Cornell South Asia Program

We're excited to announce that Robert Travers, Professor of History, is the new Director of the South Asia Program.

Find out more about his recent research when he delivers the first of this fall's SAP seminars, "S*x, Lies and the Company State: An Indo-Persian Counter-History of the Early British Empire in India" on Monday, August 31. Details at: https://events.cornell.edu/event/sex-lies-and-the-company

Hey Cornell graduate students! Want to work at the South Asia Program this year? Details and application at https://www.myworkday.com/cornell/d/inst/9925$108800/rel-task/2998$16774.htmld

"Cosmos", a new exhibit by SAP Faculty Iftikhar Dadi & Elizabeth Dadi at Jhaveri Contemporary Gallery, Mumbai opens Thursday 9 July and runs through 13 August.

Congratulations to SAP graduate student Praveen Tilakaratne for being a participant in the Indian Ocean Writers Residency this month!

TAP IS DELIGHTED TO ANNOUNCE THE AWARDEES OF THE INDIAN OCEAN WRITERS' RESIDENCY 2026

Karen L. Donoghue, Nehru-Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellow at SAP (on the left in the first photo), conducted a two-day mini-exhibition at the North America Mizo Christian Fellowship conference in Frederick, Maryland, in May 2026, to introduce her research on the Mizo diaspora to a large gathering of Mizo community members from across the United States

"Majority/Minority Politics in South Asia," an essay collection, co-edited by Mohsin Bhat and Natasha Raheja, was just published in Borderlines / /خُطُوط صَدْع , arising from a 2025 workshop at Cornell. Read more at: https://borderlines-cssaame.org/posts?tag=Majority/Minority%20Politics%20in%20South%20Asia

American Institute of Bangladesh Studies (AIBS) announces a new, free Bangla Tutoring Service in summer 2026 for learners at all levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) with eight weeks of online instruction. Only U.S. citizens are eligible. Application deadline is May 28, 2026. Details at

AIBS Bangla Language Fellowship Program | American Institute of Bangladesh Studies AIBS Bangla Language Fellowship Program AIBS Bangla Tutoring ServiceLearn Bangla this summer with our 8-week online tutoring program designed for learners of all backgrounds and proficiency levels. Whether you are a complete beginner or looking to strengthen your reading, writing, and conversational...

New Fall 2026 course! ASIAN 3023/RELST 3023 "Partition: Violence, Citizenship, and the Making of Modern South Asia," taught by SAP Visiting Scholar Sadia Mahmood at Asian Studies at Cornell & Cornell University Religious Studies. Details at https://classes.cornell.edu/browse/roster/FA26/class/ASIAN/3023

SAP Faculty Anne Blackburn discusses her recent book, "Buddhist-Inflected Sovereignties Across the Indian Ocean: The Pali Arena, 1200-1500" Tuesday 5 May at 12:15 pm EDT in a virtual presentation at Dartmouth. Register at https://dartmouth.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bQrgUfm9QoSNOFlQjqclAQ #/registration

Cornell faculty Ariana Kim studied Carnatic violin in Mysore last year, and incorporates South Indian sounds on her new album, "(un)common thread," out May 26. All are welcome to an album drop listening party Sunday May 3 at 7 p.m. in the Hans Bethe House Common Room on Cornell's West Campus. Kim will perform live two solo pieces, followed by a listen to the album in its entirety. More at https://as.cornell.edu/news/listening-party-celebrate-music-professors-improvisational-album-drop