Studying at UC Berkeley July 1

Monday July 1, 2013

The campus of University of California Berkeley is wonderful, and the city of Berkeley is eclectic and inviting.  I think one or two of my students should think about applying to study here!

Today we studied on campus at the South Asia Center which is highly acclaimed. We started our day at 8:30 a.m., had a working lunch and wrapped it up and headed for dinner at 7:00 p.m.  This really is a study abroad program and we aren't even abroad yet.  The speakers were so fascinating we probably would have been willing to go on until midnight!  They have gathered world experts on South Asia for us and it is enthralling!  Okay, I like studying' can't help it.

USIEF New Delhi Headquarters. http://www.usief.org.in/New-Delhi-(Head-Office).aspx

Find information here about all of the programs this office runs for college students, teachers, scientists and more!  Science students, they do have STEM opportunities!

Wow factor!  Sudha Shetty, Goldman School on Public Policy, Stories of Women. http://gspp.berkeley.edu/directories/faculty/sudha-shetty. This woman worked in Seattle at the UW And the mayors office for twenty years.  She framed much of Washington States legislation on women and violence, and 12 or 13 other states have adopted similar legislation since then with more states to follow.  This violence also included human trafficking, and sadly The Port of Seattle and the shipping containers are a main point of entry.  Sudha continues her work through The Goldman Center at Berkeley and is part of a team shaping legislation for women's safety for India.  Sudha is an immigrant woman from South Asia.  She lived the story of family violence and it was a combination of events and opportunities that pushed her out of her traditional identity of "I am my father's daughter, I am my husband's wife, I am my son's mother" on to the stage as an advocate for women, children and families around the world.

Guneeta Singh Bhalla, A young woman with a PhD ( an almost PhD, but I am so impressed I am going to give her the degree early) and pictured in my blog photo!  http://www.1947partitionarchive.org/  how far we've come in offering amazing educational opportunities to American women in the last 40 years.  She developed an oral history program to capture the stories of Indian partition, a historic event that is still being analyzed for clear understanding.  The project is still in the story collection process and if you know a South Asian with a story of partition contact this group.  The stories can be embargoed, that means saved for a designated period of years if the story teller doesn't want it shared during his or her lifetime.  A few short stories are at the website, the sharing is the second phase of the project.  

Dr. Robert Goldman.  What!  he has translated the Rig Veda into English, and can he make the stories come to life.  He had one hour to give us the Rig Veda in a nutshell, we were crying out for more. http://sseas.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/robert-p-goldman

Sandeep Shastry, A political commentator for the end of the day!  Oh no!  Oh YES!  He had top information and anecdotes that brought it all to life!  Who votes in India?  More rural citizens than middle class.  WHY?  If they get to the polls early they can be in line in front of the people they normally have to follow and serve.  Coming up around July 18th, Sandeep will be reporting on elections in India via CNN IBN.  He is worth following?  WHY FOLLOW HIM?  Secretary of State John Kerry has American eyes turned toward India as a democracy to watch.  We're (USA) the worlds oldest democracy and India's the worlds most populous or largest democracy.  There are about 700,000 Indians voting today, more than all of the voters in the USA and Canada!