British Parliament releases 300 year old transcript on Acharya Ramanuja

By Shubhi Mangla

London: The British Parliament has released a 300 year old text based on the life of Acharya Ramanuja, an Indian saint who lived back in the 11^th century, which was transcribed by Ragasudha Vinjamuri.

An event was organized by the Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence to celebrate the 999^th birth anniversary of the saint. The Telugu transcript was released during the event at the Committee Room of the British Parliament.

The event was hosted by Bob Blackman MP and attended by members of 20 different spiritual, cultural and community organizations.

According to Asian Lite, the transcript had been present in the British Library since 1942 on 70 palm leaf folios, among which some where lightly readable and others were damaged to some extent.

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The event was also saw speeches by honorable personalities. Dr M. Nanda Kumara, Executive Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Pandit Madhava Turumella, Secretary of National Council for Hindu Temples UK, Satish Sharma, Minister for Coordination from High Commission of India, A.S Rajan and twice Padma Bhushan and Sahitya Academy awardee writer Dr Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad were invited as speakers, who highlighted the religious philosophies and contributions of the great saint.

Ragasudha Vinjakumari discussed the various Indian scholars and historians who helped her in her work. She said that the transcription of the text and filling up missing details took her three years. Former MP of Indian Parliament, Laxmi Prasad, appreciated Bob Blackman MP and Sanskruti Centre for Cultural Excellence for hosting the event.

Ragasudha's efforts for spreading awareness about old texts were highlighted by Secretary of National Council for Hindu Temples UK, Satish Sharma. He also spoke about Ramanuja's teachings in the modern day context and the importance of the Hindu philosopher.

The event was also attended by Lord and Lady Dholakia who complimented the work. An Annamacharya Kirtana on Ramanujachaya was performed by singer Sirisha Jammi. Sushil Rapatawar and Sakshi Vishwesh introduced the speakers to the audience.

With inputs from theindiandiaspora.com

Shubhi Mangla is an intern at Newsgram and a student of Journalism and Mass Communication in New Delhi. Twitter @ shubhi_mangla