GUWAHATI: The 10th Professor Sarat Mahanta Memorial Lecture took place at Royal Global University, Guwahati on Thursday, May 2, where renowned author, poet, lyricist, and motivational speaker Akshat Gupta delivered a thought-provoking talk on Hindu dharma and the cultural importance of Hindu scriptures.
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Gupta began his lecture by emphatically stating that it is grossly wrong to label Hindu scriptures as “mythology.” He explained that the term “mythology” originates from “mithya,” meaning untruth or falsehood, and argued that referring to texts like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, and Upanishads as mythology essentially brands them as lies. "The moment you term Hindu scriptures and texts as mythology, you are labelling them as fiction," Gupta said. "How shall we inculcate devotion amongst our children if we call out religious and ancient philosophical texts as fictitious?"
Gupta also pointed out that only Hindu texts are termed as mythology, unlike those from other faiths. He suggested that this was a colonial tactic: "The Europeans who colonised Bharat knew it would be easy to rule over the people of this land if they were alienated from their dharma and culture."
He further highlighted the psychological effects of colonial influence with a striking example: "The word ‘sir’ comes from Africa. The whites, when they initially went to Africa and tried to dominate the Africans, the latter fought back and defeated them because they were physically much stronger. Then the whites made them feel inferior and enslaved them psychologically by making them call the Europeans ‘sir,’ which stands for ‘slave I remain.’ Once the Africans started calling the whites ‘sir,’ subjugating them was a cakewalk."
Gupta examined examples of how ancient Indian scholars' discoveries have been dismissed or re-attributed in the modern world. He noted, "We are taught that Galileo found out that the world is round and revolves around the sun. But our ancient scholars coined the term ‘bhugol’ for geography, ‘bhu’ meaning earth and ‘gol’ meaning round." He also shared his thoughts on the seven-horse chariot of Surya (the Sun God), which signifies the white light splitting into seven colours when passed through a prism. Gupta tied this back to modern discoveries, saying, "Astronomers found out in the last century that the solar system has nine planets. We knew of ‘navagraha’ long before that."
Gupta also critiqued the modern educational system and the way English is taught. He suggested, "Why not teach children ‘A’ for Amba, ‘B’ for Bhagwan, or ‘C’ for culture instead of ‘A’ for apple and ‘B’ for ball?" He argued that this would reconnect young minds with their cultural roots, which he believes have been eroded by Western educational norms.
He further drew attention to the language used to refer to women, challenging the term “aurat” (which he explained means vagina in Arabic) and the word “madam,” which he said has connotations of prostitution. "When we refer to women as ‘aurat’ or call them ‘madam,’ we are objectifying them. We should refer to women as ‘deviji,’ as our forefathers did," he said. He made a poignant comparison between the terms "princess" and "rajkumari," suggesting that the image of a "princess" often implies frailty and subjugation, while a "rajkumari" or "rani" evokes strength and independence.
Gupta also disputed the term "Hinduism," stating, "It should be Hindutva, not Hinduism. ‘Ism’ is associated with terrorism and communism. Hindutva cannot be reduced to an ‘ism.’ Our dharma and philosophy are much beyond and superior to an ‘ism.’ We should be careful about the usage of terms."
Assam Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, who presided over the event, paid tribute to Professor Sarat Mahanta and spoke about the need for cultural self-awareness. "Centuries of subjugation made us lose our ‘atmagaurav,’ our sense of pride in our heritage and culture. But today, our sense of ‘atmavishwas’ is returning," he said.
The evening’s programme was organised by Dr Upasana Mahanta, professor and dean of Jindal Global University, and daughter of the late Professor Sarat Mahanta. She spoke of the values and pride in ancient Indian culture that were instilled in her and her siblings by their father. The event began with an invocation song by Zublee Baruah and the lighting of the traditional lamp.
Among the distinguished guests were entrepreneur Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, Assam DGP Harmeet Singh, Lt Gen (retd) Rana Pratap Kalita, and many prominent cultural and academic figures, including APSC Chairman Debraj Upadhyay, Advocate General Debajit Lon Saikia, and several well-known actors.
