Indore,Oct 29: Prestige University Indore will host the 5th South Asian Seminar of the Universal Esperanto Association from 29 October to 1 November 2026 at its Step-Hill campus. The four-day seminar, themed “Esperanto for Sustainable Growth”, brings together Esperanto scholars, academics and delegates from France, Korea, China, Nepal and India to examine the role of communication, international collaboration and cultural understanding in sustainable economic development.
Sessions will explore how principles associated with universal communication can contribute to stronger international relationships, trust-based partnerships and cross-border cooperation.
“The proposition is not that international business needs one language. It is that international business needs common ground,” said Prof. Keyoor Purani, Vice Chancellor, Prestige University Indore. “Technology is rapidly reducing the functional barriers created by different languages. But translation is not the same as understanding, and communication is not the same as trust. A universal language such as Esperanto gives us an interesting lens through which to ask a larger question: what enables people, enterprises and communities from very different contexts to engage with one another on more equal terms?,” he added.
Prestige University currently offers Esperanto as an elective foreign language course for undergraduate students, reflecting its commitment to intercultural communication and global citizenship.
SAS-5 extends that conversation beyond education and into the economy. Its theme asks whether the same principles can offer useful perspectives for businesses and institutions working internationally, particularly at a time when supply chains, entrepreneurship, technology and knowledge networks increasingly connect regions with very different linguistic and cultural contexts. The choice of Indore adds a further dimension. As one of Central India’s important centres of industry, enterprise and higher education, the city represents the growing role of regional economic hubs in international networks. The seminar will bring the international Esperanto community together with academics and selected representatives of industry and trade from the region.
The four-day programme includes an inaugural session and keynote address, open thematic discussions, working groups and plenary reflections. Dr Himanshu Upadhyay, Associate Professor in the Humanities and Social Sciences Academic Group at Prestige University’s School of Management, will co-chair the seminar with Dr A. Giridhar Rao, linguist, retired professor at Azim Premji University and member of the Akademio de Esperanto, and Prof. Bharat Ghimire of Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, and President of the Nepal Esperanto Association. The organising committee also includes Esperanto representatives from across Asia.
For Prestige University, hosting SAS-5 is part of a wider commitment to creating spaces where ideas from different disciplines and communities can meet questions of contemporary significance. The University’s award-winning Step-Hill campus, conceived around terraces, courtyards and spaces for interaction, will host four days of dialogue across languages, cultures and professional contexts.
Event Details
SAS-5: Esperanto for Sustainable Growth
Dates: 29 October to 1 November 2026
Venue: Prestige University, Step-Hill campus, Indore, India
