Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute

Shastri News - September 2009

A New Direction for the Canada-India Relationship

Ryan Touhey
Assistant Professor of History at St. Jerome’s University/University of Waterloo

In 2008, the Canadian International Council (CIC) announced its first fellowship recipients, a group of eight scholars selected from across Canada to research and produce new foreign policy insights for national debate and discussion. One of the foreign policy themes that the CIC is focusing on is the rise of emerging global powers, such as India, and their relationship with Canada. My project, ‘A New Direction for the Canada-India Relationship’, examines how the Canadian government can practically re-develop a historically neglected relationship with India at a time when interest in India is not only increasing domestically but globally as well. The research focuses on three specific niche areas that have traditionally been underutilized by Ottawa and New Delhi yet have the promise to enhance bilateral ties: public diplomacy initiatives, higher education ties, and science and technology linkages.

“Ryan Touhey, a terrific young historian, is the Canadian scholar who has engaged most excitingly with India of late, bridging the often turbulent but rich history of Canada-India relations since 1947 with today’s more stable and positive, if still immature prospects for a closer bilateral relationship.”
~Dr. David Malone, President, International Development Research Council

Download full article directly from the CIC website.

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Shastri Institute Founder receives Lifetime Achievement Award

Michael Brecher, who holds the R.B. Angus Chair of Political Science at McGill University, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Political Science Association (Conflict Processes) at its annual conference on September 4, 2009. Brecher’s lifetime of achievements includes almost six decades as a professor at McGill University where he has developed a world-renowned body of work on International Crises.

“Michael Brecher is a towering figure in international relations research,” says Professor John A. Vasquez who presented Brecher’s award. “He is read throughout the world, and he is one of the most influential scholars in the post-World War II era.”

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Shastri partners with AIESEC to create new internship fund

The Shastri Institute is excited to announce a new partnership that will create opportunities for more Canadian Students to conduct internships in India. Early in September 2009, the Institute signed an agreement with the Canadian branch of AIESEC to provide bursaries for exchange participants traveling to India. AIESEC is the world’s largest student-run organization and has over 50 years experience managing international internships. Each year, AIESEC’s Global Internship Program provides 5,500 students and recent graduates with the challenging opportunity to live and work in a foreign country in the areas of management, information technology, and development.

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The Greatest Story Never Told

How could a poem written thousands of years ago complicate commercial shipping activities along India’s eastern coastline today? To truly understand India, to engage in political, social, educational or commercial relationships with India, the world needs to understand what inspires Indian thought. Two critical texts that continue to influence all aspects of life in India are the great epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Dr. Robert Goldman, Professor of Sanskrit and India Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, has invested over 30 years of his life to a translation project that will open the floodgates of potential for study into India’s oldest epic, the Ramayana. For him it is still “the greatest story never told” in the West.

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Shastri Alumnus receives SSHRC grant for research on Biomedicine and Ancient Healing

Dr. Robin Oakley, Shastri alumnus and professor at Dalhousie University, has received a $92,277 grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada to conduct a three-year research project examining ancient Tamil medicine.

“One of the reasons why biomedicine so often fails is that it strips the social dimension of disease away and only examines the affected organ,” explains Dr. Oakley. “A human being’s health is also greatly affected by the economic and resulting social context in which their lives are lived, and to ignore this dimension often amounts to a band aid over chronic problems rooted in social conditions.”

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Join the Celebration

Whether you’re seeking fun and festivities or reverent reflection, October is a magical month within all Indian traditions. It is the month when we celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. It is also the month in which both Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri were born. In fact, these two father figures of India share a birthday on October 2nd.

Celebrations of these special occasions are becoming more and more common in Canada. The Centre for Peace Studies at McMaster University is in the midst of its annual Gandhi Peace Festival, and will be hosting Rajmohan Gandhi as a guest lecturer on October 2nd. On October 7th, Simon Fraser University will be holding its annual Diwali Gala at the Bollywood Banquet Hall in Surrey.

Let us know about other events being held throughout Canada in Honor of Gandhi, Shastri or Diwali. Which city in Canada hosts the best Diwali festivities? Are there any events planned in Canada specifically to honor Prime Minister Shastri? If you know of events taking place, please post some quick information so that everyone wishing to get more involved can find an event close to home.

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India Abroad Power List includes notable Shastri Alumni

Congratulations to all those honored on India Abroad’s ‘Power List 2009’, a publication celebrating Indo-Canadians who have achieved excellence in their various walks of life.

Shastri Institute alumni and volunteers on the list include:
Dr. Balbir Sahni – Former President of the Shastri Institute and Alumnus
Dr. Ratna Ghosh – Former President of the Shastri Institute and Alumnus
Dr. Ramesh Thakur – Alumnus
Ms. Lata Pada – Evaluator for the India Studies Arts Fellowship Programme

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Upcoming Grant Deadlines

In India:
Partnership Development Seed Grant – September 30th
Canadian Studies Fellowships – October 1st

In Canada:
Partnership Development Seed Grant – September 30th
Visiting lecturer nominations – September 30th
Lester Pearson Memorial Lecture – September 30th
Kanta Marwah Lecture Series – September 30th
Student Excellence Awards – October 30th

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Call for Student Programming Information

Towards the end of the fall term, the Shastri Institute will be producing a publication for Canadian students on Nation-wide opportunities to study in India. If you are aware of field studies in India, term aboard programmes or other new initiatives running through your institution during 2010 please let us know.

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New Publication

Coastal Aquaculture in India, Poverty Environment & Rural Livelihood
By: Subrata Ray, Mark Flatherty, Kishor C Samal, Dologobinda Pradhan
New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company © 2009

(From the cover)
The book examines the diverse impacts of coastal aquaculture in Orissa where Shrimp farming is a leading economic activity. It observes that there has been shift in occupation from rice cultivation and capture fishing to shrimp aquaculture. Shrimp farming has played an important role in employment generation and a rise in per capita income; and has thus led to decrease in dependency on agriculture and artisan fisheries for food and income. On the other hand, it has led to environmental degradation. It has not also brought any significant improvement in community-scale human development parameters. The participation and role of women in shrimp farming is insignificant. The institutional arrangements that have been set up by the government to regulate the shrimp farming are not stringently followed. Almost all the activities of shrimp farming are in private sector. The government’s role is only promotional. The study believes that if suitable measures (such as infrastructure development, laboratories for various tests, research on shrimp diseases, effective enforcement of institutional regulations etc) are taken to overcome the problems faced by the local farmers, shrimp farming may turn out to be a perennial source of livelihood.

This publication is the result of a Shastri Applied Research Project (SHARP). More details on the project can be found here.

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