News

OCHS alumnus given tenure at William and Mary

16 March 2011

OCHS alumnus, Dr Ravi Gupta has been awarded tenure at William and Mary College, one of the US's oldest and most prestigious universities.

 
Ravi completed his D.Phil. at Oxford in 2004 at the tender age of 22. He went on to teach at University of Florida shortly after and then to William and Mary College in 2008.
 
At William and Mary, Ravi was described as a "teacher's teacher" by his colleagues and was awarded two teaching awards in his first two years.

Friends Event: The Gunas

Leicester Friends Event
Saturday, 26 March 2011 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm

A talk by Anuradha Dooney of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

In the Hindu  Samkhya tradition, the three gunas, or ‘threads’ of sattva, rajas, and tamas weave together reality around us. They ‘colour’ our vision of  ourselves and others,  the choices we make, and how we act in the world.
 
Through visual and interactive exercises this presentation offers a fresh  opportunity for self-reflection and challenges us  to take responsibility for who we are and what we become in life.

Nehru Centre Event: Religious Values in a Secular World: Indian Perspectives

Nehru Centre Event
Wednesday, 23 March 2011 - 6:30pm to 7:30pm

A talk by Dr Nicholas Sutton of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies 

 
In this opening talk we will consider the role of religion in the modern world and particularly focus on the differences that can arise between religious values and secular principles.  One of the traditional functions of religion has been to provide guidelines and rules as to how individuals should conduct their lives in terms of marriage, sexuality, inheritance, gender roles etc, but in the modern world this role is increasingly called into question.

Friends Event: Holi Yatra: Sponsored Walk

Leicester Friends Event
Saturday, 10 March 2012 - 9:00am

Following the fun and success of last year’s Holi Walk, we are ready to do it all again, we would like you to join us to walk to all the mandirs of Leicester to raise funds for the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. 

 
Please register your interest by sending an email to lf@ochs.org.uk and we will send you a sponsor form

Friends Holi walk in support of OCHS

22 February 2011

The Leicester Friends of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (FOCHS) is organising a sponsored walk to take place on 19th March 2011. The walk coincides with Kartik Sud Punam, also known as Holika Day or Holi. Sposnsorships will go towards supporting the work of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

 
The walk will take participants to a dozen of Leicester's Hindu Temples on foot in one day. 
 
According to Ramila Chauhan, one of the walk's organisers, "The OCHS is making a great contribution to Hindu education in the UK.

OCHS alumnus awarded for theological promise

22 February 2011

Dr Jonathan Edelmann, OCHS alumnus and Assistant Professor of Religion at Mississippi State University, has been awarded the the 2011 Templeton Award for Theological Promise by the University of Heidelberg.

The award was based on his dissertation, "When Two Worlds Meet: A Dialogue Between the Bhagavata Purana and Contemporary Biological Theory".

Friends Event: Faith and Food in Hindu Traditions

Birmingham Friends Event
Saturday, 22 January 2011 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm

A Talk by Anuradha Dooney of the OCHS Continuing Education Department

"From food are made all bodies, which become food again for others after their death. Food is the most important of all things for the body; therefore it is the best medicine for all the body’s ailments. Those who look upon food as the Lord’s gift shall never lack life’s physical comforts." Taittirya Upanisad 2.1.1
 
From the earliest expressions of Hindu thought to the Ayurvedic remedies, tiffin wallas, and temples of today, food, fasting and feasting have been at the heart of Hindu ideology and practice.

Friends Event: Do Hindus Worship many Gods?

Leicester Friends Event
Saturday, 29 January 2011 - 7:00pm to 9:00pm

A talk by NIck Sutton of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies.

The images of Vishnu, Devi, Shiva, Krishna, Rama, Ganesh, Hanuman and other deities have led people to suppose that Hinduism is a religion of many gods. But is this the really so? In this talk Nick Sutton will explore the issue with reference to various sacred texts and attempt to untangle the different Hindu teachings concerning the nature of God.

OCHS alumnus wins prestigious research position

10 January 2011

OCHS alumnus, Dr Kiyokazu Okita, has been offered a three-year post-doctoral research position at Kyoto University, Japan.

His research will focus on the medieval Vaishnava scholars, Rupa Goswami and Jiva Goswami, particulalry Rupa Goswami's Ujjvala-nilamani.

Bhumi Project: Hindu groups address climate change

6 January 2011

The Bhumi Project, which helps to co-ordinate Hindu responses to ecological change, launched its India phase with a meeting in New Delhi on 4 January 2011.

 
The aim of the Bhumi Project in India is to facilitate Hindu groups in addressing environmental damage through activities such as endorsing ethically sourced food, waste recycling, and promotion of good environmental practice to their members.
 
Sudhir Garg, of Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, explained “Indian tradition and culture is rich in good environmental practice.

OCHS Director appointed university Chaplain

28 December 2010

Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Shaunaka Rishi Das has recently been appointed Hindu Chaplain to Oxford University, the first Hindu chaplain in the University’s history.

 
“It’s a sign of the times,” says Shaunaka Rishi, “There are no official Hindu Chaplains for the University, yet there are thirty-six college chaplains, attached to Oxford’s thirty-eight colleges,” he explains. “I was asked by the Hindu Students’ Society of Oxford University to become their chaplain.

Lecture list for Hilary 2011 now available

9 December 2010

Lectures for the first term of 2011 are now online at www.ochs.org.uk/lectures/coming-lectures. The Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies commitment to Sanskrit teaching at Oxford has grown with two weekly Elementary Sanskrit classes and Readings in the Jayakhya Samhita, both by Prof. Gavin Flood and Readings in the Sanskrit Commentaries by OCHS Librarian and recently awarded D.Phil., Dr Rembert Lutjeharms.

 
We have two Seminar series on offer: God Across Cultures, and the Interdisciplinary Seminar in the Study of Religions/Mysticism Seminar.