Ashtalakshmi Sant Vichaar Sammelan
| Swagat Adhyaksha | Shri Jishnu Dev Verma, Hon’ble Dy CM of Govt of Tripura |
| Karya Adhyaksha | HBP Dr Madan Maharaj Gosavi (Retired Judicial Officer & Warkari Keertankar) |
| Sammelan Adhyaksha | Swami Chitta Maharaj, Shanti Kali Ashram |
- Hon’ble CM (Govt of Tripura) Dr Manik Saha
- Shri Pranajit Singha Roy, Minister of Tourism, Govt of Tripura
- Prof Ganga Prasad Prasain, Vice Chancellor, Tripura University.
- Tridandi Swami Sreemad Bhakti Kamal Baisnab Maharaj
Swami Chitta Maharaj, Shanti Kali Ashram
Following on the heels of the Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan, the Ashtalakshmi Sant Vichaar Sammelan quickly made the leap from Global to Local. Once the tone and ideology were set by the first sammelan, it was time to deliberate on the specifics, to explore one area in detail, whether conceptually or geographically, and the North East region of India stood out for many reasons.
The most important reason that there is a disconnect between the north eastern states of India and what is colloquially known as the mainland. Lack of rail, road, and flight connectivity is the biggest reason for this disconnect. But, spiritually and culturally there are a lot of similarities and these were the similarities we wanted to explore in a two-way introduction – we wanted to learn about the region and peoples as much as possible, and we wanted to showcase our culture as well. By the support of a lot of people, this was made possible.
The Ashtalakshmi Sant Vichaar Sammelan aimed to give an equal platform to recorded literature, oral traditions, folk practices, and more. This is why it became a Sant Vichaar Sammelan rather than sticking to Sant Sahitya as was the concept of the first one. As we learned more about the North East, we learned that written literature might not be the primary mode of archival or practice of the different communities and indigenous faiths. Hence, the pivot to Sant Vichaar from Sant Sahitya, and successfully so.
The connecting thread between the two Sammelans was Hon’ble Dy CM of Govt of Tripura, Shri Jishnudev Varma. After gracing the Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan in April at Kolhapur and understanding the value of the Sammelan as also the selfless dedication of the team involved, he promptly invited us to create such a property in the North East, offering the city of Agartala as the host city for the event. It followed that he accepted our invitation to be the Swagat Adhyaksha or the Chief Host of the event to welcome the whole of the Sammelan, the speakers, the audience, the cultural troupes.
- Swami Tryambakanand (Ramkrishna Sangh)
- Dr Sangeeta Gogoi (Dept of History, Mangaldai College, Assam)
- Dr Arvinda Mahato (Regional Director, IGNOU)
- Nikhil Newaskar (RSS Praant Pracharak, Tripura Praant)
- Acharya Srider Vasudevan (Sanskrit Scholar)
- Acharya Agastya Sanjeev Purohit (Sri Vidya Upasak)
- Kakchingtabam Brajamani Sharma (Manipuri Viashnavism Scholar and Practitioner)
- O Rilando Shallam (Custodian of NiamTre Indigenous Faith & President of Seinrajj Jowai, Meghalaya)
- Dr Sourish Devburman (Practicing Surgeon, Scholar of History, Culture, and Tribal Studies of NE region)
- Partha Sarathi Dutta (Grassroots Social Worker, NE region)
- Manoshi Sinha Rawal (Prolific Author, Independent Researcher of History & Temples)
- Dharmguru Gautam Mishra (Manaspuja Guru and Proponent)
- Sandeep Kavishwar (Grassroots Social Worker)
- Dr Shukhdeba Sharma Hanjabam (Prolific Author and Scholar, Convenor of Intellectual Forum of NE, Manipur)
- Rami Niranjan Desai (Anthropologist with grassroots experience in NE)
- Dr Atul Debbarma (MLA - Govt of Tripura, Medical Doctor, educationist, writer, translator of Bhagwad Geeta to Kokborok)
- Dr Shankar Roy (HoD Biochemistry, Tripura Medical College)
- Gangadhar Krishnan (North East explorer, sustainability practitioner)
- Dr Veenu Pant (HoD History, Sikkim University)
- Morningstar Khongthaw (Ecologist, Living Bridges Activist and Expert, Meghalaya)
- Prafulla Ketkar (Senior Journalist, Editor of Organiser)
- Saffron Swords Pt 2 by Manushi Sinha Rawal (Independent Researcher on Indian History and ancient Temples, founder of MyIndiaMyGlory) – a collection of 52 stories of Indic resistance against invaders.
- Culture of Tripura – Hand-drawn and Laser etched Rubber Wood Plaque by Abhinav Kant of Bamboo and Cane Development Institute, Agartala, Tripura.
- Bhartiya Knowledge Systems – Archaelogical Perspective with Special Reference to Rakhigarhi by Dr Vasant Shinde (Archaelogist, currently CSIR Bhatnagar Fellow at Center for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Hyderabad).
- Photography Exhibition by Ministry of Tourism, Govt of Tripura.
- Ashtalakshmi Stuti – written by Maruti Shishya, presented by Shantanu Herlekar
- Tokari Geet, Assam
- Nat Sankkirtan, Manipur
- Adi tribe Shamanic Dance Ritual, Arunachal
- Warkari Khel – Shri Mauli Warkari Sanstha Anathalay, Nilod, Maharashtra
- Sanskar Bharati Dance & Drama Troupe, Agartala
- Smt Adwitiya Gope
- Shri Arijit Banik
- Dr Jamuna Debnath
- Smt Mousumi Basfore
- Dr Munmun Dasbiswas
- Smt Rituparna Chakraborty
- Dr Surajit Sen
- HBP Dr Madan Maharaj Gosavi
- Prof Dr Prakash Khandge
- Ravi Patil
- Adv Akshay Gosavi
- Adv Roshan Patil
- Jagannath Patil
- Dr Sanket Kharpude
- Shantanu Herlekar
Anish Vyavahare
- Advait Kulkarni
- Akinchan Sarkar, IAS
- Bhaskarrav Bhange
- Dinesh Tiwari
- Harshal Vibhandik
- Krishnachandra Adal
- Dr Sourish Devburman
- Suman Bhattacharjee
- Vaibhav Bhagat
- Yogesh Pawar
- Intellectual Forum of North East (IFNE)
- Krishna Advertising Agency, Agartala
- Sanskar Bharati, Agartala
- Skyroute PR Media & Events, Kalwa
- Sukrut Creations, Pune
- Unique Travels, Pune
Yogi Designs, Mumbai
Puraskars
Following the legacy of the Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan, the Ashtalakshmi Sant Vichaar Sammelan became a platform to publish relevant & contextual books, content, and art. From indigenous bamboo art to books about region, the Sammelan in Agartala succeded as a platform for quality work to reach a greater number of people.
Vishwatmak Sant
Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar
Vishwatmak Sant Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar being conferred upon Swami Chitta Maharaj of Shanti Kali Ashram, Amarpur, Tripura, by Hon’ble CM of Govt of Tripura Dr Manik Saha, as Dy CM Shri Jishnudev Varma and Vice Chancellor of Tripura University Prof Ganga Prasad Prasain look on.
After the horrific shooting of Gurudev Santi Kali, the founder of Shanti Kali Ashram by Christian extremists, as his senior disciple, Chitta Maharaj took it upon himself to continue the work of making education, health, art, devotion accessible to orphans and the poor.
Today, the Shanti Kali Mission has eighteen branches in Tripura with schools, music training, hostels and orphanages. Under the guidance of Swami Chitta Maharaj, the Shanti Kali Mandir at Amarpur was built with donations & shramdaan in tribute to his guru Santi Kali. This beautiful mandir was inaugurated in August 2022 by RSS Sarsanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat.
Publications
Unvieling, and Exhibitions
Saffron Swords Part 2
Dr Prakash Khandge and Manoshi Sinha Rawal with her book Saffron Swords Part 2. Following on the heels of the very successful Saffron Swords, this second book in the series continues with 52 untold episodes of Indic resistance to invaders, from the 8th century to independence.
Although Manoshi is herself from the north east and the book has episodes about the North East as well, the Ashtalakshmi Sant Vichaar Sammelan was the first time any of the series of Saffron Swords was unveiled in the North Eastern region of India.
Bhartiya Knowledge Systems by Dr Vasant Shinde
Unveiling of Bhartiya Knowledge Systems by Dr Vasant Shinde. From L to R: Dr Prakash Khandge, Manoshi Sinha Rawal, Dr Madan Maharaj Gosavi, Swami Chitta Maharaj, Shri Pranajit Singha Roy, Prof Kshitij Patukle (publisher, BHISHMA)
Dr Vasant Shinde is a superstar of Indian Archaeological Studies with a focus on ancient Indian civilisations. The particular book unveiled at the Sammelan is Bhartiya Knowledge Systems: Archaeological Perspective with Special Reference to Rakhigarhi.
The Rakhigarhi region in Haryana, India has a large archaeological site where a Harappan city was unearthed. Dr Vasant Shinde’s studies with current housing, cooking, living conditions and aesthetics in the Rakhigarhi villages in comparison to archaeological evidence and DNA studies from the Harappan site show remarkable similarities in culture and lifestyle leading him to surmise a continuation of culture and genetics over a time span of 5000 years.
Cultural Heritage of India by Abhinav Kant
Unveiling of Cultural Heritage of Tripura. From L to R: Dr Madan Maharaj Gosavi, Swami Chitta Maharaj, Shri Pranajit Singha Roy, Prof Kshitij Patukle.
Shri Abhinav Kant of the Bamboo and Cane Development Institute, Tripura conceptualized and executed Cultural Heritage of Tripura that showcases the most prominent heritage site of Tripura which are Unakoti with its famous rock carving of Shiva, Chabimura with its famous rock carving of Durga, and the Tripureshwari Mandir of the 52 Shakti Peeths.
Academic Sessions
As With the Vishwatmak Sant Sahitya Sammelan, the crux of the Ashtalakshmi Sant Vichaar Sammelan was the discussions. presentations, deliberations by panelists with learning. experience, and perspective. Spread out over two days. these content focussed sessions included academicians, field workers, policy makers, and thought leaders. Apart from an introduction to the North East way of life. the sessions were conceptualized with a view toward problem definition and solution brainstorming too.
