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Letter
of Recommendation
1997
Name of Applicant: M. I. Mikhailov
Title of the Project: “Translation and historical-cultural analysis of the ancient Indian epic VALMIKI’S RAMAYANA"
M. I. Mikhailov is a representative of classical Indology, a rare specialized field of the Humanities devoted to the study of classical Indian Culture. The present project, if successfully realized, will constitute a serious contribution to the development of Indology in Belarus and in other near-by countries. Valmiki’s Ramayana is one of the most important texts of the old Indian tradition considered as Adi-Kavya, the First Poem, in India. It has a great value for us as a source of knowledge about ancient Indian society and state, about Indian culture as a whole.
The project aims at integration of experience of Indian, West-European, American and Russian researches. The expansion of the base of historical, religious, philosophical and literary sources of the first caliber is a paramount problem of updating of science and education in the Belarus' Republic.
Valmiki’s Ramayana like many other ancient texts has come to us in several versions. M. I. Mikhailov has chosen for his project the so-called Southern recension (in many aspects more perfect) presuming that it will make the study more concrete and more convincing.
The translation of two first books of the "Ramayana" is completed (20 pr. sh.). It is scheduled to translate in two years the rest of the epic, what is highly realistic. The successful completion of the project will allow to include a new large material in the programs of historical, philological, philosophical Faculties of Minsk's Universities.
M.I.Mikhailov is a dynamic scholar who can do much for the development of Indology and Humanities in favorable conditions. He is known among his colleagues-Indologists through his translations and studies of the works of Kashmirian polymath Kshemendra. M. I. Mikhailov, having proposed this project, takes the responsibility not only of pure scientific but also of educational character -- to introduce one of the greatest artifact of Indian culture to Belarusian and Russian readers. To my view, the project deserves full attention and, moreover, should take priority.
S. D. Serebryany,
leading research worker of the
Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities
of the Russian
State University for the
Humanities
August 7 1996