Dr Raghavasimhan Thirunarayanan completed his MS and PhD in electrical engineering from EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland. Currently he works as a Senior Analog / RF Design Engineer in 3dB Technologies, Zurich where he is involved in system and chip design for next-generation keyless access. He also works on Indian mathematics, exploring ancient mathematical techniques and their applicability to modern mathematics. He is currently a scholar-in-residence at IITGn, under the HoMI project.

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Abstract of the Lecture

The Banyan Tree of Fables from the Seed of Sanskrit

Over the course of nearly two millennia, from the seed of Sanskrit has grown, and is still growing, a wondrous banyan tree of fables called the Panchatantra. Indeed, no other work, apart from a few religious texts, has been translated and re-translated into as many languages the world over.

What is equally astounding is that these fables seem to fit the moral beliefs of so many cultures even to this day. This talk explores how the transmission of these Indian fables to many other cultures have shaped the minds of young and old alike. Using visual aids, this talk also will illustrate the similarities and differences between the different versions of the tales.