India is a global leader on many fronts: it’s the world’s largest democracy and is home to the world’s largest middle class. Its film industry is among the largest in the world, and Bollywood, the industry’s biggest segment, enjoys immense international popularity and influence. In recent years India has emerged as one of the world’s most vibrant economies, as a geopolitical leader, and is a major force shaping global trends in art and aesthetics.  

And it’s the theme for the LSA Winter 2014 semester.

Welcome to India in the World, coordinated by LSA’s Center for South Asian studies. This semester will offer a wide range of programs and events that explore the ways in which India is an influence in everyday life. From films to maps, from specimens to symposia, from conferences on regional power and Islamic arts, and even an exhibit on plants, LSA’s India-themed semester will give students, faculty, and the community the opportunity to explore their assumptions, re-examine their ideas, and embrace India’s growing power and position with understanding, appreciation, and nuance.

A Sample of India-Theme Events

An India Map Exhibit
January 16-April 22
Clark Library, Second Floor Hatcher Graduate Library

The Garden of India: How Plants Reveal a Country and Its Culture
January 25-March 9: 10am-4:30pm daily
Matthaei Botanical Garden
An exhibit that reveals the culture and people of India through its botany and horticulture. Also includes an exhibit of community- and student-contributed photographs of India.

Snake vs. Dinosaur: Caught in the Act
Museum of Natural History
Opens February 16 as a permanent exhibit.

Asif Ali Khan Qawwali
March 21, 2014: 8:00pm
Rackham Auditorium
A powerful figure on the international stage, Khan’s music remains faithful to the sublime traditions of devotional Sufi music. His work can be meditative and trance-inducing, thrilling and ecstatic — an inspiring experience regardless of whether you’re an adherent of the Sufi faith. Tickets required.

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Photos by Stephanie Berger Photography, Inc. Courtesy of University Musical Society.