GeoVidyaa Geography Centre of Excellence
Cordially invites you to
Cosmology, Myth and Landscape in India
Understanding Cultural Geography through Cultural Heritage
A talk by
Dr Surinder M. Bhardwaj
Emeritus Professor, Geography, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA
Thursday, 22 March 2012, 6 pm
at
GeoVidyaa Geography Centre of Excellence *
Army Public School
Kamaraj Road
Bangalore
* A partnership between The Indian Institute of Geographical Studies & Army Public School, Bangalore
Abstract:
The sacred is deeply imbedded in India’s geography. India’s cosmology, lore, mappings, actions in geographic space all testify to this. Settlements, human movements, and other performances show distinct geographical characteristics. Indian cultural patterns reflect profound geographic awareness.
In this talk, I will provide examples of this imbedding of the sacred in India’s geographies. I will begin with my own journey as a geographer, an Indian, a pilgrim, and a human being curious about the world around me. From there, I draw upon the work of geographers and others to illustrate my point. In the course of this journey, I will also address the question of why all this matters. I conclude with a challenge to young cultural geographers to not only uncover inherent, intrinsic Indian geographical motifs but also to apply their learning to addressing real issues of human rights on the ground.
About the speaker:
Born in India in 1934, Surinder Mohan Bhardwaj received his Masters and Ph.D. degrees in geography from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. In 1969, he joined the faculty at Kent State University and served as Chair of the Department of Geography from 1974 to 1978. He has guided many MA and PhD students. Retired in 2004, he is now Emeritus Professor of Geography. He was awarded the Kent State University President’s Medal in 1996, and the Honors College Distinguished Faculty Award in 2004.
He has authored/co-edited several works related to the geography of religions. Among them are his pioneering work on Hindu Places of Pilgrimage in India, and Pilgrimage in the United States (the latter co-edited with Gisbert Rinschede, University of Regensburg, Germany). With Professor David Odell-Scott (Chair, Philosophy), Dr. Bhardwaj is co-director of the Ohio Pluralism Project, an affiliate of the Harvard Pluralism Project.
Dr. Bhardwaj gives of his time and expertise in intercultural and interfaith understanding to several community organizations, such as the Cleveland Conference of Religions, the Greater Cleveland Shiva Vishnu Temple, Akron International Friendship, and Akron Area Interfaith Council. Dr. Bhardwaj was invited to serve on the President’s Commission on Inclusion at Kent State University during 2008. He has served the Hindu Community of Greater Akron Area as a state licensed Hindu clergy since 1988. In addition, He also volunteers as an Associate Chaplain at Robinson Memorial Hospital, in Ravenna, Ohio.
You can download a copy of the invitation here
(requires PDF reader that you can download from here)
A very limited number of copies of Dr Bhardwaj’s seminal work
Hindu Places of Pilgrimage in India: a study in cultural geography
will be available for purchase at the venue.
Price will be approximately Rs. 480/copy
Here is a map to guide you to the venue
—oOo—
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