During the Fall 2023 semester, South Asian Studies Council (SASC) has welcomed undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty to Luce Hall for discussions about everything from India’s digital transformation to research on serotonergic psychedelics. On Thursday, November 2, those same community members joined SASC for its annual fall reception, a celebration of the strength of South Asia-related academic and cultural programming at Yale. Attendees included students from all levels of Hindi classes, faculty and their families, and graduate students in disciplines from political science to anthropology to religious studies.
Sunil Amrith, Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History and Chair of SASC, welcomed attendees with a brief speech introducing new and returning members of the community, including visiting lecturer Sushant Singh, an acclaimed journalist, and Riddhi Pankhadiwala, Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant for Hindi. Food was served that represented a range of South Asian cultural traditions: momo (steamed dumplings) for Tibet and Nepal, Pakistani chapli kebab (ground meat patties), Bangla macher chop (fish croquettes), and nearly universal South Asian dishes like samosas and gulab jamun. The event demonstrated the diverse interests and backgrounds of an increasingly multicultural SASC, which has members spread across Yale’s academic departments and looks set to increase its engagement across South Asia in the coming years.
Byline: Daevan Mangalmurti