Signing Ceremony for the Vivekananda Visiting Professorship

The University of Chicago commemorates the establishment of the Vivekananda Visiting Professorship with a signing ceremony and Indian classical dance performance. The new visiting professorship in Indian studies is supported by a $1.5 million gift from India's Ministry of Culture.

The new chair commemorates the legacy of Hindu spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda, who helped to raise awareness of Hinduism and Indian culture in the US. The professorship includes a teaching commitment as well as an annual public lecture, enriching the University's program for the study of the Indian subcontinent.

The ceremony was led by Martha T. Roth (Dean of the Division of Humanities at the University of Chicago), Dipesh Chakrabarty (Professor in History and South Asian Languages & Civilizations), Nirupama Rao (Ambassador of India to the US), and Pranab Mukherjee (Finance Minister of India).