Author: IANS
Publication: MSN India
Date: November 13, 2005
URL: http://autofeed.msn.co.in/pandorav3/output/NRI/553e0c61-c7f9-4b2a-aab2-8569e5e4c431.aspx
Hundreds of scholars from India and abroad are working on a multi-billion rupee project to make the epic story Mahabharata available to a global audience.
The 18-volume bilingual encyclopaedia of the epic, in English and Sanskrit, is expected to be completed in five years. The project undertaken by a research foundation Mahabharata Samshodhana Pratisthanam, is being funded by the ministry of human resource development (HRD), corporates and institutions in a public-private partnership.
"The encyclopaedia will cover every aspect of the Hindu epic, including the Gita, the sermon delivered by Lord Krishna to Arjuna on the battleground," Ramchandra Budhilal, a Wipro software specialist associated with the project, told IANS.
To kick-start the project, the city-based Indic Research Foundation, promoted by techies of global IT firms such as Wipro, IBM and Intel, is organising a nine-day Mahabharata Utsav or festival that began Sunday.
"The objective of the entire exercise is to contextualise India's ancient wisdom and knowledge for improving the quality of life across the world. The festival is a conscious effort to reach out the common folk as all the facets of life are depicted in the epic," Budhilal said.
As part of the project, President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will dedicate a state-of-the-art digital mobile laboratory (DML) for manuscripts and heritage Nov 21.
The DML is a pioneering effort to conserve and digitise age-old manuscripts scattered all over the country. The research foundation will closely work with the national mission for manuscripts to preserve and digitise the manuscripts and palm leaves containing ancient material and classical literature.
"We are also displaying the world's longest canvas painting of Mahabharata, measuring about 1.7 km during the event, besides traditional and contemporary paintings of the epic and its main personalities," Budhilal said.