Karnāṭaka Śāstrīya Saṅgīta: Its Past, Present and Future: Reclaiming Sanskrit Studies

Swadeshi Indology (SI) Conferences were started to consider the various attacks that are being made on Sanātana Dharma in the name of “Indology” by various scholars who are trained in the dual streams of modern fields of scholarship as well as traditional Indian śāstra-s. The Fifth Swadeshi Indology Conference titled “Karnāṭaka Śāstrīya Saṅgīta: Its Past, Present, and Future” shares some commonalities with the earlier SI Conferences in that it was conceived of in order to shield the sanātana dhārmic aspects of the Classical music tradition of India from the attack by some modern scholars and musicians of skewed thinking; and differs from them in that it the Conference focussed not just on intervention but also on presenting the traditional point of view with regard to the various aspects of the musical tradition - such as the philosophy embedded in the literature, the contributions of some of the great vāggeyakāra-s (composers of music especially of South India) of the tradition; and alongside, discussing what constitutes legitimate creativity while still honouring the tradition.