Need religious bodies to preserve ancient wisdom: Historian Hindol Sengupta

Mysuru: Historian Hindol Sengupta advocated the need for the establishment of religious institutions in the country for preserving and disseminating ancient wisdom, and the spread of spirituality, religion, and tradition to a wider audience.He was speaking on the second day of the Mysuru Literary Festival on Sunday."Such institutions will act as cultural hubs for the promotion of traditional arts and music, engage in charitable activities, community service, and educational initiatives, besides helping individuals on their path of realisation as well as contributing to the well-being of society," he said. However, such institutions must be non-political, maintaining distance from politics for the betterment of society, he added. Even today, India has emerged as a global leader in the spread of spirituality, he said.Former Union minister and senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said that even though he is a Congressman and respects former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, he opposes the Emergency, which was against people's wishes. It remained a black mark on Indira Gandhi, he said. He said even though Mysuru rulers did tremendous work, Muslim administrators like Mirza Ismail were overlooked.