Buddhism, the religion that developed in India and spread to other parts of the world culturally, socially and politically, is now coming back to its roots. The capital will soon witness glimpses of various facets of Buddhism at the upcoming Buddhist festival “The Inner Path” by ICCR at Azad Bhawan from April 27 to May 1.
The festival will have series of events including dance, documentary, photographs, paintings and sculptures. There will also be talks and panel discussions by professors and scholars about Tibetan Buddhism, Nalanda tradition, Bodhidharma, Boddhisatvas and Zen. “Buddhism has fascinated me. It’s like a philosophy for me, which helps you cope with life. Buddhism is not just religion. It’s a thought process that must be understood in a broader perspective. There have been many festivals of Buddhism in Washington, Bangkok and London, but in India, which is the birthplace of Buddha, the festival will be held for the first time. The objective of the festival is to promote the understanding and appreciation of the art and philosophy of Buddhism in India,” said Aruna Vasudev, president of NETPAC, the organiser of the festival.
The festival will begin with a performance by a group from Sri Lanka, followed by an art show comprising artworks based on Buddhism by Benoy K. Behl titled “The Greatest Journey of Ideas: The Spread of Buddhism”.
“The photographs are from all over the world including Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Europe. The festival will also screen 12 films by me including The Stories of Buddhism and The Second Buddha, which I shot in Ladakh in 1998 and 2012 respectively. My film will showcases the birth and development of Buddhism over the years,” says Behl.