Pune: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic and CSR arm of Infosys. The MoU has been signed for five years to strengthen the research activities in Orientology, the study of ancient cultures of the Asian sub-continent.
The proposed grant of Rs 9.13 crore will be utilised to train scholars in Orientology and prepare a bibliography of relevant academic texts in the field. The grant will also help to create a centralised information cell through descriptive cataloguing of manuscripts, collection and publishing of inscriptions. The history of the collected information will be outlined, enabled by a team of specialists. The Foundation will establish two chairs at the institute.
The chairs will be the Infosys Foundation Chair of Orientology and the Karnataka Chair of Orientology, for eminent scholars. Two visiting scholars renowned in any area of Orientology will also be invited for a term of two to six months as part of this grant and will be known as Infosys scholars.
Through this grant, the Institute will appoint four visiting fellows for visits of one week to one month, who will be referred to as ‘Infosys Fellows’, and also make provisions for two principal investigators, six research assistants, one helper and one design artist for various activities that will be conducted by the Institute.
“BORI focuses on Orientology, which is not limited to the Orient and the Occident alone. It has numerous applications in areas of social sciences and more. This initiative by Infosys Foundation will definitely boost the vigour and charm of the Institute,” said Honorary Secretary of BORI Shrikant Bahulkar.
In a statement issued by the Foundation, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation Sudha Murthy said, “The study of ancient texts holds great importance in society today as it forms a means to better understand both our past as well as our present. The discovery and preservation of these texts will ensure that Indological research continues to grow and thrive as an academic field in our country.”
