Sarma CV

12 Pages·2012·0.23 MB·English

by  Deepak Sarma

Deepak Sarma

Associate Professor of Hinduism
Department of Religious Studies
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-7107
Tel: [phone]
[email protected]
February 2, 2012

Present Position
Associate Professor of Hinduism, Case Western Reserve University, 2004 –
associate professor of Philosophy (secondary)
associate professor of Classics (secondary)
associate professor of Bioethics, CWRU School of Medicine (secondary)
Guest Curator, Cleveland Museum of Art, 2010 –

Professional Experience
Yale University, New Haven, CT: Lecturer in Religious Studies, 2003 – 04.
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL: Course Instructor, Graham School of General Studies,
2002 – 03.
Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy,
2001 - 02.
Connecticut College, New London, CT: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Religious
Studies, 2000 – 01.
DePaul University, Chicago, IL: Adjunct Professor, Department of Religion, 2000 .
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Religious
Studies 1998 – 99.
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL: Course Instructor, Graham School of General Studies,
1994 - 99.

Education
University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
1998 Ph.D. in Philosophy of Religions
Thesis title: “Exclusivist Strategies in Madhva Vedanta”
1993 M.A. in Religious Studies
Reed College, Portland, OR
1987-1991 B.A. in Religious Studies
Thesis title: “Bhedasadhanam (The Establishment of Difference): An Examination
of the Dvaitin Notion of Visesa”

Publications
Books
An Introduction to Madhva Vedanta Ashgate Publishers Ltd. (Ashgate World
Philosophies Series). (2003).
Epistemologies and the Limitations of Philosophical Inquiry: Doctrine in Madhva
Vedanta RoutledgeCurzon Press (RoutledgeCurzon Hindu Studies Series). (2004).
Hinduism: A Reader (editor) Blackwell Publishing Ltd. (2008).
Editor. Authority and Its Challenges in Hindu Texts, Translations, and Transnational
Communities Deepak Heritage Books (2009).
Classical Indian Philosophy: A Reader Columbia University Press (2011).

Articles in refereed journals and book chapters
“Krishna Devotion in Udupi” in Introducing Hinduism (in process).
“Invading the Sacred, Rajiv Malhotra, and Academic Freedom” for Sophia, International
Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Metaphysical Theology and Ethics (in process).
“Madhva” in Oxford Bibliographies On-line (2011).
“Madhva Vedanta” Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2011)
“Madhvacarya as Prophetic Witness” in the Journal of Inter-religious Dialogue 7 (2011).
“Madhva Exclusivity: An Instance of Vaisnava Sectarianism” Journal of Vaisnava Studies 19:1
(2010), 109-116.
“Madhva Dialogue and Discernment” in Criteria of Discernment in Interreligious Dialogue
edited by Catherine Cornille, Cascade Books (2009).
“Hindu Bioethics?” Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics 36:1 (2008), 51-58.
“Maya” Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Routledge-Curzon (2007).
“The Final Sacrifice: A Dead “Hindu,” A Missing Body, and a $7 Million Dollar Life-
Insurance Policy?” Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 19:1-2 (2007), 58-71.
“Madhvacarya and Vyasatirtha: Biographical sketches of a Systematizer and his Successors”
Journal of Vaisnava Studies 15:2 (2007), 145-168.
“Madhva Vedanta and Krishna” in Primary Sources in the Krishna Tradition edited by
E. Bryant, Oxford University Press (2007).
“Rejoinder to Zydenbos” Philosophy East and West 56:4 (October 2006).
“Hindu Leaders in North America?” in Teaching Theology and Religion 9:2, (2006), 115- 120.
“A Brief Note on Madhvacarya, Yoga, and Inappropriate Appropriation” Journal of Vaisnava
Studies 14:1 (2005), 173-180.
“Teaching Inside–Out: Demographic Changes and Methodological Challenges in Teaching the
Religions of South Asia” Method and Theory in the Study of Religion 17:3, (2005), 227-
230.
“Modernity and Madhva Vedanta: The Beginning or End of an Esoteric Traditions?” Journal
of Vaisnava Studies 13:2 (2005), 5-21.
“Hanuman qua Madhvacarya and Sita qua Laksmi: Traces of the Ramayana in Madhva
Doctrine” Journal of Vaisnava Studies 12:2 (2004), 117-127.
“Viewpoint: Fostering Interreligious Dialogue and Conversation” Hindu-Christian Studies
Bulletin 16 (2003), 58-59.
“Madhva Vedanta Beyond India” Tatvavada: A Bimonthly Journal of Madhva Vedanta 3
(2003), 90-93.
“When is a Brahmin a brahmabandhu, an excluded Brahmin?” Method and Theory in the Study
of Religion 13 (2001), 82-90.
“Madhva Virtue Ethics and the Aptaguru, Reliable Teacher” Journal of Vaisnava Studies
9:1 (2000), 69-90.
“Let the Apta, Trustworthy, Hindu Speak!” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 68:4
2
(2000), 781-790.
“Is Jesus a Hindu? S. C. Vasu and Multiple Madhva Misrepresentations,” Hindu-Christian
Studies Bulletin 13 (2000), 19-25.
“Regulating Religious Reading: Access to Texts in Madhva Vedanta,” Journal of Indian
Philosophy 27:6 (1999), 583-635.
“After What? Vyasatirtha's Arguments Regarding Eligibility and Theological Inquiry,”
Journal of Vaisnava Studies 5:3 (1997), 65-106.

Unrefereed short articles
“Indian Kalighat Paintings: A Delightfully Subversive Poke at British Colonialism” Cleveland
Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 51:4 (2011).
“On Teaching Sensitive Topics and Sensitive Students” in Asceticsm, Identity, and Pedagogy in
Dharma Traditons. Dharma Association of North America (2007).
“The Creation and Transformation of Hinduism: A Crisis of the Holy” in The Crisis of the
Holy. Elijah Interfaith Institute (2005).
“On Madhva Vedanta” World Kannada Conference Commemoration Volume (2004).
“Sri Laksmi in Madhva Vedanta” NAMARUPA: Categories of Indian Thought (2004).
“Madhvacarya’s Tattvaviveka: a Translation and Annotated Commentary” NAMARUPA:
Categories of Indian Thought (2003).

Book reviews
“Deutsch and Dalvi: The Essential Vedanta: A New Source Book of Advaita Vedanta” in
Religious Studies Review 31 (2005).
“Brown’s Who Owns Native Culture?” in Religious Studies Review 31 (2005).
“Reuter’s My Life as a Weapon: A Modern History of Suicide Bombing” in Religious Studies
Review 31 (2005).
“Mohanty's Classical Indian Philosophy” in International Journal of Hindu Studies 9 (2005).
“Malkovsky’s Role of Divine Grace in the Soteriology of Sankaracarya” in International
Journal of Hindu Studies 8 (2005).
“Dhavamony's Hindu Spirituality” in International Journal of Hindu Studies 7 (2004).
“Fowler’s Perspectives of Reality” in International Journal of Hindu Studies 7 (2004).
“Sugirtharajah’s Imagining Hinduism: A Postcolonial Perspective” in Hindu-Christian
Studies Bulletin 17:4 (2004).
“Michaels’ Hinduism Past and Present” in Bulletin of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith
Studies 6:1 (2004).
“Ganeri’s Philosophy in Classical India” in Religious Studies Review 28 (2002).
“Mohanty’s Explorations in Philosophy: Indian Philosophy” in Religious Studies Review
28 (2002).
“Rangaswamy’s Namaste America: Indian Immigrants in an American Metropolis” in
Religious Studies Review 27 (2001).
“Charisma and Canon: Essays on the Religious History of the Indian Subcontinent” in Indian
Review of Books 10:9 (2001).
“Bhattacharji’s The Indian Theogony: Brahma, Visnu & Siva” in Indian Review of Books
10:3 (2001).
“van Voorst’s Anthology of World Scriptures” in Religious Studies Review 25 (2001).
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“Sharma's Classical Hindu Thought: an Introduction” in Indian Review of Books 9:12 (2000).
“Davis' The Path of Light” in Religious Studies Review 26 (2000).
“Lipner's The Bhagavadgita for Our Times” in Indian Review of Books 9:10 (2000).
“Jivanmukti in Transformation: Embodied Liberation in Advaita and Neo-Vedanta by Andrew
Fort” in South Asia Newsletter: The University of Chicago 24:1 (2000).
“Gupta's Emerging Voices: South Asian American Women Redefine Self, Family, and
Community” in Indian Review of Books 9:1 (2000).
“S. M. Srinivasa Chari's The Philosophy of the Vedantasutra” in Religious Studies Review 25
(1999).
“Clooney's Hindu Wisdom for All God's Children” in Hindu-Christian Studies Bulletin 11
(1998).
“Hatcher's Idioms of Improvement: Vidyasagar and Cultural Encounter in Bengal” in
International Journal of Hindu Studies 1:3 (1997).
“Singh's Women Reborn: An Exploration of the Spirituality of Urban Indian Women” in Indian
Review of Books 6:12 (1997).
“Laid Bare: Ramaswamy's Women's Spirituality in South India” in Indian Review of Books 6:11
(1997).
“Brockington's The Sacred Thread: A Short History of Hinduism” in Indian Review of Books
6:10 (1997).
“Maxwell's The Gods of Asia: Image, Text, and Meaning” in Indian Review of Books 6:9 (1997).
“In Valhalla: Relativism, Suffering and Beyond: Essays in Memory of Bimal K. Matilal”
in Indian Review of Books 6:8 (1997).
“Idol Threats: Joshi's Critique of Hinduism and Other Religions” in Indian Review of Books 6:5
(1997).
“Beyond Redemption: Ratnakar's Hinduism” in Indian Review of Books 6:2 (1996).
“Peddling Easy Answers: Sharma's Hinduism For Our Times” in Indian Review of Books 6:1
(1996).
“Goodall's Hindu Scriptures” in South Asia Newsletter: The University of Chicago 20:3 (1996).
“Daya Krishna's The Problematic and Conceptual Structure of Classical Indian Thought about
Man, Society and Polity: a critique” in Indian Review of Books 5:11 (1996).
“New Age Environmentalism: Sarma on Hinduism and Ecology: Seeds of Truth” in Indian
Review of Books 5:9 (1996).
“Silken Ties” book review on Silk and Religion for The Hindu Magazine Literary Review (May
5, 1996).
“Silk and Religion” in Indian Review of Books 5:8 (1996).

Exhibitions
“Indian Kalighat Paintings,” Cleveland Museum of Art, organizer and author, May 1, 2011-
Sept. 18, 2011.
Reviewed in the Plain Dealer by Steve Litt. July 17, 2011, “Everyday Exoticism”
Sunday Arts, E1, E8.
Opening talk, May 22, 2011. Ongoing tours and presentations.

Work in Progress
Introduction to Vedanta contract with Columbia University Press.
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Samskrta: In Honor of Professor Edwin Gerow (editor) for Brill.
“Kartrtva (agency) in Madhva Vedanta” (for Free Will, Agency, and Selfhood, Oxford
University Press, Edited by Edwin Bryant and Matthew Dasti).
"Hinduism: Enhancing/ Damaging the Self Through the Use of Prescription Drugs"
"Mohaśāstras (the confusing texts) and Durāgamas (the bad texts) An Exercise in Comparative
Theology"
"Natural Born Killers: Karma and Predestination in one Hindu tradition An Exercise in “Hindu”
Ethics"
"Hinduism, Interreligious Dialogue, and Acculturation in North America"

Journal and Editing Experience
South Asia Book Review Editor for Journal of Asian Studies (2008 -)
Religion & Education. Editorial Board. (2009 - )
Nidan: Journal of Hinduism, Editorial Board. (2011 - )
Book Notes Editor for Religious Studies Review (2007 - 2009).
Associate Editor for Journal of Hindu Studies (2007 - 2008).
Section Editor for Blackwell Religion Compass (2005 - 2007).
Guest editor of Method and Theory in the Study of Religion. For articles generated from
“Teaching Inside–Out: Demographic Changes and Methodological Challenges in
Teaching the Religions of South Asia,” a 2004 AAR panel. 17:3 (2005).
Sophia: International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Metaphysical Theology and Ethics.
Reviews Editor. (2001 - 2003).
Hindu-Christian Studies Bulletin. Editorial Advisory Board (1999 - 2002).
Coeditor, Journal of Vaisnava Studies, Focus on the Madhva Sampradaya II 9 (2000).
Coeditor, Journal of Vaisnava Studies, Focus on the Madhva Sampradaya 5 (1997).
Editor and transcriber, “The Dvaita School of Vedanta: A Trilogy,” by Prof. B.N.K. Sharma,
Journal of Vaisnava Studies 5 (1997),17-34.
Editor and transcriber, “Jiva and the brahman,” by Prof. D. Prahladacarya, Journal of Vaisnava
Studies 5 (1997), 107-124.

Reviewer of Proposals for
American Journal of Bioethics
Blackwell Press
Cambridge University Press
Columbia University Press
International Journal of Hinduism
Philosophy East and West
RoutledgeCurzon Press
Rowman and Littlefield Press
Stanford University Press

Conference Papers and Presentations
International and national meetings and invited lectures
“Free Will, Agency, and Selfhood in Hinduism” University of Lisbon (Oct. 21, 2011).
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“Deep Learning Lurking Below the Deceptively Calm Waters of Divine Omnipotence: Freedom
and Freewill in Madhva Vedanta” Center for the Study of World Religions, Harvard
University (Sept. 17, 2011).
“Madhvacarya as Prophetic Witness” Catholic Theological Society Meeting (June 10, 2010).
“Hindu Bioethics?” Annual Meeting of the AAR (Nov. 3, 2008).
Presider and Organizer for “Axis Chicago: Comparative Study in Hyde Park and Beyond” A
panel for Annual Meeting of the AAR (Nov. 1, 2008).
“Hinduism and Bioethics” American Society for Bioethics and Humanities Annual Meeting
(Oct 25, 2008).
“Madhva Dialogue and Discernment” Boston College Symposia on Interreligious Dialogue
(Sept. 20-21, 2008).
Respondent for “Globalizing South Asia: Religion, Imagination, Discourse, and Affect” Annual
Meeting of the AAR (Nov. 19, 2007).
Respondent for Ray Smith Symposium on Iconic Books at Syracuse University (October 18,
2007).
“The Final Sacrifice: A Dead “Hindu,” A Missing Body, and a $10 Million Dollar Life-
Insurance Policy” Asian Studies Symposium, University of Utah (Sept. 7, 2007).
Respondent for “Traditions of Hinduism in Diaspora” Meeting of the Society for the
Anthropology of Religion (April. 15, 2007).
“Madhva Worship” Annual Meetings of the Dharma Association of North America (Nov. 18,
2006).
Respondent and Organizer for “Adhikara in the Dharma Diaspora” Annual Meetings of the
Dharma Association of North America (Nov. 18, 2006).
“Hinduism, Jainism, and Bioethics” 13th Annual Thomas A. Pitts Memorial Lectureship, The
Institute of Human Values in Health Care, the Medical University of South Carolina
(Sept. 8-9, 2006).
Invited Participant for “The Crisis of the Holy” Esalen Institute, Taipei (Nov. 28 – Dec. 2,
2005).
“On Teaching Sensitive Topics and Sensitive Students” Annual Meetings of the Dharma
Association of North America (Nov. 18-20, 2005).
“Madhva Mysteries and Miracles” Conference on the Study of Religions of India, Albion
College, Albion MI (June 9 – 12, 2005).
Invited Participant for “Exploring the Nature of Our Offense: A Symposium on the Study of
Hinduism in a World of Identity Politics and Religious Intolerance” Esalen Institute
(Dec. 16-19, 2004).
Respondent and Organizer for “Teaching Inside–Out: Demographic Changes and
Methodological Challenges in Teaching the Religions of South Asia” Annual Meeting of
the AAR (Nov. 20, 2004).
Presider and Organizer for “Book Prohibition and Censorship?” A panel for the Society for
Hindu-Christian Studies. Annual Meeting (Nov.20, 2004).
“To be or not to be? A Madhva criticism of Maya and an Advaita Response” The Oxford Centre
for Hindu Studies (Oct. 15, 2004).
“Modernity and Madhva Vedanta: The Beginning or End of an Esoteric Tradition?” The Oxford
Centre for Hindu Studies (Oct. 15, 2004).
“How secret is a secret society? Madhva Vedanta, the Mleccha (Foreign) Scholar, and Current
6
Methodological Challenges.” School of Oriental and African Studies, University of
London (Oct. 14, 2004).
Panelist for “Finding the Brother in the Other: Overcoming Negative Images of Other
Faiths as We Build Our Religious Identities and Seek Common Ground”
Parliament of the World’s Religions, Barcelona, Spain (July 11, 2004).
Panelist for “Crisis of the Holy II” Parliament of the World’s Religions, Barcelona, Spain
(July 9, 2004).
Panelist for “Crisis of the Holy I” Parliament of the World’s Religions, Barcelona, Spain
(July 8, 2004).
“Imagining Hinduism” Plenary panel at” 14th International Congress of Vedanta (April 8-11
13, 2004).
Presider and Organizer for “Can Women Become Priests?” A panel for the Society for
Hindu-Christian Sudies, Annual Meeting (Nov. 2003).
Presider and Organizer for “Refutation and Ridicule: Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains As Seen by
Others” Annual Meeting of the AAR (Nov. 2003).
“Madhva Mitigated Monotheism” The Wahlstrom Lecture at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies
(Oct. 31, 2003).
“Racism in the American Academy” Bangalore Social Sciences Forum, National College of
Bangalore. (Sept. 2, 2002).
A Madhva Reading of Bonaventure’s Journey of the Mind to God” Society for Hindu-Christian
Studies, Annual Meeting (Nov. 2001).
Panelist for “Coming Out (or Going In) as a Buddhist or Hindu in Academia” Annual Meeting of
the AAR (Nov. 2000).
“The Propriety of Promulgating a Proprietary Language: The Case of Madhva Vedanta and the
Diffusion of Sanskrit in Contemporary India” Annual Meeting of the AAR (Nov. 1999).
“Madhvacarya on Women, Sudras, and brahmabandhus, Unworthy Brahmins” 28th Annual
Conference on South Asia, University of Wisconsin, Madison (Oct. 15, 1999).
Panelist for “Blunders, Plunders, and the Wonders of Fieldwork: Ethnographic Integrity and the
Study of South Asian Religions” Annual Meeting of the AAR (Nov. 1998).
Panelist for “Reading Through Hindu and Christian Lenses: The Sivajñanabodham, Chapter 8”
Society for Hindu-Christian Studies. Annual Meeting (Nov. 21, 1998).
“Dream on, Devotee! Nocturnal Reality as the Locus for Religious Experience in Madhva
Vedanta” Conference on Religion in South India, Annual Workshop, University of
Florida, Gainesville (June 19 - 22, 1998).
“On adi, ativyapti and the adhikari in Madhva Vedanta” 9th International Congress of Vedanta
in Rishikesh, India (July 7-11,1997).
“Rival Theories of Incompatibility in Vedanta” 10th World Sanskrit Conference in Bangalore,
India (Jan. 3-9, 1997).
“atha ato brahmajijñasa: Vyasatirtha's Arguments Against the Advaita Vedanta Position” 8th
International Congress of Vedanta (Nov. 2, 1996).
“After What? Vyasatirtha's Arguments Regarding Eligibility and Theological Inquiry” 25th
Annual Conference on South Asia. University of Wisconsin, Madison (Oct. 18, 1996).
“Exclusivist Strategies in Dvaita Vedanta” 7th International Congress of Vedanta, Madras,
India (Jan. 5, 1996).
“Exclusivist Strategies: The Practice of Dvaita Vedanta” Reed College, Portland, Oregon (April
7
6, 1995).
“Spiritual Healing and Predestination: An Examination of Dvaita Vedanta” Midwest Regional
AAR (April 1, 1995).
“The Appropriation of the Bhagavad Gita in H.D. Thoreau's Walden; a Metacritique” Annual
Meeting of the AAR (Nov. 20, 1994).
“Several Damaging Arguments Posited By the Dvaitins” 5th International Congress of Vedanta
(Aug. 13, 1994).

Regional meetings and performances
Moderator for “Ritual and Pilgrimage in World Religions” (October 24, 2010) Cleveland Museum
of Art.
“Hindu Leaders in North America” Princeton University (April 3, 2009).
“The Tightrope: Walking the line between academia and practice” Panelist. Princeton University
(April 2, 2009).
“Hindu Bioethics?” Works in Progress, Department of Bioethics, Case Western Reserve
University (Dec. 10, 2008).
“Hindu Worship” Department of Philosophy, University of Utah (Sept. 7, 2007).
“Spirit Possession in a South Indian Temple” Department of Philosophy, University of Utah
(Sept. 6, 2007).
“The Final Sacrifice: A Dead “Hindu,” A Missing Body, and a $10 Million Dollar Life-
Insurance Policy” Department of Religion, Emory University, (March 2, 2007).
“Hinduism in America: Where are the Leaders” College of Wooster, Wooster, Ohio (April
16, 2006).
“The Final Sacrifice: A Dead “Hindu,” A Missing Body, and a $7 Million Dollar Life-Insurance
Policy” Baker-Nord Center, Case Western Reserve University, (February 23, 2006).
“Hinduism,” Ursuline College, Cleveland, Ohio (February 16, 2005).
“Evolution and Hinduism” Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (November
17, 2004).
“On Being a Hindu” John Carroll University, Cleveland, Ohio (July 15, 2004).
“On Being an Academic” for the Book and Snake Society, Yale University (February 26,
2004).
“An Indian-American Outlook on Racism in America” Master’s Tea, Branford College,
Yale University, (Jan. 2004).
“Basic Hindu Theology” Gleacher Center at the University of Chicago (March 22, 2003).
“Hinduism? There is no such thing!” Gleacher Center at the University of Chicago (March
15, 2003).
“Madhvacarya and Jayatirtha on the Aptatva, the State of Being Reliable, of the Guru”
Midwest Regional AAR (March 21, 1998).
“Theories of Incompatibility in Vedanta” Pacific Northwest Regional AAR (April 27, 1995).
“Spiritual Healing and Predestination: An Examination of Dvaita Vedanta” Midwest
Regional AAR (April 1, 1995).
“Ecology: A Dialogue Between a Buddhist and a Hindu” with Professor Duncan Williams for
Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD (October 3, 2001).
“Madhva Vedanta; Is it Relevant to Contemporary Society?” for Ananya, G.M.L. Cultural
Academy, Bangalore, India (June 28, 1997).
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Fellowships, Grants, Awards, etc.
Wittke Undergraduate Teaching Award, Case Western Reserve University, 2007.
Baldwin Fellowship, Case Western Reserve University, 2006-2007.
Baker-Nord Travel Grant, Case Western Reserve University, 2006.
W. P. Jones Fellowship, Case Western Reserve University, 2006.
W. P. Jones Fellowship, Case Western Reserve University, 2005.
UCITE Learning Fellowship, Case Western Reserve University, 2005.
AAR: Individual Research Assistance Grant, 1998-99.
COSAS (Committee on Southern Asian Studies, University of Chicago) Fellowships and Grants:
1993-94, ‘94-‘95, ‘95-‘96, ‘96-‘97, ‘97-‘98.
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant, 1996-97.
Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Education Scholarship, 1992.
Hindu Temple Society of North America, New York, Education Scholarship, 1991.
Jerald Brauer Fellowship, 1994.
M. Ross Trust Fellowship, 1994-95, 1995-96.
Sri Venkatesvara Temple, Pittsburgh, PA, Education Scholarship, 1991.

Courses Taught
Hindu and Jain Bioethics
Comparative Studies of Religion: Scholasticism and Virtuoso Religious Readers
Insiders and Outsiders in the Study of Religion
Method and Theory in the Study of Religion
Introduction to Religious Studies
Introduction to Hinduism
Devotion and Worship in Hinduism
Indian Philosophy
Introduction to Buddhism
Themes in Asian Religions
Introduction to Sanskrit
Advanced Sanskrit
Introduction to World Religions
Introduction to Philosophy

Professional Memberships
American Academy of Religion
Association for Asian Studies
Associate of the Purnaprajna Samshodana Mandiram, Bangalore India
Society for Hindu-Christian Studies

Other Professional Duties, Activities, and Service to the Profession
List administrator for the e-list of the “Religions of South Asia” (RISA) section of the
American Academy of Religion. 535 members 2002 –
“Religions of South Asia” (RISA) section of the American Academy of Religion: Steering
Committee. 2010 -
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Comparative Theology Group of the American Academy of Religion: Co-Chair. 2006 - 2008
Society for Hindu-Christian Studies:
President (2004 – 2006)
Vice-president (2002 - 04)
Nominated and Elected Member of the Board (1999 -2002).

University Activities and Committees
Kelvin Smith Library (KSL) Task Force on the Acquisition and Retention of Library Materials:
Format and Storage. CWRU. 2011 –
Coordinating the South Asia Initiative, Case Western Reserve University. 2011 –
Co-chair Islam Search Committee, Case Western Reserve University, 2009-2010
Dean’s Search Committee, Fall 2006
Academic Integrity Board, Case Western Reserve University, Fall 2004 –
Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, Case Western Reserve University: Steering Committee
Faculty Advisor of the Hindu Students Association, Case Western Reserve University
Share the Vision Committee, Case Western Reserve University, 2004 - 2005.

Teaching and Research Interests
South Asian religious and philosophical traditions, especially Hinduism. Vedanta and Indian
Philosophy. Madhva School of Vedanta, Sanskrit. Method and theory in the study of religion.
Comparative philosophy of religion.

Languages
Spanish (good reading skills, basic conversation)
Sanskrit, German, French (reading)
Tulu, Kannada (basic conversation)

Public Activities/ Consultancies
Consultant for “Matter of Faith” Symposium, The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2009.
Curriculum consultant for the University of Chicago Lab Schools, 2002 -03.
Curriculum consultant for Glenbrook High School, Illinois, 2002 -03.
Columnist for the Indian Express newspaper, 1997.

Public Talks, Newspaper, and Other Media
“Thinking about Yoga: Make Sure to Think the Right Thoughts.” Huffington Post, Jan 2012.
"Diaspora Hinduism and the December Dilemma." Huffington Post, Dec. 2011.
“Censoring Ramanujan's Essay On Ramayana: Intolerant Hindus And Confusing Texts."
Huffington post, Nov. 2011.
"The Inquiry into Brahman is to be Undertaken." Huffington Post, Nov. 2011
"Should Hindus Study Hinduism?" Huffington Post, Nov. 2011.Quoted in The Plain Dealer,
“Everyday Exoticism” (July 17, 2011, Sunday Arts, E1, E8).
OpEd for the India Abroad, “The Conflict Can Be Resolved Through Samvada,” (Sept. 3, 2010).
Quoted in The New York Times, “Pride and Concern Follow Success of Indian-Americans,” (July
10