A special lecture was conducted by Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Chair, Faculty of Social Sciences, Banaras Hindu University (BHU) on the occasion of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Jayanti on Monday at the Sambodhi Sabhagar on varsity campus here. Prof Tej Pratap Singh, coordinator of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Chair inaugurated the programme by welcoming the dignitaries. In his welcoming address, Prof Singh explained the rising significance of ‘soft power’ in influencing external relations. Key speaker Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), former Member of the Parliament of India and a researcher delivered his special lecture on the topic ‘Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay: Cultural Nationalism and India’s Soft Power.’ The chair for the session, Prof Binda Paranjape, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, talked about the significance as well as challenges of maintaining cultural solidarity in a multicultural nation like India.
Prof Singh proposed the vote of thanks. Prof Amarnath Mohanti, Prof Abhinav Sharma and students from various departments were present on the occasion.
