5th Summer Program in Punjab Studies

July1-August 12, 2001

I am delighted to report that the UCSB-Columbia Summer Program in Punjab Studies at Chandigarh (July1-August 12, 2001) went extremely well. The summer was relatively mild with the temperature remaining several degrees below what is normal for the time of the year. Travel was made easier and watching the endless lush green Punjab plains and misty hills all thoroughly washed with Monsoon rains was a treat. The abundance of usual Punjabi hospitality added to the charm of our stay.

The appended evaluation report prepared by this-summer's participants indicates that the program has come of age. In the past five years (1997-2001), sixty-three people, thirty-eight females and twenty-five males, have participated in the program. Of these thirty-four were of Euro-American (19 female and 15 male) and twenty-nine were of South Asian descent (19 female and 10 male). Their areas of interest were comprised of seventeen disciplines and they came from thirty-three universities in six countries (Australia, Canada, England, France, Sweden, and the U.S.).

2001 participants with the Bishop of North India

Over the years I have tried my best to incorporate the participants' suggestions for improvement of the schedule. By now, the academic content of the program is well-laid. The themes that were found most relevant in the history and culture segments of the program were taught by scholars who are well immersed in their field. The manual for language instruction is nearing its completion, making effective teaching of Punjabi possible. The arrangements for boarding and lodging along with travel (some 1,500 miles) in the region are firmly established.

Mann and 2001 participants in the country

In the years ahead, I hope to expand the scope of the program in four key ways. First, I intend to create a reader in Punjabi history and culture. It will aim to provide an authoritative introduction to the region and will prepare the participants to interact more effectively with speakers in the program. Second, I plan to work on adding Lahore to the program's travel itinerary. After five weeks in Chandigarh, I envision to shift the base of the program to Lahore for the last week. This will provide the opportunity of visiting western Punjab and meeting the local scholars there. Third, I hope to begin discussions with local scholars in Chandigarh and consider admitting one or two of their doctoral students into the program as day scholars. It will further add to the diversity of the group and help the local students learn about the Punjab as well as Westerners interested in the Punjab. Finally, I plan to begin thinking of establishing a permanent facility in Chandigarh, where the program-participants as well as others working in Punjab studies can stay for a longer duration and at different times during the year, not just in the summer.

At a mosque in Sirhind

As we move into the second phase of the program, I warmly acknowledge the help of a number of friends who have contributed in significant ways toward the development of the program. For valuable advice, I am indebted to Indu Banga (Panjab University), J.S. Grewal (GNDU, Amritsar), Jack Hawley (Barnard College), Mark Juergensmeyer (UCSB), Rana Nayar (Panjab University), and Manmohan Singh, I.A.S. I am also grateful to all those who have addressed our groups over the years as their cooperation has always been heart warming. Many thanks to Dr. Himmat Singh (1997-2000) and Dr. Manmeet Singh (2001) for providing free health care and medication for the participants. Warm thanks to Dr. Inder Mohan Singh of Chardi Kala Foundation and the trustees of the Sikh Educational Foundation of Santa Barbara for providing financial support for the program. Debra Nash does a great job in establishing a system to handle the finances of the program at UCSB. I owe her my gratitude.

Finally, my heartfelt thanks go to the participants in the past years' programs. By sharing their critical evaluations of our activities, they all have contributed in significant ways toward refining the structure of the program. The summer of 1999, which was disappointing for me, proved to be of considerable help in the long-term planning. My gratitude for the consideration and cooperation of the trail-blazers of 1997 who had to bear many difficulties as we groped our way around. Gurdit Singh, Ami Shah, and Anne Murphy taught Punjabi in the program at different points and worked hard to generate the Punjabi Teaching Manual. I am grateful for their ideas to improve the academic content as well as the administration of the program. For newspaper coverage, please see: <http://www.tribuneindia.com/20010811/windows/main3.htm>

Many thanks,

Gurinder Singh Mann