SPAN: September/October 2009 by SPAN magazine

Twain and Stowe: literary Neighbors Writing to President Obama Indian Languages on the Internet

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J. CJ{oemer

7{ew U.S. Ylmbassador

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imothy J Roemer, appointed Ambassador to India by President Barack Obama in May, arrived in New Delhi on July 16 and was active and engaged in the visit of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. He presented his credentials to President Pratibha Patil on August 11. Ambassador Roemer, 52, is a former member of the US House of Representatives. He was elected for six two-year terms and served from 1991 to 2003, representing a district in South Bend, in the "Hoosier" state of Indiana, where he was born in 1956. Roemer served on the 9/11 Commission and on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism. As a member of Congress, he served on committees overseeing intelligence, science, education and the workforce. He was also the author or sponsor of several bills to improve education through new approaches and to make it more affordable and accessible to Americans, from small children, to single mothers to university and college students, as well as young people seeking to learn technical skills. At the time of his nomination as ambassador, he was president of the Center for National Policy, a moderate think-tank in Washington, DC., and was a distinguished scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University in Virginia The U.S. Constitution gives the Senate, the upper house of the US Congress, the duty of reviewing and approving the president's nominees for ambassadorships, as well as for Cabinet members. Roemer appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on July 7, stating his views on the U.S.-India relationship He called it "a good news story," adding, "While our relationship has gone through different stages, we are certainly moving ahead

on an upward trajectory. This is not a zero sum game with winners and losers but a positive sum game-with India as a strong, stable global democracy increasing peace and prosperity for aiL" Roemer also said, "I look forward to sharing with my Indian counterparts the lessons we learned from 9/11 as India addresses the aftermath of its own terrorist tragedy in Mumbai and as we work together to prevent other attacks from occurring" He mentioned that, "Our relationship with India goes beyond sharing lessons learned from terrorist attacks and capacity building of law enforcement agencies As is the case in all of America's most enduring relationships, the U.S.-India bond is between two democratic societies and two free peoples-not just two governments." Roemer said he envisions spending his time in India "working to strengthen economic and trade cooperation, helping to expand the frontiers of human knowledge by deepening our science and technology cooperation, and thinking creatively about new education partnerships, clean energy projects and microenterprise initiatives to help women, children and the urban poor." His appointment was confirmed by the Senate on July 10, three days after his testimony, and he took the oath of office on July 23. Roemer holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of California, San Diego and a master's and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. His wife, Sally, is the daughter of a former U.S. Senator from Louisiana, Bennett Johnston, Jr. The Roemers have four children, two boys and two girls. ~

For more information: US. Embassy http//newdelhiusembassy.gov/ Ambassador Roemer http//enwikipedia.org/wiki/TimothYJ_Roemer

Co~e[package

September/October 2009

SPAN Publisher: Editor in Chief: Editor: Associate Editor: Urdu Editor: Hindi Editor: Copy Editors: Art Director: Deputy Art Directors: Editorial Assistant: Printing Assistant: Research Services:

Front cover: Professor Ramesh Raskar and Ankit Mohan, a post doctoral associate, at the MIT Media Lab, are part of a group that researches optics, sensors, illumination and software processing to create novel features for cameras and lightweight medical imaging machines Photograph by SAM OGDEN, MIT Left: Students at the Police DAV Public School in Jalandhar, Punjab, take measurements for the GLOBE-CloudSat project in April 2009.

Larry Schwartz Lisa A Swenarski de Herrera Laurinda Keys Long Deepanjali Kakati Anjum Naim Giriraj Agarwal Richa Varma Shah Md. Tahsin Usmani Hemant Bhatnagar Khurshid Anwar Abbasi Qasim Raza Yugesh Mathur Alok Kaushik Bureau of International Information Programs, The American Library

Book Review: Education and Industry Are Key Partners in India's IT Success By Laurinda Keys Long

Literature!feaching: Questions Are the Point

ByVaidehi Iyer

* Financing Your Way to a US.

Education *

By Richa Varma

GLOBEShines in Indian Schools By Giriraj Agarwal

Summer Behind the Taj By Lisa A Swenarski de Herrera

The Challenges of U.S. Universities: Choices and Responsibilities By Bhavna Murali

5 * Campus Bonding:

More Than Just

Intellectual Growth

By Arjun Bhasin

India-Born Teacher Inspires American Students By Lisa A. Swenarski de Herrera

Becoming a Cultural Broker Interview by Charlene Porter

My Daughter Has Blossomed

* Research: Technically Speaking By Vaidehi Iyer

8 * Studying Beyond Books By Vishal Gupta

By Deepanjali Kakati

54 * Music: Striking the Right Note By Vibhuli Patel

By Vikram Murthy

52 * Staging His Life 56

Democracy: Writing to President Obama By Ashley Parker

58 On the Lighter Side 59 * Achievers: Anasuya Sengupta By Richa Varma

Indian Student Leaders Learn About America First-Hand By Caitlin Fennerty

Letters to the Editor

Published by the PublicAffairsSection,AmericanCenter,24 Kasturba

GandhiMarg,NewOelhi 110001 (phone:23472000), on behaltot the AmericanEmbassy,NewDelhi. Printed at ThomsonPressIndiaLimited, 18/35, Delhi MathuraRoad,Faridabad,Haryana121007. Opinions expressedin this68-pagemagazinedo notnecessarilyretlecttheviewsor policiesot theU.S.Government.

Literary Neighbors By Ellen Albanese

* The

Greening of U.S. Architecture

By Lauren Monsen

12 14

* Conflict Prevention: Planting Seeds

of Peace By Anjum * What You Need to

Know About Studying in

the United States Compiled

by Shevanti Narayan

* Articles with a star may be reprinted with permission. Those without a star are copyrighted and may not be reprinted. Contact SPAN at 011-23472135 or editorspan@state.goY

http://span.slale.gov

Naim

Women: Fusing Engineering with Liberal Arts By Jeftrey Thomas

For subscriptionsor addresschange:

subscri ptionspan@state.gov

A LETTER FROM

THE

PUBLISHER any of the airplanes flying from India to the United States over the past few weeks have been full of students, on their way to American universities, colleges and high schools. Many of them are among the 94,563 Indians who studied in the United States last year, the most ever, and have been returning to continue their classes after spending the summer at home. Thousands more, most with a parent or two along as a traveling escort, were going to the United States for the first time, to begin the biggest adventure of their lives so far. Not only will they be learning much more about their fields of interest, but about the world beyond their own homes and country and the profound similarities in values, despite cultural differences, that connect Indians and Americans. In the pages of this, SPAN's annual education issue, several of these Indian students and professors with academic experience in the United States have shared their advice and tips with our readers. Vishal Gupta, who has studied at three American universities and is now a professor there, even passes along some advice from Rabindranath Tagore on how an Indian can get the best from an education in the United States. And this is the right time for students and their parents or relatives to read this information because anyone hoping to study in the United States in the next academic year, 2010-2011, should start planning now! Researching universities, finding out about living conditions and academic requirements, writing letters seeking admission, assessing costs and ensuring that all admission tests are taken and fees paid are some of the tasks to be accomplished in the coming months. It may seem daunting, and it certainly is an adventurous undertaking to get admitted to a university, especially one in a foreign country But we've provided lots of help, with checklists, frequently asked questions, Internet links for information on universities, visas and unique programs And, of course, the U.S.-India Educational Foundation (http://www.usieforg.in). with offices across India, is available for advice and is staging programs throughout the year. We've included a calendar, too, to help you get started. Educational exchanges between the United States and India just keep on growing, not only in numbers but in new methods and programs. Vaidehi Iyer tells us about the collaboration through Microsoft Research India's education program in Bangalore And in a review of Dinesh C. Sharma's new book, The Long Revolution, we are reminded that this collaboration is longstanding, as he narrates the American link to the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year You can also read about American university students doing internships in India, Indian teachers who have inspired students from both countries, and much more. We hope you will also enjoy our other articles on how American Internet giants are promoting the use of Hindi and Urdu on the Web, about the man who selects which letters reach the desk of President Barack Obama, and the Connecticut town where American writers Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe were neighbors We would like to hear your reactions to these articles and how we may serve you better.

The Challenges of U.S. Universities

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almarts and McDonald's are two things you never lose sight of when you're living in the United States. There are two more things one rarely falls short of therechoices and opportunities. Right from the types of donuts to the types of courses and colleges, the ~ choices are bewildering and far too ~ many. ~ The only way to get to the uni- I versity that is best for you is to start ~ early and make choices based on your needs, not on others' opinions. The most common mistake students make when choosing their universities is to go solely by the rankings. In fact, it's a good way to start, but not the best way to end. The disadvantage of applying based only on rankings is that there is always an element of mystery and luck in the admission process. You never know for sure if you would stand out among the pool of applicants. It is therefore always advisable to apply to three kinds of universities-the first being, 'This seems like a really tough school to get into," the second, "I think I should be able to secure admission in this university," and the third, "I will definitely make it to this college." Some issues that must be considered in decision-making are: courses offered, competent professors, class size, student body diversity, state schools versus private institutions, and campus life versus city life. "It's never too late" does not seem to work well in the context of the U.S. university application process. In fact, we could modify it to say, "It's never too early to start." The application process is challenging and very exhausting, but to get the best results, you have to give it all you've got. The

For more information: Ohio Wesleyan University http://www.owu.edu/ Copyright guidelines at OWU http://Iibrary.owu.edu/scrcopyrighl.

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Right: Ohio Wesleyan University's University Hall was built more than 100 years ago and serves as a landmark with its soaring bell tower and peaked roof Below right: An Ohio Wesleyan student walks in the snow toward University Hall.

best time to start would be when you are a junior in high school. This is when American students start to research universities and find out about admission requirements and offerings. The world does not end if your SAT scores are not exceedingly brilliant. Of course, it enhances your application if they are good, but scores and academics are not the only criteria for selection. U.S. universities look for individuals who are well-rounded in all spheres. They recognize and appreciate the student's interests, whether it is music, dance, sports or community service.

"It's never too early to start. " Another quality they value a lot is leadership. A single exam grade is not a true reflection of your potential. If you think your SAT scores aren't that great, don't sit back! Instead, get involved in school clubs, participate in events. Support a cause if you feel strongly about it and join an NGO which promotes it. Play sports, lead teams and bring forth your hidden potential. Explore different things and gain valuable experiences. You never know which of these might make you stand out among other applicants. When I was in high school, I hated going to music class every day after school. I complained about missing my afternoon naps. But when I look back, I have no regrets. My training helped me get a national level gov- ~ emrnent scholarship in vocal Indian music and this did ~ wonders for my U.S. application. My good academic standing and involvement in extracurricular activities helped me get my application accepted by good U.S. universities. Once they reach the United States, Indians have a lot of adjusting to do-from food, people and culture to f~

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Left: Ohio Wesle1Jan University's Slocum Hall includes one of the most beautiful spots on campus, the reading room, . ,~with its Romanesque arcade and enormous, stained-glass skylight. Left center: Wesle1Jan's students come from diverse backgrounds. Left bottom: Orchesis, a contemporary dance group at Ohio Wesleyan. the teaching environment. You need to let the system grow on you. It is very important for Indian students to mingle with people from different countries and not alienate themselves. The best part of a U.S. education is the diverse student body. The experience of interacting with students from different ethnic backgrounds, countries and cultures is very exciting. Make friends from the world over. Most important of all, do not go with a set of preconceived notions about any country or race. The classroom culture takes a while to get used to. The U.S. education system is very different from India's system. The classrooms are more informal and interactive. The teaching is more discussion-oriented, where the aim is to learn from and contribute to the classroom. In some courses, class participation is evaluated as part of the grade. So the key is to speak up! In the Indian education system, rote memorization can get you through exams. But in the United States, if you reproduce exactly what's in the text without giving credit to the source, it is considered an offense. Plagiarism is what most Indian students need to watch out for. It may be completely unintentional, but habit is no reason for committing plagiarism. The transition from rote memorization to a more practical approach proves to be the most challenging for Indian students. Another tricky adjustment can be the food. Even if your favorite cuisine has never been Indian, just after a week into the semester you start to miss all the spices and the roadside delicacies. But this is inevitable and you gradually learn to Iive with it. My first year in the United States and particularly at college has been great. Ohio Wesleyan University is a small, liberal arts college in the city of Delaware in Ohio. Its close-knit community embraces everyone with equal warmth. During my fIrst year, I have been able to forge friendships with American students and those from several other countries. It makes me feel like I have a home in almost every country now. My fIrst year away from home has taught me to balance freedom and the responsibilities that accompany it. The U.S. undergrad experience is one of a lifetime. This education is beyond books. It's all about learning and growing as an individual. As I step into my second year of college, I hope to create value out of the education I receive and J_' _e_no_y_e_v_er_y_m_o_m_e_n_t _o_f_m_y_I_it_e_a_s_a_s_tu_d_e_n_t_. ----~

More ThanJust

Inle leclual Growth American education offers a range of experiences to Indian students. am studying at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana and working really hard for my bachelor's degree in computer science. I hope you will learn some great things from my experience. After you get into the university you really want to and complete all the visa procedures, what's next? Your new life, which is entirely different from what you have experienced so far. The education system is quite unlike what we have in India. The best part was that my professors took me as their friend and asked us to call them either by their first or last names. Once, one of my friends called his

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professor "Sir" and he answered, "I love never trying to mix much with the being called either by my first name or American students. In my opinion, you just call me the man with the chalk in his are there to grow as an individual and not hand." I had never expected a reply like just for your studies. So, just make the this from a professor who holds a Ph.D. most of your experience, which will realand is the best in his field. I then realized ly help you achieve your professional and that we are not following a student- personal goals. If you are going for an undergraduate course, please live on camteacher relationship here. The professors can be your best friend and will work pus in your freshman year so that you can really enjoy all the activities that take equally hard for your success. I have learned to be more responsible place. now. I think most of you reading this have Americans love to participate in sports. never paid utility bills, done laundry or a In India, when we meet our friends we little bit of cooking on your own. Even I gossip and roam around in malls. The never did things like these. But living in American way of hanging out is to play the United States is more of a struggle in some sports because they love being fit your student days as you have to do all and healthy. You will love hitting the gym these things by yourself unless you live in often and getting involved in sports, not an on-campus dormitory that takes care of just cricket. utilities and provides meals. You would I never thought I would be studying still have to know how to operate a wash- with about 400 students in a class. It was ing machine, though. a great exposure for me. I made so many There are not always good things com- friends and enjoyed my stay. I always ing your way. The worst thing which I stayed in touch with my professors. The experienced was Indian students generally best part is the technology which I used remaining confined to Indian groups and there. I had never experienced such high

Internet speed and almost all my communication was through e-mail, whether it was with my professor, fellow students or counselor. The education system in my university is more practical-based and the emphasis is on hands-on experience. I am always eager to learn and be part of every single thing which can help me grow. I was the only freshman who was selected in a team of three to visit a company and learn more about the corporate world and what we are really going to do after graduation. I never expected that I could get this opportunity in my first year. I would advise you all to keep looking for an

For more information: United States-India Educational Foundation http:f/www.usief. org. in/ Purdue University http://www.purdue.edu/ Avoiding plagiarism http://owl.english.purdueedu/owl!resource/589/01,

Above left: An aerial view of Memorial Mall at Purdue University. Above: Students relax around Founders Park fountain. Left: Fountain at the engineering school. Left below: Purdue sign on State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana. opportunity like this. I can't end the discussion without talking about plagiarism. In India, if you show your assignments or any exam answers to your friend, you would be considered a great friend. But if you do this in the United States, it's almost like robbery. It's a very serious offence which could land you in big trouble. Even if you allow someone to copy your work you can be in very serious trouble, possibly even being kicked out of the university. I hope you got some good points from this article which will help you get a feel of the U.S education system and what life in the United States is like.

-----gh A rjun Bhasin is a student at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

lu yin ey n 00 S dmissions to u.s. universities generally follow a long but systematic process that starts about a year before the first day of classes. The application process involves preparing for and taking some standardized tests like the GRE or GMAT and TOEFL, shortlisting universities, preparing applications, getting official academic transcripts and letters of recommendation, and securing funding for tuition and other expenses. A common mistake that students make during this process is focusing excessively on university rankings and ignoring the idea of a good fit between the university and one's goals and objectives. For example, Harvard University in Massachusetts is ranked in the top tier for many programs, but it may not be a good fit for all students. There are more than 4,000 universities and colleges in the United States, so it is important for Indian students to select the institution that best fits their situation. Most of my student life in the United States was at the University of Missouri (2002-06), though I have also spent some time at Penn State university as an engineering student (2001-02), at the University of Nebraska (2006-08) and at Binghamton University in New York (since 2008) as a faculty member in the business school. The University of Missouri (MU or MizZQu as it is popularly referred to) exposed me to the Midwestern United States and allowed me to study and under-

Indians form the largest group of students going to' the United States for higher education, with about 94,500 in 2007-08.

stand American culture and life from close quarters. When I started my student life there, I did not know that there was a long historical connection between the university and India. Sanskrit had been taught at MizZQu for many years. The university yearbook was named The Savitar, Sanskrit for Sun God. " ... Research shows that the aesthetic reasons for selection of the name by University students of 1894 were perhaps tempered by more prosaic ones. Among other things, the editors liked the size and sound of the word. The student editors probably got their idea for the title from Professor James Shannon Blackwell, professor of Semitic and modem languages at the University from 1886 to 1897, who was known as a student of Sanskrit," says the university's Digital Library Web site. The first edition of Savitar came out in 1894 and its final edition was printed in 2006. The University of Missouri was also a partner in starting an agriculture university in Orissa in the early years after India's independence. Perhaps the most visible difference For more information: Binghamton University-State University of New York between the U.S. and Indian education system is in the extent of decentralization http://www2 .binghamton. edu/ of academic responsibility, that is, the The University of Missouri autonomy professors in the United States have in designing and teaching their courshttp://www.missouri .edu/ es. Faculty members have a lot of freedom Mizzou's missing memories to teach as they consider fit, which results http://www.voxmagazine.com/storl es/2 0 0 in more creativity and innovation in peda/07 /15/m izzous-missing-memories/ gogical techniques and curriculum.

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Another important difference between the two systems is that students in the United States generally have some sort of work experience, mostly on a parttime basis in a fast food restaurant or department store. Indian students, on the other hand, are like those from many other countries who go through school and college without working in the real world. Consequently, U.S. students tend to be stronger at relating theoretical concepts to practical situations, whereas Indians have better quantitative and mathematical skills that take time and practice to develop. In my early days in the United States, I realized that most Americans usually associate two things with India: the Taj Mahal and Mahatma Gandhi. In more recent years, Bangalore and outsourcing have been added to this list. I have also been shocked by how little Indians who go to the United States know about India to intelligently answer questions about their country. The reason for this perhaps lies in an important difference between the U.S. and Indian education systems. In India, advanced education primarily involves in-depth study of one's chosen academic field, with students taking a list

Above: Prospective students follow their tour guide on the campus of the University of Missouri. Left: Binghamton University in New York.

of courses considered relevant to their area of interest. In the United States, on the other hand, undergraduate education involves a broad spectrum of courses on various, sometimes unrelated, topics, followed by a short sequence of courses taken in a chosen field of study. It is thus important for Indian students to read in fields outside their own area of specialization and gain the breadth of knowledge that will help them intelligently respond to questions about their country of origin. At the same time that Indian students studying abroad are expected to help local people learn about India, they should also

make a conscious effort to learn about local culture and lifestyle. In 1907, Rabindranath Tagore wrote to his son-inlaw, Nagendranath Gangulee, who had

Admissions to U.S. universities generally follow a long but systematic process that starts about a year before the first day of classes.

gone to the United States to study agriculture: "To get on familiar terms with the local people is a part of your education. To know only agriculture is not enough; you must know America too. Of course if, in the process of knowing America, one begins to lose one's identity and falls into the trap of becoming an Americanized person contemptuous of everything Indian, it is preferable to stay in a locked room." Most people who have lived in a foreign country can attest to the wisdom in Tagore's advice. Unfortunately, many Indian students in the United States tend to follow either of the extremes: Some isolate themselves and do not interact much with the locals, while some become one of the locals in every way possible and forget their own identity and origins. The best course for students, Tagore advises, is to carefully and mindfully analyze and understand the local culture in the United States, while retaining their own core identity. ~

Vishal Gupta from New Delhi is an assistant professor of strategy at the School of Management at Binghamton UniversityState University of New York.

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Excitement of the Unknown

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ix confident and poised Indian university students, aged 20 and 21, walked into a conference room at the American Center in New Delhi in July. Each took a seat behind a stack of books, including a world almanac, an outline of U.S. history, another on American geography. They had reason to be confident. Each had been nominated by their university for demonstrating leadership on campus and off. And they were on their way to becoming representatives of their country. Sixty students from across India had written essays on leadership and engaged in a panel discussion on democracy. These six were the ones chosen by the U.S. Embassy for the two-month Study of United States Institutes for Student Leaders program this fall. Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani undergraduates are placed in intensive academic programs to give them a deeper understanding of the United States and to develop their leadership skills. Despite their confidence, the students were nervous and excited, too. None had ever been to the United States. And five of them were receiving a passport for the first time. Samridhi Shukla from Delhi University, a young woman with long, dark hair and sunglasses on her head, was elated over the prospect of regular trips to KFC and meeting new American friends at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Eisha Aleem from Jamia Millia Islamia, wearing a pink sa/war kameez and head

For more information: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs http://exchanges.state. gov/ The University of Alabama in Huntsville http://www.uah.edu/ Green River Community College http://www greenriver.edu/

scarf, spoke excitedly about the experiences that her older sister, Hiba, had with the program at Washington College in Maryland in 2004. Hiba was also on hand to share tips and insights with the other students. Raghav Bhatt, a quiet but selfassured young man from Lucknow University, said he was psyched to fly half way around the world. Shubhda Chaudhary, a smiley young woman with hazel eyes, couldn't wait to meet the host family she would be staying with. All agreed that first and foremost they wanted to be good ambassadors. In Eisha Aleem's words, this means "showing a true picture of India." Bhatt said that, like many Americans, Indians view themselves as part of a large salad bowl; one country composed of very diverse cultures and peoples. So whether they are Muslim or Hindu, a Kashmiri or Delhiite, they wanted to convey to Americans the richness of India's diverse culture, traditions, values and religions. It is not an easy task, they admit, but an important one. "When groups of people are unaware of one another, when they see things in a shallow or onedimensional way, things get dirty and prejudiced assessments on both sides are likely to be made," says Eisha Aleem. Rizwan Javeed Sheikh believes he has a threefold duty: to represent his state, Jammu and Kashmir, his country, and his religion, Islam. Naveed Iqbal, like Sheikh, attends Kashmir University. "As a Kashmiri and a Muslim I am just as die-hard an Indian as anyone else. I love my country," she says. The students are equally eager to learn more about American culture and expect this to be a huge eye-opener. "It will be a whole new experience," says Iqbal, who is attending the University of Alabama in the American South with Shukla and Eisha Aleem. "We can't wait to drink it all inl" The other three are at Green River Community College in Washington, in the

Northwest. Rashee Mehra, who attended Green River College last summer, was on hand to tell them how valuable experiences both inside and outside the classroom are to getting a deeper insight into American culture and values. "It was such an opportunity to learn from the American perspective about the political, social and economic issues and changes that have shaped life in the U.S.," Mehra says. "I think ir...helped me respect and understand the culture. Staying with a host parent was also wonderful. We became so close that my host mother came to visit me here in India. You make such close bonds with people." Those studying in Washington are living with host families and those in Alabama are in dormitories with other students. Although they weren't entirely sure what to expect, the students had a few preconceived notions about Americans. Bhatt had heard that Americans are typically friendly and informal and apart from professional or academic settings, introduce themselves by their first names. The informal bit worries him a little. "Are we supposed to call our host parents by their first names? In Hindi we have special words to denote status and respect. I don't know if I could get used to calling adults by their first names. Do you think they'll mind if I stick to Mr. and Mrs.?" Shukla appreciates the value Americans place on individuality. She likes the fact that they "seem to feel free to speak their minds on most subjects. I think it will create a more interesting learning environment when students are outspoken and are frank in expressing their opinions." At the U.S. universities, the visiting students are engaging in seminar discussions and they are assigned readings, group presentations and lecture attendance. The coursework and classroom activities are aimed at helping them explore the princi-

Top: Raghav Bhatt (back row from left), Rizwan Javeed Sheikh and Shubhda Chaudhary with other program participants in front of Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park in Washington state. Above from left: Samridhi Shukla, Naveed Iqbal, Jasmeet Khurana and Eisha Aleem visiting a synagogue in Huntsville, Alabama.

pIes of democracy and fundamental American values such as individual rights, freedom of expression, pluralism, tolerance and volunteerism. Hiba Aleem, who participated in the program five years ago, is pursuing a Ph.D. in English literature and plans to go into education. She was very impressed by the informal, discussion based aspect

of the American classroom, "I liked that the teachers listened to the students. We were encouraged to express our opinions and it was okay if we disagreed with the teacher. As a result, my professors were very approachable, the discussions were deeper and more enriching and I felt I could take charge of my own education." While Mehra found the American classroom less rigorous than the Indian, she was impressed by the emphasis on volunteerism. "1 think that is a fantastic thing. I think volunteerism is so important for personal development and creates a better, cleaner, healthier society." She herself is working for an NGO called Swechha. Its mission is to draw attention to New Delhi's growing environmental problems. Mehra excited the group with stories of her own experiences: "We played Bollywood songs for our teachers on YouTube and they absolutely loved it! We also got them excited about cricket. We talked about it so much that the teachers told us they wanted to play in a cricket match with us. That was great. Since we've left, Green River Community College has set up a cricket team. We definitely left our mark." Shukla, who did another exchange program last summer, adds that as much as you leave a mark on others, a mark will be left on you, too. While living with her host family, she was forced to face ways of life and thinking that were very different from her own. She feels this was a positive thing and is excited to challenge herself again. "You know I stayed with a family that was very different from my own. At first I wondered what 1 had gotten myself into, but then, you know, I saw that they were good people. They are now close friends of mine. You can't be content with what you know. You need to challenge yourself, your ideas, make an effort, so you can grow." Caitlin Fennerty is a student at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland. She wrote this article while working as an intern for the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.

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The Basics on

The steps here are several After your acceptance to a college or things you need to do university, and before you begin applying as soon as you are for a visa, your new school needs to send you the proper documentation that enrolls accepted as a student you in the Student and Exchange Visitor at a U.S. academic Information System (SEVIS). SEVIS is a institution so that you can Web-based information system that keeps track of foreign students and other obtain your visa on time. exchange program participants. It allows Advance planning is very information sharing among the various important, so make sure you institutions and government agencies that students and exchange visitors are get started on these preparainvolved with during their journey to the tions months before you want United States and their stay in the country. You must pay a fee to be enrolled in to begin your journey.

SEVIS, and you will need to retain your proof of payment for presentation during your visa interview at the U.S. Embassy or nearest consulate. The fee varies according to the type of study or exchange program you are participating in and the type of visa you are applying for. To learn more, you can check http://newdelhi. usembass y.gov /visasevi s.html Make an appointment for a visa interview by contacting the U.S. Embassy or the nearest consulate. You'll find the information at http://newdelhi.usembassy. gov/applyingfjm.html Visa processing procedures can vary but all student visa and exchange visitor visa applicants are given priority. Information about waiting times for scheduling an interview and processing your application is available at http://www.travel.state.gov/ visa/temp/wait/tempvisitors_ wait. php

When you do get an interview, you must assemble all the required documentation. This includes: • the payment receipt of the SEVIS fee, • the visa-qualifying document supplied by your academic institution, • financial support documents, • the visa application processing fee and a properly completed visa application form. Also review the information at http:// newdelhi. usem bassy.gov /req uired_documents.html You need to be aware that the visa alone does not guarantee entry to the United States. With a visa, a foreign citizen is allowed to travel to a U.S. port of entry. Upon arrival there, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspector makes the decision about the individual's admission into the country. The process of obtaining a visa might sound complicated, but remember that 6.6 million people went through the process to receive non-immigrant visas to the United States in 2008.

If you read the information on the visa Web sites carefully, follow the instructions, and complete the tasks well ahead of the deadlines, you should enjoy a smooth process. Myth 3: A visa applicant needs to document a minimum income level. Reality: A student visa applicant should be able to provide financial evidence that shows you, your parents, or your sponsor have sufficient funds to cover your tuition and living expenses during the period of your intended study. Myth 4: Only academic superstars get visas. Reality: Visas are not reserved for the very best students, but getting a visa depends on first having gained acceptance to a college or university in the United States. When you have been academically admitted to the institution or accepted as a participant in an exchange program, the academic institution will provide you with the appropriate form required by SEVIS. You will be required to submit this form when you apply for a

are proficient in English. Reality: If you are planning to study English in the United States, you do not need to show proficiency in the language. Command of the English language is one factor that consular officers will use in evaluating the overall competence of a student applying for a visa. Sufficient English proficiency, however, is a pre-requisite for 1-1 exchange visitor visa applicants. Myth 7: You'll get a visa only if you have relatives in the United States. Reality: This is not true. The interviewing consular officer may ask about relatives in the United States during the visa interview, just as he or she may ask about your family situation in India. Myth 8: International students are not permitted to work while visiting the United States on a student visa. Reality: Some job opportunities are possible, especially in on-campus workstudy programs with limited hours. Myth 9: You must have your entire future planned out to get a visa. Reality: You need to be able to discuss a realistic study plan, but not a detailed plan for your entire career. Myth 10: You must return to your home country immediately upon completion of your degree. Reality: You may apply for Optional Practical Training to work for up to one year in your field in the United States to gain practical experience.

The realities Misconceptions abound about the difficulty of obtaining a visa. Let's take a look at some of the realities. Myth 1: The United States sets a quota on visas to limit the number of foreign students entering the country. Reality: There is no limit to the number of student visas issued by U.S. embassies and consulates around the world. If you are a qualified student visa applicant who has gained admission to a U.S. institution, the State Department wants you to pursue that opportunity. Myth 2: I can improve my chances of getting a visa if I hire an education agent. Reality: Don't believe anyone who tells you they can help you get a visa. Do not pay money or enter into an agreement with such a person. Self-proclaimed visa "fixers" have no special access to the U.S. government.

Make sure you get started months before you want to begin your journey. visa. You will need to demonstrate to the consular officer who conducts your interview that you are a serious student who is well-informed about the admitting institution. You also need to show that you have a well-developed plan of study and are knowledgeable about the subject you are studying. Myth 5: During your visa interview, the consular officer will be waiting to hear the "right" answers. Reality: The consular officer will want to hear your own answers and an honest description of your personal circumstances. Myth 6: You'll get a visa only if you

Tvpes of visas for students and exchange visitors F-l, or student visa: The visa for people who want to study at an accredited U.S. college or university, or to study English at a university or language institute. 1-I, or exchange visitor visa: The visa issued to people who will be participating in an educational or cultural exchange program. M-l, or student visa: The visa for those enrolled in nonacademic or vocational _p_ro_g_r_a_m_s_.

From the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.

When should a student start the application process? At least 18 months in advance of your intended date of enrollment at a U.S. university. For example, if you wish to enroll in August/September 2011, you should start the process around April 2010. Be sure of the deadlines of the programs. How much does it cost to apply to U.S. universities? Approximately Rs. 50,000 would have to be spent for applying to an average of seven universities. This includes standardized admission test fees, application fees, telephone, faxing and mailing expenses. What is the average cost per year for. study in America? The cost of tuition and living expenses could range from $25,000 to $50,000 a year. Is a three-year college degree from an Indian university accepted by graduate schools in the United States? The Indian three-year degree, patterned on the British model, is intensive and subject specific. Unfortunately, for those who aspire to study in the United States, this degree is not considered to be the equivalent of the U.S. bachelor's degree at most schools, although the number of U.S. schools that now accept a three-year degree from India is on the rise. The United States has no single answer on the recourse for students with a three-year degree. Schools vary widely on what they consider as suitable remedial measures for the one-year shOltfal1. Students with a three-year degree and additional credentials may want to have their credentials evaluated by professional evaluating organizations and strengthen their applications with a professional report. Why am I asked to take the TOEFL test in spite of having studied in English medium schools in India? English language ability is important for a student to succeed in U.S. classrooms. Indian students educated in English medium schools may have varying reading, writing, speaking and listening comprehension abilities. A standardized test such as TOEFL is a fair measure of these aspects of language. The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) measures the ability of non-native speakers of English to use and understand English as it is spoken, written and heard in U.S. colleges and universities. What standardized tests do I have to take to apply? The most common standardized tests to be

United States-India Educational Foundation www.usief.or .in America's Best Colleges ttp: Icolleges. usnewsJankingsandreviews. com/college taken are the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test of reasoning ability) for undergraduate studies and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT) for graduate studies. The standardized test requirement varies, based on the class level and major that you want to pursue. For example, if you wish to take up undergraduate studies in America, you will be required to write the SAT test. Similarly, for graduate studies in sciences, humanities and engineering, you may have to take the GRE test. Some schools may want a more specialized GRE test to be taken for a masters or Ph.D. program called the GRE Subject Test. For students interested in pursuing a master's degree in business, GMAT would be a more appropriate test to take. Some of the other standardized tests for professional fields of study are the Dental Admission Test (DAT), the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). For more information on testing, visit www.ets.org; www.gmac. org; www.ada.org; www.usmle.org and www.lsac.org What weight should Indian students give to rankings while making a selection of a college or university in the United States? Many organizations and magazines in America publish rankings of U.S. universities. Students should be aware that many universities do not participate in the surveys conducted for the ranking reports. Students must also read the methodology of the rankings carefully. Students need to choose the university that is the right fit. This university should meet their needs in the quality of programs, profiles of faculty, program content, class profile, admission requirements, financial aid availability, campus diversity, internship and practical training options. Students should make their own ranking list on the basis of their requirements.

Students should select the university not on the basis of it being the most well known or most famous but on the basis of it being appropliate. The university should meet all that the stud~nt needs and wants, academically, socially and financially. What are the employment opportunities for Indian students in America? Employment opportunities for international students are limited. One should not plan on earning substantial money from a part-time job to help pay for your studies. On campus: Though international students are allowed to work on campus, these jobs are often difficult to obtain and do not provide sufficient funds to sustain education costs. On-campus jobs may not necessarily be related to the field of study one is pursuing. Students can work for 20 hours per week on campus. Practical training: There may be opportunities for practical training which entail a period of authorized employment, designed to allow foreign students to have professional work experience related to their fields of study. For specific details, one should contact the foreign student adviser at the university, after you are enrolled. There are various on-campus as well as off-campus internship opportunities available at U.S. institutions that are normally listed on the Web site of the school. The student should consult an adviser at the institution's career center to ensure that the internship position meets eligibility and legal requirements. Optional practical training: Recently, the United States extended the period of Optional Practical Training by certain employers from 12 to 29 months after completion of degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. This training provides qualified students substantial hands-on experience in a professional environment.

;; Northern Region Go

~ Education in the U.S." at Hi;; Tech Institute of Engineering u & Technology, Ghaziabad, u Uttar Pradesh. u. September 22 u. Session with John F. Eriksen ~ from Bryant University, ~ Rhode Island on "Higher !A education opportunities in Ll the United States" at 2:30 'd. p.m. at USIEF, New Delhi. u. September 23 ~ Session on "Roadmap for u successful appl ication to u. US. universities" at 4 p.m. u. at American Center, New ~ Delhi. ;:: October 8 D. US. University Fair at 9 USIEF, New Delhi. Ll November 6-7 !..1 FICCI Higher Education : Summit, New Delhi. Q Students may attend the Q exhibition. a November 16-20 International Education IT Week, USIEF, New Delhi.

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: Eastern Region ~ September 15-17 '" Presentations on "Fulbright[J Nehru & other Fellowship A Programs" and "Higher IT Education in the USA" at nIT Lady Keane College and IT Shankar Dev College in n Shillong, Meghalaya ~ September 16-18 International Education ~ Week-Study America [} Festival at American Center, f1 Kolkata. IT November 17-18 & 20 D Program in commemoration ~ of International Education IT Week, at American Center, " Kolkata.

Compiled by Shevanti Narayan, country coordinator, Educational Advising Services, United States-India Educational Foundation.

September 18

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Southern Region

.." September 14-16 ; America Days road show at IT Tirunelveli and presentations D on "Fulbright-Nehru

Fellowship Opportunities." September 14-16 America days road show at Mysore and presentations on "Higher Education in the United States." September 22 Presentation on "Opportunities for Study and Fellowships at the East-West Center" by representatives from the East-West Center, Hawaii at USIEF, Chennai. September 23 Linden Us. University Fair at Hotel Taj Coromandel, Chennai. Twenty-five U.S. universities are participating. October 6 U.S. University Fair, Chennai. November 16-20 International Education Week, Chennai.

Western Region September 15 Linden Us. University Fair, Mumbai. September 16 Linden Us. University Fair, Pune. September 22 Video screening of "Inside Graduate Admissions" at USIEF, Mumbai, 11 a.m. September 26 The MBA Tour, Mumbai. September 29 Presentation on "Advising University of California International Applicants" at USIEF, Mumbai, 11 a.m. October 7 Session on "Admission process in US colleges and how best to create a successful application" by Amin Abdul-Malik from Yale University at 2:30 pm at USIEF, Mumbai. November 16-20 International Education Week, Mumbai.

Financing

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tudying in the United States is a great intellectual and cultural experience for students from India. What may be difficult is financing that experience. It is vital to plan your entire US. education, including how to pay for it, before you leave India. To begin with, students must make it clear on the university application form that they are applying for financial aid. Remember, there is tough competition. Applying before the deadline is a must and applying early is highly recommended. "What students must do is to apply with a strong application, which means complete in all respects and in the way the university desires it, with no misrepresentation whatsoever," says Luna Das Bangia, an educational adviser at the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF). "Starting the process late is also one of the biggest mistakes that students make." Fee structures differ from school to school, but public colleges and universities usually cost less than private ones. Apart from fees, tuition, books and transport to and from the United States, you need to consider the cost of housing, food, any special medicines, clothes and social activities. The costs of these can vary, depending on whether the school is in a big city, small town, on an island or near tourist attractions. Some American universities are in

FINANCIAL AID OFFICE

locations where it snows in the winter, so you'll need heavy boots and coats that you may not use in India. Many American universities offer partial to full funding to outstanding undergraduate students. According to the EducationUSA network of the U.S. State Department about 1,000 scholarships are available each year to international students at 100 American colleges and universities. To get a full scholarship, you must be one of the top students in India, with excellent marks in almost every subject, high SAT and TOEFL scores, and distinguished performance in areas such as leadership and community service. "More funding is usually available in the sciences-physics, chemistry, biomedical sciences-and for Ph.D. students," says Bangia. When planning your education budget, consider these ways to save money: -/ Best buys: Look for colleges that offer the highest quality education at the lowest tuition cost. -/ Accelerated programs: Completing a fouryear bachelor's degree in three years by attending classes during the summer and taking one additional course each semester can save you thousands of dollars. -/ Tuition waivers: A superior academic record could also save you money. Based on your first-year grades, some colleges award partial tuition waivers. Jason Lewis picks up student loan information at the financial aid office of Middle Tennessee State University.

As a Princeton University student, Kushanava Choudhury received about 10 percent of his financial aid package from the school in the form of a loan. -/ Living expenses: Becoming a resident assistant in a dormitory saves money, too. Working in the dining hall offers a modest salary plus "all you can eat" meals. living off campus with a relative or friend saves money if suitable accommodation is available and public transport is efficient. -/ Two-year and community colleges: Many students save thousands of dollars in tuition by attending community colleges for their first two years and then transferring to fouryear institutions to complete their degree. Immigration rules permit international students to work only part-time, up to 20 hours a week and only on campus, during their first year of study. By working 10 to 15 hours a week, you could earn enough to pay for books, clothing and personal expenses. Job possibilities on U.S. campuses include: tutoring; assisting a professor or researcher; staffing the night or weekend desk in the dormitory to handle phone calls and visitors; delivering audiovisual equipment to classrooms; working in the cafeteria, bookstore, library, health club or administrative offices; selling a handicraft or food item that you make; being the on-campus representative for a company that provides services such as bicycle rentals, launy _dr__P_iC_ku_p_s,_la_p_to_p_re_p_ai_rs_, _et_c.

Based on material from EducationUSA USIEF

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Simple tasks such as observing clouds and measuring rainfall by Indian school kids is helping NASA scientists learn about climate change:

ishant Dania and his schoolmates at MGN Public School in Jalandhar, Punjab, had dreamed of someday working with NASA scientists. The achievements of astronauts Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams inspired them. The students got their chance a lot sooner than they expected when their school became a partner in NASA's GLOBE-CloudS at project in 2006. As part of the environmental science and education program, the students are performing simple tasks such as observing clouds, measuring rainfall and recording air temperatures. The data they have collected are being used by NASA researchers as a reference in analyzing satellite images to develop a better under-

standing of changing climate patterns. At the same time, Dania and his ftiends have learned a lot about clouds and how pollution affects them. "Now I can immediately recognize the nature of any cloud without looking at a cloud chart. My friends call me a cloud expert," says Dania. His teacher and program coordinator, Rajnish Kaur, is very happy. "It makes me feel great that I am working on a project which provides us an opportunity to connect our students to renowned U.S. scientists." The CloudSat project at MG Public School is pan of a worldwide program called Global Leaming and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE). It is funded by NASA, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of

State and is implemented through a cooperative agreement between NASA and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. The 14year-old program connects students, teachers and scientists in 110 countries through projects that require gatheting information on local weather and environment. Teachers receive training and materials to help them guide their students in learning the skills of scientific investigation, such as careful observation, accurate recording of data and the necessity of faithful repetition to observe patterns. The main objectives of the program are to promote the teaching and learning of science and to enhance environmental literacy and stewardship.

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'There are more than 50,000 GLOBE trained teachers representing over 22,000 schools around the world. GLOBE students have contributed more than 20 million scientific measurements to the GLOBE database for use in inquiry-based science projects," says Teresa Kennedy, GLOBE's international division director. When an agreement was signed between the U.S. Embassy and the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests in August 2000, a group of 50 Indian schools were the first partners. "The program picked up momentum after an international 'train the trainers' workshop was organized in January 2002 to train teachers about the procedures that need to be adopted while collecting scientific data," says Rajinder Mehta. He is the GLOBE India coordinator, chairman of its international advisory committee and an adviser to India's Ministry of Environment and Forests. Since 2002, the program has been administered by the Indian Environmental Society. "We have now partnered with about 2,000 schools all over India and more than 1,800 teachers have been trained in

For more information: GLOBE India http://www.g lobei ndia.org/ CloudSat project http://cloudsat.atmos. colostate .edu/ University Corporation for Atmospheric Research http://www.ucar.edu/ National Science Foundation http://www.nsf.gov/

Above: Soil expert R. K. Garg explains GLOBE soil protocols to GLOBE teachers in Udaipur. Above right: Comparison of soil colors using soil color charts. Right: A soil chart is used to study properties like textu re, particle size, density, etc. Far right: Jaishree Deshpande (center), GLOBE trainer, with the students of Central Academy School in Udaipur, Rajasthan discussing hydrological investigations.

GLOBE procedures," says Desh Bandhu, the society's president and director of the GLOBE Asia-Pacific regional office. The training covers four investigation areas: • Atmosphere, which involves observing clouds, monitoring the amount and acidity levels of rainfall, and recording air temperature; • Hydrology, which involves observing bodies of water and measuring their transparency, amount of dissolved oxygen, temperature, electrical conductivity, salinity, alkalinity and nitrate levels; • Soil, which involves recording color and texture, density, particle size, pH value, moisture content, infiltration, temperature and fertility; • Biology, which involves mapping of vegetation, species identification, measuring tree circumference, tree height, canopy cover, ground cover and grass biomass. Kits distributed to the schools include the instruments the students need to col-

lect data for each type of study they select based on their research interests. They send reports of their observations to GLOBE's Web site. "Teachers usually form a group of eight to 10 students for a particular study," says Bandhu. The GLOBE-CloudS at program is active in eight schools in Punjab, four in Jalandhar and four in Mohali. Both private and government schools are included. A group of students from classes 8 to 12 "took cloud observations from the school ground on the days when the CloudSat satellite would pass over their location, which they knew about in advance," says Anuja Tighare, principal of Paragaon Senior Secondary School in Mohali. Sharing her experiences of this program, Indian American Nandini McClurg, who is GLOBE's international help desk coordinator, says, "When the teachers started to take an interest in GLOBECloudSat activities, the students really

started to excel. The more we supported the teachers, the more confidence was noticed in students of different age groups as well as different skill sets." She has visited Punjab schools each year since the project began. "Children really enjoy the CloudSat program .... Visits by U.S. scientists Matt Rogers and Nandini McClurg motivated them to do more as they know they are a part of a real research project," says Neelima Jerath, executive director of the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology. And here is what happened to the data collected by the Punjab students. "I used two years of data from approximately 32 schools in the CloudS at Education etwork ... all over the world, including the eight schools located in Punjab, and compared the cloud type observations taken by those schools against what the satellite saw during school overpasses. I found a 65 percent agreement between the school data and the satellite data, which is an astonishing result, as a similar study using trained World Meteorological Organization meteorologists achieved only a 64 percent agreement," says Rogers, a research scientist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. "We are in the process of going through the satellite algorithm, and may make some changes

to the research product, based on the observations from the students." He says the data received from the schools in Punjab are "directly improving the global understanding of clouds and the role they play in climate change." He is writing a paper for submission to a scientific journal and promises that the students and teachers who helped him will be gi ven co-author credit for the research described. The CloudSat project is an example of the impact the GLOBE Program can have throughout India. "The most important thing is that schools, teachers and students now know the importance of scientific inquiry-based projects," says Bandhu. "This awareness is leading them to do many activities that benefit the environment." He cites two cases in which GLOBE studies were directly linked to local environmental issues. "In Delhi, a hydrological study of the Yamuna River was done about two years back. Students of 40 Delhi schools regularly took measurements of various river parameters at 10 liver sites. This made them aware about the Yamuna pollution and the need to conserve our water resources," says Bandhu. "Similarly, students from eight Agra schools studied the impact of the changing environment on two heritage sites, the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort." The GLOBE

program, UNESCO, the U.S. National Science Foundation, and India's Ministry of En vironment and Forests supported this initiative. U.S. diplomats are distributing more GLOBE kits to SO schools all over India, including Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Raipur, Nanded, Mysore, Cuttack and Visakhapatnam, "reaching out to larger cities outside the five metros," says Diane Brandt, a public diplomacy officer at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. "The idea is to make kids more active, linking the classroom to everyday life and cUlTent global issues," she says. Kennedy, at GLOBE, echoes similar views, "The primary objective of the GLOBE program is to facilitate students to form research questions based on their personal observations of the world around them, and use the tools of GLOBE, over SO scientifically tested protocols, to gather data that could answer their research questions." Kennedy says that GLOBE India is also providing leadership to the Asia-Pacific region by providing funding to the Indian Environmental Society "to lead the regional office through December 2010, to work with all countlies in the region to raise awareness of the program and to seek sponsors and funders in the region to ensure the continuity of the program .... " ~

Behind the Taj As part of their undergraduate education, two Americans spent the summer talking to Indian villagers and working for an Indian NGO. ike many Americans, John Lines and Taylor Triplett visited the Taj Mahal this summer. But unlike the others, they didn't fly 12,000 kilometers to have their picture taken on the same bench as Princess Diana. They headed to the back of the Taj, across the Yamuna River to the community of Kachpura, to talk to residents and understand their lives. "It's one thing to sit in a classroom and leam about economics and disparities where all you can do is to reiterate what's been said," says Triplett. And yet it's another to spend your summer with the families represented by statistics in textbooks. Triplett, 21, and Lines, 22, are from Sewanee: The University of the South, in Tennessee, one of many U.S. universities that encourage or even require students to spend time overseas as part of their undergraduate education. The two worked with the Cross Cutting Agra Program, which is supported by the United States Agency for International Development in partnership with the Agra Municipal Corporation, the Archaeological Survey of India and the Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence. The program's

goal is to work with low income communities to generate livelihood options linked with Agra's tourism economy and to improve living conditions. For example, unemployed youths have been trained to guide tourists through the monuments behind the Taj. These monuments form the Agra Heritage Trail, home to Humayun's mosque, a Mughal garden and several lowincome communities. The project also staI1ed vocation centers where women and girls sew shoe-cleaning mitts, dish covers and other items that are sold to hotels. Nearl y 250,000 Americans studied overseas in 2007, up ISO percent from the previous decade. And while Europe continues Top left: Rajesh Kumar (center, left), Taylor Triplett (center), John Lines (right) and Kachpura residents at the first group meeting of their project. Above: A street in Kachpura, Agra. Left: Lines, Meera Devi, who benefitted from the program, and Triplett.

India-Born Teacher nspire American Students

For more informadon: Sewanee: The University of the South http://www.sewanee .edu/ Cross Cutting Agra Program http://www.usaid.gov/in/our_work/activities/Eco_growth/cc_agra.htm Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE) http://www.cureindia.org/aboutus.htm

An interview with Yasmeen Mohiuddin, Ralph Owen distinguished professor of economics at Sewanee: The University of the South, in Tennessee.

to be the most popular destination, that trend is slowing. India hosted 24 percent more Americans in 2007 than the year before. Students who experience a foreign country come back with better skills and a better vision. Triplett and Lines were able to practice their interviewing skills, apply statistical analysis and learn the importance of questioning their assumptions. For example, Triplett says that many people who have not had an overseas experience have the impression that poor families are in their situation because of their own doing. Yet, his experience taught him otherwise. ''I've never seen a greater sense of hope and perseverance," he says, after spending four weeks in Kachpura. Triplett and Lines also represent a trend in shorter stays overseas. More than 55 percent of Americans who study abroad do so for eight weeks or less. Only 4.5 percent spend a full academic year overseas. Lines, who studied the history of U.S. development aid, says that he learned in the classroom that the top-down approach to development is no longer considered useful. And he saw for himself in Kachpura how a more community-centered approach really works. "Development is becoming more democratic," he says. "The people are the ones who know their problems the most." When Triplett and Lines showed up for work, they thought they would focus on finding jobs for local residents, but they were in for a shock. The director of the Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence gave them their assignment: Analyze the effects of toilets and septic tanks installed with the help of the Cross Cutting Agra Program. For four weeks, the two went door to door with Rajesh Kumar, a team member who helped them interview dozens offarnilies. The results were surprising. Earlier, women had to practice open defecation, which subjected them to harassment by men and even rape. Now, finances have also improved. Women reported that earlier, they spent about 700 rupees on health care expenses during the monsoon season to cure their children's diarrhea, vomiting and typhoid. Also, the women lost money because they had to care for the children when they would normally be working. "They've gone from women having to scurry through the shadows to do something completely natural to being completely empowered," says Triplett. Triplett says that while in India, he reflected on his college back home. "The biggest thing I've learned from interning abroad is we're lucky to have wonderful professors from all over the world," he says. He has two professors with roots in India. "Dr. Yasmeen Mohiuddin and Dr. Krishna Ayyangar tried to

asmeen Mohiuddin designed and directs the Social Entrepreneurship Education Program that sends university students like Taylor Triplett and John Lines to work as interns with NGOs, financial institutions or development programs in India, Bangladesh and other countries as part of their economics and finance curriculum.

What is the history of overseas internships at your university? The major overseas internship has been the Biehl Program in International Studies, a self-directed social science research internship conducted outside of the United States. Few of these

have focused on international development though. The more recent internship program, launched in 2007, is SEED, the Social Entrepreneurship Education Program Taylor and John did their internships in Bangladesh in 2008 and at CURE in Agra in 2009 under this program The program is an intensive, eightweek social entrepreneurship immersion program that has three components: the summer study-abroad program in India and Bangladesh for two course credits, one on microfinance institutions in South Asia; a four-week internship at a finance/microfinance institution in the US., Latin America, Asia or Europe; and a week of intensive pre-business training at Sewanee in finance, accounting and entrepreneurship. Sixteen students participated in the SEED program in summer 2009 at six organizations in India, Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic and the United States.

of the work of their organizations, which not videos of unique development programs like only increased their own sensitivity ...but also the Grameen Bank. I have known both generated a genuine enthusiasm for making a [Muhammad] Yunus of Grameen Bank and difference. [Fazle Hasan] Abed of BRAC for about two decades and have sent several of my students ~ for internships at these organizations I have ~" also taken field trips at times to the "third world lli within the first world" type of places like shelE ters [for the homeless]. Finally, I engage them ~ in a lot of discussion on development issues, ~ with real examples from developing countries. And .. many of our students have traveled a lot to different parts of the world.

How did you end up in the United States? I was born in India in 1947 and my family migrated to Pakistan soon afterward. I came to the US in 1974 to Vanderbilt University on a Ford Foundation scholarship for one year for an MA in economic development. But my story, like that of so many others, shows that the U.S. is a land of opportunity like no other if you work Why are these internships important? What is it like for you, as a teacher with an hard. I did very well at Vanderbilt, and Ford Each one of my students who did these international background, to teach students in a Foundation extended my fellowship for a Ph.D. internships has shared with me that the intern- community like Sewanee, Tennessee? for four years in what was labeled "The Year of ships were one of their greatest learning experiIt is both a challenge and a pleasure for me the Woman," saying that I would be the first ences-not just about microfinance ...or a for- to bring the world to them. I have done it Pakistani woman with a Ph.D. in economics eign culture, but about the world, their place in through sharing with students my research, from the US Sewanee hired me in 1981. I it, and life itself. All the interns learned or conference, World Bank and United Nations went back to Pakistan twice to settle there, but improved their skills related to financial analysis, experience in more than 30 countries. I have finally decided to migrate in 1985. Sewanee report writing, research, making presentations also done it through taking groups on study- had kept the position open for me from 1983 to and using technology. They received excellent abroad programs to India, China, Thailand and 1985 while I was in Pakistan even though I was on-the-job training and gained valuable experi- Bangladesh. I have also invited guest speakers temporary then. So I stayed in Sewanee. My ence that would serve them well in their careers. from diverse international backgrounds to fields of interest are gender studies and microEach of them developed a deep understanding come and talk to students and shown them credit. And yes, I am a US citizen.

Renu Khosla (front row, left), president and founder of the Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence, team members Anindita Mukherjee, Nandi/a Gupta, Triplett (back row, left), Sukant Shukla, Rajesh KlimaI' and Lines. shape my way of thinking so that it wasn't so Eurocentric, to look at things through the eyes of the people." So what will these two young Americans do with their education? Lines is from Florida and is finishing up his degree in political science. His next step is either law school or working for a think tank. Triplett is from Mississippi and just graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in international development. He is looking for a job with the U.S. Senate. Will he remember the people of Kachpura when preparing briefings for a U.S. Senator? 'This is one of the best life experiences I'll ever have," says Triplett. "These are people I may not ever see again, but people I will always remember and care about." ~

Becoming

a Cultural A discussion with Gayatri Murthy, an Indian graduate of American University in Washington, D.C. n estimated 600,000 international students have taken their places on campuses in the United States for the new university term. Another 200,000 or so Americans headed in the opposite direction, leaving the familiarity of their own countries for an education in a different culture. In those hundreds of thousands of lives, no two experiences will be exactly alike. But when international students begin to share their stories, common themes emerge about what it is like to find a place in a new country on a strange campus. Gayatri Murthy, who recently graduated with a Master of Arts degree in international communications, shares her experiences with SPAN readers. What was most exciting about your experience? When I came here in August 2007, it was the first time I had ever been here. My idea of America was from popular culture and literature and what my dad would tell me. For me, my picture of America was Simon and Garfunkel and people marching on the Mall [a site of many demonstrations in Washington, D.C.]. That was what my dad would tell me about, but my first semester didn't match up to that idealistic picture of America. Then I remember the spring semester of 2008, [then- "Senator Barack] Obama came toI A.D. and spoke, and that was the~ >-------------'!J.

President Barack Obama, as a ~ Democratic party presidential hopeful, ~ x attends a rally at the American 1l! I University campus in January 2008. (f)

speech where he was endorsed by [Senator] Ted Kennedy, and it all happened here. My friends were saying, "We have to go!" I remember waking up at five in the morning and standing in line for that. From that moment on, the rest of 2008, I could see that idealism. Whatever side of the spectrum you were on, people were talking and had things to care about. For me, I could see the America that people imagined, especially my parents' generation. When they imagine America, they imagine Vietnam War protests, Beat Generation poetry, and I could see that. It was just a little more alive. Tell us about that day of the speech at five in the morning. Were your friends dragging you out of bed? No, I was, like, "This I want to see." Because I am studying international communications, I am impressed by someone who can speak well and communicate with a range of people. So I was interested, but it wasn't like I had to go. November 4th [U.S. Election Day in 2008], I was excited. January 20th [Inauguration Day], I was excited. By that time, I thought, "I have to go. It would be stupid to miss tills moment." What are the differences in how classes are conducted in the United States and in India? It depends on what you study, but to a

Gayatri Murthy (left) with her American University friends, Shanti Shoji and Maria Fiorio (right). large extent, classes are very top-down in India. The professor comes with a very fixed idea of what he or she has to cover in class. I went to a very big Jesuit college, each class had about 300 people in it. It was difficult to have a class discussion, and that leads to a level of indifference. And our system was all about exams in the end, like the British system. You sit in class all year, and one day at the end of the year you regurgitate everything you learned, and that's the end of it. No term papers, no presentations. The one exception, my literature class, was more discussion oriented and smaller. When I came here, the difference was that you are encouraged to give your opinion, to raise your hand in class and disagree, to say, "My world view is different." We all learn then, and so that's the beauty of the American classroom. Understanding language in the classroom is one thing, but understanding American students and how they talk and interact, that might have required even further adjustment for you. Did you find informal communication difficult among your peer group? I grew up with English as my first language, so that was an immediate advantage. That culture shock didn't exist. I come from a big city, Bombay, so coming from a city of 20 million people, my idea of space is very different. We're just not used to it. Private space is nonexistent.

•••

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Space is a big thing, and it even infiltrates the definition of friendship and your boundaries, what you can expect or not expect from a friend. Initially my gut reaction was, "I miss home. I can't call my friend at two in the morning and ask them for something." I was sad, and I would compare and contrast the two different places. Eventually, you reach a point where you see both cultures for what they are. You begin to see the societies as both an outsider and an insider. Here, I've become the Indian spokesperson. I go home and I'm the kid who came back from America who can tell us how they really are. Does that mean you get past the compare-and-contrast stage and take circumstances and cultural ways for what they are? Yes. They are different systems of existence. Just as traffic rules are different in America and different in India. That's the system, that's how it evolved, and you see it for what it is. But it has a disadvantage

because you become an outsider everywhere, like you're falling between two worlds. I learned this term in a cross-cultural class once: a cultural broker. Hopefully you become a broker between cultures. How do you see yourself in the role of cultural broker? It's schizophrenic. At times you don't know who you are any more. For me, when I am here, people obviously think my accent is Indian. And it is. But I'll go back to Bombay, and my friends say my accent is Americanized. It's the weirdest feeling. You don't know who you are any more. Here, you are very obviously an international student. When you go back, how could you not change? It's a role I'm not comfortable with, but I'm going to have to get comfortable with it. I want to say another thing. I don't think this is always a depressing experience. You mean schizophrenic in a good way? Yes, in a good way! In Bombay, I was just one of the girls, nothing special, but

sometimes now I enjoy being that outside voice, I sometime relish it. Sometimes I hate it. At times, it's exciting. What advice would you give to a younger person who is planning on becoming an international student? I think what has helped me is that I have remained foolishly naNe. I was naive getting on the plane thinking it would be a quick adjustment, and it wasn't. Then I was naive to think I knew everything, and I didn't. But I think it's helped me to have this foolish dreamer curiosity .... It's going to be a huge roller coaster, and you are going to keep learning and unlearning, keep getting confused. The moment you think everything is fine and you've adjusted, some silly thing will happen to throw you off. The moment you resign yourself to the idea that you'll remain a complete outsider, a friend will offer a hand, and everything will be fine. ~ Charlene Porter is the managing e]oumal USA at Al11ericn.gov

editor of

MV Daughter Has Gayatri Murthy's father tells another side of the story. y wife and I both welcomed the idea when Gayatri told us she was determined to pursue a postgraduate education in the United States. We did not put up any resistance, but what did bother us were two things: How would we raise sufficient funds to finance her education in the United States, and how would Gayatri be able to live independently in a strange environment? We were very fortunate in meeting and engaging a consultant in Mumbai who counseled us through some of those problems and set many of our apprehensions to rest. After meeting him, Gayatri, my wife, and I were able to go through the whole process with a relative degree of comfort and confidence. Later Gayatri won a prestigious scholarship to study at American University, so that eased our financial concerns and, of course, made us very proud. When it came time to face the actual separation, my wife and I were certainly more nervous. Gayatri had never lived away from home for the 22 years that she had spent with us in Mumbai. We were most apprehensive about the first few weeks she would spend in Washington as we had no close acquaintances there to greet her or guide her or advise her. Gayatri was determined to travel alone, without either of us. In the end, she did locate a lady in Washington who was the sister of a close friend from India. This acquaintance received Gayatri and offered her a place to stay for a few weeks before she found her own residence. In fairness I would say both we, the parents, and Gayatri suffered from the separation. We missed the presence of our only child each day in the evenings when we returned from work, and she missed the warmth and comfort of home, as well as the familiarity and confidence

of living in Mumbai. Though we have missed her, my wife and I have seen a welcome change in Gayatri in the two years she has lived in the United States. She is so much more confident and articulate. She is able to take decisions in her personal and professional life with ease and without the need to consult us. She has become a center of conversation amongst most audiences and does it with great ease and flair-quite in contrast to her reticence and quiet nature as a child. A change in her personality began at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, but she has blossomed in the US. environment. Other parents might ask me if they should send their child to another country as we did. I don't have a straightforward answer. I believe that the adaptability of the child to an alien environment will depend a lot on his or her upbringing. A child from a semi-urban or rural background is going to find it harder than one brought up in cities where life is challenging and children learn to adapt more easily. The parents and their socioeconomic backgrounds will have a lot of influence on the child's adaptability to change also. The child's familiarity with the English language is another factor. This is natural to many Indian students who go to the United States, but not at all to others. Notwithstanding alii have said, my advice to any parent from India is that an education abroad is an experience that will transform their child into a confident person who can live independently and take both _pe_rs_o_n_al_a_nd_p_r_of_es_s_io_na_l_d_ec_is_io_n_s _to_h_is_o_r_h_er_b_e_ne_fi_t. __

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HC olca The values that drive Microsoft Research India's education initiatives are universal: inspired thinking, generous funding and mentoring based on local needs. n a visit to New Delhi in July, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates spoke about India's need to focus on high-end research and boost the number of home-grown Ph.D. students. Microsoft Research India, a Bangalore-based wing of the American computer technology corporation, has been doing just that for the past five years. Microsoft Research India's key goals since its inception have been to work toward advancing state-of-the-art research in computer science, contributing to Microsoft's businesses and services, and enabling more computer science students to acquire Ph.D.s in India, thus creating a new generation of researchers. The facility in Bangalore is one of only six Microsoft research labs around the world, a testimony to the talent, scientific focus and skills available in India. The other labs are in the U.S. states of California, Massachusetts and Washington, Beijing in China and Cambridge in the United Kingdom. The researchers in India work in seven areas, including algorithms,

KAPIL L

Indian Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal with Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates at a July 2009 event in Ne-w Delhi celebrating five years of Microsoft Research India.

"It's about finding the right problem to pursue, rather than finding a great answer to an easy problem." -SRIDHAR

VEDANTHAM

cryptography, multilingual systems and software engineering. "As an added benefit for the international student, an internship at Microsoft Research India offers the chance to collaborate with some of India's most talented and driven undergraduate and graduate students," says Aaron David Schulman, a computer science Ph.D. student from the University of Maryland, College Park, who recently completed his internship at the Bangalore facility. "Living in India, you have the opportunity to learn how to approach the world from a different set of experiences." Some of the products developed in India have been used by Microsoft. One

The two Bangalore institutions support an annual summer school, an intensive three-week program for 80 to 100 undergraduates, Ph.D. fellows, young university faculty and peers from the computing industry. Microsoft Research India takes care of travel and accommo-VIDYA ATAMPALLY dation for outstation students. "The summer school provides students with exposure to international standards of research, helps them discover topics outside their textbooks, and motivates them to look at research seliously in the long run," says Natampally. "The school completely revived been done. (See article on page 28.) He my flagging interest in a couple of areas also suggested a virtual science museum and re-energized my drive for networkaccessible to Web users and a sensor net- ing .... " says Azeem Javed Khan, research work to monitor water usage. "Research scholar at lIT Bombay. "The highlight of by itself is not a solution," Sibal said. the school was the open question-answer "You need to move beyond research. sessions twice a day, which helped us Behind research is the face of an ordinary explore our horizons of understanding and man living an ordinary life dealing with interest." ordinary problems." Microsoft Research India's internship The External Research group is also program benefits 120 students every year, looking for ways to give Indian research 70 per cent of whom are from India. and students more international exposure. Interns have also come from the United Foreign researchers are brought to India, States, Europe, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. and scientists are being approached to "Two researchers at Microsoft Research work on problems related to research. The India, now my mentors, contacted me," group has a travel grant program, mainly says Schulman. "Our conversations led me for Indian students to travel abroad or to develop an interest in spending a summer in India." around the country to attend conferences. "Research as a career may not be well There is also a concerted thrust toward using computer sciences to speed up appreciated but, yes, there are many research in basic sciences. One example opportunities," says Natampally. "Right of this is Microsoft's collaboration in cell now, if you look at the number of labs and and protein research with the Indian R&D centers being set up in India, the Institute of Science, a pure science expansion of universities, the number of research facility in Bangalore. international universities that are likely to

"This is the right time for India to focus on computer science and nurture more Ph.D.s in the' subject."

of the successes is a tool for Microsoft's search engine, Bing, which enables users to find locations with even incomplete or incorrect addresses. Researchers also worked on the WikiBabel project that provides translation for Web pages in about 30 languages. This technology has also been used by the Microsoft Developer etwork user community to make corrections on user guides and product manuals after translation from English into their local language. "We must look at different kinds of research, and not only fundamental research," says Vidya Natampally, director of strategy for the Bangalore lab's External Research group. "There is developmentoriented research, applied research and directed research. This is the right time for India to focus on computer science and nurture more Ph.D.s in the subject." The External Research group works with Indian academia and the government to foster an environment for computer science research. India's minister for human resource development, Kapil Sibal, has spoken of the contributions this speciality could bring to areas such as agriculture, health care, energy and the environment. "It's mind-boggling, what computer science can do," he has stated. Less interested in research for its own sake, however, Sibal had challenged Microsoft Research India during a 2007 forum to work on projects such as making 3-D computer representations of monuments and -AARON cultural sites available to students across the nation, which has now

"Living in India, you have the opportunity to learn how to approach the world from a different set of experiences." DAVID SCHULMAN

GREEN EVOLUTION:

The Digita,l

Green Project

"The school completely revived my flagging interest in a couple of areas and re-energized my drive for networking." -AZEEM

JAVED KHA

come up in the future-there is a lot of work to be done." Microsoft Research India is interested in increasing the number of Indian Ph.D. holders in computer sciences. India produces "between 250,000 to 300,000 engineering graduates every year in the area of computer science, as well as in related areas-information technology, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and so on. But out of these undergrads, we produce only about 100 Ph.D.s in computer sciences annually," says Natampally. To develop the Ph.D. pipeline, the Microsoft facility awards five fellowships every year. The process is competitive and requires nomination. Those selected for the four-year fellowship are awarded $20,000 plus a travel grant of $5,000 and a laptop. To collaborate in research and identify fellows, Microsoft Research India works with 16 universities-all nine Indian Institutes of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science, the Chennai Mathematical Institute and Chennai's

here is more to Microsoft Research India than software and algorithms, Digital Green, created by its Technology for Emerging Markets group, spreads information about better agricultural techniques and practices through short videos made for farmers by farmers, "Earlier, a farmer would learn by experience and say, 'This is good, why don't you '" do it, too?' " says Vidya Natampally, director of strategy at Microsoft Research India, ~ "So, the Digital Green project identified a &' way of communicating this by video, recording the best practices of one set of ~ farmers and taking them to another set of farmers, where the intermediary is a person known to that particular community," The intermediary interacts with the farmers and explains how to use the video, "all of which is not very expensive since only a DVD player and TV is required," says Natampally Launched in 2006, Digital Green is deployed in 12 villages, primarily in Karnataka, "The idea was to see if we could devise a system where the consumer of information could connect with the person creating that information," explains Sridhar Vedantham, head of communications at Microsoft Research India, "It's a Web-like approach, in that much of the content is user generated, -V.I. except there is no Web involved," http://www ,d igital green, org/

Top right: Rikin Gandhi (rear) of the Digital Green project shoots a video of a farmer learning to make a natural fertilizer called Jeevamrutha from an extension officer (left) in Bhanavasi, Karnataka, Right: A farmer records a vermicompost demonstration in Bhanavasi as part of the Digital Green initiative,

Institute of Maths and Science, the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata, the Birla Institute of Technology in Pilani, and its branches, and the Intel1lational Institutes of Information Technology in Hyderabad and Bangalore. "I came to know about the Microsoft Ph.D. fellowship program from past Microsoft fellows at nsc," says Raghavendra Kagalavadi Ramesh, a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Science and Automation at the Indian Institute of Science. "The fellowship is ideal for a research student.... The travel grant as part of the fellowship gives ample scope for attending conferences and workshops, and

Past Continuous: The India

Digital Heritage

Project

"The interoship enriched the breadth and depth of my research in the areas of formal methods, cryptography and provable security." -RAGHAVENDRA KAGALAVADI RAMESH

t is now possible to tour the Sri Andal Temple in Srivilliputhur, Tamil Nadu, without actually making the journey. One can instead go on a virtual trip of the temple through the India Digital Heritage project. "We actually put together a pilot demo on Srivilliputhur, using some technologies like Photosynth and HDView on the Windows platform," says Vidya Natampally, director of strategy at Microsoft Research India. "It's an interactive experience. Five or six of us went from the MSR India lab and took 5,000-6,000 2D digital images at the temple. We came back and looked at how to utilize it and put it together into a realistic experience for a user." They worked on presenting the overall structure and spaces of the temple such as the inner and outer courtyards, the marketplace and the tower. "We created a drop down menu so that you can choose and click and it takes you through, say, the whole inner courtyard and

getting exposed to state-of-the-art research ideas and concepts. The internship emiched the breadth and depth of my research in the areas of forn1al methods, cryptography and provable security." Another group at Microsoft Research India focuses on rigorous software engineering. It's "a complex task, and the complexities of building reliable software only grow as the software becomes larger and larger," says Sridhar Vedantham, a spokesman. He said the group is exploring ways to make software engineering "dramatically more productive through innovative tools, languages and methodologies." One example, he says, is using

analysis and testing to find bugs in large scale software. Researchers Microsoft Research India have the freedom to identify and http://researcli .microsoft. coml en-us/laos/inai37 work on a project or problem and to WikiBabel find a collaborator at their universittp:/Iresearcli.microsoft.com!en-us!groupS/mIsl defauIt.aspx ty. The priority, says Vedantham, is to publish papers. its inception. It is also long-term research "A very large percentage of whatever that is not tied to any product cycles or research is done is published in open jour- launches. It is research done in a lab, and nals and conferences, which are peer it is of a very exploratory nature. It's reviewed .... In MSR, the actual validation about finding the right problem to pursue, of good work or research being done is by rather than finding a great answer to an the peer community outside the compa_ea_s_y_p_r_ob_l_e_m_.'_' --------~ ny," he says. "It is a very open, academic-style Vaidehi Iyer is a journalist and editor based research. This has been MSR's goal since in Chennai.

gives you an idea of how a circumambulation is done or how we can create a walkthrough," says Natampally. Visitors can go on a guided tour with a narrator explaining the historical and cultural importance of what they see. One can pause anywhere during the presentation. "We can literally stop, zoom in and look at what is written on the wall," says Natampally. The project was unveiled during Microsoft Research India's TechVista symposium in Chennai in 2008. "We thought it made sense to show what is relevant rather than doing something totally unfamiliar," says Natampally, explaining the choice of the Srivilliputhur temple for the demo version. A revered shrine with soaring towers and life-like sculptures, the tower at the temple is the official emblem of the Tamil Nadu government. Natampally says that they showed the India Digital Heritage project to the Indian Department of Science and Technology, which "brought the

Visitors can go on a virtual tour of the Sri Andal temple in Tamil Nadu to see the gateway (from left), Tulsi garden, inner and middle courhJard.

computer vision and graphics community together with art historians, historians, architects, archaeologists and various other specialists who have deep knowledge of the cultural and academic part of heritage." In fact, then-Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal had suggested such a project when he gave a keynote speech at a Microsoft forum in 2007. "We come up with projects and proposals like the India Digital Heritage project, bring the community together to set up the program, and then continue to participate in the program from a research perspective," says Natampally. -V.I. http://virtualindia.msresearch.in/DH/i ndex.htm

ne afternoon in 1876, Samuel Clemens crossed his yard to visit his neighbor Harriet Beecher Stowe. When he returned, rus wife cruded him for having gone out without a cravat. Clemens, known to the world by his pen name, Mark Twain, promptly placed a tie on a tray and had his butler deliver it to Stowe with a note apologizing for his faux pas. Stowe replied immediately, quipping that Clemens had discovered a new principle-right up there with Sir Isaac Newton's law of gravitation-"that a man can call by instalments." The anecdote, drawn from documents in the Stowe and Twain libraries, gives a glimpse into the relationship between these two famous authors, who shared so many interests and whose houses are but a few yards apart in a section of Hartford, Connecticut, known as Nook Farm.

The houses, however, could not be more different. The Stowe house, where路 she spent the last 20 years of her life, is a mbdest Victorian cottage. It seems the home of a proper Victorian housewife, not the author of one of the most important literary works of the time, Uncle Tom's Cabin, or "the little woman who wrote the book that started this Great War," as President Abraham Lincoln described Stowe when they met. Twain's house is an ode to ostentation. The man who thumbed his nose at social customs in his later years-he called the wrute suit he insisted on wearing year round his "don't-care-a-damn" suit-was almost obsessive about showcasing his matelial success in the 19-room mansion he had built by architect Edward tuckerman Potter, best known for his churches, and decorated by Louis Comfort Tiffany and his partners in Associated Artists. For more information: Touring both houses makes for a The Mark Twain House full and fascinating day. Begin with the Harriet Beecher http://www .marktwai nhouse. org/thehouse/i ndex. shtm I Stowe Center, or the house will seem Harriet Beecher Stowe's Life and Time dull after the eye candy of Twain's.

http://www .harrietbeecherstowecenter. org/I ife/ #mark

The billiard room on the third floor of Mark Twain's house was his retreat. He wrote at a desk in the corner and often spread his manuscripts on the pool table. The tour starts in the kitchen, a room Stowe designed for efficiency, adding such features as a center island and undercounter flour bins. Before she wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, Stowe (1811-96) published articles and books about domestic issues; our tour guide called her the Martha Stewart of her time. After the kitchen, Stowe's bedroom seems to best capture her persona, especially her love of nature and gardening. She enjoyed painting, and the walls are hung with her oils of flowers and fruit. One of the original snowbirds, she had a home near Jacksonville, Florida, and several paintings depict that house with its orange trees and jasmine. Her magazine articles about Florida and a novel, PaLmetto Leaves, helped popularize the state as a vacation destination. The bedroom also houses a large ten'arium she designed and a leather medicine chest inscribed with her

Above: Mark Twain. Left top: The library at the Mark Twain House. Left: The guest bedroom adjacen t to the library Left bottom: The dining room and the conservatory at the Mark Twain House.

Above: Harriet Beecher Stowe. Left: The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford, Connecticut where the author spent the last 20 years of her life Below left and center: The front and back parlors at Stowe's house. Below right: A deck at the Twain House looks out on the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center.

name and filled with remedies she concocted from homegrown herbs. The visitors center offers a short film that puts the author and her work into historical perspective. Published in book form in 1852 (it first ran as a serial in an abolitionist newspaper), Uncle Tom ~~Cabin sold more than a million copies in the first year and was translated into more than 60 languages. Its success allowed Stowe to travel to Europe, and several of the items she collected there are on display in the dining room and parlor. There is also a collection of Uncle Tom memorabilia, from wallpaper to figurines to dishes to programs from local theater companies' dramatizations of the story. Walk across the lawn to the sleek sandstone visitors' center of the Mark Twain House and Museum, a visual foil to the ornate 1874 Picturesque Gothic Revival residence. Twain's aphorisms, embodying his wry humor, are carved into the walls: "When in doubt, tell the truth." And "Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." There is a short film by Ken Burns and a gallery where visitors can sit in comfortable chairs and listen through headphones to excerpts from Twain's books. Upstairs is a museum featuring art and decorative objects from artists of the time, including Tiffany and his design firm.

The tour begins in an incredibly ornate foyer. Every inch of wall and ceiling is decorated with silver and gilt stenciling meant to emulate inlaid mother-of-pearl. Rich wood molding across the ceiling creates large star shapes. From the center of the foyer, a stairway rises a dizzying three floors of rich, polished wood, drawing the eye to a star-shaped molding on the top ceiling and more silver inlay. In the dining room, the wallpaper IS embossed and painted to look like tooled leather, a trompe l'oeil [trick of the eye]. "The Clemenses didn't have quite enough money to use leather," our guide said. There is also evidence of a man devoted to his family and friends. Carved into a fireplace in the library is the phrase "The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it," a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Dominating the master bedroom on the second floor is a massive antique bed the Clemenses bought in Venice for $200 (at a time when their butler earned $350 a year). Clemens (18351910) and his wife, Olivia, so loved the ornate headboard, they put their pillows at the foot of the bed so they could admire the dancing cherubs. The room also features a stenciled ceiling and a beautiful blue-green marble fireplace, one of Ii in the house. The third-floor billiard room was

Clemens' escape. He wrote at a desk in the corner and often spread his manuscripts on the pool table. Our guide said, "This room is a demonstration of his tme loves: smoking, drinking and billiards." An optional kitchen tour is cleverly designed to present life from a servant's point of view. Visitors gather at the bottom of the hill, where the river once ran and where the coachman would have been tending the horses and other animals. They then trudge up the hill and enter the house by the attached servants' quarters. This COmpa.I1mentconsists of a kitchen, social room and butler's pantry. With its elegant curved glass-front cabinets and deep mahogany sink, the butler's pantry is a literal and figurative bridge between two social worlds. Despite the difference in their ages, the two authors were of one mind when it came to the horror of slavery. In an article in Harper's New Monthly Magazine from October 1885, author George Parsons Lathrop recalls having dinner at the Clemens home, where Stowe was also a guest. "Among other things," he wl1tes, "there was after-dinner talk of the days preceding the war, and of the 'underground railroad' for escaping slaves, and the strange adventures therewith connected." ~

Students are promoting the een-design t~end,say educators. ith many residential and corporate clients now requesting an environmentally friendly approach to their design needs, "green" architecture has become an increasingly hot commodity. A number of U.S. universities have responded by developing sustainable-design courses for their architecture programs. Most often, students themselves are driving that trend, say two prominent educators. Architecture professors Linda Keane of the Art Institute of Chicago and Walter Grondzik of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana explain how architecture is evolving to meet new energy requirements-and how young architects-intraining are learning new skills to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Although public awareness of "green" architecture is a relatively recent phenomenon, Keane says that its foundations can be traced to the 1970s, when a small vanguard of progressive architects began creating "passive solar" buildings that drew upon renewable energy sources. "There were fIrms practicing this way, but they were on the fringe," Keane recalls, "and it wasn't called 'green architecture' then." She cites the "age-old principles of natural ventilation and use of sunlight," which were already being incorporated into certain designs-and which have been rediscovered and embraced by today's environmentally conscious practitioners. A few schools "were teaching sustainable principles 30-40 years ago, ahead of the curve," Grondzik says. These days, more schools are offering courses on energy-effi-

cient design and the use of sustainable matelials, but Keane and Grondzik both caution that the "greening" of U.S. architecture programs is in its infancy. Grondzik estimates that "maybe 10 percent of U.S. architecture schools do a fairly good job" of grounding students in the precepts of sustainability. "It's a slow process," he says. "And it's definitely not mandatory" for students to address environmental concerns in most architecture programs. But in the years to come, he predicts, the sustainable-design movement "will be gaining momentum" . as a new, "greener" crop of archItects enters the work force. "It's all about generational change," he says. "I think the stronger architecture programs have been student-initiated. Schools have responded to student demand" for more instruction on sustainability. Keane agrees. "It takes time to change behavior; people are often resistant to change," she says. "But a lot of younger people are attuned to the concept of sustainable design, and this will probably turn the tide in the years ahead." Even at architecture schools that excel in teaching sustainability, requirements for graduation may vary-but most programs expect students to undertake internships so that they acquire some hands-on design experience, whether ecorelated or not. "A broad internship is a linchpin of our program" at Ball State University, Grondzik says. At the Art Institute of Chicago, "we have a series of courses known collectively as The Green Zone," Keane says. "These are a cluster of courses that focus

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Above left: An architectural rendering of Chicago's Sears Tower, recently renamed Willis Tower (above), with proposed solar panels and wind turbines. The 110~ story skyscraper will undergo a $350 million green remodelling effort. Far left: A skylight is surrounded by sedum plants which help hold rainwater on the roof of Brown & Jones Architects, Inc. in Raleigh, North Carolina. Left: Layers of water~ conserving padding on the roof of Brown & Jones Architects, Inc.

Above: Twin waterfalls at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The center's sloping roof is designed to pull cool air from the Allegheny River into the building. Right: Solar panels and a cooling pond at NRG Systems' energy-efficient building in Hinesburg, Vermont. Below: New York's Empire State Building has recently undergone a multi-step conversion process to become more energy-efficien t. on energy-efficient design, and students who are interested can take them all." Moreover, "some schools offer LEED courses," she says, referring to a rating system that recognizes outstanding sustainable design. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. "Many of our students are LEED-celtified as they graduate. We also have a historic preservation program" that emphasizes the retrofitting of existing structures to reduce their carbon footprint.

Retrofitting is an impOItant aspect of sustainable architecture; no less a landmark than New York's Empire State Building has recently undergone a multi-step conversion process to become more energyefficient. While academic programs tend to focus on designing new buildings that are sustainable from the start, "a lot of practitioners are aware of retrofitting as a potential growth industry," Grondzik says. According to Keane, bringing sustain~ able design to urban areas can restore a ~ sense of connection to the natural world. ~ "The most visual change has been the ~ green roofs" that often feature grass, trees ~ and plants, she says. "It's an amazing thing ;2 to be on a green roof in the middle of surrounding skyscrapers. Everything else in the city is paved in hard surfaces. It's a return to trying to live more gracefully." Grondzik observed that there is much confusion about temlS such as "green" and "sustainable," which are closely related but

not synonymous. "Sustainability is really our ability to live within our environmental means," he says. "A sustainable project cannot pollute, and cannot rely on nonrenewable resources. Green is a step towards sustainable, but it's not completely carbon-neutral." Whether merely "green" or fully sustainable, architecture is adapting to meet the needs of the modem world. "I read an article that says more than 50 percent of clients initiate the demand for sustainable design," Grondzik says. "In many cases, they're actually pulling the architects along." Adds Keane: "It's an exciting time. When I came to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1985, no one was interested in sustainable design. Now, artists, architects, designers and scientists--everyone's interested. It feels like we're on the cusp of c_h_a_n_g_e_._"

Lauren Monsen is a staff writer with America. gov

lndian and Pakistani participants in the Seeds of Peace program in New Delhi. Front row from left: Huzefa Furniturewala, Aneeq Cheema, Shyam Kapadia, Syed Abdullah and Parinaz Vakil. Back row from left: Sana Zulfiqar, Mahak Mansoor, Friyana Pardiwalla, Qasim Asiam and Saranya Ghosh.

eeds of Peace A New York-based nonprofit works to help youth from conflict zones promote coexistence and reconciliation.

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ensions and conflicts generated by wrong historiography have burnt us. Our mission is to find the truth in multiple truths." This statement by Mahak Mansoor, a third-year student at King Edward Medical University in Lahore, Pakistan, might sound quite grand. But this is what Seeds of Peace, a New York-based nonprofit, has been doing since it was formed in 1993-helping young people from regions of

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conflict broaden their perspectives and encouraging results." learn how to coexist. Krishna Kumar, director of the Mansoor, 21, was one of the five partic- . National Council of Education Research ipants from Pakistan who came to ew and Training; Anil S~thi, who writes Delhi in July to interact with six Indian books on education; and Urvashi Butalia, "Seeds" in workshops on how history is who teaches at Delhi University and is the taught in India and Pakistan, the history of author of The Other Side of Silence: South Asia and the feminist version of Voices from the Partition of India, dishistory. cussed history books taught in India and Seeds of Peace is an autonomous, apo- Pakistan with the Seeds. They also talked litical organization started by American about the possibility of finding similarity journalist John Wallach to help young between multiple truths with a view to people from conflict zones learn the skills presenting a history free from biases and distortions. of making peace. From 46 Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian teenagers in Besides trying to understand the history 1993, the network now encompasses of India and Pakistan objectively, the nearly 4,000 young people from the Seeds visited New Delhi's famous historiMiddle East, South Asia, Cyprus and the cal places. "It was not strange for me to Balkans. The organization now focuses on visit the tomb of Hazrat Nizamuddin the Middle East and South Asia. Aulia; the strange thing was that Friyana The South Asia program with Indian and Pardi walla was with us and a sense Pakistani youth was launched in 2001 with of. .. respect for the place was radiant on support from the U.S. State Department. her face," says Sana Zulfiqar, a student at Participants from diverse economic and reli- the National College of Arts in Lahore. gious backgrounds meet at the annual Seeds Seeds of Peace works with the U.S. of Peace International Camp in the n0l1h- Consulates in India, representatives of city eastern U.S. state of Maine. Interactions councils, community leaders, teachers and continue over the Internet, through speaker school admjnistrators to choose particiseries in both countries, cross-border visits, pants. They are selected on the basis of an conferences and workshops that teach the essay competition and interview. In some Seeds how to engage their communities and countries the participants are chosen by spread the message of reconciliation. the ministries of education. "India and Pakistan have fought several Each year, the three-week international wars and generally the people of the two camp on the shores of Pleasant Lake in countries are hostile towards each other, Otisfield, Maine welcomes nearly 350 and one of the major reasons for this is the Indian, Pakistani, Palestinian, Jordanian, history taught on either side of the border, American, Egyptian, Afghani and Israeli which creates division and mutual hatred. participants. The youngsters live and play Therefore, it is essential to COlTectwhere sports together and share meals. The daily they are wrong and where we are wrong," coexistence sessions led by professional says Huzefa Furniturewala, a student at facilitators form the core of the summer Mumbai's D.Y. Patil College of Engineering. program where the Seeds discuss conHe felt that the New Delhi camp "bore tentious issues, share painful memories and confront their differences. The goal is For more information: to help the Seeds communjcate effectively and understand perspectives that, for Seeds of Peace many, were once beyond comprehension. http://wWW .seedsofpeace. org/ "We exist in order to roll up our sleeves John Wallach and get our hands dil1y and make real http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero .asp? peace in the real world. That is not an easy thing. We do not plant a tree and call it hero = seeds _ otpeace

'peace.' We do not sing a song and join hands and call it 'peace' ... ," Wallach said while accepting the International Advocate for Peace Award on behalf of Seeds of Peace in New York in 2002. "No, we believe that making peace is very hard and that making peace requires coexistence. ot necessarily liking one another, but agreeing to coexist." The Seeds later visit each other's countries for a week under a home-stay program. This gives them a chance to interact with the families and friends of their hosts. "When I first went to Pakistan in

The goal is to help the Seeds communicate effectively and understand perspective'

Far left: Aneeq Cheema and Sana Zulfiqar from Lahore. Left: Parinaz Vakil from Mumbai shares her views.

2005 to participate in a week-long camp, I had an utterly misinformed opinion about girls in Pakistan," says Teju Jhaveri, a student at the department of fine arts, University of Mumbai. She expected Pakistani girls to be very conservative, clad in hijabs, with no voice of their own. But "they were very much like me, I shared both their pain and ecstasy," she says. "Seeds of Peace really showed us the power of friendship to change the conflict of thinking." The idea for Seeds of Peace came to Wallach after the 1993 terrorist bombing

of the World Trade Center in New York City. "I was still a journalist and it was February 1993, and I asked myself a very simple question: What are the terrorists trying to do? The answer was very simple. They were trying to instill fear," Wallach said in his peace award speech. "Was there something that could be done to counter this? It seemed to me that what we had to do was to come up with something that would inspire hope. If terrorists are trying to instill fear, if we inspire hope by mobilizing the majority, we could make a dent in achieving greater justice in the world."

that, for many, were once beyond comprehension.

At a dinner palty in Washington, D.C., attended by Israeli, Egyptian and Palestinian leaders, Wallach stood up and asked whether they were willing to send 15 youngsters each to a summer camp in Maine. The aim was to dispel feal', mistrust and prejudice through dialogue. The next day, Wallach almounced at a news conference that all tlu'ee countries had agreed. The first Seeds were guests of President Bill Clinton at the signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Arafat on the White House lawn. Initially launched with financial assistance from Wallach's friends, Seeds of Peace attracted support from various quarters as it expanded its reach. The U.S. State Depaltment supports the South Asia program while US AID funds a portion of Middle East programming. Seeds of Peace is also funded by foundations, corporations and individuals including Amelican philanthropist Kathryn W. Davis, The Edmond J. Safra Foundation, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Exxon Mobil Corporation and Toll Brothers company. Wallach died in 2002 and the organization is cUlTently headed by Executive Director Leslie Lewin. It has regional offices in Mumbai, Amman, Cairo, Gaza, Jerusalem, Kabul, Lahore, Ramallah, Tel Aviv and Washington, Besides its international programs, Seeds of Peace runs a domestic program called Maine Seeds to address ethnic and racial tensions between communities settled in Maine and a cultural exchange program between American and Arab youths. But the focus remains on bridging differences in traditional regions of conflict. When Sana Zulfiqal' was passing by the well at the tomb of Hazrat Nizanmddin Aulia with Friyana Pardiwalla in New Delhi, she remembered what all Israeli Seed had said at the international Call1p: "Teachers at my school asked us to say the first word that crosses our mind when we hear the word 'Palestinian.' Some said terrorists. Some said neighbors. I said 'friends.' " ~

Fusing Engineerin with Liberal Arts

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The Smith College engineering program was designed specifically for women. n 2006 and 2007, Ida Ngambeki of Uganda, Leonora Baddoo of Ghana, June Yeung, originally from Hong Kong, and Meghan Irving of ew Hampshire volunteered 1,658 hours to design a culvert for the restoration of the Weir Creek Salt Marsh in Dennis, Massachusetts. The project fulfilled a requirement for their education as engineers at Smith College, which 10 years ago created the first engineering program at an all-women liberal arts college and the first specifically designed for women. The project involved much more than simply creating a design. They researched salt marshes, modeled tidal flow into the marsh, planned and developed alternatives for the site, and finally prepared a design, construction specifications and a cost estimate. Their project was not unique at Smith, where students take a hands-on approach to engineering science within the context of broader social and environmental issues. Some of the design projects other teams worked on included: • A desktop computer that can withstand tropical conditions. • A power-source system for Ford vehicles. • A fuel cell and manure digester to create electricity at a dairy farm. • An online book exchange site for Smith College. • A new, residential, solid waste transfer

station for Northampton, the town in which Smith is located. • A software tool that can help consumers decide how to respond if power companies price electricity based on the time of day power is used. While seniors were collaborating in teams on these projects, first-year students were building a miniature town of energyefficient solar buildings, drawing their inspiration from cultures around the world. "From the very beginning, Smith engineers learn how engineering science principles are applied to design and practice through hands-on, project-based learning," says Kristen Cole, Smith's director of media relations.

Changing how engineers are educated Smith's focus on project-based learning-which begins with the first introductory design course and continues through the senior-year Design Clinic-is unusual. The overwhelming majority (83 percent) of teachers in engineering programs nationally use lectures and discussion as the "primary instructional method" for undergraduate classes, according to a report by the National Science Board. Also unique is Smith's attempt to fuse engineering and liberal arts with the aim of producing technically competent professionals who engineer in a socially

responsible fashion with an eye toward sustainability. Smith's bachelor's degree in engineering science "means you learn the fundamentals of several engineering disciplines so you can make an informed choice about the field," Cole says. "The engineering program is integrated with Smith's extensive liberal arts cUITiculum and all the resources of a top-tier institution. Because Smith has an open curriculum, other than the requirements for the engineering degree, a student does not have any other course requirements-she can take a variety of courses that reflect the range of her interests." Glenn Ellis joined the Smith faculty in 200 I as the new engineering program was getting started and went on to win a 2007 Professor of the Year Award from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Counci I for Advancement and Support of Educationan American award for excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring. In his remarks when accepting the award, Ellis described the community of faculty and students working in the program at Smith as "attempting to change the way engineers are educated-and, beyond that, the nature of the profession

For more information: Smith College http://www.smith .edu/ Indian Women Scientists' Association http://www.iwsa.neV

itself, its relationship to the liberal arts, and the role of women in it." "For us, this means changing what we teach, by emphasizing the interaction of engineering with society and its role in

serving humanity and sustaining our planet," he continued. "It also means changing how we teach-by empowering the learner and by making the climate welcoming and supportive for all students."

Professors are accessible

Smith College ore than 130 years after it was founded, Smith College in Massachusetts remains a training ground for careers that might still be considered non-traditional for women, A radical idea at the time of its founding, Smith is one of America's largest liberal arts colleges for women, It opened with only 14 students in 1875 and today hosts about 2,600 undergraduates from America and 72 other countries, Though the college remains strongly committed to the education of women at the undergraduate level, it admits both men and women as graduate students in 1,000 courses in more than 50 areas of study, On its Web site, Smith assures new students about several dozen eateries within walking distance of the campus, Besides traditional and regional American fare, the college also notes that cuisine from India is available nearby

While the participation of women in some areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, known as the "STEM" fields, has risen dramatically since the 1960s, in others, notably engineering, it has remained conspicuously low. Women receive only 20 percent of bachelor's degrees in engineering, according to a National Science Board report. Smith is unusual in offering not only a bachelor of science degree in engineering, but also a bachelor of arts degree in the field, enabling Smith engineers to take an education degree and teach if they choose. Today, more than 100 women are enrolled in the program, making engineering one of Smith's most popular majors. Smith's engineering program has achieved retention rates far exceeding the national average-more than 90 percent. "Our engineers say that extensive access to faculty is one of the most valuable aspects of the program," Cole says. "At Smith, courses are not taught by graduate student instructors, and students do not focus on theories for months before applying them. Professors are accessible to share ideas and

Above left: Research assistant Indira Deonandan (from right), assistant professor of engineering Paul Voss, Jennifer Kirk, Pamela DeAmicis and Tom Hartley work on satellitecontrolled balloons to track air pollution in a Smith College lab. Above: Two students explore Smith's Botanical Gardens. suggest new approaches," she says. As the engineering program celebrates its 10th anniversary, Smith is opening a new state-of-the-art facility for engineering and the sciences. Those in the class of 2009 who majored in engineering went on to emoll in some of the world's top graduate schools or to accept positions with such organizations as NASA's Kennedy Space Center, General Electric, Sikorsky Aircraft and Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Cole says. "Smith graduates are informed global citizens, responsive to challenges of the communities in which they live," Cole says. "Smith expects all graduates to acquire the ability to think critically and analytically; speak and write clearly and persuasively; know and use quantitative skills; know how to lead and follow; apply moral reasoning to ethical problems; and understand issues in historical and comparative perspectives." ~ Jeffrey Thomas is a staff writer with America.gov

ne lesson from Dinesh C. Sharma's well-written and meticulously researched history of India's IT industry is the caution against presuming one can find a moment when this phenomenon is static long enough to examine, categorize, guide or predict it. This leads to the question: Was the book not obsolete by the time it rolled off the printing press? The answer in this case is no. And not only because of Sharma's skill as a story-teller who, even with a subject some might consider dry, writes with humor, a sense of adventure, painting portraits of flawed heroes, the best intentions gone awry through human hubris and just plain fallibility. For Sharma's story, just as a classic Greek drama, has a moral, more than one. His tale reminds us of the adage that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. With the natural fit between Indians and information technology that is so clear today, it's clearly tragic that the development of the industry here had to be, as Sharma calls it, a "long revolution." Indeed, in his journalistically well-reasoned work, Sharma uses, as I recall, only one exclamation point, and it's reserved for the activities of the "license raj" that delayed development of an industry that the government itself was trying to build in the national interest. He makes the interesting observation that those who gained power over imports, licenses, etc. did not view computers as office equipment, but as tools of power, and power had to be controlled. As we know, there are governments today that know the Internet means power, for the individual, and are desperately trying to control it. Sharma's book is of interest not only to historians and IT professionals, but psychologists, statisticians, and students of social and political science. His writing is also forward-looking, with a careful examination of India's higher education system and how it can be developed to produce the graduates the country needs, not only for institutional research and national development, but to lead the businesses and private industries that will create jobs for the growing population. Sharma thoughtfully analyzes how the noblest purposes behind the development of India's IITs-to build them on a par with the world's best, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology--doomed them, in one way, to creating MIT-type graduates. Sounds great, but he explains that these bright, accomplished, successful young men and women had few choices for careers in a system which cut off avenues for them to contribute to their nation. So they went where most MIT graduates went, to the United States. The brain drain. It's a depressing chapter until Sharma develops it, showing that, without any five-year or other master plan, circumstances beyond anyone entity's control formed a new phenomenon. It's true that loosening controls on

technology imports and investment regulations played a part. But other factors-not the least the longing of India's IIT elites to come home, with their successful business plans and entrepreneurial spirit nurtured in America's more open economybrought about what Sharma describes as "brain circulation." It sounds much healthier. Ironically-and oh how many instances of irony does Sharma relate-this brain circulation, characterized by cross-disciplinary and cross-border networks, informal and fOlmal, is not only what impels the growth oflndia's IT industry now. It is the key to how it all began. "A constant exchange of information, knowledge and experience took place between Indian scientists and leading Western groups t1'.fough education, training, lectures and employment," Sharma says. The giants of India's early computer usage and IT development, Homi Jehangir Bhabha and Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis-engaged in an epic struggle over which institute would become the "National Computer Centre"-were both educated in the West. They had contact in 1947 and 1955, respectively, with the father of modem computing, John von Neumann at Princeton University in New Jersey. They "maintained their links with top scientists and scholars," Sharma says, "created and nurtured networks with their Western counterparts while building teams of scientists at home. This networking helped a great deal in their endeavors in the emerging field of computer technology as well." One example of this is Samarendra Kumar Mitra, who was "not an engineer, but a graduate in chemistry" when he was chosen by Mahalanobis to head an electronic computer lab in 1950. Kumar had spent the previous year in the United States, visiting laboratories that were using computers. American scientists and engineers involved in the new field of computing were also visiting India as early as 1950, some through an agreement signed that year between U.S. Ambassador Chester Bowles and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. American academics, such as those at the University of Illinois, simply mailed control logic schemes and programming manuals when their Indian colleagues asked. The University of Illinois' Digital Computer Laboratory also played a role in the selection and acquisition of India's frrst large-scale digital computing system. Bhabha appointed a committee of four of his staff, who were working at the Illinois lab and other U.S. institutes, to make a recommendation. They visited manufacturing and research facilities across America and settled on the CDC 3600, made by Control Data Corporation of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"The large computer anived in Bombay on the morning of 11 May 1964, on a chartered Boeing PanAm," Sharma says. Control Data had given a $1 million discount and the U.S. Agency for International Development granted another $1.5 million to defray the cost. Serendipity is also part of India's IT history. Although there are unconfirmed reports of Nehru's visit to an IBM plant in 1956, Sharma reveals that the first apparent high-level contact between IBM and a key Indian policy maker occurred in June 1959, when Bhabha chatted with IBM's research director, E.R. Piore, on a flight from Paris to Zurich. Sharma has been granted amazing access to historical documents from institutions, the government and individuals and has done a lot of digging for gems. The reader is the beneficiary. Sharma gives a complete, balanced and educational review of IBM's history in India, elucidating the clash between the American company's desire to maximize profits and the Indian government's desire to build up its own computer industry and preserve foreign currency reserves. He explodes many myths regarding these interactions and shows that there was a chance for compromise, which would have allowed the industry giant to remain in India while giving the government some of what it felt was needed in the nation's best interest. Not for nothing is Sharma an award-winning journalist. In 2007, he was given the National Award for Science Writing in print by the National Council for Science and Technology Communication. He depicts fascinatingly how different world views, personalities and expectations seemed to compel each party to take actions that can only be fully understood in hindsight. He gives a balanced analysis of the benefits that IBM's first 25 years in India brought to the nation and the boons incurred by its departure. Interestingly, Sharma tells us, within two years of that exit, IBM was sending feelers to do business in India again and the company is now fully back, working with Indians on every level of the IT industry. The Long Revolution The Birth and Growth of India's IT Industry By Dinesh C. Sharma HarperCollins Publishers India 2009

Nehru is rightly given much credit for nurturing the development of computers, and Shanna tells how the prime minister charmingly handed out certificates to graduates of the first IBM training class and continued doing this until just a few months before his death. But the germ of the idea for Indian institutes of technology began before India's independence, Sharma relates. During World War II, Sir Ardeshir Dalal, an Indian Civil Service officer, tried to get capital goods and experts to build up India's scientific research and development sector. Realizing that Britain could not spare the manpower or equipment, Dalal turned to America. He led an industrial delegation looking for machinery and skilled personnel and studied "the working of government projects such as the Tennessee Valley Authority and setting up institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology." This germ came to fruition under Nehru's prime ministership. Different nations were asked to sponsor individual lIT campuses in India. With funding from the Ford Foundation, MIT led a consortium of nine American engineering and technology institutes in 1961 who sent "highly experienced and specialized faculty to Kanpur." Also sent was a $7.5 million IBM computer that was used to train thousands of people, not only lIT students. By the way, Sharma refutes the folklore that this computer anived at the campus on a bullock cart. When the American consortium project ended in 1972, Sharma says, 122 U.S. faculty members had served 200 man-years at Kanpur while 50 Indian faculty had been trained in the United States. The institute had an enrollment of 2,000 and a faculty of 260, more than half recruited from abroad. "The IITs have played a pioneering role in the development of computer science education. The trigger for this" was at Kanpur with the installation of the IBM 1620 computer in 1963 and an IBM 7044 in 1966, Sharma says. These "formed the core of the Computer Centre at the institute, which became the training ground for the first generation of Indian computer programmers and computer science graduates. The center benefitted not just undergraduates, graduates and the faculty of the institute, but scores of people from research, academia and industry all 'A pioneering work with no pamlleI ... • h" Ak_" From the Foreword by Sam PilrOd8 over t e country. .~

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uestions play a large role in Githa Hariharan's world. As a teacher and author of seven novels, Hariharan feels impelled to continually ask: "Shall we look at ourselves like this? How does it look? What is the view like?" Hariharan, who has taught in the United States and India, sees the fact that students are more willing to ask questions as a sign of their need for change. As she told SPAN in Chennai just before the recent launch of her new novel, Fugitive Histories, "Very often, it's the whole point of a novel or a story of mine-to simply know what question to ask, how to ask it, and in what context. In universities around the world, that's possible because students are curious and demanding. They are not taking anything for granted." Born in Coimbatore, in Tamil Nadu, Hariharan grew up in Bombay and Manila, Philippines. After earning an M.A. in communication at Fairfield University, Connecticut, in 1977, she worked as a staff writer at a TV station, WNET-Channel 13, in New York City. She returned to Bombay in 1978. "From the B.A. I did in Bombay, I received a sort of 'book learning,' and some of my teachers there had quite an impact on my work. One of them was, in fact, what I call the midwife of my first novel," Hariharan laughs. That teacher served as a sounding board through the gestation of the novel, The Thousand Faces of Night, and helped her edit the draft. In that book, Hariharan drew from the freedoms and struggles of her life as a student in the United States, and how it leaves a person with a new perspective of life. Devi, one of the protagonists, returns to India and tries to reconcile to tradition after experiencing more independence in the United States. "When I think of my student life in America, I not only think about my university ... but also about my practical

experience of being there," Hariharan says. "I lived and worked in Manhattan and I learnt. .. to live alone as a woman, which was very important to me and has served me well. I learnt the great pleasures of solitude. I learnt to enjoy museums, bookshops, art, and the amazing creativity you see on the streets of America." After holding the World Literature Residency at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 2004, Hariharan served in 2006 as a distinguished Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. There she taught a course she had designed, called The Edges of Nation Making: Perspectives on Modem Indian Literature. "At Dartmouth, I could set two very difficult exams and tell the students, look, you could perhaps learn something from the exam itself," she says. "I see the exam as one more chance. If you missed something in class, if there was something you didn't understand, we could discuss it again. A real open book test was pretty difficult for me to set, leave alone for them to answer. It wasn't like writing a term paper. They had to choose the questions they wished to answer, and that was not an easy task. I thought they were extraordinarily lucky, that such an experi-

Githa Hilriharan (center) with students lit Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. ment was possible and that they could be a part of it. The kinds of connections they could come up with were amazing." Hariharan, who has lived in New Delhi for more than 20 years, spent the past year, ending in February 2009, as writer in residence at Jamia Millia Islamia university. She feels that writing itself is an educative process and tells her students that it would be difficult to write if they were only Xeroxing from situations and characters. "I think, in my first novel, I was trying to find out how to enlarge what seemed like very small, uneventful lives. Quite accidentally I stumbled upon myth, fable and the tale as a literary strategy, and I went on to add nuances and dimensions to these characters, plus populate the world of my novel with a lot of voices," she says. "And from that, I learnt that my interests, abilities and agendas as a writer include looking at the dangers, possibilities and mysteries of multiplicities." Though she enjoys teaching tremendously, Hariharan says her experience is very intense as she does it only occasionally. "Teaching for me is a time to examine all the ideas that I usually examine in

Whether writing a novel or teaching literature at a university, Githa Hariharan finds that asking questions leads to insight.

indirect and sneaky, artistic ways but, in teaching, I am actually looking at them with all the lights on ... ," she says. Hariharan notes, however, that there is a kind of careerist thrust in the current generation of students. "They might be asking you about writing but what they really want to know is how you found your agent

or how you got yourself published," she says. "There is a kind of impatience that distracts from the purpose of leatlling the craft of writing. This is not so much a critique as it is something I say with a certain sense of sadness." Wishing that Indian writers could teach more, Hariharan explains that people like

her, who are not teachers in a conventional way, face limitations "because we don't have Ph.D.s and did not set out to work as teachers for a number of years." She notes that this is a problem in India, but not in certain countries like the United States, where writers can teach not just creative writing but even be attached to an English department and teach a course in literature. "I think it's a great pity that we don't have more openness for that kind of thing here. I think it's a great shame for students. It's a loss for them and fellow faculty," she says. "And, of course, it's a huge loss for writers because I think it's wonderful to be occasionally attached to an institution and it's absolutely wonderful to be among students. They always give you much more _th_a_n_t_h_ey_re_c_e_iv_e_.'_' -------~

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hree years ago, Ramprakash Tyagi got very upset when workers from a telecommunications company dug up the road in front of his house in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, to lay a broadband Internet cable. The 55-year-old teacher did not want any cable laid near his house as he thought he would never need this "hi-fi" technology. This was useful only for the English speaking elite, he felt. Kusum Gupta of Faridabad, Haryana, had similar thoughts when her U.S.-based son bought a computer and Internet cOlmection for her during his visit to India. But things have completely changed now. Tyagi and Gupta have become regular Internet users and now get upset with Internet service providers whenever they fail to COlmectto the World Wide Web. Thanks to the rise of Hindi, Urdu and other Indian languages on the Web, millions of non-English speaking Indians are discovering uses of the Internet in their daily lives. They are sending and receiving e-mails, searching for infOlmation, reading e-papers, blogging and launching Web sites in their own languages. Two American IT companies, Microsoft and Google, have played a big role in making this possible. A decade ago, there were many problems involved in using Indian languages on the Internet. "There was mismatch of fonts and keyboard layouts, which made it impossible to read any Hindi document if the user did not have the same fonts," says Balendu Sharma, editor of a Hindi portal (prabhasakshi.com). "There was chaos, more than 50 fonts and 20 keyboards were being used and if two users were following different styles, there was no way to read the other person's documents," says Shalma, one of the Indian recipients of Microsoft's Most Valuable Professional award in 2007. But the advent of Unicode support for Hindi and Urdu changed all that. The concept of new character encoding from Unicode Consortium-a nonprofit in California whose members include Google, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, Yahoo and the Government of India-proved to be a boon for Indian languages. Microsoft incorporated the Hindi Unicode font, Mangal, in its operating system in 200 I. "Since then, the Hindi Unicode SUpp0l1 has been a part of all subsequent upgradations of Microsoft's operating systems. We are also providing Input Method Editor facilities which give users the option to use different types of keyboards," says Meghashyam Karanam, product manager, vision and localization, at Microsoft India.

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interface packs," says Jaideep Kamik, general manager for conHindi journalists consider it a "big gift" from Microsoft. "Unicode font was a pathbreaking initiative which gave a big tent and local ization at webdunia.com. The Indore, Madhya push to Hindi. It provided much-needed freedom of accessibility Pradesh-based company has an office in the United States and to Hindi documents," says Nirendra Nagar, senior editor with helps major software developers localize their products. If Microsoft built the base for Hindi, Google was ready to put navbharattimes.com. The earlier system could incorporate only 127 characters, which is not enough for the Hindi Devnagari up the superstructure. Realizing the potential of Indian lanscript. The Unicode system can incorporate up to 65,000 charac- guages, the California-based company has launched various ters. As most computers in India use Microsoft's operating sys- products in the past two years. With the Google Hindi and Urdu tem, it ensured that the Hindi font was available to most of them search engines, one can search all the Hindi and Urdu Web pages as they upgraded the operating software. available on the Internet, including those that are not in Unicode In 2004, the Hindi version of Microsoft Office 2003, which font. included Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, was launched. "Google offers searching in 13 languages, Hindi, Tamil, Now the Hindi version of Microsoft Office 2007 is also avail- Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu to name a few, Gmail in five able. "It includes Hindi language interface packs that allow users languages and Google transliteration in Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, to create documents and communicate with others in Hindi. Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu Users can also navigate using the menus and toolbars that are in and Urdu. Urdu is the most recent language that Google has Hindi. We have received a very good response from the Hindi added to its offerings," says Rahul Roy-Chowdhury, product users," says Karanam. manager at Google India. Urdu language support is available in Windows Vista and To use the search function, "users can type Hindi words in Office 2007. Another Microsoft initiative is Roman script and a drop down menu suggests several Hindi phrases. By selecting the Project Bhasha, which was launched in 2003 Microsoft Bhasha and now provides support to 13 Indian lan- httP7/www.5hashaindia.com/Commun ity/ appropriate query, users can search for Hindi content without even typing in Hindi," says guages such as Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, CommunityHome.aspx Roy-Chowdhury. Google has more useful Punjabi, Konkani, Oriya. Google translation tools for non-English users. Google News is [n 2006, Microsoft, headquartered in http://translate.google.com/translate _ t? Redmond in Washington state, pmtnered with sl=en&tl=hi# available in Hindi. With the Google translaone of the early Hindi portals, webdunia.com, tion engine, one can type English words and Goog Ie transl iteration to launch its MSN Hindi portal. "Webdunia fiftp :!/www.google.com/transl iterate/i ndic get a list of suggested synonyms in Hindi. A Urdu Wikipedia transliteration tool allows users to type any also provided support for the Hindi version http:!7ur.wikipedia.org/ of Microsoft Office as well as for language word in English, hit the space bar and get the

Hindi Wikipedia http://hi. wikipedia.org/

Far left: Rajeev Kaul (left), then-Microsoft India managing direct01~and Raveesh Gupta, then-Microsoft program manager for localization, at the launch of the Hindi Vilysion of Microsoft Office in New Delhi in 2004.

Left: Gopal Krishna, head of audience, emerging markets, at Yahoo. Left below: Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page interact with journalists in Bangalore during their India tour in 2004.

be the 52nd largest Wikipedia in size, compared to the over 260 ~ individual language Wikipedias," says Jay Walsh, head of com~ munications at the California-based Wikimedia Foundation. g "Considering there are millions of Hindi speakers, it is certainly ~ an important part of the Wikimedia Foundation's mission to support the growth of this project," says Walsh. Urdu Wikipedia, started in January 2004, has more than 10,800 articles. What are the challenges that still remain in the popularization of Hindi and Urdu on the Internet? "The major challenge is Internet penetration and PC plices. The moment we have better Internet penetration, especially in smaller towns, and PC prices go down, Hindi and Indian languages can flourish on the Net," says Karnik of webdunia.com. India had more than 49 million Internet users in June 2008 out of which about 9 million used the Internet regularly, according to a study by Juxtconsult India, a research company. "There is a big opportunity in Indian languages. Our study same word in a different language. Roy-Chowdhury explains the process of adding a new lan- showed that only 28 percent of Indian Web surfers preferred guage: "Google offers products first in Google Labs and waits for English on the Web, but as good quality content in Indian lanfeedback from users for a couple of months. Then the feedback is guages was not easily available, they did not visit many local lancollated and the product is updated before introducing the language sites," says Mmtyunjay Mislu-a, co-founder of Juxtconsult. guage with its other offerings like Gmail, Search, Blogger, IT experts agree. "Localization is the key to success in countries Translate and Orkut, to name a few." like India. In order to get the widest audience reach, one has to "Urdu is currently available in Google's transliteration offering look at Hindi, because in a country of over a billion people, on the Google Labs Web site and the language is soon to be intro- English is spoken by less than 80 million people," says Krishna of Yahoo. Google's Roy-Chowdhury agrees with him. "The Web is duced in various other products," he adds. The effOlis of Microsoft, Google and other developers have the democratization of access to inf0l1l1ation," he says, adding that begun to produce results. Page views of major Hindi news Web the Internet is not a luxury but a powerful tool to improve life. sites are rising fast and most of the popular Hindi newspapers But is Hindi earning enough revenue to be dubbed successful have a Web presence now. "In the last two years, page views of on the Web? "That's a tough question. Right now it is not much," navbharattimes.com have increased significantly and half of says Mishra. But Roy-Chowdhury thinks revenue is bound to them come through Google, as Net users generally search for a come once Hindi reaches a critical volume. specific news item or query," says agar. "If we look at how the Internet developed in the U.S., it may Yahoo, with headquarters in California, formed a partnership provide a useful analogy. First came content, which was mostly with Dainik Jagran a year and a half ago for the newspaper's Hindi produced by people who had a passion for putting up content they portal. "The Jagran relationship helps us gain significant traction cared about. Traffic and monetization was not the motive. Second among Indian Internet users. From all the audience measures for came growing readership as people started discovering content. this product, this has been a resounding success," says Gopal This set off a virtuous cycle in which content eventually became a Krishna, head of Yahoo's work for emerging market audiences. viable, monetizable business. Third were the application developSince Yahoo and Jagran started working together, page views ers who could now focus on moving the online experience beyond have "grown to about 1.4 million from one million a year and a passive consumption of inf0l1l1ation to interactivity, community half earlier," says Upendra Swami, who heads the Internet team building, service delivery and a host of other innovations," Royat Jagran. Chowdhury says. "India's market was stuck in phase one for a Hindi Wikipedia, hosted by the nonprofit Wikimedia long time. And I believe it has recently entered phase two." ~ Foundation, is also gaining popularity. Started in July 2003, Hindi Wikipedia now has more than 36,000 articles. "It now appears to Tahsin Usmani contributed to this article.

I ote

Cleopatra appears in a sari stole in a revival of Samuel Barber's brilliant but disastrous 1966 opera Antony and Cleopatra. ew York's Metropolitan Opera stages over 200 performances each year, attended by more than 800,000 people, and experienced by millions more through live high-definition film, TV and radio broadcasts. Founded in 1883 by wealthy businessmen, it has been home to the most creative and talented artists. But while its original home boasted great acoustics, the opera house did not have adequate stage facilities until 1966, when it joined the newly formed Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and was fitted with stateof-the-art technical equipment. To celebrate its opening, the Met commissioned American composer Samuel Barber to create a grand opera. Barber complied with Antony and Cleopatra, based on his favOlite Shakespeare play. The opera was written specifically for the first black, professional, operatic soprano, Leontyne Price. The Met got Italian movie director Franco Zeffirelli to create the libretto to accompany Barber's music. It seemed like a terrific team and the star of the show would be the fabled new stage machinery, a masterpiece of technological innovation. Unfortunately, the opening night-September 16-was a total fiasco. As one critic put it, "everything that could go wrong did." Worse still, it was the kiss of death for Antony and Cleopatra, despite its gloriously lyrical music. For 43 years now, musicologists have puzzled over what went wrong and their many explanations have all led back to that first production. The new stage machinery broke down during rehearsals, recalls Peter Davis, The New York Times music critic who was present that evening. Lighting cues were erratic, audible cries such as "Look out for the sphinx!" came from the backstage crew, Cleopatra was

trapped inside a pyramid. The orchestra threatened to strike because it had no contract. A settlement was negotiated, literally at the last minute, just before the thirdact curtain. As we now realize, Zeffirelli's vision as designer and director of the opera was totally at odds with that of Barber. Known for his over-the-top productions, Zeffirelli wanted to portray a clash of empires through Hollywood-like glamor and high-tech dazzle. "A pastiche of Elizabethan, Roman, Egyptian and modern-a baroque exuberance" is what he says he aimed for from his reading of Shakespeare's play, Davis wrote in The New York Times. Nothing could have been further from Barber's goals. For, although he too had been inspired by Shakespeare's powerful poetry, it was not the clash of civilizations that he wanted to portray but the intimate passions of mature lovers destroyed by the politics of their times. He lamented, "What I wrote and what I envi-

~ ~ '"~ ~

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sioned had nothing to do with what one saw on that stage." Still, despite the garish production, that first audience responded favorably to the music. Unfortunately, the press panned Antony and Cleopatra. Many critics have conjectured that Barber's Neo-Romantic music, fluid and lyrical as it is, was out of step with the fashion of the day. The composers that held sway in the 1960s were modernists, writing music that was atonal and minimalist. Barber's was a conservative formal voice at the time. Despite the intelligence and ingenuity of his composition, its lush orchestration and deeply moving arias, reflecting some of the most emotive love poetry that Shakespeare ever wrote, he did not win over critics who were swayed by contemporary trends. Barber went into a deep depression from which he never recovered. He attempted to save his opera by getting his friend, Italian composer Gian Carlo

Left: Justino Diaz and Leontyne Price in the 1966 premiere of Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Right: Lauren Flanigan, draped in an antique gold-tissue sari, performs as Cleopatra in the 2009 revival of Barber's composition at the New York City Opera. Far right: The New York City Opera chorus playing the people of Rome and Egypt.

Menotti, to revise the libretto from 16 to 14 scenes, and himself cut the score by an hour. In 1975, that version was performed at ew York's Juilliard School of music. Then, in 1983, at Italy's Spoleto Music Festival and again, nearly a decade later, at Chicago's Lyric Opera. Sadly, none of those performances reestablished Barber's jinxed opera. A brilliant and cultivated man whose orchestral music won numerous awards, whose 1958 opera Vanessa had won a Pulitzer Prize, and whose career should have been crowned by the Met commission, never composed another opera. Barber died a broken man in 1981. Now, the New York City Opera, another Lincoln Center company, younger than the Met and one that is committed to the development of American opera and the staging of innovative 20th century works, has revived Antony and Cleopatra. The company performed Barber's work in concert-no distracting scenery, costumes or staging, showcasing only the music, singing, orchestration and chorus-to sold out audiences at the vast Carnegie Hall earlier this year. The verdict? A unanimous triumph for the huge cast, headed by soprano Lauren Flanigan and baritone Teddy Tahu Rhodes in the title roles, lauded not just by cheering audiences but by The New York Times' critic, Anthony Tommasini, who offered a coveted imprimatur: "What a difference it makes to hear the piece performed by an opera conductor who palpably believes in

it; skilled orchestra players and choristers; and a strong cast headed by two exciting artists .... The fervent and sensitive performance made the best case for this opera that I have encountered." His detailed appraisal of Barber concluded, "With this performance City Opera continues its tradition of championing overlooked works." Barber's revised version-the only one sanctioned by his family-was the score used to great effect by the ew York City Opera, whose pale, blonde Cleopatra wore an antique gold-tissue sari, draped like a stole over a simple black dress. "I found these saris at the bottom of a fabric bin in Pondicherry, a furniture store that's going out of business," Flanigan confessed. "It's a lot of material but I didn't pleat it like a sari, I just had it over me." As to why her Cleopatra chose to wear saris, she explained, "It was interesting to equate ancient cultures, I thought there would be historic resonances. I wanted a visual impact but I didn't want to spend too much." After the intermission, the "stole" changed to a brilliant blue Benares silk with gold buttis and red-and-gold border and pallu which, Flanigan said, "had to be lined and patched up because it was so old." That, however, was the extent of the evenjng's exotica. For the rest, it was magnificent singing-both by the principal singers and the huge chorus playing the people of Rome and Egypt. And there was Shakespeare's immortal poetry: Cleopatra calls Antony "my man of

men," he acknowledges her power by calling her "Egypt," identifying the woman with her empire. The Roman Enobarbus echoes Shakespeare's hjgh1y evocative description of Antony's first sight of Cleopatra on the ile: "The barge she sat in, like a bunush'd throne,lBurn'd on the water ... " and, "...she did lielln her pavilion-cloth-of-gold of tissue ... " Finally, the lovers' suicides-Antony, the great Roman general who lost the most critical battle of his life because he was besotted with love, and Cleopatra, the queen known for driving Roman generals crazy, who killed herself to avoid the humiliation of defeat-are as majestic and moving in Barber's opera as in Shakespeare's great play. Now that Barber's magnum opus has redeemed itself, perhaps it will return in the avatar that Barber had dreamed. Who knows? Maybe even on the prestigious stage of the Met which now boasts a new general manager, the immensely adventurous Peter Gelb, who stages modem operas, revives forgotten old ones, collll1tissions new works, and brings in highly talented stage and film directors to give them the finest artistic productions imaginable. Above all, Gelb is a new-technology fiend so there should be no let-downsCleopatra would not have to appear on a dar'k stage because the lighting cues were gar'bled. ~ Vibhuti

Patel

is a contributing

editor with

Newsweek International in New York.

Writing to

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he task of keeping a president in touch with his public is daunting, as Mike Kelleher well knows. Tens of thousands of letters, e-mail messages and faxes arrive at the White House every day. A few hundred are culled and end up each weekday afternoon on a round wooden table in the office of Kelleher, the director of the White House Office of Con路espondence. He chooses 10 letters, which are slipped into a purple folder and put in the daily briefing book that is delivered to President Barack Obama at the White House residence. Designed to offer a sampling of what Americans are thinking, the letters are read by the president, and he sometimes answers them by hand, in black ink on azure paper. "We pick messages that are compelling, things people say that, when you read it, you get a chill," says Kelleher, 47. "I send him letters that are uncomfortable messages." The ritual offers President Obama a way to move beyond the White House bubble, and occasionally leads to moments when his composure cracks, advisers say. "I remember once he was

From above left: Mike Kelleher looks through some of the letters that have arrived at the White House. He chooses 10 each day and puts them in a U.S. government reusable interofficemail envelope. Far right: Kelleher carries the letters to the West Wing of the White House. particularly quiet," says the president's senior adviser, David Axelrod, "and I asked him what he was thinking about, and he says, 'These letters just tear you up.' It was after getting a poignant letter from a struggling family." Some letters begin "I didn't vote for you"; others end "May God bless." One missive came in the form of baseboard molding, covered with $2.70 in stamps and a scrawl urging the president to "Fix housing 1st!" Heaps of letters offer advice on the best treats for the first dog, Bo, and people have sent in colorful dog sweaters.

Among tens of thousands of mess~ges to the White House, one man selects 10 a day to reach the president's desk. Kelleher says the president had used the to President Barack Ob~路'~;' . 'Thank you for your service: from his com';-" mander in chief!" letters to ask policy questions of governThe White House 'J I; He signed the note "Barack Obama," with ment agencies, and Axelrod recalled a letter 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW a big looping Band O. Mrs. Arnold says she circulated among staff members from a Washington, D.C. 20500 was so overwhelmed that the president had woman in Glendale, Arizona, who was in ~;//www.whitehOuse.gov/CONTACT/ called her son by his first name that she "just danger of losing her home because her hushftp;Jlwww.fac~book.com!WhiteHouse# burst into tears." She is storing the letter in a band had lost his job. safe deposit box until she can have it framed. The White House chief of staff, Rahm Kelleher, who has three daughters, later told Mrs. Arnold that Emanuel, said President Obama "believes it's easy in the letter had caught his attention because he is a parent. Washington to forget there are real people with real challenges A graduate of Illinois State University, Kelleher served in being affected by the debate." Emanuel added that he had seen the president turn to policy advisers in meetings and say, "No, the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone in the mid 1980s. He ran no, no. I want to read you a letter that I got. I want you to unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress in Illinois in 2000, which was when he first crossed paths with Obama, who was also understand." Cynthia Arnold of Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, wrote the pres- running for Congress. In 2006, Kelleher became the director of ident to tell him what had happened as she started watching his outreach in Obama's Senate office in Chicago. Describing his current job, Kelleher talks about each letter's inauguration on television. Her son, Private Matthew J. Arnold, 23, whose unit might be deployed to the Middle East, called her "character," the pictures and messages in crayon from children, and the postcard-size notes from older people, written on typefrom Fort Hood, Texas, to ask for her help filling out paperwork. "He was calling to ask me who should make his funeral writers that still have a cursive font. arrangements in the event of his death, his father or me," Mrs. Kelleher's office has a red box for what he calls "life-anddeath constituent case work." "So someone says, 'I'm despondent and I want to commit suicide,' or 'I have a life-threatening illness and I need help here,' " Kelleher says. "We immediately respond to those." Threats are reported to the U.S. Secret Service. On Inauguration Day, Michael Powers of Pikeville, Tennessee, wrote to Obama, telling him he had lost his father, a three-pack-a-day smoker, to lung cancer in 1979. "Enclosed is a picture of my father, and I have carried it for almost 30 years now," wrote Powers, 54. Seeing images of Obama with his daughters had made him miss his father "more than I think I ever have." "If you always want to be there for your girls," Powers urged, "then stop smoking NOWI" About a month later, Powers received a reply. After thanking him for "the wonderful letter, and the good advice," the president wrote, "I am returning the picture, since it must be important to you, but I will remember your dad's memory." On the wall of his sparse office, a few blocks from the White Arnold wrote. "He advised me that it should probably be his father since I could barely make it through the call. He was House, Kelleher has two letters from his daughter Carol, 10. calling to ask me where he should convalesce in the event of She wrote to him once and, when he did not reply, she wrote "a second, meaner letter," he says. That letter begins, "I have his being injured, there in Texas or at home in Pennsylvania." Using enlarged type to make sure the president would "be noticed you did not reply to my letter." "So I had to reply to her," he says, sounding less keeper of the able to read it," she urged him to "please make our troops one of your priorities." A few weeks after she mailed the letter, Mrs. gate and more hapless father, impressed by the power of letters. Arnold received a handwritten note from President Obama. "I will do everything in my power to make troops like --------~ Matthew my priority," the president wrote. "Please tell him,

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Sounds of Silence

ave I ruined your life?" Hillary Clinton had asked Anasuya Sengupta, a reticent Delhi University student, during their short meeting in 1995. By reading out Sengupta's poem, "Silence," in a speech at the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation during her visit as U.S. first lady, Clinton had turned the young poet into an instant, though reluctant, celebrity. Sengupta was just a fortnight away from her undergraduate exam in economics at Lady Shri Ram College for Women in New Delhi when Principal Meenakshi Gopinath asked her to write a poem to welcome Clinton. The media clamor was repeated in 2003 when Sengupta figured in Clinton's memoir, Living History, and a chapter was named after the poem "I couldn't get the poem out of my head," Clinton wrote in Silence Is Not Spoken Here. "The poem struck a chord with the audience members, many of whom were touched that I would draw on the thoughts of a schoolgirl to evoke the condition of women everywhere. Anasuya, lovely, humble and shy in the face of all the publicity her poem generated, was astounded that women allover the globe were requesting copies of it." Sengupta, who has not copyrighted her poem, says " ...Since it was a gift from my college and me to Mrs. Clinton, in a sense, she has rights over it, too ...of course I strongly believe in attribution and acknowledgement of every kind. And Mrs. Clinton has been so generous in her acknowledgement throughout the lifetime of this poem." During her recent visit as secretary of state, Clinton invited Sengupta to an interaction with Delhi University students. Sengupta, who is a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, happened to be in India on holiday when she received the invitation. This time around though, she was better equipped to handle the attention.

For more information: Anasuya Sengupta's blog ---http://blogs.sanmathi .org/anasuya! Remarks by Hillary Clinton at the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation I1ttp:!Icl --inton4. nara.gov/WH/EOP IFi rst_ Lacyl html/generalspeeches/1995/3-29-95.html

"Everybody was clamoring, 'The poet's here, the poet's here,' and I was thinking, 'You know, I now have a life beyond poetry. In fact, I have a life beyond that poem,''' Sengupta says. Sengupta's journey since her first meeting with Clinton 14 years ago has been anything but silent, though poetry, she says with regret, occupies very little of her time now. "It's been a journey of extraordinary turns .... As best as I've been able to over these years, I've tried to take the road less travelled. I've tried to do what felt right for me to do rather than what was necessari Iy convenient," she says. While doing her research in India from 2001 to 2007 for a D.Phil in politics, she headed a UNICEF (India) partnership with the Karnataka state police on issues of violence against women and children. Besides working with organizations across India on gender equality and religious fundamentalism, she co-edited Defending Our Dreams, an anthology of young feminists' analyses and experiences. An Indian citizen, Sengupta has been associated with the Global Fund for Women as director of programs, Asia-Oceania. Based in San Francisco, the fund works exclusively for women's human rights. In her meetings with Clinton over the years, Sengupta confesses to harboring a lingering regret. "Even then and even now, she finds my name difficult to pronounce. I know the point is the thought behind it. So it's fine .. There are people in Berkeley who go on about Indian names being difficult and we have a bit of a joke. There's a professor who's called Bob. So we just say, 'Bob is too difficult. .. we'll call you Subramanian.''' Have the ideas expressed by her in "Silence" changed over the years? Toomany women in too many countries

-ACHIEVERS

speak the same language of silence ... "I still think there are many silences in a woman's life. I don't think all women's lives are always silent. I don't think I meant it even then," says Sengupta "Part of the struggle that all of us have, both as young women and as women who fight for equality and social justice ... is to break the silences, when the silences are those of oppression, violence and abuse." "Silence" was, in fact, inspired by "Heritage," a short poem she wrote when she was 16. Heritage I will come when I can walk beside you And talk of ambitions With an easy tongue. I will not look at your feet And drag my heritage behind me Through the dust of my grandmother's silence. "It has a different tone and voice, but with much the same underlying theme," she says. "In some ways, I like it much better." Sengupta, who is proud to embrace the label of a feminist, says that over the past 14 years, she continues "to find it extraordinary that a woman and political figure of Mrs. Clinton's stature would not just remember the poem ..., but be so gracious in acknowledging it. Perhaps it has to do with the issues the poem raises-every woman, after all, must have her silences to bear, and to break." ~ "Heritage" has been printed with Anasuya Sengupta's permission.

Hari H. Singh, Santa Fe, New MI~X:~~ ~'~':~sure to read the article by Judith

Green ---..,: BanKer

Hasson on Peter Liu. Needless to say, the Idea behind having a "green bank" is brilliant. Not only does it service environmentally friendly companies but also serves as a great business plan, hence the growth in the bank as~ets. More importantly, it reflects living the American dream" and Liu is a great example of that. One has to applaud the United States for accepting citizens from across the globe With open hands, giving them an opportunity to live and fulfill their dreams and the freedom to choose their own lifestyle.

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Raman Dharmalingam, Kotagiri, Ni/giris, Tamil Nadu The article "Flood Tolerant Rice" is timely. Rice is the major food of India and it is grown from plains to hill regions, allover the country. I have worked as liaison officer of the Coffee Board Research Department and retired in 1996. Later I worked at the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai on the Netherlands government biodiversity project. I have visited most of the paddy lands even in interior Orissa, West Bengal and other areas. Floods are major problems during monsoon times (June-September and October-January) every year This time 28 districts of Uttar Pradesh and 14 districts of Assam face drought. Every year during rains, we get floods there. But the climate has changed The Rice Research Institute at Cuttack, International Rice Research Institute, Manila and the work at IARI, New Delhi are worth recording here, But still floods are the major problems in rice delta zones. The cost of Samba rice has gone to Rs. 45 per kilogram now. It is very high Btll;IlIJning of another green revolutioo? indeed, The work at ICRISAT, Hyderabad Bt-::_~~~~ :~'~3~:j7~ --..•..... .. ... .•.. ..... .. _ .. _--,-.._ •... , ..........•.. on drought soils and dry crops is .. _.- ---_ _ .•. ----_._-..•.'_ -. ...--.. .._.._-_ ..-"" ...--_ _ ....•..•..p--"-.~~ _-..... ..._.,." ,-_ . _Io_ worth mentioning here. They have ... ~ "'"..~ _---..., __..---- "-"_ ....-_.e-, '.._•.."", .. "'-""-'"' done wonderful work. Still, the -.,---_ ... .-"..•.... i::::=':..-::..:=.:-==-::: .. .•.. ....•....•..... _-""--funds for agriculture are inadequate .. _ .•..... _._"'_ •... _ •..... .....• -.•. .... ..._ __ •......_n. in India. Though college education -.• ...•..-..,_.. __ •........•.._- .•........ ...• .• is getting priority, agriculture and ...-.._-"- ....." ....._ .. .... ----_ .. ...._-_... forestry are lacking funds. -----I look forward to more articles on agriculture and forestry

Flood Tolerant Rice .~

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Rama Kanta Rout Bhubaneswar, Onssa "A Small Step, a Giant Leap" reminds the young generations about the proud conquest of the past. The cover design gives the most sensational issue of 40 years of man on the moon started by Armstrong and Aldrin in 1969 with a proud statement, "A small step but a giant leap." It was a historic conquest for mankind on the moon, which was just an imagination earlier

Dattatraya Chimanrao Sangle Mumbai The article "Category Is Not Destiny" on Indian American author Chandra Prasad defines in very apt and appropriate language what an American is and how multiracial relations can be converted into happiness for all immigrants if they focus on the inside rather than the outside.

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John K. George, Tiruva//a, Kera/a I find SPAN a great read on vital American and Indian issues. All SPAN articles have an interesting and informative aspect to them. However, the article on the Guggenheim exhibition and "New York's Lower East Stride" were outstanding to say the least. The cover is starkly realistic and also extremely appealing.

G. Srinivas Rao Hanamkonda, Andhra Pradesh N is the one used as the back cover, The best picture In the current ~~A th US" All the ladies and gentlemen showing "Indian Scholars Healde I ~o I~Ok ai in their varied dresses and all in this unique picture are so ove y sporting smiles and conJidence plus ioy that they would be In the United States! This picture brought back nostalgic memories of my elder brother, who was a Fulbright scholar for the year 1961-62 and who worked and studied in Baltimore, Maryland