Ancient records of early Buddhism, recovered from Tibet, identify five great centres of learning a thousand years after the birth of Prince Gautama Buddha. Of the five, two are amongst the four hundred Buddhist sites in Bangladesh; Somapura Mahavihara (Paharpur) and Jaggadala. These centers could not have thrived without patronage and proximity of the Silk Road which brought trade and Buddhism close together. Hasna will discuss a trip she took in 2015 and 2017 to Mongolia in search of a connection between Mongolia and India via Bangladesh.
Professor Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs, Harvard University will be on two panel discussions at the Dhaka Arts Summit (DAS) in February 2018. The Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) is an international, non-commercial research and exhibition platform for art and architecture related to South Asia. With a core focus on Bangladesh, DAS re-examines how we think about these forms of art in both a regional and an international context.
The Crossroads Summer Program is a fully-funded introduction to Harvard and American university culture for students from the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and Africa, who are the first in their families to attend college and may also be facing challenging financial and social circumstances. Leading Harvard faculty will teach an intensive, multidisciplinary four-day curriculum in Dubai, for up to 60 accomplished, motivated youth.
This is a forum for faculty, administrators, and leadership from universities across South Asia, the Middle East, and neighboring regions (Central Asia and East Asia) to explore ways in which universities may develop a liberal arts education program for undergraduate students, while fostering such objectives as sustainable development; social inclusion and peace; and cooperation across national boundaries among individuals, institutions, and governments. These goals are essential to addressing shared global challenges and to realizing opportunities to advance human well-being. Universities, as institutions that prepare future leadership of societies, have a unique role to play in the achievement of these goals, educating students as global citizens who can understand, value, and contribute to the common good.
