Author:
Publication: University of Florida News
Date: November 21, 2006
URL: http://news.ufl.edu/2006/11/21/center-brings-hindu-traditions-to-uf-classrooms/
At the University of Florida, the Center for
the Study of Hindu Traditions is working to change the way people view the
third-largest religion in the world.
"People aren't really clear about what
the word Hindu means," said Vasudha Narayanan, director of the center
and distinguished professor of religion. "This is a global and multidisciplinary
study of Hindu culture."
Narayanan worked to establish the center in
2005 after speaking with scholars at Oxford University in England. She said
the center hopes to serve two audiences: the larger student population in
the university community and Hindu-American students who are eager to see
their cultural traditions recognized in an educational setting.
"Hindu has a world influence, including
here in America," Narayanan said, adding that to broaden the understanding
of Hindu culture, the center aims to look beyond India.
Commonly referred to as ChiTra, the Sanskrit
word for "beautiful work of art," the center is the first of its
kind in the United States and only the second in the world. The center focuses
on the study of Hindu traditions from global perspectives and also emphasizes
interdisciplinary ways of understanding the culture.
ChiTra funds part of the Sanskrit curriculum,
regularly hosts scholars and performing artists from around the globe, and
offers guest lectures on Hindu art and culture.
"The scholarly reaction has been very
warm and receptive," Narayanan said.
Besides international partnerships, ChiTra
collaborates with many centers and units across the UF campus, especially
the College of Fine Arts' School of Theatre and Dance and the Harn Museum
of Art.
Internationally acclaimed dancers also have
held dance workshops and discussed the relationship of dance to aesthetics
and culture.
"To look at dances in an academic light
is a very important part of this program," Narayanan said.
Amy Bard, an assistant professor in the department
of African and Asian languages and literatures, said her students benefited
from attending a recent ChiTra sponsored interpretative dance performance.
"It's not Hinduism narrowly defined,"
Bard said of the center. "It has broken down the barriers of literature
just being text on a page."
Shreena Gandhi, a doctoral candidate in the
department of religion who is writing her dissertation on the history of yoga
in the United States, said the center creates opportunities for all students.
For Gandhi, ChiTra helped her access scholars outside the UF community.
"ChiTra is allowing for the understanding
of Hinduism to create global and economic ties in the future," Gandhi
said. "It's not just going to a classroom to hear a lecture."