Shah is scheduled to arrive in Mumbai late on Saturday night. During his visit to The Asiatic Society, which preserves a rich legacy of Oriental studies and research, he will interact with the institution’s office-bearers and members and visit an exhibition of rare manuscripts.
The demand to grant The Asiatic Society the special status of an “Institution of National Importance” has been pending with the Centre for the past four years. Against the backdrop of Shah’s visit, expectations of progress on the issue have gained fresh momentum. Office-bearers of the institution are also likely to present their position on the matter before Shah.
An exhibition of rare manuscripts will be organised during Shah’s visit. Among the material to be displayed will be reference material preserved by the institution relating to P.V. Kane’s five-volume work, “History of Dharmashastra”. The material is being accorded special importance as Dharmashastra is considered to have a connection with the origins of the Indian Penal Code.
The recent election of The Asiatic Society had also attracted attention. In the election held in July, the ‘Asiatic Tomorrow’ group emerged victorious, and former BJP MP Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe became president. Shah’s visit to the institution was finalised following an invitation from Sahasrabuddhe.
The second leg of Shah’s Mumbai visit will be his participation in the Hindi Rajbhasha Conference at Vashi. Against the backdrop of the Ganesh festival, the sixth All India Rajbhasha Conference will be held at the CIDCO Exhibition Centre in Vashi from September 14. The conference will continue for two days, on September 14 and 15, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah as the chief guest.
Hindi-speaking writers, institutions, officials and representatives from across the country will participate in the conference. Senior ministers and officials from the Central and state governments are also likely to attend.
As the event is being held during the Ganesh festival and Ganpati immersion period, the area around the CIDCO Exhibition Centre in Vashi will be reserved for the programme. Planning has been undertaken to arrange parking for more than 10,000 vehicles, while additional police deployment will also be put in place for crowd and traffic management.
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