HINDU Studies Oxford University

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T W L C H S

w w w. o ch s.org .u k


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CourtesyAshmoleanMuseum,Oxford

Courtesy Ashmolean Museum, Oxford


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I

The OCHS is the worlds leading institution for the research

and dissemination of Hindu Studies. It is the only centre in the

world with a systematic and strategic approach to Indian tradi-

tions and cu ltures. It is a model of Hindu Studies for the 21st

century a centre of excellence that is shaping conversations,

promoting dialogue, and influencing the thinking of a genera-

tion.

Society always benefits from education. Education based on

scholarly integrity supports good thinking it promotes under-

standing, it helps build bridges, it cultivates character, and it

develops social cohesion. Central to the culture of the OCHS is

the principle of working to improve the communities we serve

through education.

Society today faces profound challenges. Extremism, climate-

change, pollution, trust in public figures and institutions, andpoverty are concerns for us all. Albert Einstein once said, We

cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that

created them.

The OCHS makes good thinking accessible to media, government,

private enterprise, and communities.

The OCHS is helping a generation of students the decision-

makers of the fut ure to develop a credible and authoritative

voice for their tr adit ions ; more tha n th at, the OCHS aim s to give

the same opportunity to future generations to represent Indian

thought and culture in times and circumstances we cant beginto imagine.

Te OCHS is unique,

being characterised by an

approach to Hindu Studies

that beautifully combines the

rigorous academic standards

and refined intellectual

environment of Oxford with

the human warmth andpluralistic attitude of India.

Dr Andrea Acri,OCHS Visiting Fellow

Te Oxford Centre for

Hindu Studies is important

because it isnt pushing an

agenda. It is looking at the

broader questions of Hindu

identity and culture today.

Tis helps inform not only

the Hindu community but

also the various communitiesthat make up our diverse

society.

Ranjit Sondhi CBE

I am delighted that young

Hindus are working to

preserve and develop their

traditions at the same time as

learning about other cultures

from the environment in

which you live.

It is heartening to see

your vision, concern and

commitment to building astrong sense of your Hindu

community within the

context of British society

and I am so glad your

Hindu Youth Initiative has

produced good results and I

pray it will go from strength

to strength.

HRH Prince Charles,Te Prince of Wales at thelaunch of the OCHS HinduYouth Initiative


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We live in a global community with vastly increased opportuni-

ties for communication and mis-communication. The Oxford

Centre for Hindu Studies brings Indian culture to this new

global commun ity a nd its enormous and d ivergent market-place

of ideas.

The OCHS works to create cohesion within society by providing

an in formed, non-sectarian, and non-political voice for Indias

traditions a voice that makes extremism dif ficult to sustain.

The OCHS encourages its faculty and students to speak on con-

temporary issues through television, print, radio, and the web.

OCHS staff and students have contributed to Time, the Wash-

ington Post, the Times, the Times of India, the New York Times ,

the BBC, and National Geographic , to name a very fe w.

The OCHS has a cradle-to-pyre strategy for education making

Oxford standards available to all. This i s done through HinduStudies courses for the general public, including online courses,

and through executive-training programme s that help shape

future leaders and managers.

The OCHS has become a trusted voice for public and private

sector bodies. It has entered into partnerships with the BBC,

dealing with issues of public education; Dow Jones, providing

dharmic perspectives on ethical investment; and, through the

OCHS Bhumi project, initiated by the UN, co-ordinating Hindu

responses to environmental change and gre ening pilgrimage

sites including Tirupati, Rishikesh, Puri and Ujjain.

Te OCHS has been

instrumental in providing

advice on the methodology

of the Dow Jones Dharma

Indexes. As a global index

provider we rely on the

expertise of independent

academic bodies.

Sumeet Nihalani,Dow Jones Senior Directorof Sales (Asia Pacific andMiddle East)

With globalisation and the spread of multifaith societies

there has never been a greater need for understanding of the

different world traditions. Te Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

is encouraging the spread of knowledge about a great culturewhich the West has found difficult to understand because of its

unique diversity and philosophical breadth.

Sir Mark ully, writer and broadcaster

Te OCHS has a

tremendous role to play in

bringing the best of Indian

thought to the media, to

government, to business

and, at the same time,

ensuring that all traditions

and communities are

included in the process.

Lord Navnit Dholakia, OBE,DL, Chairman of OCHS

Board of Governors


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As India develops politically, industrially, and economically

it is absorbing world cultures and philosophies, often uncrit-

ically. To help discover a practica l balance bet ween tradition

and modernity the OCHS is creating a culture of thinking

that includes Indias indigenous perspectives. It is producing

a new and wholi stic approach to Indias past, present, a nd

future.

To do this, the OCHS is bringing together the best thinkers

in its field, building new understandings of the relationship

between ancient traditions a nd the modern world.

Students

The OCHSs students are our best ambassadors. Our stu-

dents are taking degrees in faculties such as Politics,

Philosophy, Economics, Oriental Stud ies, Theology, Anthro-pology, Literature, and Hi story. Graduates have gone on to

accept academic positions in the USA, Ox ford, Cambridge,

Israel, and Hong Kong, becoming leaders in t heir field and

infusing their own students with a balance of academic rig-

our and service to society.

Scholars

The OCHS attracts internationally renowned scholars to

its academic community, joining worlds of scholarship and

re-invigorating ways of looking at Ind ias civi lisation and

contributions.

Te OCHS is unique in

that it studies all traditions

of Hinduism in all periods,

and in all parts of the world.

Te scholarly approach of

the OCHS is a basis for

excellent education and

informed debate. My time as

an OCHS student gave me

the perspectives I needed to

launch my career.

Prof. Ravi Gupta,William and Mary College,USA, and OCHS alumnus

Te OCHS plays an important part in the life of the

University, as the forum in which the great traditions of

Hinduism, and their contemporary living forms, can be

studied, taught, and discussed. Tere is great potential

for the future as new resources expand still further thepossibilities of OCHS.

Francis X. Clooney, SJ, Parkman Professor of Divinity,Harvard University, OCHS Academic Director (2002-4)

Academic life at the

OCHS is the full package

academic excellence

combined with a personally

nourishing environment andlasting friendships.

Devika Jina,OCHS Alumna


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The OCHS has 60 students from countries all over the world,

including, the UK, India, US, Canada, Australia, Croatia, Swit-

zerland, China, Germany, France, Italy, Romania, Sri Lanka,

Israel, Pakistan, Ireland, Greece, Belgium, South Africa, Japan,

Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and Singapore.

The OCHS has hosted more than 800 lectures, of which 400 are

available for download.

The OCHS has hosted 35 scholars, mostly from India under the

Shivdasani Visiting Fellowship scheme.

The OCHS gives ten named annual bursaries, through the gen-

erosity of our supporters.

The OCHS is engaged in collaborative research with the Uni-

versit y of Jadavpur (India), MS University of Ba roda (India),

University of Aarhus (Denmark), University of Florida, and Chi-

nese University of Hong Kong.

The OCHS has had more than 2,000 enrolments over seven

years through its Continuing Education Depa rtment , including

its pioneering online courses.

The OCHS has hosted three international conferences on Hindu

Studies: Archeology and Text (2007), Category in Indian Philos-

ophy (2009), and Shak ta Traditions (2011). Three more are being

planned: Hi ndu Approaches to the Environment, Bhagavata

Purana, and Modern Bengal Vaishnavism. The proceedings of all

our conferences are to be published.The OCHS is publishing the Journal of Hindu Studies in part-

nership with Oxford University Press three times a year.

The OCHS publishes, with Routledge, the Hindu Studies Book

Series. To date nineteen titles have been produced.

As well as Oxfords unparalleled Bodleian Library with the

worlds largest collection of Sanskrit manuscripts outside of In-

dia, the OCHS has its own well-regarded library of 20,000 titles,

a significant number of which are not available at the Bodleian.

Te Centre offers a warm

and dedicated community. It

caters for individual interests

and works to develop student

potential in a wholistic way.

Moreover, it actively encour-

ages values of service and

integrity, so well articulated

in traditional Hindu scrip-

tures, a living expression incontemporary life.

Meijia Ling,OCHS alumna

It was truly like being in a

family, and everyone was

always so kind, courteous,caring, and going out of their

way to assist an academic

caught up in his own work.

I learnt so much, and was

able to share so much. Te

students I tutored and

mentored were simply great.

Prof. Purshottam Bilimoria,OCHS Visiting Fellow


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Benefactors of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies comprise

an informed net work of people united by a concern for Indian

culture and its study at the highest level.

They give of their ti me and money, they lend their reputation

to the work of the Centre, and they g ive freely of their va luableexpertise. Our benefactors ensure t hat the work of the Centre

retains a global focus, serving the communities it engages with

for generations to come.

In tur n the OCHS i s proud to acknowledge its benefactors

through naming opportunities for scholarships and lectureships,

by inviting them to special Governors and Patrons events, and

by inviting them to a seat on the OCHS Benefactors Council.

Te work being done at the

OCHS is opening a door

to knowledge and culture

that until recently, was only

slightly ajar. By facilitating

young intellectuals we help

to simultaneously preserve

and develop understanding

of Indic culture for moderntimes and between

traditions.

Alfred Ford, Philanthropist

I think the OCHS is a very

exciting development for the

future of Indian culture. It is

certainly helping the world

reflect on Indian identity and

perspectives. Any successful

initiative is a team effort, so

we should all get behind this

centre giving it every support

we can.

Amitabh BachchanOCHS Patrons Council

In previous centuries,

benefactors invested in

the universities that my

children and I studied at

and benefited from. Now,

our family is investing

in the OCHS to give

our grandchildren and

their grandchildren the

opportunity to study and

benefit from this unique

centre. We are certain that

the future of Indias cultural

traditions is in safe hands atthe OCHS.

Kamlesh Patel,OCHS Benefactors Council


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DirectorMr Shaunaka Rishi Das

Acad emic DirectorProf. Gavin Flood

Board of GovernorsMr Shaunaka Rishi DasLord Dholakia, OBE, DLDr S. Bhattacharya-FordProf. Richard GombrichProf. Edmund HerzigPeggy MorganDr John MuddimanProf. Polly OHanlonMr Harish I. K. Patel

Mrs Neerja SethiMr Pramod ThakkarProf. Keith Ward, FBA

Patrons CouncilMr Amitabh BachchanDr Karan SinghHE The Indian High

Commissioner

Fund Management Commit te eMr Dev Bahl

Mr Akbar MoawallaDr Prashun PopatMr Ramesh Venkataraman

FellowsProf. John BrockingtonDr Gillian EvisonProf. Gavin FloodDr Sanjukta Gupta

Dr Rembert LutjeharmsPeggy Morgan

Senior Associate FellowsProf. Francis X. C looney, SJProf. Thomas HopkinsProf. Dermott K illingleyProf. M. N. NarasimhacharyProf. Patrick Olivelle

Research Fellows

Dr Jessica FrazierDr Bjarne Wernicke OlesenDr Brainerd PrinceDr Ferdinando SardellaDr Kenneth ValpeyDr Katherine Wharton

Acad emic CouncilProf. Gavin Flood (Chair)Dr Gillian EvisonDr Jessica FrazierDr Sondra Hausner

Dr Rembert LutjeharmsPeggy MorganProf. Polly OHanlonProf. George PattisonShaunaka Rishi Das

Acad emic Adv isory Counci lDr N. J. AllenDr Rohit BarotProf. John BrockingtonProf. Judith Brown

Prof. F. X. Clooney, SJDr Gillian EvisonProf. Bob JacksonDr Dermot KillingleyProf. Ursula KingProf. Kim KnottProf. Julius LipnerProf. Eleanor NesbittProf. Malory NyeProf. Ceri PeachProf. Lord Bikhu Parekh

Prof. Chakravarthi Ram-PrasadDr David Smith

Continuing EducationDr Nicholas SuttonMs Anuradha Dooney

Jour nal of Hin du St udiesProf. Gavin FloodDr Jessica FrazierMr Rembert Lutjeharms

Te key to the OCHS success story is the dedication and

qualification of our people academics of true genius and

governance that encourages creativity. Tis special group has

combined to establish the worlds leading centre for HinduStudies; they have provided a solid foundation for the future.

Shaunaka Rishi Das, Director


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Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies

13-15 Magdalen St

Oxford OX1 3AE

www.ochs.org.uk

[email protected]

01865-304300

Regd. Charit y No. 1074458

Partnerships

Chinese University Hong Kong

Maharaja Sayajirao

University of Baroda

Documents

HINDU Studies Oxford University