About Conference

Languages and folklores constitute a shared cultural foundation through which communities understand themselves, their histories, and their relationship with the world. Far beyond oral storytelling alone, folklore encompasses songs, narratives, beliefs, rituals, performances, crafts, and everyday practices. What unites these diverse expressions is their intergenerational transmission through living languages, making folklore a collective archive of memory, experience, and knowledge. As shared cultural wisdom, folklore connects the past, present, and future of a society. It nurtures social cohesion, reinforces a sense of belonging, and offers ethical and cultural guidance rooted in lived experience. Rather than fragmenting communities, folklore reflects continuity, mutual influence, and shared values across regions and languages. In an era of rapid globalisation and cultural homogenisation, folklore sustains plurality while reinforcing civilisational unity. Despite its intellectual depth, folklore has often not been focused within formal academia to understand the aspects that unite us. Yet folklore embodies forms of knowledge grounded in ecological awareness, symbolic imagination, moral reasoning, and collective wisdom, dimensions that cannot be fully captured through purely scientific or instrumental approaches. Re-engaging with folklore is therefore essential for decolonising knowledge systems and restoring legitimacy to indigenous epistemologies..

In the Indian context, folklore assumes particular importance as part of the nation’s renewed engagement with Indian languages and Indian Knowledge Systems. India’s linguistic traditions, spanning Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Urdu, Khasi, Manipuri, and many others, do not exist in isolation. They are historically interconnected and culturally resonant, carrying shared motifs, metaphors, ethical concerns, and worldviews. Together, they illuminate India’s civilisational continuity and intellectual unity rather than linguistic or cultural division. Indian folklore also contributes meaningfully to contemporary thought by offering Bharatiya perspectives on nature, society, education, sustainability, and social harmony. Far from standing in opposition to scientific reasoning, folklore complements it by foregrounding narrative, memory, context, and lived experience. These dimensions enrich academic inquiry and broaden the horizons of knowledge.

The International Conference on “From Heritage to Horizon: Indian Languages and Folklores” seeks to foreground Indian languages and folklore as dynamic, interconnected knowledge resources. The conference aims to bring together scholars, researchers, and practitioners to explore how folklore and linguistic traditions collectively contribute to Indian Knowledge Systems, strengthen civilizational unity, and address contemporary intellectual and social challenges. By shifting from inherited traditions to a future-oriented understanding, the conference aims to reaffirm the shared cultural and epistemic foundations of India.