PATRA-SAMVAD : Correspondence with Eminent Scholars

Description

Patra-Samvad is a compilation of scholarly correspondences of Thakur Jaideva Singh (1893-1986) with more than hundred contemporary scholars. It is not only a mere collection but a reflected repository of wisdom in the fields of philosophy, especially Kashmir Shaivism, and Indian musicology.

Thakur Jaideva Singh (1893-1986) was a renowned musicologist and a great scholar of Indian Philosophy. He was a true representative of Indian culture, a towering figure in the world of scholarship, as an erudite scholar of several subjects, as a teacher of philosophy, as one of the most eminent musicologists of India, and as a distinguished author in both English and Hindi. These aspects complemented each other so much, that they blended into one. As a versatile scholar, Thakur Saheb utilized his knowledge and insights to promote a better understanding of philosophy, which was the primary field of his scholarship, and of music, which was his lifelong passion. His knowledge and deep insights came to fruition, through his contacts, lectures and writings.

Thakur Saheb maintained contact with a great number of scholars, artists and important personalities the world over by simple correspondence, entrusted to the postal services. Out of those letters, academically valuable ones have been selected as source material of this collection. This collection contains important correspondences with great scholars such as: Pt. Gopinath Kaviraj, Swami Lakshman Joo, Vasudeva Sharan Agrawala, Anand K. Coomaraswamy etc.

This book is a unique document for knowing the intellectual panorama of Indian culture in the second part of the 20th century.