REPORT South Asia Institute www.sai.uni-heidelberg.de Im Neuenheimer Feld 330
[email protected] D-69120 Heidelberg 2 0 0 8 Tel: +49 6221 548900 Germany Fax: +49 6221 544998 Cluster of Excellence Asia and Europe in a global context The first PhD students of the Cluster’s graduate program People and Events Research and Politics: Guest of Honour: Celebration: Cornelia Pieper, Her Excellency Meera Shankar, Ambassador of Professor Dietmar Member of Parliament, India to Germany, with Professor Bernhard Eitel, Rothermund at 75 at the “Festival of India” Rektor of the University of Heidelberg Contents Editorial Teaching g 3 - 7 Taking stock of our activities over the past year is a pleasurable exercise indeed. The academic year 2007/08 saw Heidelberg University on an exhilarating upward trajectory ”Festival of India” at the University into the première league of German academic excellence, a success in which the SAI’s of Heidelberg 3 national and international renown had no small role to play. More than ever before, Student life in Delhi by Manju Ludwig 4 the SAI’s participation in the interdisciplinary research cluster on “Asia and Europe” Languages at the SAI by M. Freier, is facilitating close co-operation with leading South Asian scholars on crucial research O. Lamers and M. Maithrimurthi 4 agendas (p.8). ‚Chalo‘ Hindustan - let´s go to India! Other ongoing projects focus on arenas ranging from the high altitudes of Ladakh (p.6) by Peter Braun and Johannes Dahmen 5 to South Asian megacities (p.9,10), and on issues as diverse as governmental food policy Master of Arts in health and society in (p.11), changing gender relations in Kumaon (p.12), or the development of a PÁÆinian South Asia by Gabriele Alex 5 Sanskrit simulator (p.14) which combine rigorous scholarship with imaginative creativ- tutorien.org by Carsten Heinrich 5 ity.