Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore
Mangalore, Nov 24: A conference on ‘Rethinking Religion in India’ was held at Sri Dharmarsthala Manjunatheshwara (SDM) College here on Saturday November 24.
The four day conference is being held to mark the fourth edition of a five year ‘Conference Cluster’.
The aim of the conference cluster ‘Rethinking Religion in India: Religion, Secularism in Law’ was to analyze the method of Indian traditions.
The aim of the conference is to explore the extent to which Christian notions about truth and falsehood, the goal of law, and the nature of a person have determined the western judicial system and the extent to which this was different from the Indian understanding of those aspects.
A book ‘Reconceptualising India Studies’ authored by SN Balagangadhara, director, India Platform, Ghent university, Belgium was released on the occasion. The book asserted that modern India studies were in need of theoretical rejuvenation.
Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore inaugurated the programme by lighting lamp along with other dignitaries on the dais.
Charly Poppe, First secretary, Embassy of Belgium, S L Bhoje Gowda, member of Bar Council of India, Bangalore, Professor S Prabhakar, vice president of SDM institution, Professor Balgangadhara Rao, director of Ghent University, Belgium shared the dais.
Addressing the gathering, Bishop Aloysius said that in one's social and political activities, the principles of religion play a prime role. Religion gives solution to various problems of life, he added.
He further said that the country is facing various social and political problems. To get rid of these, some prime principles of religion should be included in both these aspects, he said.
Professor Balgangadhara Rao in his address said that the concept of human rights was initially drawn according to the dogmas of religion. Later, secular influence dominated religion. In the present scenario, the Indian law is not according to the country’s traditions, instead the influence of western culture is obvious, he said.
The conference was jointly organized by SDM Law College, Mangalore, Research Centre Vergelijkende Cultuurwetenschap, Ghent University, Belgium, SDM Centre for Post Graduate Studies and Research in Law, Mangalore, Ghent University, Belgium, Centre for the Study of Local Cultures and PGD of Law, Kuvempu University, Department of Study of Religions, University of Parbudice, Czech Republic, and the India Platform UGent.