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Indian fund powers U of California at Santa Cruz conference on Indian history

Arthur J Pais in Santa Cruz

A year after entrepreneur Narpat Bhandari gave over $ 1 million (with promises of more to come) to the University of California in Santa Cruz on his wife Chandra's birthday to endow a chair for Indian studies, the school recently held a major conference, Sairta, on Indian history, tradition and cultures.

Included among the topics were holistic medicine and the Jaina tradition. Several scholars from other universities in America and India including scholar and critic Kalpana Vatsayan participated in the events.

The cultural events included the screening of Sandip Ray's newest film, Target, followed by a discussion. Kalpana Bardhan, an economist who is also a much-praised translator of classic and contemporary Bengali fiction, presented an exhibition of her photographs.

The showing of Ray's film had a special meaning for Narpat Bhandari. For Sandip father, Satyajit Ray, is one of her most favorite film-makers, and she has acknowledged many times that the humanistic spirit of Ray's films gave her the courage to forge ahead in a new country, and find her roots.

Along with the conference a banquet was held to raise more money for not only for the chair but also for a multi-million dollar India Center project.

The school announced it was giving $ 50,000 to the endeavor, provided the community contributed at least $ 150,000.

Bhandari is one of the more visible leaders of TiE, the Silicon Valley organization, many of whose members have contributed over $ 5 million for educational institutions. Kanwal Rekhi, the TiE president, donated $ 2 million to his alma mater, IIT Bombay.

Other Indian entrepreneurs have donated about $ 10 million either to start or expand the Indian chair programs at many American universities including Brown, Columbia and the University of Madison at Milwaukee.

Bhandari and Rekhi believe that potentially Indian entrepreneurs and the community could set apart $ 1 million a year for Indian study programs.

"It is not just Indian American students who will benefit," Narpat Bhandari says. "We are a part of American landscape and when one segment of America becomes stronger, the entire country benefits."

Bhandari and his wife, who was a schoolteacher in Rajasthan for many years, are past students of the UC Santa Cruz.

UC Santa Cruz chancellor M R C Greenwood said that unless America understands the modern India in its all complexity and appreciates its progress, American academics, students and entrepreneurs are going to be losers in the 21st century. India will continue to be a big global player, she asserted.

The increasing number of second generation Indian Americans on all campuses but particularly in California made it imperative to have strong Indian programs, she said.

Though UC Santa Cruz will offer programs in ancient and medieval Indian history, religious and political thought the emphasis is on current India, she said.

To the Bhandaris the importance of Indian studies is so important that they want to ensure that Santa Cruz will be the magnet for scholars from all over the world.

"We see it as a global center for India," he had said last year.

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