The  33rd  Shri Mangaljibhai Zaverchandbhai Mehta Vidyavistar Vyakhyanmala was held at the Shri Kanubhai Mehta Sanskrutik Bhavan, Palanpur from Feb 25-28, 2015. It featured eminent speakers who covered topics related to Indian culture, literature and other current themes. The Vyakhyanmala was organised by Vidyamandir Trust and is supported by family of Late Shri Jormal Mangalji Mehta.

The presentation on Day One was made by Hasmukh Jadhav who spoke on  ‘Prachin Bharat No Vaignyanik Vaarso’. He is a scholar of Sanskrit as well as an active member of various foundations which create awareness on India’s ancient heritage and its wealth.

Jadhav discussed the scenario of India today and provided references to establish that there was a planned conspiracy to damage the image and great heritage of our country. He talked about ancient discoveries and techniques which were used in various fields like aeronautical science, marine science, body science, medical science, warfare, etc. and gave references from the Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharat and Bhagavad Geeta.

The speaker on Day Two was well-known Mumbai-based scriptwriter and journalist Mihir Bhuta who made a presentation on ‘Mahabharat-Mari Drashtie’. Currently a member of Indian Censor Board, his script for ‘Chanakya’ won him the Best Script of the Decade award.

Bhuta introduced Mahabharat as a part of our Indian culture and said that its essence lies in the story of a person’s desires and attachment. It is a story which also elaborates that how a human can get degraded. He described Mahabharat as the fight between the ideology of Bhishma and Krishna, where the ideology of Krishna won and explained the principle of Karma which is elaborated by Lord Krishna in Geeta.

On Day Three, Gujarati writer and professor Dr.Manilal H. Patel spoke about ‘Sahitya Ane Samaj’. He has been guide for numerous MPhil and PhD students and some of his works are used in textbooks in Gujarat.

Patel said that just as a seed needs sand, water, air and sunlight to grow, society needs literature to flourish. He said it touches everybody as it comes from society and goes back to society. Literature leads a person to life. While traditional literature gives us information, knowledge and wisdom as it was then, all literature is a mirror of society and presents an analysis of life.

The guest speaker for the final day was Professor of Psychology and Chairman of the Human Psychology Department, Rudresh Vyas who spoke about ‘Balkelavani Ane Vishwashanti’. He discussed the problems of today’s world such as terrorism and said that those who found love, security and warmth in childhood contributed positively to this world, while those who experienced hate, insecurity and lack of attention in childhood often became criminal later in life. The solution to the rise in juvenile crime was to ensure a more lovable and caring childhood for all. In conclusion,Vyas provided information about the objectives of the ‘Parenting For Peace’ movement in which he is active member.

The sessions were chaired by well-known personalities and the welcome speeches and vote of thanks on each day were given by senior functionaries of Vidyamandir Trust. Each day the function commenced with prayers offered by children from the different institutions run by the VMT.