Houston University Collaborates with ICCR for Joint Research on Tamil Language and Culture

New Delhi: University of Houston and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) have signed a MoU to establish a ICCR Chair of Indian Studies, on March 29, 2023. The aim of the collaboration is to conduct research on Tamil Language, Literature and Culture as a part of the university’s long initiative to enhance its Indian Studies Program. 

“We are grateful to the Indian Council for Cultural Relations for this collaboration that will surely strengthen the cultural ties between our two countries,” said the University of Houston President Renu Khator, the first Indian immigrant to lead a comprehensive research university in the United States since 2008. According to her, this initiative towards an international footprint will help the students get a better educational experience and prepare them according to global standards. 

The ICCR Chair of Indian Studies will start its functions from fall 2023 and shall be held by a visiting expert in Tamil Language from India. 

The Chair aims to teach and conduct research on Tamil language, literature and culture and deepen the education partnership, according to Aseem Mahajan, Council General of India in Houston.

“The Tamil language is considered the oldest in the world, and is one of the top five languages spoken in the United States, which is home to nearly 3,00,000 Tamil-Americans and this MoU will further enhance and deepen the US education and knowledge partnership,” Mahajan said.

According to a press release by University of Houston, the professor taking the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies will conduct classes at the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, collaborate with other faculty members for research and perform public presentations throughout the semester. 

Along with University of Houston, Rutgers University and the University of Pittsburgh have also collaborated with ICCR on its Global Indian Chairs Abroad Program. 

“India is not only a modern, global hub of business and culture, it’s an ancient hub as well that’s rich in history, literature and architecture going back millennia,” said O’Connor, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

“It’s important to preserve that heritage through partnerships like this for tomorrow’s global leaders, some of whom we are teaching right here at UH,” he said. 

The visiting professor’s appointment will be for one semester but could be extended to a full year. A new visiting professor could be selected for subsequent semesters, the release said. 

In 2019, non-profit organisation Houston Tamil Studies Chair, Inc pledged USD 2 million to the UH to establish an endowed chair in Tamil studies, and the Mutyala family donated USD 250,000 to establish the Sita and Bhaskara Rao Mutyala Endowed Professor of India Studies, currently held by Sarasij Majumder.

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