In the latest testament to its unwavering dedication to spiritual, cultural, and societal advancement, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center (BRC) in Kolkata, India, was honored with the prestigious Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Social Impact Award in the category of preserving intangible heritage on March 12th, 2024. The award was presented by the Honorable Governor of West Bengal, CV Anand Bose, with Balarama Lila Das, Head of Development, accepting this esteemed recognition on behalf of the research center.

Established in 2019, the ICC Social Impact Award is an initiative of the Indian Chamber of Commerce aimed at commending organizations that pioneer innovative initiatives profoundly impacting social development and progress. Recipients of this coveted award are selected from a broad spectrum of corporate, voluntary, and other entities based on their distinctive and impactful contributions to the social landscape.

BRC has been honored with this award for “Preservation of intangible cultural heritage for an inclusive and sustainable planet” recognizing its enduring dedication and outstanding contributions in preserving ancient manuscripts and documents, nurturing cultural heritage, and making noteworthy strides in the social arena.

Among the numerous accomplishments of BRC considered for this award were:

• Collecting and preserving ancient manuscripts from India’s remotest corners, adhering to the Government of India’s National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) standards.
• Preserving 40,000 physical and 150,000 digital books, along with 4,000 academic journals on Vedic culture and heritage, dating back to the early 12th century.
• Establishing a digital archive to document and film the transcendental history and evolution of Kirtan.
• Publishing illustrated guidebooks on heritage cities, drawing from ancient texts, archaeological findings, and art.
• Ensuring universal access to spiritual culture and heritage through state-of-the-art digital libraries, museums, traveling exhibits of rare artifacts, academic programs, conferences, research exchanges, and publications. These initiatives are conducted in collaboration with leading universities such as Oxford, Harvard, Stockholm, and Jadavpur.

Dr. Sumanta Rudra, the Academic Dean of BRC, expressed his elation at BRC’s receiving the award. He highlighted the center’s previous recognition by the International Council of Archives and its attainment of Grade One NGO status from Infomerics. He extended heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for the recognition, affirming that the ICC award would serve as a catalyst for BRC’s future research endeavors. 

Gauranga Das, Director of Administration, said, “We are humbled and delighted to receive this esteemed award, which recognizes BRC’s ongoing dedication to advancing knowledge and preserving our rich spiritual and cultural heritage. Offering this award at Srila Prabhupada’s lotus feet, we feel inspired to continue this mission with renewed vigor and commitment.”  

The mission at BRC to preserve the Gaudiya Vaishnava literary heritage is inspired by Srila Prabhupada’s desire, which he expressed after he visited Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s birthplace in Birnagar, West Bengal. On seeing the dilapidated condition of the works of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura there, Srila Prabhupada had instructed Acyutananda Das and Yadubara Das “The pages are in very decrepit condition. They may be preserved for future generations of Vaishnavas to see the actual handwriting and words of such great saintly persons/ Treat this matter very seriously and thoroughly. Take all precautions to guard them…What is the expense?” (Letters to Acyutananda on 12th June and 15 July, 1972)

Madhavi Guha, Director of Knowledge Partner Sustainable Solutions at the ICC Social Impact Awards, expressed delight in presenting the award to the Bhaktivedanta Research Center, lauding their exceptional commitment to social causes. She remarked, “The initiatives undertaken by the Bhaktivedanta Research Center have yielded a positive impact on society. Only a handful of NGOs across the nation are involved in such pivotal cultural preservation efforts.”

Driven by its steadfast commitment to serve the mission of Srila Prabhupada and our revered Guru Parampara, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center continues to advance with ever-new initiatives to preserve and propagate the unparalleled legacy of our acaryas. Bolstered by this latest prestigious recognition conferred by the Indian Chamber of Commerce, the center is excited to continue breaking new ground and achieving even greater milestones in service to Srila Prabhupada.

With deep gratitude, the Bhaktivedanta Research Center thanks the following spiritual guides, patrons, and supporters for their kind blessings and invaluable contributions:

Hari-sauri Das, Ambarisa Das, Urmila Devi Dasi, Moksha Lakshmi Devi Dasi, Ramesta Das, Gauranga Das, Krishna Chandra Das, Braja Vilasa Das, Ramesvara Das, Dayaram Das, Ananga Mohan Das, Yudhisthir Govinda Das, Radha Raman Das, Ram Das (Mandala Publications), Pranava Das, Radhika Raman Das, Gopal Hari Das, Keshava Das, Namamrita Devi Dasi, Radha Giridhari Das, Sri Vallabha Das, Meenakshi Rudra, Ramesh C. Patel, Bharti R. Patel, Akrura Das, Saci Tanuj Das, Vraja Kishore Das, Adi Purusa Das, Damodar Hari Das, Krishna Kirtan Das, Krishna Kumar Das, Shaligram Krishna Das, Ram Mukunda Das, Prem Niketan Das, Satya-sara Das, Anand Manaktala, Vraja Raman Das, Visvakalyana Gaura Das, Shyam Hari Das, Rasamrita Das, Dwarkadhish Das, Govinda Dev Das, Sundarananda Das, Sujith Sengupta, Vishwatma Gopinath Das, Radhananda Das, Kiran Rapolu, Revati Devi Dasi, Sadananda Das, Ananta Acharya Das, Madhava Chandra Das, Srinivas Saran Das, Acyuta Lila Das. Kalyani Radhika Devi Dasi, Krishna Chaitanya Das, Amarender Bilapati, Mahendra Singh Rawat, Vishwarupa Das, Murlidhar Das, Navina Krishna Das, Srngi Das, Ansul Agarwal, Hare Krishnananda Das, Braja Kripa Das, Madhava Gauranga Das, Lavanya Mangal Devi Dasi, Gaur Candra Das, Aristaha Das, Radharadhya Das, Madhusevita Das, Mahesh Advani, Raghunath Priya Das, Aradhya Bhagavan Das, Vidura Das, Irene Dove, Ekatma Madhava Das, Caranarenu Devi Dasi, Sakhi Rai, Jayasri Devi Dasi, Prahalada Bhakta Das, Janardan Das, Janardan D. Bahirat, ISKCON Coventry, Chaitanya Bhagavan Das, Gaurangaprem Das, Hari Kirtan Das, Praveen Krovvidi, Prahladpriya Das, Harivallabha Das, Sarang Thakur Das, Navina Krishna Das, Hare Krishnananda Das, Amritananda Das, Madhava Gauranga Das, Vaishali Kamat, Viprasudama Das, Roopendra Singh, Veerchandra Das, Prashant Devatraj, Tushar Bhole, Dr. Shekhar Shukla, Shyam Mohan Das, Darshan Shinde, Sakshi Gopal Das, Dhananjaya Das, JABS International Pvt. Ltd., Anandini Sundari Devi Dasi. Shailen Ramanlal Desai, Sripati Das, Manish Goyal, Nityananda Vilas Das, Krishna Murali Das, Rasesvara Das, Sridhar Gopal Das

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