This night (August 29), the third section of the Edict Undertaking ‘Ashoka and Ecology’ might be held on the Ashoka College’s campus. Nayanjot Lahiri, professor of Historical past on the College, has been deeply concerned with the mission as a consequence of the College’s partnership with Carnatic vocalist T.M. Krishna.

Krishna, and artistes resembling M.Okay. Raina, Kapila Venu and Justin McCarthy (Ashoka College), have teamed as much as musically and artistically re-imagine the emperor’s edicts. Nayanjot, together with Naresh Keerthi of Ashoka College, has had conversations with the artistes and has helped them perceive and interpret the phrases of the edicts.

Nayanjot is the award-winning creator of two deeply researched books on the Mauryan emperor who dominated Magadha from 268 BCE until his demise in 232 BCE: Ashoka in Historic India and Looking for Ashoka: Questing for a Buddhist king from India to Thailand. Her books are the results of quite a few in depth journeys to the assorted websites the place Ashoka’s imprint is seen.

In rugged landscapes throughout the nation, immutable, stand these edicts, actually writ in stone. The persona of the emperor in Nayanjot’s books and on this mission is near what Ashoka himself put out — from being compassionate in the direction of residing beings to distinctive concepts of governance in addition to private fears and limitations.

These are the messages of a king who forswore struggle and considered humanity at massive after waging essentially the most sanguinary struggle. Ashoka lives on, and his phrases communicate with the identical immediacy and effectiveness in the present day as they did almost 2,300 years in the past once they had been first chiselled on boulders, rock crops, pillars, in caves and close to what had been as soon as city websites. These are present in 50 websites throughout India and past — in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in addition to in Afghanistan, Nepal, and Pakistan. The vast majority of the edicts are within the Prakrit language, whereas some are in Greek and Arabic as additionally Kharosthi; the frequent script is Brahmi.

“Ashoka has fascinated generations of Indians. There are various causes for this. He not solely dominated the most important empire of historical India but in addition wrote himself completely into Asian non secular historical past by transferring in the direction of Buddhism. He had fought an incredible struggle and received it, however he believed that the human toll of his conquests was an ethical defeat.” That is how he presents himself in his Kalinga edict and it’s a placing message,” says Nayanjot.

His relevance to modern instances can be as a result of he was a grasp communicator. “Immediately we now have tv and the social media. However millennia in the past he communicated his messages to be heard — for millennia.”

Within the early edicts, he talks about Buddhism, however within the later ones, his focus is on talking about novel modes of governance that he launched, and what he believed needs to be the norms of public and private conduct,” she factors out.

Nonetheless, Nayanjot contests the interpretation of Ashoka as an exemplar of non-violence. “If you happen to take a look at the Kalinga edict in its complete context, you realise that there’s violence there. And never simply in relation to Kalinga which he regrets and repents. Ashoka’s message of his ethical defeat and his metamorphosis into a person of peace will get muddied as a result of he’s threatening forest dwellers in the identical Kalinga edict. This actually comes again to the truth that the state can’t management all its land, it can’t management all its individuals. In such situations, non-violence is inevitably located throughout the apply of violence.”

What makes him most fascinating to Nayanjot is that Ashoka was an all-India determine, she says. “This has to do with the methods during which the emperor made himself seen by means of his edicts in massive components of the Indian subcontinent. Uniquely amongst world rulers of his time, Ashoka seems to us not by means of the chronicle of a courtier, or a customer to his kingdom, or by non secular hagiography however by talking rigorously and intentionally in his personal voice. There have been many kings and emperors earlier than him however they didn’t communicate to their topics and thus, to us.”

Among the many edicts, Nayanjot’s favourites are the Queen’s edict in Allahabad and the edicts within the Deccan. Within the former, Ashoka’s queen Karuvaki says all of the donations which have been made by her need to be registered because the mom of Tivala (her son). The queen instructs it needs to be put down. “It reveals Ashoka gave house and company to ladies”.

Ashoka’s presence (epigraphic imprint) within the Deccan is much bigger than in some other area. “This highlights that Ashoka is as a lot an emperor of the Deccan as he’s of north.”

The Edict Undertaking seeded by Krishna is about “reimagining Ashoka’s phrases in musical and creative types as additionally create vibrant educational, socio-political and aesthetic conversations round them,” elaborates Nayanjot. “Krishna’s curiosity and curiosity are exceptional; I really feel I’ve been enriched working with him.”

Printed – August 25, 2025 05:08 pm IST