The purpose of this document is to help universities
organize and hold a conference or a workshop in their area. Email any questions on these guidelines to Dr. Subhash Pandey at scpandey@uic.edu.
At least 300 attendees are expected at the first conference. These
will be professionals from all over the United States interested in Ramayana literature and art. The mix will consist of participants from the different
Ramayana countries listed below:
Bhutan, Cambodia,
Fiji, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Thailand, Trinidad Tobago, and Vietnam
Twenty speakers will attend the
conference, with 10 from different U.S. institutions and 10 from different countries worldwide. Efforts will be made to have participants from as many different countries as possible.
II. Planned Activities and Outline
The conference will require at least one year lead time for preparation. The conference will have six half-day sessions, which will be held in three days. We propose Friday,
Saturday and Sunday for the conference and workshop. The first two days will feature a lunch with the speakers and a dinner followed by an approximately one-hour cultural program. The conference will focus on the
"Artistic and Literary Variations of Ramayana Worldwide." The individual sessions may focus on the following subjects; however, precise determination of the session titles will depend on the available proposed
papers literarians and historians submit.
- Ramayana's effect on family relations.
- Ramayana-related education and research efforts.
- Ramayana's inception in various countries.
- Ramayana's literary, poetic and artistic forms.
- Ramayana's effect on various cultures and civilizations.
Responsibilities of the University and the Ramayana Institute
The university will need to bear all expenses for this conference. The Ramayana Institute will provide the following:
- Consulting support to obtain learned speakers from different countries.
- Expertise to select speakers from the received applicants, if needed.
- Volunteers to manage the conference.
- Any additional efforts the university needs.
