By A STAFF REPORTER
IRVINE, CA – The inaugural celebration to mark the establishment of the Dhan Kaur Sahota Presidential Chair in Sikh studies at the University of California, Irvine, was an upbeat one with expectations on its contributions running high. On May 6, a small hall filled with enthusiastic community members - many of them Sikhs -
IRVINE, CA – The inaugural celebration to mark the establishment of the Dhan Kaur Sahota Presidential Chair in Sikh studies at the University of California, Irvine, was an upbeat one with expectations on its contributions running high. On May 6, a small hall filled with enthusiastic community members - many of them Sikhs -
 UCI academic leaders Prof. Bill Maurer and Vice Chancellor Brian Harvey sport ready-made turbans. Seen here with founder of the Vermont Gurdwara Dr.A.S.Marwah and Sahota.  Anneeth Kaur Hundle, the first chair holder speaks to the people gathered. Sahota said people had traveled from several other parts of the U.S. to be part of the inaugural event. |  Sulekh Jain and Jasvant Modi were enthusiastic in their idea of oneness  Asha Sahota was presented with a pennant with the Jain greeting, ‘Jai Jinendra’ by Sulekh Jain and Jasvant Modi. |
as well as undergraduate and graduate students. The distinguished guests were Drs.Harvinder and Asha Sahota who with their $1.5 million gift have endowed the chair. The UCI endowment joins a growing group of endowed chair positions developing Sikh Studies in the UC system including in Riverside and Santa Barbara.
On hand were Professor Bill Maurer, UCI Dean of Social Sciences and Professor Kim Fortun, Chair at the UCI Department of Anthropology. Both expressed their happiness in the establishment of the new chair and lauded the Sahotas for their generosity.
The prevailing mood was that Sikhism has been under represented in higher education in the West and this endowment would go toward addressing the issue. Anthropology Assistant Professor Anneeth Kaur Hundle will be the first chair holder. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and gender studies from Northwestern University, Hundle earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She spent four years on the faculty of UC Merced. She is expected to contribute to the study of the Sikh religion and culture in global, comparative, cross-racial and religious community frameworks.
Harjeet Grewal, Lecturer in Asian Religions and Sikh Studies at the University of Calgary spoke about the journal Sikh Formations and the role it plays in giving a voice to the community. Grewal who is a Theory Colloquium Editor there, said the publication aims to promote engagement with a wider spread of disciplinary approaches, to encourage conceptual innovation and provide a venue for the emergence of new perspectives. In addition to conventional scholarly research articles, he said, it also welcomes shorter essays, conference and symposium proceedings, interviews, poetry, etc. in the pursuit of greater engagement.
The audience witnessed some celebratory and heartfelt moments. Dr.Sulekh C. Jain and Dr.Jasvant Modi, both from the Jain community, were effervescent about their friendship with the Sahotas. With the spate of Jain endowments in Universities across SoCal, they declared that their connection was so complete, that everywhere Jain studies existed, they would work to have a Sikh program in tandem.
The event concluded with Sahota getting Maurer and Fortun to wear turbans amidst laughs and applause.
At a Sikh Studies event, these were joyful reminders of interfaith harmony.
On hand were Professor Bill Maurer, UCI Dean of Social Sciences and Professor Kim Fortun, Chair at the UCI Department of Anthropology. Both expressed their happiness in the establishment of the new chair and lauded the Sahotas for their generosity.
The prevailing mood was that Sikhism has been under represented in higher education in the West and this endowment would go toward addressing the issue. Anthropology Assistant Professor Anneeth Kaur Hundle will be the first chair holder. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and gender studies from Northwestern University, Hundle earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She spent four years on the faculty of UC Merced. She is expected to contribute to the study of the Sikh religion and culture in global, comparative, cross-racial and religious community frameworks.
Harjeet Grewal, Lecturer in Asian Religions and Sikh Studies at the University of Calgary spoke about the journal Sikh Formations and the role it plays in giving a voice to the community. Grewal who is a Theory Colloquium Editor there, said the publication aims to promote engagement with a wider spread of disciplinary approaches, to encourage conceptual innovation and provide a venue for the emergence of new perspectives. In addition to conventional scholarly research articles, he said, it also welcomes shorter essays, conference and symposium proceedings, interviews, poetry, etc. in the pursuit of greater engagement.
The audience witnessed some celebratory and heartfelt moments. Dr.Sulekh C. Jain and Dr.Jasvant Modi, both from the Jain community, were effervescent about their friendship with the Sahotas. With the spate of Jain endowments in Universities across SoCal, they declared that their connection was so complete, that everywhere Jain studies existed, they would work to have a Sikh program in tandem.
The event concluded with Sahota getting Maurer and Fortun to wear turbans amidst laughs and applause.
At a Sikh Studies event, these were joyful reminders of interfaith harmony.
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