked me why there was no news by any paper or channel on this important development. He asked whether I had informed any reporter to do news on it. I said I did not ask anyone and moreover I did not need to as several of them were in my Facebook friend list, which meant they had seen my post. He opined that it was an important achievement and deserved to be covered by the news media. He himself requested a few reporters. Chandan Bora of Dainik Asom came to my home alongwith Rocky Wahid of the channel ETV Bharatvarsha. They took my interview. The first to crack the news was ETV Bharatvarsha at 8. 26 pm of 2nd May. That was the first ever news on the entire happening.
News about Harvard University's Department of Religion including my article in their course material for the course RELIGION S-1010 appeared in the Assamese daily ASOMIYA PRATIDIN as well as Niyamiya Barta on 3rd May. They were the first print media to break the news. My mother called me early in the morning to inform me. Some time later I posted it in my timeline.
As soon as I posted it in my timeline, it created a great sensation, which the post of previous day could not do. Many persons shared the post. It became a celebration that the message of Srimanta Sankaradeva had gone to such reputed academic circle abroad. My daughter Airy Sanjeev, a post doctoral fellow in IIT, Guwahati and son Sarvajit Sanjeev, working in a medicine company in Hyderabad as intern were also inundated with messages. Wife Madhumita had incessant calls from her class-mates and relatives. It became an electrified atmosphere. Even the manager of HDFC Bank, where my son-in-law Devraj worked was elated. Amrit Pritam and Debajit Changmai from Mumbai, Ram Sarangapani from USA, musician Rupam Jyoti Bora, retired IAS officer Jyotiprasad Saikia, Prof Binod Khadria of JNU, IAS officers Hitesh Deva Sarma and Shamsher Singh, Bollywood actor Rana Yashodhan Singh and so many others wrote words of appreciation in my timeline.
I received numerous phone calls. Present and past secretaries of Asom Sattra Mahasabha Mr Kusum Mahanta and Mr Jibeswar Gowami respectively, Sattradhikar of Naowa Sattra Mr Debananda Deva Goswami, retired professor of Gauhati University Dr Bhupen Roy Choudhury, eminent artist Hemchandra Goswami of Majuli, social worker Tarun Bordoloi, litterateur Dr Indira Saikia Bora, Deba Kumar Saikia and Abha Bora, Bargeet singer Ranjit Bora of Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha, Sattriya artist Rubul Mahanta, activist of Namghariya Samaj Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan, retired registrar of Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya Dr Ratul Chandra Bora etc called me to convey their warm wishes. The same day Pratidin Times carried the news in their portal also. My colleagues Dr Sabita Devi and Mr Suranjan Bhowal were highly effusive in their praise.
Meanwhile the correspondents of THE HINDU and THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS called me on phone. It was again Ranjan, who got them to contact me. He insisted that the news should go to national level. Both the papers carried the news in the online versions.
As soon as these two news were carried, phones started coming from outside Assam. My Facebook posts of the two news went viral. Hundreds of people shared my different posts in both regular timeline as well as my Facebook page. Congratulatory messages came from novelist Dr Dipak Borkakoti and film director Surjya Hazarika. The best post in Facebook was by Dr Indrajit Bezbaroah, Associate Professor of History in Lumding College. He said how I had surmounted numerous opposition in my career. The Hindu news became so popular that it came among the top ten news and stayed there overnight. In the afternoon it was on 4th position, then at night on 6th position and 10th position even the next day morning.
It was not that our local English paper THE ASSAM TRIBUNE did not carry it. They were kind enough to put it in one corner of page eight among a lot of brief news, which obviously went unnoticed. Rajib Dutta of Majuli was very unhappy and he sent details about my works, which he sent to a sub-editor of THE ASSAM TRIBUNE asking him to make a better news.
Assamese news papers DAINIK ASOM and AMAR ASOM covered it in their own style, on 5th May. Vernacular readers who missed it in PRATIDIN got it through them. I felt bad for Chandan Bora of Dainik Asom because he had sent the news probably on 2nd May itself. He had been looking for a scoop. But Ranjan consoled him that it was a great issue and he should not get disheartened if others went before him.
MP of Nagaon and Jorhat Mr Pradyut Bordoloi and Mr Kamakhya Prasad Tasa called me to congratulate. Both were very sincere in their appreciation. Kamakhya expressed eagerness to do something to carry things further. Career consultant Dr Buljit Buragohain sent link of the news to the non-resident Indians by email. Meanwhile the news of The Hindu and The New Indian Express made many others to make their own news. Several web-portals in Assam made video news. E-journal THE PRINT made theirs on 6th May.
The Harvard inclusion inspired many people. Many young boys and girls shared my posts. It numbered several hundreds. I was impressed how these young people felt happy with their heritage. Tarun Bordoloi was informed about the news by his grandson studying in Singapore. Deba Kumar Saikia was informed by his daughter staying in California. Congratulatory messages came from Arabinda Dutta in Kwait and Dr Binoy Bordoloi in USA. Dr Rajen Barua of USA shared my post. There were discussion and appreciation among the non-resident Assamese in the Facebook group THE ASSAM CONNECTION IN USA & CANADA. I got beautiful messages from Dr Vikramjit Kakati of IIT, Guwahati, author and critic Dr Jyotirmoy Jana, film director Utpal Barpujari, orthopaedic expert Dr Sanjeev Kumar Bhuyan, Secretary of Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra Sudarshan Thakur etc. One college student in Assam, Dhanmani Das asked me whether he could write an article on the Harvard inclusion. I said why not. He went ahead and sent a write-up to newspaper. Thus an all-pervasive impact took place all over Assam, thanks to the article on Philosophy of Srimanta Sankaradeva.
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