Director’s Note

from AWAAZ 2022

by Center for South Asia at Stanford University

Director’s Note

The academic year 2021-22 saw Stanford return more fully to in-person life, even as we all continue to grapple with the challenges of the global pandemic. At the Center for South Asia, we reveled in opportunities to organize more live campus events, but we also continued to take advantage of the expansive reach afforded by virtual programming on multiple platforms. From receptions and in-person talks to a faculty works in progress colloquium, it has been wonderful to reconnect with our campus community. But, like many other programs, we have also seen the benefits of online events that strengthen our ties to South Asia, South Asian diasporas, and a global network of those engaged in research and learning about South Asia. For example, the South Asia at Stanford Podcast (SASSpod) hosted by Associate Director Lalita du Perron and edited by Simrath Matharu, Program Coordinator, has thousands of downloads and followers in over 70 countries. Highlighting faculty, students, and staff with South Asia connections, this podcast helps to keep us connected across one another’s work and projects, as well as address timely issues, as with Zeba Huq’s episode on faith and law and Sharika Thiranagama’s on the crisis in Sri Lanka. Collaborating with regional partners, other campus groups, and visiting scholars has also been an exciting way to widen our scope, bringing us sessions with artist Ambreen Butt cosponsored with the Cantor Arts Center and a panel on seditious speech in Pakistan organized by Humanities Center Fellow Ali Usman Qasmi (LUMS). We had a fascinating session on Hindu Chaplains at US universities and a delightful conversation with a group of young adult fiction authors organized by Stanford undergraduate Karunya Bhramasandra. Over the year, we also inaugurated what will be a continuing series of programs concerning caste in and beyond South Asia with talks from Suraj Yengde, Ramnarayan Rawat, Sanober Umar, Chinnaiah Jangam, Meena Kandasamy, Avidit Acharya, and Thenmozhi Soundararajan.

I am so grateful to our previous director and now leader at Stanford Global Studies, Jisha Menon. So many of the creative approaches she pioneered as the pandemic set in have shown the way to be a dynamic and impactful center in precarious times. We have also enjoyed having two excellent interns this year: Ravi Tadigadapa (South AsiaMarkaz Fellow) and Kavya Srikanth (Caste Project Intern). Both have helped produce creative and important events, from a teach-in on caste to a discussion with prominent human rights activists Aakar Patel and Meenakshi Ganguly. Kavya will continue with us as she completes a co-term master’s degree and will be joined by Komal Kumar and Srihari Nageswaran (our incoming South Asia-Markaz Fellow). Finally, but not at all least, we are so fortunate to have a fantastic team in Lalita and Simrath. Lalita’s knowledge of the field, organizational acumen, and enthusiasm for making new and good things happen are invaluable. Simrath’s sharp attention to detail, brilliance, and anticipation keep everything running smoothly. Our whole CSA community appreciates their work (and their good humor).

Sincerely,

Anna Bigelow, Faculty Director Associate Professor, Religious Studies

This article is from:

AWAAZ 2022