Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy obtained his Ph.D. in Sanskrit with a concentration in Psychology, from Pondicherry University in 2009. He also has a Masters Degree in Yogic Science from SVYASA, Bangalore, in addition to three Master’s Degrees in Psychology, English and Sanskrit. What is unique about Dr. Banavathy is that he has also been trained in a 6-year rigorous traditional Gurukulam education in Sanskrit and Indian Philosophy with a focus on Yoga and Vedanta at Veda Vijnana Gurukulam, Bangalore from 1999 to 2004. He is currently serving as Director, Indica Yoga in Bangalore, India, and is an Adjunct Professor, at the Veda Vijnana Shodha Samsthanam, which is a recognized Research Centre of the Karnataka Samskrit University. In addition, he holds Visiting Faculty appointments in several institutions such as Faculty of Contemplative and Behavioral Sciences (FCBS) at Sri Sri University, Cuttack, Orissa, India, Dept. of Languages and Cultures (Indian Languages and Cultures), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, School of Applied Psychology at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Zurich, Switzerland, Faculty of Applied Psychology, SRH Hochschule, Heidelberg, Germany, and many others.
Dr. Vinayachandra Banavathy was invited to serve as Chief Consultant to the Committee on National Education Policy – 2017 constituted by the Ministry of Human Resources Development, Government of India, to specifically develop the areas of Culture and Value Education and Indic Knowledge Systems. He has served as a Visiting Faculty or Resource Person, in many international bodies and organizations. His areas of Research interest include Sanskrit, Yoga Psychology and Philosophy, Indian Culture, History, and Knowledge Systems and he has published several papers and a few books on these subjects. He has also curated and organized many festivals and conferences, workshops and camps on these themes.Â