Govt to donate $1.5 mn to US varsity for Vivekananda Chair

The Union government will donate $1.5 million (nearly Rs 8 crore) to the University of Chicago next week to help establish a new visiting professorship in Indian studies named after Swami Vivekananda, university officials said on Tuesday.

The money will be gifted during Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's visit to the university next week.

The new chair, which commemorates the legacy of Swami Vivekananda, is expected to enrich the university's program for the study of the Indian subcontinent and further research and teaching of India's history and culture.

Indian and university officials will come together on January 28 in International House to celebrate the new commitment.

The ceremony will include remarks from minister Mukherjee, Indian Ambassador to the US Nirupama Rao, Martha Roth, dean of the Humanities, and Chauncey S Boucher, professor of Assyriology, as well as Dipesh Chakrabarty, the Lawrence A Kimpton Distinguished Service Professor in History and South Asian Languages and Civilizations.

"The ministry's generous support will allow us to expand on the university's tradition of rigorous scholarship in Indian studies," said university president Robert J Zimmer.

"This pledge, as well as the upcoming visit from Indian leaders, stand as a testament to the importance of the relationship between the University of Chicago and India, and the mutual commitment to scholarship," Zimmer said.

The gift will support the establishment of the Union ministry of culture's Vivekananda Visiting Professorship. The one-quarter visiting professorship will be given to distinguished scholars from a variety of disciplines with an interest in the fields of study most relevant to the teachings and philosophies of the Swami, such as Indian philosophy, politics and social movements. The professorship, which the Division of the Humanities will administer, includes a teaching commitment as well as an annual public lecture.

Roth said the holder of the Vivekananda Chair would be welcomed into University of Chicago's vibrant South Asian studies community.

"The University of Chicago is proud of our exceptional group of faculty and students with interests in the scholarship of South Asia. The ministry of culture's generous gift will deepen engagement with the history, culture, and people of India here at the University of Chicago," she said.

The ministry of culture's gift comes as the University of Chicago prepares to further strengthen its ties with India. In 2010, a faculty committee recommended the creation of a center in New Delhi as a focus for the university's scholarship, teaching and engagement in India.

"The ministry's generous support for the Vivekananda Chair will allow us to educate new generations of students about India and its traditions," Chakrabarty said. "I cannot think of a more fitting way to honour the legacy of Swami Vivekananda, who played such a vital role in sharing Indian culture with the world."

Next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Swami Vivekananda, who helped raise awareness of Hinduism and Indian culture in the United States. He was also a strong advocate of interfaith understanding and cooperation.

Vivekananda rose to prominence in the United States during the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, when he delivered an enormously popular lecture on the teachings of Hinduism.

The University of Chicago is home to a rich array of resources for the study of the Indian subcontinent. Currently, more than 60 faculty members are engaged in the study of South Asian history, culture and language. The university offers instruction in nine modern and two classical Indian languages, including advanced instruction in less commonly taught languages such as Malayalam, Marathi and Telugu.

During his one-day visit to Chicago, Mukherjee will unveil a Vivekananda Plaque at the Art Institute of Chicago besides meeting with the Indian American community at a breakfast meeting January 29.