Page 12 - 022022 PULSE@FASS e-Bulletin

Webinars and Talks Issue no. 2 | 2022

Dr Ijlal Hussain, Director of the Silk Road Center Gandhara &
highlighted the importance to preserve the Gandhara
Buddhist heritage in Pakistan during the Forum on Buddharaja Art,
Gandhara & Buddharaja Art, Culture & Religion in Pakistan Culture & Religion in
and Southeast Asia organised by the Humanistic
Buddhism Research Center (HBRC) of the Faculty of Arts Pakistan and Southeast
and Social Sciences (FASS) on 13 May 2022. During his
presentation, Dr Ijlal also surveyed the key developments Asia
in the history and culture of Gandhara and pointed out the By Dr Lai Suat Yan
various heritage sites in present day Pakistan, namely,
Peshawar, Mardan, Taxila, Swat, and
Islamabad/Rawalpindi.

Speaking via zoom from Italy, Prof Dr Ghani-ur-Rahman,
Professor cum Director of Taxila Institute of Asian
Civilizations shared on the meeting of diverse cultures and
religions in Pakistan as illustrated by the Hindu-Buddhist
artistic influences on its art and architecture. Locating the
grandeur of the Hindu-Buddhist art and culture in the
broader context of Southeast Asia, Prof Dr Hanafi Hussin,
Department of Southeast Asian Studies, FASS Universiti
Malaya, shared on both its tangible and intangible From left to right, AP Dr Thirunaukarasu a/l Subramaniam, Deputy
aspects. Dean, FASS, Prof Dr Danny Wong, Dean, FASS, Dr Ijlal Hussain,
Speaker, Dr Fasiha, President of Silk Road Center, Pakistan and Ven
You Deng, Advisor, HBRC
These are illustrated, for example, through the grand
architecture of Angkor Wat and Borobudur and the sacred
dance of the court of Cambodia and Java. Prof Dr Hanafi
also provided the historical cultural background and art
development in Southeast Asia from these periods:
prehistory until the 20th century. The event was
moderated by Dr Lai Suat Yan, Deputy Head of the HBRC
and Senior Lecturer at the Gender Studies Program. Held
in a hybrid mode it was attended by around 100
participants with the majority attending online while the
remainder at the CUBE, FASS. Dr Ijlal Hussain with some of the participants

Visit of Indian Culture Centre to the Faculty

By Datuk Prof Danny Wong Tze Ken
On 10 May 2022, Mrs Ramya Hiriyannaiah, the Director of
the Netaji Subhash Chnadra Bose Indian Cultural Centre in
Kuala Lumpur, visited the Dean, Professor Danny Wong, at
his Office. Also in attendance was AP Dr Thirunaukarasu
Subramaniam, the Deputy Dean for Research and Mr B.
Hariharasuthan, Program Officer at ICC. The Faculty has
been in engagement with the ICC for over three years, and
the discussion focused on efforts to strengthen existing
collaboration and exploring new initiatives. In this visit, it
was decided that future collaborations would introduce
new programmes including the exchange of scholars, with
the possibility of Universiti Malaya hosting a visiting
professor from India this year. Also discussed was the
effort to have joint academic and cultural programmes
between the ICC and FASS including public lectures and From left: Mr B. Hariharasuthan, Mrs Ramya, Prof. Danny and AP Dr.
exhibitions. thirunaukarasu
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