Kathmandu, July 14

The 17th World Sanskrit Conference, which concluded in Canada today, announced that the 19th conference will be hosted by Nepal in Kathmandu in 2024. The WSC is held every three years.

According to assistant professor at Balmiki Campus Prem Raj Neupane, who also attended the programme, International Association of Sanskrit Studies accepted the proposal to allow Nepal to host the 19th World Sanskrit Conference. The IASS is a France-based organisation that hods WSC.

The proposal was presented by Director of Research at Nepal Sanskrit University Kashi Nath Neupane. In a video posted on social media by the participants, Neupane expressed his gratitude to IASS for allowing Nepal to host the 19th conference.

A sis-member delegation including professors and assistant professors from NSU had participated in the conference that was held from July 9 to 13.

The conference also appointed vice-chancellor of Nepal Sanskrit University Kul Prasad Koirala a member of IASS.

VC Koirala who was scheduled to address the closing ceremony of the conference was barred from participating in the conference after he was stopped by police at Tribhuvan International Airport on July 6. The government later said that VC Koirala’s ‘leave was not approved’ by the Joint-chancellor (education minister) or the Chancellor (prime minister) of the university.

VC Koirala said IASS had done him ‘justice’ by providing him membership even as he could not attend the conference. He also said that this had paved the way for him to participate in the WSC even if the government did not allow him.

VC Koirala said he was ready to help the government by helping the government successfully organise the conference. Education minister will now have to form a ‘preparation committee’ for holding  the conference.