SHILLONG: A book by Shillong-based author Salil Gewali titled Great Minds on India will be translated into German language by a scholar from Germany viz., Caroline Hagen.
In a statement, Gewali said that another scholar from Berlin, Germany, viz., Max Herz has offered to assist in editing the book.
Gewali said that when Hagen got his book some months back, she was very excited when she got most of the information about the opinions of Arthur Schopenhauer and German Nobel laureate Hermann Hesse on ancient knowledge of India in the book.
Hesse is celebrated for his novel Siddhartha, which is set in Indian theory of salvation and the philosophy of karma of Buddhism. Interestingly, Hesse dedicated a part of his Siddhartha novel to a renowned French Nobel laureate Romain Rolland, who again was deeply inspired by the wisdom of Vedanta of ancient India.
The translator Caroline Hagen says, ‘‘I am very proud to be able to translate Salil Gewali’s book into German. Despite the modern western culture’s affection to old Indian practices, particularly the wisdom related to yoga and meditation, very few know about the influence Indian philosophy has had upon ‘our’ most popular thinkers like Schopenhauer, Johann Goethe, and Hesse. These great literary figures have stated at places that their work couldn’t have existed without the influence of the Upanishads and the work of Kalidasa like Shakuntala.”
No wonder, Albert Einstein always looked upon Arthur Schopenhauer for inspiration.
Gewali’s research-based book has won worldwide appreciation which has been prefaced by a NASA chief scientist and translated into eleven languages.
The book, in various regional languages, has been formally launched by the governors and chief ministers of various states across the country.
