Shansi’s India70 Celebration

Image: Newest partner Keystone Foundation in Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu

Celebrating 70 Years of Shansi Partnerships in India

 

Oberlin Shansi India70 Committee

Vanessa Champagne ‘13, Fellow at Lady Doak College

David Gere ‘79, Fellow at American College

Olivia Hay ‘17, Fellow at Lady Doak College

Christina James ‘10, Fellow at Jagori Grameen

Barbara Johnson ‘60, Fellow at Lady Doak College

Jenna Lindeke-Heavenrich ‘09, Fellow at Jagori Grameen

Peter Mayer ‘86, Fellow at American College

Jonathan Ripley ‘97, Fellow at American College

(Chair) Zoe Sherinian ‘84, Fellow at Lady Doak College

In the fall of 1951, recent Oberlin College graduates Joseph Elder, Joann (Finley) Elder, and Richard Dudley traveled to South India, via ship, to serve as Oberlin Shansi's first Fellows in Madurai. What started as an experiment in India - the first country other than China to host Shansi Fellows - became a watershed moment in academic and professional exchanges between the US and South Asia. 

Since then, more than 90 young Oberlin graduates have made the journey to India to serve as Shansi Fellows. Some have taught and supported global engagement at American College and Lady Doak College in Madurai, while others have worked with nongovernmental organizations in the north and south. At the same time, more than sixty Indian academics and administrators have used their experiences as Visiting Scholars to Oberlin College to further their research and shape new academic programs for their students at home. These Fellows and Visiting Scholars built lasting friendships, developed professional skills, and for most these experiences transformed their lives and left a lasting legacy in the communities and institutions where they have served. 

As we celebrate Shansi's 70th Anniversary of India programs in 2021 and 2022, we intend to honor former Fellows, Visiting Scholars, and partners. However, we will also look to the future. We are seeking new visions of what academic and professional exchange between North America and India (particularly Tamil Nadu) can look like in the coming decades, and how Oberlin Shansi can remain a dynamic and effective partner.

We will bring together Fellowship alumni from sites across India, Visiting Scholars from American College and Lady Doak College in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, students at Oberlin College, and colleagues from around the world. Online and, we hope, in-person events will reflect on the impact of these partnerships on individuals and institutions, and will explore important current topics such as the study of Tamil abroad, the dynamics of public health in India, and the changing forms of performance in South India.

Events were:

Stories of Performance Art, Activism, and Social Change in South India on May 18, 2022. Panelists: Zoe Sherinian, Bala Swaminathan, and David Gere. Moderated by A. Ted Samuel.

Learn more about Shansi’s current partnerships in India with Lady Doak College in Madurai, and with Keystone Foundation in the Nilgiri Biosphere in western Tamil Nadu.

And if you would like to support Shansi’s programs in India, or if you would like to recognize a mentor or colleague with a gift to Shansi, please click here to reach our donation page with instructions on how to donate online or by mail.