BY IJ NEWS SERVICE
LOS ANGELES, CA - Amongst a big turnout of scholars, academicians, friends and supporters , Dr. Monica Smith, distinguished scholar with many accolades to her credit, including her discovery of over 2000 years old sites in Odisha, was announced the Chair holder of the Navin & Pratima Doshi Chair in Archaeology...
LOS ANGELES, CA - Amongst a big turnout of scholars, academicians, friends and supporters , Dr. Monica Smith, distinguished scholar with many accolades to her credit, including her discovery of over 2000 years old sites in Odisha, was announced the Chair holder of the Navin & Pratima Doshi Chair in Archaeology...
at the University of California, Los Angeles ( UCLA) on Nov 3. Dean of Social Sciences, Alessandro Durani thanked the Doshi’s for their continuing support of UCLA not just for the Chair but also for three generation of Doshis who have been educated at UCLA. Durani invited Navin Doshi to address the audience of over 250 people. Doshi began by thanking all for attending the event. Proceeding he said that Professor Sardesai, the first holder of the Chair, could not be present because of poor health. However Sardesai had asked him to convey to Dr. Monica Smith his best wishes and support. Doshi gave full credit to Professor Sardesai who helped establish the Chair in 1998. “I am grateful to him to help make us philanthropists. He held the chair for three years without any additional remuneration and in the process he managed to hold nine wonderful conferences of which two were published and appreciated by the Indian-American community. We were fortunate to meet accomplished scholars and leaders invited to the conferences, including former Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral,” he said. Doshi went on to explain that the Chair stayed vacant for three years. Professor Dan Neuman, a good friend of India, was the executive Vice Chancellor of UCLA in the year 2004. Doshi requested him to meet him in New Delhi at the residence of the Prime Minister Gujral. Ever since then, Doshi and Neuman became good friends. Neuman filled the Chair with a prominent scholar, Sanjay Subramanian. Neuman is also responsible for establishing the Center for India South Asia Studies.
The original intention was to have a Chair for studies of ancient India and there could not be a better place than having it in Indian archaeology. Megan Kissinger, the Executive Director of Development, introduced the Doshis to Dean Durani and a request was made to have the chair moved to Indian archaeology. Professor Monica Smith fit the bill to occupy the Chair Doshi said adding that the two chairs at UCLA has encouraged many more donors to establish more chairs in Southern California.
In her address Dr. Monica Smith with her power point presentation and in depth research done in India stressed on the importance of studying archaeology for human history. “it is not just digging, but to preserve and learn about our past and how advanced they were,” she said. Smith emphasized that the research work in India is done with the permission of the Archaeological Survey of India and the State Department of Archaeology, Odisha, and in collaboration with Prof. R.K. Mohanty, Deccan College, Pune. She further stated, “We are sincerely appreciative to the many individuals in India who have supported our work and to the many students of Indian universities who have joined us, including Deccan College; Jawaharlal Nehru University; Raipur University; Utkal University; Ravenshaw College; Visva-Bharati Santiniketan; University of Calcutta; and M J P Rohilkhand University, Bareilly”.
The research has been funded by many agencies, including the National Science Foundation (USA), The National Endowment for the Humanities/ American Institute of Indian Studies, National Geographic Society, the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA Academic Senate, and the Ahmanson Foundation.
The original intention was to have a Chair for studies of ancient India and there could not be a better place than having it in Indian archaeology. Megan Kissinger, the Executive Director of Development, introduced the Doshis to Dean Durani and a request was made to have the chair moved to Indian archaeology. Professor Monica Smith fit the bill to occupy the Chair Doshi said adding that the two chairs at UCLA has encouraged many more donors to establish more chairs in Southern California.
In her address Dr. Monica Smith with her power point presentation and in depth research done in India stressed on the importance of studying archaeology for human history. “it is not just digging, but to preserve and learn about our past and how advanced they were,” she said. Smith emphasized that the research work in India is done with the permission of the Archaeological Survey of India and the State Department of Archaeology, Odisha, and in collaboration with Prof. R.K. Mohanty, Deccan College, Pune. She further stated, “We are sincerely appreciative to the many individuals in India who have supported our work and to the many students of Indian universities who have joined us, including Deccan College; Jawaharlal Nehru University; Raipur University; Utkal University; Ravenshaw College; Visva-Bharati Santiniketan; University of Calcutta; and M J P Rohilkhand University, Bareilly”.
The research has been funded by many agencies, including the National Science Foundation (USA), The National Endowment for the Humanities/ American Institute of Indian Studies, National Geographic Society, the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, UCLA Academic Senate, and the Ahmanson Foundation.
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