Honouring India’s living knowledge systems, eight Gurus were felicitated on Guru Purnima.
India’s ancient Guru–Śiṣya Paramparā took centre stage at Guru Utsava 2026, as INDICA honoured eight distinguished Gurus whose work continues to preserve and transmit the country’s civilisational knowledge traditions. Held on the sacred occasion of Guru Pūrṇimā at the Research and Innovation Park, IIT Delhi, the annual celebration brought together scholars, artists, practitioners and seekers to recognise the living lineages through which knowledge in India has been sustained across generations. The Hon’ble Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, graced the occasion as Chief Guest and felicitated the Gurus with commemorative plaques and shawls. In her keynote address, the Minister described the Guru–Śiṣya Paramparā as one of India’s greatest civilisational strengths, emphasising that Indian Knowledge Systems are not merely subjects of study but living traditions transmitted through an enduring relationship between Guru and disciple. She noted that the tradition shapes character, nurtures wisdom and accompanies an individual through life.
Appreciating INDICA’s decade-long efforts, Smt. Sitharaman described its #Grateful2Gurus initiative as an act of mahā puṇya, noting that it has enabled society to recognise and serve more than 150 Gurus dedicated to preserving India’s knowledge traditions. The seven Gurus felicitated were Shri Hari Shankar Jain, Dr. Rajshree Vasudevan, Prof. (Dr.) Rama Jayasundar, Dr. Arimalam S. Padmanabhan, Dr. P. Perumal, Prof. Deepti Omchery Bhalla, Smt. Bhushany Kalyanaraman, and Acharya Veeranarayana N. K. Pandurangi**. Speaking at the event, Shri Hari Vadlamani, Founder, INDICA, called for greater recognition of India’s living knowledge lineages, observing that such recognition could help move the IKS renaissance from an informative to a transformative dimension. The celebration featured sacred epic chanting, a ceremonial lighting of the lamp, Bharatanatyam by Sarayoo GS, and a tribute to Sri T.K.V. Desikachar by Smt. Nrithya Jagannathan. Guru Utsava reaffirmed INDICA’s commitment to celebrating and strengthening the living traditions through which India’s intellectual, artistic and spiritual heritage continues to illuminate generations.
