2008 Woodie Awards
South Asian Identity Week brings variety of speakers, events
Robbie Corey-Boulet
Issue date: 11/9/04 Section: Campus news
Coordinators of South Asian Identity Week are hoping to broaden the appeal of the program by involving different groups on campus and hosting a former CNN bureau chief, several acclaimed authors and experts on South Asia for a variety of lectures and forums.
The cultural week, which is in its third year, features lectures, information sessions and discussion forums centered on this year's theme: "South Asia: Assembling the Mosaic."
Bharati Kalasapudi '07, a co-coordinator for the week's events, said programmers tried to schedule a variety of activities to expose Brown students to the diversity of the South Asian region.
"One of the goals is to highlight the differences and similarities on the subcontinent," Kalasapudi said. "We hope it helps (students) develop a dialogue ... and share experiences."
Coordinators said they also hope the week's events will raise awareness about the search for a South Asian history professor. Filling the position "is a goal for many South Asians on campus," Kalasapudi said, adding the University currently lacks a faculty member who can adequately fill this role.
"South Asian studies have been neglected here at Brown," said Vidyasri Putcha '07, who is the week's other co-coordinator. "We want to show the University that there is interest in these activities."
While some events are open to the entire Brown community, other activities are designed primarily for a South Asian audience, Putcha said. One of these forums, scheduled for later this week, will address gender and sexuality from a South Asian perspective, she said.
The week's events began last Thursday with a convocation ceremony that featured Ravi Kalhan '96, whom Putcha described as instrumental in the development of Third World programs through his work as a Minority Peer Counselor coordinator and promoter of other events on campus for students of color.
Author Suketu Mehta gave a keynote speech that evening, focusing on the "search for home" and identity, a topic that resonates with minorities and South Asians in particular, Kalasapudi said. Mehta recently garnered literary acclaim for his new book, titled "Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found," which was published in September.
The cultural week, which is in its third year, features lectures, information sessions and discussion forums centered on this year's theme: "South Asia: Assembling the Mosaic."
Bharati Kalasapudi '07, a co-coordinator for the week's events, said programmers tried to schedule a variety of activities to expose Brown students to the diversity of the South Asian region.
"One of the goals is to highlight the differences and similarities on the subcontinent," Kalasapudi said. "We hope it helps (students) develop a dialogue ... and share experiences."
Coordinators said they also hope the week's events will raise awareness about the search for a South Asian history professor. Filling the position "is a goal for many South Asians on campus," Kalasapudi said, adding the University currently lacks a faculty member who can adequately fill this role.
"South Asian studies have been neglected here at Brown," said Vidyasri Putcha '07, who is the week's other co-coordinator. "We want to show the University that there is interest in these activities."
While some events are open to the entire Brown community, other activities are designed primarily for a South Asian audience, Putcha said. One of these forums, scheduled for later this week, will address gender and sexuality from a South Asian perspective, she said.
The week's events began last Thursday with a convocation ceremony that featured Ravi Kalhan '96, whom Putcha described as instrumental in the development of Third World programs through his work as a Minority Peer Counselor coordinator and promoter of other events on campus for students of color.
Author Suketu Mehta gave a keynote speech that evening, focusing on the "search for home" and identity, a topic that resonates with minorities and South Asians in particular, Kalasapudi said. Mehta recently garnered literary acclaim for his new book, titled "Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found," which was published in September.