Celebrating A Sanskrit Scholar: Pune’s Deccan College To Host Inaugural Pandit Venkateshshastri Joshi Endowment Lecture On 7th November
Pune, 4th November 2023: The city of Pune has always been lauded as the storehouse of knowledge, where the foundation of many renowned academic institutes was laid, and many stalwarts from diverse disciplines flourished.
Deccan College Post-graduate and Research Institute is one of the oldest among these institutes, shaping and nurturing scholars in specialized disciplines such as Sanskrit studies, Linguistics, and Archaeology. One such stalwart was Pandit Venkateshshastri Joshi, a scholar of Paninian grammar who contributed significantly to the Encyclopedic Sanskrit Dictionary project at Deccan College Post-graduate and Research Institute.
Pt. Joshi studied Sanskrit grammar, literature, and Dhamarshastra for 12 years, passing the Kavyatirtha and Vyakaranatirtha examinations from Calcutta. After a brief period at Deccan College, Pt. Joshi worked as a visiting lecturer at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He also served as a Principal at Bal Mukund Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya (Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth), Pune, and was a fellow of the esteemed Centre of Advanced Studies in Shimla. Recognized for his contribution to Sanskrit studies through editing and authoring numerous books and research articles, Pt. Joshi received prestigious awards such as Dharmacharya, Vyakaranabhushana, and Mahamahopadhyaya (greatest among all teachers) from Kashi Vidyapeeth.
Pandit Venkateshshastri Joshi, born on 1st November 1922, is celebrated in the year 2022-23 as his centenary birth year. In his fond memory, the Department of Sanskrit and Lexicography at Deccan College is organizing the ‘First Pandit Venkateshshastri Joshi Endowment Lecture’ on Tuesday, 7th November 2023, in the auditorium of the Library Building of Deccan College from 4:30 pm onwards. Renowned Paninian scholar, Dr. Saroja Bhate, will deliver the lecture, titled ‘Decoding the Linguistic Code of Panini.’ Dr. Bhate, formerly Head of the Department of Sanskrit at Savitribai Phule Pune University, is internationally acclaimed in the field of Sanskrit grammar. The lecture is open to all. For more information, please contact [email protected].
