Lectures

William H. Danforth Professor of South Asian Religions at Oberlin College

Dr. Richman is the editor of "Ramayana Stories in Modern South India" (2008), "Questioning Ramayanas: A South Asian Tradition" (2000), and "Many Ramayanas: The Diversity of a Narrative Tradition in South Asia" (1991), presented a talk on the performance of the great Indian epic. In performances of the Ramayana, narrative, enactment, drama, music, dance are blended: The story of Rama’s martial deeds, marriage to Sita, her abduction and captivity, and finally the battle between him and the demon king Ravana become part of people’s lived reality.

Professor of Buddhist and Southern Asian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania

Pesented the lecture "Towards an Anthropology of Greater India: The New Hinduism in Buddhist Thailand” on October 15

Chair and Associate Professor of the Department of Anthropology and the Co- Chair of South Asian Studies at Brandeis University

Lamb presented her lecture “The Ties That Bind: Aging and the Global Indian Family”. This lecture was presented on Wednesday, May 20th, 2008 and was cosponsored by the Friends of India and the Department of Classics and World Religion.

Professor Tracy Pintchman from Loyola University Chicago’s Department of Theology presented her lecture “When Krishna Takes a Bride: Devine Sexuality and Female Spirituality in a Hindu Women’s Ritual Tradition on Monday May 8th, 2006. This lecture was cosponsored by The Friends of India and the Department of Classics and World Religion.

Travis L. Smith, PhD Candidate and member of the Religion Department at Columbia University presented his lecture “Constructions of Sacred Space: Varanasi in Sanskirt Sources” on Thursday, May 12th 2005. This lecture was cosponsored by the Friends of India Endowment and the Department of Classics and World Religion.

Dr. Joel Brerton, of the University of Texas at Austin presented his lecture "Gods, Kings and Anti-Gods: The Rise and Fall of Vedic Asuras" on Monday, May 10, 2004. This lecture was cosponsored by the Friends of India Endowment and the Department of Philosophy at Ohio University. 

Neelima Shukla-Bhatt of Harvard University presented two lectures, cosponsored by the Friends of India Endowment and the Department of Philosophy at Ohio University, on May 6, 2003, "Dancing With The Goddess: The Garba Dance of Gujarati Hindu Women" and on May 7, 2003, Seminar on Selected Topics in Hinduism and "Hagiography as Social History."

The Friends of India Endowment and the Department of Philosophy at Ohio University cosponsored two lectures this year. Given April 25-26, 2002 by Dr. Smriti Srinivas of the Philosophy Department at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and Dr. James Heitzman of the History Department at Georgia University. They gave the following two lectures :On April 25, 2002, "The Sathya Sai Baba Movement in the Context of Transnational Circuits." and on April 26, 2002, "Warrior Goddess versus Bipedal Cow: Sports and Ecology in an Indian City."

William Harmon of De Pauw University in Green Castle, Indiana, gave two lectures cosponsored by the Friends of India Endowment and The Department of Philosophy at Ohio University. The lectures were given on May 4, 2000, "Cutting Blood Deals with the Fever Goddess." and May 5, 2000, "Speaking About Hinduism... And Speaking Against It: The Purported Privileges of Scholarship."

Two lectures were given this year both by David Haberman, an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Indian University. The lectures were presented by the Friends of India Endowment, the Ohio University Department of Philosophy, and the Environmental Studies Program. On April 15, 1999. "Yamuna: Religious Goddess, Polluted River and April 16, 1999. "Religious Studies at the End of the 21st Century."

The Friends of India Endowment and the Ohio University Department of Philosophy cosponsored a lecture Tuesday, May 13, 1997, given in Scripps Hall Auditorium. The lecture, "Karma and Retribution;" was given by Purushottama Bilimoria, a Professor from the University of Melbourne, Australia. 

Two lectures were given this year. The first was cosponsored by the Friends of India Endowment and the Women's Studies Program at Ohio University. Joy Micaeals, educator, theatre director and member of the Executive Committee of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches gave her lecture, "Empowering Women in India" on October 16, 1996. The second lecture, "Mahatma Gandhi-The Armamentarium of Non-Violence," by Yvan Silva, M.D. author and visiting professor of University Faculties in India, was sponsored by the Friends of India Endowment, The Committee on Martin Luther King, and the Ohio University Department of Philosophy. The event was held in Scripps Auditorium, April 5, 1996.

Two lectures were given this year: The first lecture was held Thursday, April 27, 1995 in Stocker Hall. Linda Hess, Professor at the University of California, Davis, presented her lecture, "God Stays Here for a Month, The Ramlila Performance at Banaras." The event was cosponsored by the Friends of India Endowment and the Ohio University Department of Philosophy. The second lecture, "Population Control: An Indian Experience" was given by Professor S. Chandrasekhar, a visiting professor of Demography and Sociology at the University of North Texas, and former Minister of Health and Government of India. This lecture was presented Friday, June 2, 1995 in Hanning Hall. This lecture was cosponsored by the Friends of India Endowment and the Ohio University Department of Economics. 

The Friends of India Endowment and the Ohio University Department of Philosophy cosponsored two lectures by Kenneth Zysk, Professor from the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Literatures of New York University. His lectures were presented on April 14, 1994, "On the Origins of Ayurveda, The Traditional Medical System of India;" and on April 15, 1994, "Philosophy Colloquium: Some Reflections on Mahayana Buddhist Philosophy."

Four events were held this year. The first titled, Geethmala '93, was a performance of Indian Music given by the Sangam Music Troupe, of Columbus, Ohio. The event was presented by the Indian Students Association on April 10, 1993. The second and third events were a lectures cosponsored by the Friends of India Endowment and the Ohio University Department of Philosophy. The lectures were given by Alf Hiltebeitel, Professor of Religion at George Washington University. They were held April 15-16,1993. On April 15, 1993, "Draupadi, Hindu Goddess: India's Great Mahabharta Epic in Real Life" an Illustrated lecutre. On April 16, 1993, "What is Hinduism?" a Colloquium.The fourth event, "Yatra, A Journey through India" featured songs and dances at the 6th Annual Indo-American Friendship Day given by the Friends of India Endowment April 25, 1993. 

Three events were held this year. Two lectures by Kirin Narayan, Professor of Anthropology and South Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin. Narayan presented both lectures April 24, 1994. Both lectures were cosponsored by the Friends of India Endowment and the Department of Philosophy at Ohio University. "From Self-torturing Ascetice to the Guru Good Times: American Representations of Hindu Holy Men and "Husbands and Foreigners: Women's Songs of Northwest India." The third event was the viewing of, Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen (Let There be a Wee Bit of Romance), an Award-Winning Contemporary film by Amol Palekar. This event was held July 14, 1992, and given by The Friends of India Endowment and the Indian Students Association.