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Sandeep Chakravorty, the Consul General of India in New York, had a whirlwind visit to campus in March to celebrate the establishment of a new chair of Indian studies at 51��Ʒ��Ƶ. A rotating scholar from India, who will teach in different 51��Ʒ��Ƶ departments, will be in the post for each of the next five years beginning in January 2019.

The move is a partnership with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an organization that works to promote a wider understanding of Indian culture and history. Chakravorty met with 51��Ʒ��Ƶ leaders to discuss the chair as part of the Asian Studies Center's new India initiative. A reception at the Frick Fine Arts cloister was followed by dinner with the local South Asian community, breakfast with staff from 51��Ʒ��Ƶ’s  and an informal meeting over coffee with a group of 15 students interested in Indian studies.

“There’s tremendous enthusiasm about this new chair,” said Joseph Alter, director of the Asian Studies Center. “He or she will teach a course on modern Indian culture and help to develop programming that serves the interests of students who want to learn more about this significant region of the world.”