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SAI Event Type : Lecture


Hinduism in Nepal: The Ritual Dimension

WHEN
Thu, May 2, 2019 - Fri, May 3, 2019

VENUE
Science Center Hall A

ADDRESS
Science Center Hall A
Harvard University
Cambridge MA 02138

As part of the Nepal Studies Program, Professor Michael Witzel from Harvard University will lead a conference titled “Hinduism in Nepal: The Ritual Dimension.” Ritual has played a major role in Hindu societies, from the Vedas to modern times, and it has been particularly prominent in Nepalese society. It accompanies individuals from morning until night, from birth to death, and it shapes the customs of society throughout the year. This conference will explore some of the rituals, past and present, that are typical for Nepal. Stress is put on the extensive documentation that has been carried out over the past few decades, with a particular focus on fire rituals.

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Engaging with India: Engaging with Feminism

WHEN
Wed, Apr 24, 2019 from 06:00pm — 07:30pm

COST   Free

VENUE
Harvard University
Loeb House

ADDRESS
Harvard University
Loeb House
17 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA
02138

Engaging with India: Engaging with Feminism and the Passion of “The Before Midnight’s Children”

Speaker: Devaki Jain, Economist, Writer, and Recipient of the Padma Bhushan Award

The Harish C. Mahindra Lecture Series is given in honor of the late Harish C. Mahindra, a distinguished alumnus of Harvard College and a visionary leader of business and industry in India. The lecture is an important component in continuing the education and understanding of the challenges facing South Asia, and provides an ideal forum for the next generation of global leadership.

This year, Devaki Jain will be giving the Mahindra Lecture. Devaki Jain is an Indian economist and writer who has made significant contributions to feminist economics, social justice, and women’s empowerment in India. In 2006, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan — the third-highest civilian honor from the Government of India — for her contributions to society. In this lecture, she will weave her own personal story into the political story of India and discuss her engagement with public life, activism, and her current work in feminist economics.

A reception will follow the lecture. This event is free and open to the public. 

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Mallika Sarabhai: Dance to Change the World

WHEN
Tue, Apr 9, 2019 from 04:30pm — 06:00pm

VENUE
CGIS South, S030
Harvard University

ADDRESS
CGIS South, S030
Harvard University
1730 Cambridge Street
Cambridge MA 02138

A lecture and demonstration by Mallika Sarabhai, one of India’s leading choreographers and dancers for over three decades. In constant demand both as a soloist and with her own dance company, Darpana, she has created and performed classical and contemporary works around the world. A constant activist for societal education and women’s empowerment, Sarabhai has created […]

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Invisible Boundaries: Taxation and Enchantment in Late-Mughal Gujarat

WHEN
Fri, Apr 5, 2019 at 04:00pm

VENUE
Robinson Hall, 35 Quincy Street, Lower Level Library

ADDRESS
Robinson Hall
35 Quincy Street
Lower Level Library

As part of the Asia Center’s Borders in Modern Asia Seminar Series, Samira Sheikh will join us to discuss the late-Mughal era in Gujarat. 

Speaker:
Samira Sheikh, Professor of History, Vanderbilt University

Chairs:
Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of History, Harvard University
Sunil Amrith, Mehra Family Professor of South Asian Studies, Harvard University

This event is hosted by the Harvard University Asia Center and co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, the Mittal Institute, and the Weatherhead Initiative on Global History.

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Artist Talk: Amar Kanwar

Amar Kanwar presents an artist talk. The following evening on Friday, April 19, 7 pm, Such a Morning will be screened at the Harvard Film Archive.

Both Amar Kanwar programs are presented in collaboration with The Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard Film Archive, Film Study Center, and The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University.

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India’s Upcoming Elections: What’s at Stake?

WHEN
Tue, Apr 2, 2019 from 06:15pm — 07:30pm

VENUE
Land Lecture Hall, 4th Floor, Kennedy School

ADDRESS
Land Lecture Hall (4th Floor)
Kennedy School
79 John F. Kennedy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

In this event, Professor Ashu Varshney, Ronak Desai, and Hasit Shah will discuss the pressure points of the upcoming Indian election.

Speakers:
Ashu Varshney, Director of the Center for Contemporary South Asia and Sol Goldman Professor of Political Science and International and Public Affairs at Brown University
Ronak Desai, Vice Chair of the Indian Practice at Steptoe and Law & Security Fellow at New America
Hasit Shah, Journalist and Expert on Digital Media and Internet Access in India

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Production of City Space in India: Class, Caste, and Grayness

WHEN
Tue, Mar 26, 2019 from 06:00pm — 07:30pm

VENUE
CGIS South, S153
Harvard University

ADDRESS
CGIS South, S153
Harvard University
1730 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

Sripad Motiram, Associate Professor of Economics and Affiliated Faculty, Asian Studies Department, University of Massachusetts Boston Vamsi Vakulabharanam, Co-Director, Asian Political Economy Program (Political Economy Research Institute) and Associate Professor of Economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst Sripad Motiram and Vamsi Vakulabharanam will discuss how space is structured in two Indian cities, Hyderabad and Mumbai, along […]

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Harnessing Science to Serve Humanity: Vision of Tata Institute for Genetics and Society

This seminar will focus on scientific advancements in research on human health and agriculture in India and the vision of the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS) in this field. TIGS is a collaborative research institution that aims to improve health security and food security for India. Dr. Suresh Subramani, Global Director at TIGS […]

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Dreams of Independence: Vernacular Nationalism Among the Mizos of Northeast India

WHEN
Wed, Feb 27, 2019 from 12:00pm — 01:30pm

VENUE
CGIS South, S250
Harvard University

ADDRESS
CGIS South, S250
Harvard University
1730 Cambridge Street
Cambridge MA

Roluahpuia, the Mittal Institute’s Raghunathan Family Fellow, will discuss his research into the relationship between orality and nationalism at two levels through the lens of the Mizo case in northeast India. The first level surrounds the process of creating a vernacular language, involving the reframing and reconstruction of nationalist ideas. The second is the irrepressibility […]

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Sri Lankan Narrations and Building Schemes by Minnette de Silva

WHEN
Tue, Feb 26, 2019 from 06:00pm — 07:30pm

VENUE
CGIS South, S153
Harvard University

ADDRESS
CGIS South, S153
Harvard University
1730 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

In her building and writing, architect Minnette de Silva sought to recreate a “felicitous community spirit” across social and cultural differences, as stated in her memoir — a text on the significant multi-family housing project her office undertook. In this event, Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi, Assistant Professor of the Department of Architecture at Columbia University, will […]

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