Royal Asiatic Society fellowship for Dr Vijay Bedekar

Thane, Dec 3 (UNI) Dr Vijay Bedekar, founder of the Institute of Oriental Study and a prominent doctor from Thane has been offered the fellowship of the Royal Asiatic society of Great Britain and Ireland, for his various research works and contribution towards the promotion of research works in India.

Dr Bedekar is the only citizen from Thane to whom the membership has been offered. He is also the chairman of the Vidya Prasarak Mandal, a renowned educational institute in the city which runs various educational facilities.

Dr Bedekar has been involved in social and cultural activities in Thane and takes active interest in research works and organizing different seminars on various topics.

He is also the member of the various research institutes and societies in the country and the state and has contributed immensely towards research in various fields.

The Royal Asiatic Society was founded in 1823 by eminent Sanskrit scholar Henry Colebrook and a group of like-minded individuals. It received its Royal Charter from King George IV in the same year 'for the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia'.

Throughout the course of the Society's history many distinguished scholars have contributed to its work, including Sir Richard Burton (1821-90), noted explorer and first translator of the Arabian Nights and Kama Sutra and Sir Aurel Stein (1862-1943), renowned archaeologist and explorer of the 'Silk Road'. The Society is affiliated to associate societies in India (Calcutta, Bombay, Bangalore, Madras, and Bihar), Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Malaysia.

The Society provides a forum for those who are interested in the history, languages, cultures and religions of Asia to meet and exchange ideas. It offers lectures and seminars and provides facilities for research and publishing.

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