Patna: The cities, culture and legacy of the Indus Valley civilisation came into focus as Portuguese historian Jose Carlos Ribeiro de Calazans Duarte interacted with scholars and history enthusiasts at Planet Patna on Friday. His visit was part of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR)’s Academic Visitors Programme, which seeks to strengthen academic and cultural ties between India and other countries.Duarte, whose research interests include Indian and Asian history and the philosophy of religions, has spent years studying the Harappan and Mohenjo-Daro civilisations, particularly their iconography, writing systems and cultural history. The interaction, hosted by Aditya Jalan, offered an opportunity to discuss one of the world’s earliest urban civilisations and its lasting legacy.The historian has a longstanding academic association with India. In 1993-94, he researched the Indus Valley civilisation at Banaras Hindu University under a bilateral scholarship programme between India and Portugal. He holds a doctorate in political science, history, Lusophony and international relations from Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias in Lisbon.His wider research explores historical links between India and Portugal, including maritime expansion, trade routes and political relations. His scholarly work also covers Indian culture and religion and includes translations of the Bhagavad Gita into Sanskrit and the Dhammapada into Pali.Prof. Duarte’s two-day Bihar visit began in Patna on Friday with an interactive lecture at A N College as part of the 26th S N Sinha Memorial Lecture Series. He also visited the Bihar Museum and met its director general, Anjani Kumar Singh, following a recent memorandum of understanding between the museum and ICCR to promote cultural collaborations.On Saturday, he will deliver a lecture at Nalanda University in Rajgir in the presence of vice-chancellor Sachin Chaturvedi.Accompanied by ICCR officials Rajesh Ranjan and Swadha Rizvi, Duarte’s visit aims to encourage academic dialogue, cultural exchange and research collaborations between Bihar and Portugal.
