Mongolian State Award to Prof. Jaroslav Vacek
On June 10, 2010, the Mongolian Ambassador in Prague, H.E. S. Tsoggerel, invited Prof. Jaroslav Vacek, Director of the Institute of South and Central Asia of the Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University, to his office in order to present him with the Mongolian State Award, the Nairamdal Medal (Friendship Medal). The Medal was conferred on Prof. Vacek by the President of the Mongolian Republic H.E. Cahiagiin Elbegdordž by a decree of April 6, 2010 for his research and pedagogical work in the field of Mongolian Studies, through which he has contributed to the development of good relations with the Mongolian Republic. Another awardee was Ing. Vladimír Lorenz, Director of the Section of Non-European Countries of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of the Czech Republic.
Prof. Vacek, who is also an Indologist, graduated in Sanskrit and Tamil (1965) and still teaches these languages. In 1976 he founded the teaching of Mongolian at Charles University after he had spent almost a year studying Mongolian in Ulaanbaatar. He is an author of a series of textbooks of Mongolian and also of many research papers. He wrote the textbooks of Mongolian mostly in co-operation with Prof. J. Lubsangdorji, who has been teaching Mongolian in Prague since 1987. The research work of J. Vacek concerns particularly the comparison of Altaic languages (among them Mongolian) with the Dravidian languages spoken in South India and Sri Lanka. Until recently the Dravidian languages have been considered to be an isolated language family. Small Dravidian dialects are also scattered throughout other parts of India.
Prof. Vacek has trained a number of specialists in Mongolian, some of whom now teach Mongolian at Charles University and successfully develop both teaching and research in this field. Some of his pupils are also active in the diplomatic service and in other spheres of contact with Mongolia.
