Canadian scholar receives ICCR’s ‘Distinguished Indologist for 2021’ award

The citation for the award states that it has been conferred upon Jeffrey Armstrong ‘in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the study/teaching/research in India’s philosophy, thought, history, art, culture, Indian languages, literature, civilisation and society’

TORONTO: A Canadian scholar has been awarded the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Distinguished Indologist for 2021.

Canadian scholar Jeffrey Armstrong (left) being handed ICCR’s Distinguished Indologist Award by India’s consul-general Manish at a ceremony in Vancouver on Tuesday. (Credit: Consulate-general of India - Vancouver)

Jeffrey Armstrong was presented the award in a ceremony on Tuesday evening by Manish, India’s consul-general in Vancouver.

The citation for the award states that it has been conferred upon Armstrong “in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the study/teaching/research in India’s philosophy, thought, history, art, culture, Indian languages, literature, civilisation, society, etc”.

The consulate-general of India in Vancouver had nominated Armstrong, founder of the Vedic Academy of Science & Arts and author of The Bhagavad Gita comes Alive.

“A jury for the Distinguished Indologist Award -2021 met in February 2022 and after careful considerations decided to select Mr Jeffrey Armstrong for the award. Mr Armstrong becomes the seventh recipient of this award, and joins the earlier recipients from Germany, China, Japan, UK, South Korea and USA,” a release from the consulate said.

The annual award was instituted in 2015 during the First World Indology Conference hosted by the then President of India bringing prominent Indologists from world over to a single platform with Indian scholars to deliberate upon the scope of promoting Indian studies abroad. The award is conferred upon a foreign scholar for “their outstanding contribution in study, teaching and research in any of the fields of Indian Studies”, the release added.

The first recipient of the award in 2015 was Professor Heinrich Freiherr Von Stietencron from Germany.

The award comprises a citation, a gold-plated medallion, and US$ 20,000 (approximately ₹1.6 million).

On his website, Armstrong is described as “a relationship expert, philosopher, practitioner and teacher of the Vedas for over 40 years”. Earlier, it said, he “had a successful career as an executive in Silicon Valley”.

ICCR was founded in 1950 by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, independent India’s first education minister.