Referred to as the “ugly ducklings” of India, the
historic cities of Delhi and Chennai were the topic of discussion
at the UCLA Center for India and South Asia’s inaugural event
Thursday evening.
Titled “The Past of Unloved Cities,” the two-hour
lecture and reception marked the first event in a lecture series
the center hopes to host annually.
“Everything we do now is for the first time,” said
Jyoti Gulati, a history graduate student.
Housed under the UCLA International Institute, the center
officially opened this past July as a result of a student and
faculty initiative created several years ago.
Sanjay Subrahmanyam, director of the center and an Indian
history professor, helped make that initiative a reality when he
joined the UCLA faculty last fall, “building on the
momentum” that already existed, he said.
Faculty who are part of the center and graduate students agree
that having such an entity on campus is crucial, not only because
of the growing population of people from South Asia, but to create
a certain visibility for the region.
“It’s important because … it can persuade other
departments to pay close attention to South Asia,”
Subrahmanyam said.
While UCLA offers a plethora of classes relevant to different
regions, classes focusing on South Asia are limited.
Subrahmanyam hopes that with the opening of the center, new
classes can be created concentrating on important South Asian
topics, such as politics, he said.
Originally from Delhi, Subrahmanyam entertained his diverse
audience of graduate students, faculty and scholars with paintings,
writings and poems from the cities in question, bringing to light
their stereotypically unpopular reputations.
Ali Anooshahr, a recent graduate student from the history
department, said he is excited about the direction of the
center.
“(It) starts to make people pay attention to Mughal
history,” Anooshahr said.
The Indian history usually taught at UCLA has had a strong
modern focus instead of an emphasis on Mughal history, which is the
late medieval and pre-modern period.
Annoshahr said he is looking forward to seeing more
concentration on this era, of which many are unaware.
“Now, hopefully, since the center has opened … more
classes that focus on pre-modern history will be offered,” he
said. “I hope it expands toward that direction.”
Though the lecture was the center’s first event, members
anticipate many more events in the future, in addition to expanding
the organization with new faculty members.
Enthusiastic about the potential of the center, Gulati said it
is something UCLA definitely needed within the International
Institute.
“It serves to concentrate on a particular region and bring
research and work that’s been done on India and South Asia
together,” Gulati said.
“Once you have this kind of organization, it’s
easier to interact with other centers that specialize in other
regions.”