Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Scholars,

Greetings from the Sundar Singh Institute of South Asian Studies.

As the Head of Faculty of an institute that embraces profound, responsible engagement with South Asia and its socio-political developments, geo-ecological and seasonal environments, and socio-cultural diversities, I couldn’t be prouder to continue on a service-oriented mission for we are all educators and scholars driven by a commitment to responsibly serve ourselves and others across the globe.

Our Institute operates with a guiding principle that sounds easy enough but is exceedingly complicated. We seek to responsibly engage with South Asian scholarship through research, cultural sensitivity, and ethics of application. From new developments or changes in geopolitical history (i.e. gender relations, national security, or developments in natural disasters) to climate change impacting the monsoon season or its ethnic conflicts to evolving Bollywood, we yearn to comprehend—through engaged scholarship—and contribute new scholarship for the betterment and awareness of others.

As such, our research is situated across disciplines and borders; nuances of political economy inform climate change resiliency efforts, which inform human rights initiatives and cultural sustainability efforts, as sometimes no corner of the research universe is completely different from another. Yet whether they’re connected by common threads or diverging paths, the results are the same—scholarship matters.

Moreover, we are fortunate to collaborate with those who think so—The United Nations Development Program, The Centre for South Asian Studies at the University of Oxford, and India-based national organizations like the Institute for Public Health. These collaborations acknowledge that scholarship often serves its best interest where inquiry meets real-time problems—equity in sustainable development, gender justice, and governance accountability make inquiry needed and appropriate.

For example, two recent projects highlight such intersections. The South Asian Climate Resilience Blueprint, developed under the direction of Dr. Anjali R. Kapoor, is a product of collaborative efforts between climate scientists and ground-level environmental advocates looking to raise awareness outside of the region’s borders while still paying attention to local needs and resources. In addition, Dr. Isaac S. Sato’s interdisciplinary work with the project Governance and Democratic Reform continuously exposes best practices and evidence-based suggestions for transparent, engaged governance in highly complex situations.
What’s next? We ask that you continue to adhere to this philosophy: scholarship is not a final product. Scholarship is service. To study South Asia is to study in partnership with its people and its pasts and future projected endeavors. We push ourselves with challenging inquiries—and sometimes, troubling findings—to attempt to pay it forward, no matter how small the gesture, for communities that honor humanity and establish social equity.

Thank you, all—friends, peers, co-creators, and students—of this experience. Your review, encouragement, and collaborative efforts rendered all we do feasible and worthwhile.

I welcome you to continue to collaborate with us—on projects, panels, workshops, in this interdisciplinary space dedicated to knowledge for the sake of knowledge and knowledge that is applied.

Sincerely and fraternally,

Dr. Rajiv K. Menon
Head of Faculty
Sundar Singh Institute of South Asian Studies