Carl Griffin and I are visiting Kolkata. Rev. Subodh Mondohl acts as our host in Kolkata. One afternoon, he and his friends Probal Dutta and Rev. Mohan Lal take Carl… Read more

Upon receiving notice of my acceptance in the Fulbright seminar, I know that I want to meet Emory’s Professor Thomas Thangaraj. Although my doctoral degree is from Emory, I had… Read more

Like all religious systems, Hinduism tries to make sense of what harms a person and how a person can harm others. Like other religions, Hinduism can focus upon intentions. The… Read more

Before the formal Fulbright seminar begins in Madras (Chennai), we learn about rural India. In our particular seminar “The Geography and Culture of India”, one of the major goals is… Read more

What does one do at 5AM? I know that it will be hot as the day goes along; I know that the group schedule will leave little free time. I… Read more

I hoped to learn about Hinduism. Being an academic, I thoroughly enjoy the earlier lecture about classic textual Hinduism as expressed in the Bhagavad-Gita and the Ramayana. Because Sunithi, one… Read more

Not only the seminar’s women, but also the men, want to understand women’s roles and status. While we all realize that there is a complexity to this set of issues,… Read more

Massive suffering brings responses. Since women’s roles and status are often dismal, there are organizations which seek to rectify the situation as best as it can. One such organization is… Read more

There are many terms for the traditional Hindu social stratification, varna, jati, and caste. My own seminar goal is to familiarize myself with Hinduism and some of the basic features… Read more