American Institute of Indian Studies Podcast The American Institute of Indian Studies

In this episode, we explore what it’s like to create born digital projects in India with support from the two AIIS research centers: the Center for Art and Archeology (CA&A) and the Archives and Research Centers for Ethnomusicology (ARCE). Both units share an online archive and digital exhibit space, the Virtual Museum of Images and Sounds, that you can visit and browse at vmis.in.

The DIL Summer Student Fellowships for Digital Sonic and Visual Projects has supported two cohorts of students in 2022 and 2023 to travel to India and conduct research at the CA&A and ARCE under the fantastic guidance of Dr. Vandana Sinha and Dr. Shubha Chaudhuri.

We will hear reflections on the process of creating the 2023 DIL summer digital exhibits from beginning to end with Arya Adityan, a graduate student in the Department of Religion at Florida State University, Ava Bush, an undergraduate student completing her B.A. in Art History at Tulane University, Balakrishnan Raghavan, a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Jamphel Shonu, a graduate student in the Department of History at Pennsylvania State University, and Tyler Thom, a graduate student in the Department of Ethnomusicology at the University of Denver. We’ll begin with a conversation at the beginning of the summer program and then catch up with the participants after the program has ended.

Explore the digital projects on the VMIS website:
Arya Adityan - Oral Epics and Narratives: Villupāttu
Ava Bush - People’s Art: Clay Modelling in Ancient India
Balakrishnan Raghavan - Oral Epics and Narratives of India: Annanmar Katai 
Jamphel Shonu - The Great Monastery of Nalanda
Tyler Thom - The Song Lines of Arnold Bake


For more information on AIIS digital program and fellowships, visit https://www.indiastudies.org/digital-scholarship.
The DIL Digital Sonic and visual Projects fellowships are partially supported by a grant from the US Department of Education.


Produced by AIIS
Intro and Outro music: “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

In this episode, we highlight new forms of innovative research being done on South Asian classical music through the AIIS performing and creative arts fellowship. Sitarist and ethnomusicologist Brian Q. Silver interviews sitarist and AIIS fellow Paul Livingstone. Through their knowledgeable experiences as international performers and dedicated musicians, Brian Q. Silver and Paul Livingstone discuss Paul's AIIS fellowship,  the flavor of Dhrupad, and the techniques and freedom of giving space to music.

Paul Livingstone's latest podcasts, live event information, and fellowship inspired works are available online at paulzlivingstone.com and www.soulforceproject.com.

For more information on AIIS fellowships, visit www.indiastudies.org/research-fellowship-programs/.
Produced by AIIS and Paul Livingstone
Intro and Outro music: “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

This year we have been celebrating a history of scholarship in and through AIIS – exploring the narratives within the walls of the institute and the conversations that have happened thanks to the support of AIIS. In this episode, we turn from history to current research that highlights collaboration and co-creation, a foundational piece of what makes AIIS the American Institute of Indian Studies.

Join us for a discussion on forms of home inspired by the 2016 collaborative conference between Elon University and the University of Madras entitled “To Take Place: Culture, Religion and Home-Making in and Beyond South Asia.” In this conference, “speakers addressed the means and practices by which migrants, displaced persons and various other subcommunities in South Asia establish physical, conceptual and emotional spaces that put them at home or give rise to conflict with other groups.”
With conference co-creators Amy Allocco and James Ponniah we look to how AIIS has supported various forms of institutional collaboration, how concepts of the home shift in spaces and places, and how to successfully build a base (or home) from which to build long-lasting dialog and partners in scholarship.

The following interview is taken from a webinar that took place virtually on November 4, 2022.
*Transcript coming soon*
Produced by AIIS
Music “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

This year we have been celebrating a history of scholarship in and through AIIS - exploring the narratives within the walls of the institute and the conversations that have happened thanks to the support of AIIS. In this episode, we turn from history to current research that highlights collaboration and co-creation, a foundational piece of what makes AIIS the American Institute of Indian Studies.

The Nilgiris Field Learning Program (NFLP)  connects “Cornell faculty and students with practitioners and community members in the Nilgiris, the “blue hills” of southern India. Since 2015, the NFLC learning community has explored a range of issues around sustainability, conservation, livelihoods and education in a region recognized for its biodiversity.” Program members Neema Kudva, Andrew Willford, Pratim Roy, and Anita Varghese join us to explore how AIIS has supported this collaborative work, research methods in ethnographic collaboration and co-creation, what it means to work at the intersection of climate change, health, well-being, development, and study abroad.
 The following interview is taken from a webinar that took place virtually on October 4, 2022 and is part 1 of 2 webinars this fall featuring India-US collaboration and AIIS.

*Transcript coming soon*

Produced by AIIS
Music “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

In this episode of our 60th anniversary series, we have the unique honor of speaking to a scholar who has been part of the foundational landscape of Sanskrit scholarship and education in the United States, Robert Goldman, Professor of the Graduate School and Catherine and William L. Magistretti Distinguished Professor of Sanskrit Emeritus at the University of California Berkeley. Besides helping to shape Sanskrit pedagogy in the US and publishing influential translations of a wide variety of Sanskrit literary works, Dr. Goldman has also been very active with AIIS - first as a junior and senior fellow, then a trustee and vice president of the institute.
As we look back on sixty years of AIIS, not only has the institute supported research across disciplines and created an important support system for the study of India in the United States, but AIIS has also been a critical part of language pedagogy for undergraduate and graduate students. In this episode, we’ll hear about AIIS and its role in development of Sanskrit pedagogy and scholarship in the US, Dr. Goldman’s own work and intersections with the institute, and the future of AIIS, language study, and Sanskrit in the US.

Visit aiis60.org to explore interactive timelines, a founding history of AIIS, information on centers and programs, and to stay up to date on AIIS 60th anniversary events.

Produced by AIIS
Music “Desh” by Stephen Slawek

In this episode of our 60th anniversary series, Dr.  A. N. Singh, AIIS Hindi program head, interviews Dr. Rakesh Ranjan, Senior Lecturer and Language Coordinator at Columbia University and former AIIS Hindi Language Program Director and current AIIS Language Committee member. In their interview, they discuss the early days of the Hindi language program at AIIS and its growth, the unique format and characteristics of the AIIS language programs, and current challenges and future directions of Hindi language learning. 
A note to our listeners - the following interview is in Hindi. For those who would prefer an English transcript, you can download a pdf translation of this episode on our website, www.indiastudies.org.