rel of india

About the Initiative

The Religions of India Initiative has five main goals. These goals are designed to develop India Studies on campus in a comprehensive fashion, and in a manner that benefits the university and broader community in multiple ways. 

Our goals are: 

1. to build financial support for scholarships and fellowships for exceptional Undergraduate Research on India undertaken by Religious Studies Majors. This will encourage students to take up the study of India seriously, and support innovative, original research at the undergraduate level and will prepare students for graduate work.

2. to build financial support for fellowships recognizing exceptional Graduate Research on India undertaken by Religious Studies Ph.D. candidates. This is instrumental in attracting the best graduate students to our Ph.D. program, and will ensure that UC Davis becomes a hub of new and cutting edge work being done on India.

3. to engage in community outreach through an endowed lecture series and colloquia/symposia that will support annual events and lectures about India. This is an important component of the initiative as it enables us to give back to the community, and to bring new and innovative scholarship on India from outside the University to the broader public.

4. to create a pioneering Creative Arts Residency Program for Indian artists, musicians, poets and dancers (both short-term and long-term). This program will enable us to invite leading artists from India to UC Davis on a short term or long term basis. Artists in residence will lead workshops, host lecture-demonstrations, and offer guest lectures in courses, and actively participate in the life of the community and the university.

5. to create both a visiting lecturer and endowed chair position. This will allow us to bring exceptional scholars and performers to campus annually for innovation and creative new ideas, while having an endowed faculty position for long term planning and vision

The long-term goal of the Religions of India Initiative is to establish a Chair for the Study of India's Religions at the University of California, Davis