Banner June 2010
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GEETA TIWARI BRINGS KU TO INDIA AND INDIA TO KU

Dr. GeetanjaIndiaAbroad1li Tiwari, KU's vibrant Hindi lecturer, is not one to keep idle. After seeing through the success of the inaugural year of KU's Hindi Language Program, she led Dr. Tiwari lead KU's new Environmental Studies Study Abroad trip to India  in May of 2010. She travelled with graduate teaching assistant Lisa Rausch and 11 undergraduate students to South West India for the six-week journey. The group travelled to several protected areas in the mountains from the Eastern to the Western Ghats in the states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In each area the group were guided and educated by a wide range of local experts: they ranged from illiterate people of the Soliga tribe, to senior scientists in renowned non-governmental organizations (such as ATREE, NCF, SACONH, IISc, FRLHT). The students had the opportunity to interact with native wildlife and the rich flora of those regions as well as learn from dedicated conservationists from various disciplines.  The accommodations the group stayed in ranged from a beautiful campground and comfortable hotels to a forest lodge deep inside a Tiger Reserve; and even a home-stay in a village. 

Bradley Barton, one of the participants in the Program described his memorable experience:
 
"I spent six weeks in Southern India. Six,in fact,of the most meaningful weeks of my entire
Bradley Barton & Geeta Tiwari
GeetaStudent
life. There mainly to study field ecology and environmental issues, the whole experience encompassed so much more than that. Not only did I travel and bond with an amazing group of people whom I'm sure will all be lifelong friends, I also plunged headfirst into a wonderfully different culture I previously knew absolutely nothing about.  Some mornings I woke up to the upbeat hustle of a massively crowded city, while others I arose to mist rising from the serene jungle floor.  I witnessed the work of life-changing non-government organizations and learned from some of the most brilliant and esteemed minds in the country.  I took tea with people kind enough to bring those they've never met into their home, and walked through the villages of the Soliga, the people of the bamboo. "

india landDr. Kamal Bawa, the founder and President of the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), one of the non-governmental organizations the group was in contact with, will be giving a lecture here at KU in November. ATREE is devoted to research, policy analysis and education in India. Dr. Bawa is also the founder-trustee of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment & Development, Bangalore, India.  

This Fall saw the addition of second year Hindi courses. If there is further interest, third year courses may possibly be added in the future. Students are encouraged to apply through CGIS for FLAS scholarships to study Hindi, especially at the intermediate and advanced levels.

Dr. Tiwari has also been involved with several other projects in an effort to promote awareness of and build support for South Asian Studies at KU.
 
This year Tiwari is acting as faculty advisor to the Cultural India Club KU student organization.  Recently the organization hosted a lively Ganesh festival celebration in a student's home, including  with an array of Indian dishes on the final day. On  October 9th the organization will host a Garba Raas celebration  and Dandiya Dance Night in the Ballroom of the Kansas Union.  This event is free and open to all; Indian snacks will be provided.
 
NatarajaTiwari recently started a chapter of SPICMACAY (Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Among Youth.) This three-decade-old, has become a movement, bringing great masters of dance and music on a common platform with the youth of India and the world. Tiwari explains her interest, "I had been a student of Indian Classical music from childhood in India but while I was an undergraduate student I became as benefactor of SPICMACAY. I went on a scholarship to the gurukul of two legendary musician brothers: Ustad Zia Moiuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar.  I spent two months living in the gurukul of these maestros and WOW- what an eye opening experience!  I learned and understood more about Indian musical heritage and technique than I could have ever imagined.  So I started to volunteer for SPICMACAY in Delhi and I also became a student of Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar."
 
Now that KU now has a chapter of SPICMACAY, KU students will  have an opportunity to experience the richness of music via interactive lecture-demonstrations by legendary musicians from India.  Tiwari indicates that they are hoping to get funds for our inaugural concert on October 22, for vocalist Uday Bhawalkar, who was a senior student at that same gurukul when she attended in the 1980s.  All SPICMACAY  events are free and she hopes that many KU students will attend.
 
Geeta Tiwari is interested in bringing to the KU community all aspects of Indian culture and Hindi language. She hopes to create other Study Abroad programs in India for Hindi language immersion and Classical Indian Music and Dance. If you would like to learn more or voice your support for these programs you may contact Dr. Tiwari directly at [email protected].
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Worldly Words of Wisdom

बिना अनुभव के कोरा शाब्दिक ज्ञान अंधा है।


Without experience, book learning alone is inadequate knowledge.

-Hindi Proverb