Press Release: DR SMRITI KUMAR SINHA, VC, HONOURED WITH FELLOWSHIP OF INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF ETHICS.

DR SMRITI KUMAR SINHA, VC, HONOURED WITH FELLOWSHIP OF INTERNAITONAL ACADEMY OF ETHICS.

DR JERNAIL S. ANAND : A GREAT SYNTHESIZER AND UNIFIER – DR. RANA NAYAR

1st June, 2025.
The International Academy of Ethics organized a function to honour Dr. Smriti Kumar Sinha, Vice-Chancellor of Pragjyotishpur University, Guwahati [Assam] with Fellowship of the Academy, a rare honour which is conferred by the Jury on persons of extraordinary merit who have made great strides in their field of work. Dr. Sinha, who is a Computer professional, and also a creative writer, in his address, thanked the Academy President, Dr. Jernail S. Anand, and Vice-President, Dr. Maja Herman Sekulic, and made insightful observations about language of the marginalized groups in India, which he called languages in the ICU. The issue of language was also discussed in his oration by senior academician and former Dean, Univ. of Kalyani, Dr. Basudeb Chakraborti, who is also Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the IAE. Dr. Chakraborti welcomed Dr. Smriti Kumar Sinha and supported the cause of the languages which are ignored by the main stream. Speaking in the technical session for the release of an epical work ‘Suffeirng’s Favourite’ by Dr. Anand, Dr. Chakraborti, who has analysed Dr. Anand’s works intensively and extensively, referred to Dr Rana Nayar’s words that Dr. Anand is “essentially a synthesizer, a unifier whose effort is always to fuse together disparate traditions, poetic elements, and ethical imperatives” and described him as essentially a satirist, like William Langland and even Jonathan Swift, and complimented him on the publication of his 12 epic narratives in two volumes under the title Epicacia aptly described by Dr. Satish Kapoor, the British Council Scholar, as “21st century version of perennial wisdom”.

Dr. Maja Herman Sekulic in a video message said that “Epicacia puts Dr. Anand on the literary map of the world with a strong nod to Greek, Roman and English literatures, while not forgetting its Indian roots”. Dr. Milan Mladenovic, in his Foreword to the book, calls him “the poet, philosopher and theologian – the Voltairean Mocker - moves into a sociologist and prophet of the bright future of humanity.”

Dr. Laksmisree Banerjee, while writing about ‘Suffering’s Favourite’ remarks that it may be “lauded as a Post-Modern Epic, or an Ultra Ultra-modern epic, which, may very well be studied and understood as Anand’s individually designed new-age format, tuned to mirror a fast declining world order”, aptly described by Dr. Chakraborti, as a Neo-Epic. Dr. Jaydeep Sarangi admires “the way myths are served through the conveyance of powerful emotions and deep seated faith in poetic wisdom”. Nasir Aijaz regards this work as a “call to strive for a more compassionate and enlightened existence, …urging us to rediscover the paradise within ourselves”.

PHILOSOPHICAL ANTRAKSHRI

The Second book that was released at the function was ‘Goldmine’, a work of micro poetry, twinned by Dr Jernail Singh Anand and Rupa Rao, a scholar from New Jersey who has authored around a dozen books. While speaking on the work, Prof Seema Jain quoted at length from the book and said that this book is overflowing with philosophy and wisdom, and both the authors have done a great job, finally calling it a work of ‘philosophical Antarakshri’. This was their second book of twinning. The first book was ‘Soul Pit’ which also contained four liners in the same format.

The event was curated and moderated by Rupa Rao, the Chief Coordinator. In the beginning, the Chief Guest Dr. Sinha was welcomed by Dr. Maja Herman Sekulic and introduced by Dr. Sarita Sharma, our Associate Member from Assam. Dr. Anand, while concluding this highly profitable session, thanked all the erudite scholars, and in particular, hon’ble guest Dr. Smriti Kumar Sinha, Swati Bhaskar, the host and Rupa Rao, the curator of the programme.

It will be appropriate before I conclude what Dr. Rana Nayar, former Professor and Head, Dept. of Cultural Studies, Panjab University Chandigarh, writes about the epical work of Dr. Anand:

“As a poet, Dr. Jernail Anand is essentially a synthesizer, a unifier, whose effort is always to fuse together disparate traditions, poetic elements, and ethical imperatives. Myth and history, past and present, lyrical and epical, poetic and dramatic, good and evil always come together to enliven his poetic landscape. A true poet-philosopher, a la Plato, Anand certainly knows how to rule over the poetic universe he alone can create and sustain”.

RUPA RAO
Chief Coordinator.
INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF ETHICS
1/6/2025.