Assam and Visva Bharati Sign MoU for Srimanta Sankardeva Chair

The Assam government and Visva Bharati, Santiniketan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Thursday to establish a Srimanta Sankardeva Chair at the university in West Bengal. 

The MoU was signed in the presence of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Visva Bharati Vice Chancellor Arabinda Mondal. 

Sarma highlighted that Srimanta Sankardeva's teachings have illuminated Assam for centuries and united Sanatan Dharma by transcending caste identities. 

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He urged the academic community to use the agreement to advance scholarship on Sankardeva's contributions to Indian society. 

The chair, set up with a one-time grant of Rs 5 crore, aims to promote study and research on Srimanta Sankardeva and his Bhakti movement beyond Assam and India. 

The MoU will also support doctoral and post-doctoral research on the Bhakti movement, covering its history, facets, literature, culture, and institutions. 

Similar Srimanta Sankardeva Chairs have been established at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and Punjab University in Chandigarh.