On Tuesday 17th September, Chinmaya Mission Tristate members Rabindraji and Bandaruji drove Prof. Mahulikar to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). She was invited by Prof. Manish Paliwal, a mechanical engineer by training and Department Chair, to deliver a talk there. Prof Paliwal also teaches courses on Hinduism. He had heard about Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth at a talk by Swami Mitrananda at Chinmaya Vrindavan last year. When Prof. Paliwal heard about Gauriji’s University Tour, he invited her to come and give a lecture on ‘Why Learn Indian Philosophy.’ The Department of Philosophy Chair joined in to co-host the lecture for philosophy students.
It was a well-arranged talk, attended by around 25 students and some faculty. The presentation started at 11 AM sharp. Gauri Mahulikar spoke for almost 50/55 minutes on an overview of Indian Philosophy and its relevance, followed by discussion, and questions and answers. It was a good discussion, lasting till 12.30 pm. Dr. Pierre Le Morvan, Professor and Chair of the Department of Philosophy, Religion, and Classical Studies, gave the vote of thanks and gifted a water bottle with TCNJ logo on it.
He was very interested in getting a copy of Mahulikar’s PowerPoint presentation, and they discussed a possible joint project on philosophy and comparative religion. Following the talk, Prof Mahulikar had lunch with Prof. Paliwal, and invited him to visit CVV in person.