S G Sundaraswamy Memorial Lecture 2026

Journalist and corporate advisor Sri Swaminathan Gurumurthy delivered the Sri S G Sundaraswamy Memorial Lecture 2026 at the Sai Hira Global Convention Centre, Prasanthi Nilayam, on “Relevance of Ancient Indian Philosophical Thought to Contemporary Times”.

Held annually, the event is an endowment lecture commemorated in honour of the late Sri S G Sundaraswamy by his son, Sri S S Naganand, Trustee, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust. It allows faculty and students to meet and learn from distinguished scholars and professionals. Funds from the endowment go towards expenses at Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (Deemed to be University).

Welcome Address & Setting the Context

Sri Ritwik Chandra Pandey, Doctoral Research Scholar, Mathematics & Computer Science, SSSIHL was the Master of Ceremonies for the event. After a Welcome Address by Prof. U Suma, Chairperson, Centre for Sri Sathya Sai Studies, SSSIHL, Prof. Rani P L, Director, Anantapur Campus, SSSIHL set the context and requested Sri Swaminathan Gurumurthy to address the audience.

The enduring relevance of India’s civilisational wisdom

In his talk, Sri Gurumurthy explored the connections between Indian philosophy, modern science and artificial intelligence. Distinguishing knowledge from information, he emphasised the enduring relevance of India’s civilisational wisdom.

Through the themes of food, shelter and social security, he highlighted the role of family, community and shared responsibilities in sustaining society. Contrasting Western individual-centric models with India’s traditional social structures, he illustrated how families living together share duties and support one another.

He described Dharma as a framework of duties, ethics and interconnectedness that extends beyond ritualistic religion. Applying these principles to modern economics and governance, he argued, could promote long-term stability and social harmony over short-term material gain.

Sri Gurumurthy also delved into the origin of the universe and the concept of primordial sound as its beginning. “The Vedas are the means to connect with the cosmic sound – this intelligible sound,” he said. “The material universe was born out of this grand acoustic phenomenon, and the main teaching of our seers is that the gross is not real.”

“But merely believing is not enough. You have to understand. Hence, this stream of knowledge is passed on from one generation to another. This is how the Indian civilisation has survived and continues to thrive,” he concluded.

The event was attended by Sri Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, TVS Motor Company and TVS Holdings; Sri K Chakravarthi IAS (Retd.), Chancellor, SSSIHL; Prof. B Raghavendra Prasad, Vice-Chancellor, SSSIHL; Dr Srikanth Khanna, Registrar, SSSIHL; Sri R J Rathnakar, Managing Trustee, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust; Sri S S Naganand, Trustee, Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust, and his family; along with senior members of both trusts, faculty and students of SSSIHL.