Delhi to host mega conference on India's wider cultural connections across globe from Oct 14-16

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) will organise a three-day international conference in the national capital from October 14 to 16, bringing together scholars, ambassadors and delegates from 50 countries to explore India's cultural and civilisational connections across the world, officials said on Monday.

Titled Brihattar Bharat: International Conference on Bharat's Cultural Connections Across the Globe, the event will examine the historical transmission and adaptation of Indian cultural, philosophical, artistic, linguistic and religious traditions across different regions.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat will inaugurate the conference at Vigyan Bhawan, while a special video message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be played during the inaugural session.

Participants from China, Japan, Mongolia, Nepal, Iran and several other countries are expected to contribute to discussions on shared cultural heritage, historical exchanges and the continuing relevance of civilisational connections.

𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆

The conference will commemorate 100 years of the Greater India Society, also known as the Brihattar Bharat Parishad, which was established in Calcutta, now Kolkata, on October 14, 1926.

According to IGNCA, the society was founded by a generation of Indian scholars, with Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore serving as its spiritual guide.

The organisation played a role in developing systematic scholarly engagement with India's wider civilisational interactions and cultural connections beyond its geographical boundaries.

The forthcoming conference seeks to renew that intellectual endeavour through fresh research, interdisciplinary perspectives and international academic collaboration.

IGNCA, which functions under the Ministry of Culture, said the gathering would provide a platform for examining the shared heritage of different societies and the historical processes through which cultural traditions travelled, interacted and evolved.

𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

The concept of Brihattar Bharat, or Greater India, refers to a wider civilisational sphere shaped by the transmission, adaptation and interaction of Indian traditions across regions and continents.

The conference will examine these connections across Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, Europe, South Asia and the global Indian diaspora.

Discussions will focus on cultural dialogue, adaptation and mutual enrichment, highlighting how historical exchanges influenced religious practices, philosophical thought, artistic traditions, languages and social institutions.

The academic deliberations will be organised around 10 broad themes covering early cultural linkages, religious traditions, philosophy, trade and other aspects of civilisational interaction.

Officials said the objective was to encourage a deeper understanding of India's historical connections with other societies while recognising the reciprocal nature of cultural exchanges.

𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲

The event is being organised under the Brihattar Bharat Scheme (2026–2031), administered by IGNCA as part of the Ministry of Culture's Global Engagement Scheme.

The initiative seeks to promote research, documentation, publication, preservation, digitisation and international dissemination of shared cultural and civilisational heritage.

A senior official said the programme would encourage collaborative research, archival projects, exhibitions, academic publications, outreach activities and partnerships with international institutions.

The scheme also aims to create opportunities for sustained scholarly engagement beyond individual conferences by supporting joint research and documentation projects involving experts from different countries.

𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗶𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲

An exhibition titled Common Cultural Heritage of Asia will be organised alongside the conference to highlight historical and cultural connections between India and other Asian countries.

The exhibition will focus on shared traditions and civilisational interactions that developed through centuries of cultural contact.

Officials said the event would provide an opportunity to examine common elements of Asian heritage and encourage greater cooperation in documenting and preserving them.

The conference will also seek to identify new areas for collaborative research and publication, particularly those involving historical records, cultural traditions and heritage collections spread across different countries.

𝗨𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗖𝗢 𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱

Another important objective of the conference will be to explore possibilities for joint nominations to UNESCO's Memory of the World Programme and multinational nominations for Intangible Cultural Heritage recognition.

Such initiatives would involve cooperation among countries sharing historical records, cultural practices and traditions that extend across national boundaries.

The discussions will also support the proposed Brihattar Bharat Portal, envisioned as a platform for the sustained documentation, preservation and global dissemination of shared heritage.

According to IGNCA, the proposed portal would complement research and archival initiatives by improving access to information on India's wider cultural connections.

Officials said the conference was intended to establish a foundation for long-term international academic partnerships and strengthen efforts to document the historical relationships linking India with different parts of the world.