Dear Colleagues,

After long and difficult deliberations, the local organising committee of the WSC2023 has agreed unanimously that the WSC2023 will be held online. The International Association of Sanskrit Studies has confirmed our decision. In view of the ever-changing COVID situation, we lack sufficient certainty to plan for a face-to-face conference in Canberra.

We would all prefer a face-to-face meeting, and we hope that the WSC in Kathmandu will run as usual in 2024. We firmly believe that we can deliver a stimulating and enjoyable conference to a much larger number of participants than would otherwise be the case.

With skillful planning we will provide scholarly access and interchange to participants from all time-zones within reasonable working hours. There need be no late-night sessions. There will also be many opportunities for informal networking online in addition to formal presentations.

We will shortly send out a new circular in which we will outline format and process for the online conference. We will also renew the call for abstracts and reopen the portal for scholars who wish to update their contribution.

We are confident that we can achieve something really special with the WSC2023, and look forward to receiving your support.

Thanks for your continuing patience and understanding,

Yours sincerely

McComas Taylor
for the WSC2023 Organising Committee

PS. Apologies for cross-posting