It was through the provisions of PL-480's "cultural exchange" that I was able to study (with funding) in India in 1976-77. However, for a number of reasons, the program was under considerable stress in those years, with a limited number of American students permitted into India.
*Herman Tull, PhD* *Princeton, NJ* On Sun, Dec 29, 2024 at 10:47 PM Ananya Vajpeyi via INDOLOGY < [email protected]> wrote: > A nice story by BBC India's Soutik Biswas on the PL-480 program that built > many of the best South Asia studies collections, including at the > University of Chicago and about 30 other American institutions: > > https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevj80gld7do > > Jim Nye is quoted, as also Maya Dodd, Todd Michelson-Ambelang, and yours > truly. A snippet: > > "The 132-year-old University of Chicago houses more than 800,000 volumes > related to South Asia, making it one of the world's premier collections for > studies on the region. But how did such a treasure trove of South Asian > literature end up there? > > The answer lies in a programme called PL-480, a US initiative launched in > 1954 under Public Law 480, also known as the Food for Peace, a hallmark of > Cold War diplomacy. > > Signed into law by President Dwight D Eisenhower, PL-480 allowed countries > like India to buy US grain with local currency, easing their foreign > exchange burden and reducing US surpluses. India was one of the largest > recipients of this food aid, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s when > it faced severe food shortages. > > The local currency funds were provided at minimal cost to participating US > universities. These funds were used to purchase local books, periodicals, > phonograph records, and "other media" in multiple Indian languages, > enriching collections at over two dozen universities. Institutions like the > University of Chicago became hubs for South Asian studies as a result. > (Manuscripts were excluded due to Indian antiquity laws.)" > > All best, > > AV. > > > -- > > *Ananya Vajpeyi, Ph.D.* > *Fellow, **Centre for the Study of Developing Societies* > *29 Rajpur Rd., Civil Lines* > *New Delhi 110054, INDIA* > *EMAIL: [email protected] <[email protected]>* > *CSDS BIO: http://www.csds.in/faculty_ananya_vajpeyi.htm > <http://www.csds.in/faculty_ananya_vajpeyi.htm>* > *RESEARCH PROJECT: https://www.nilgiri.ugent.be/team/ > <https://www.nilgiri.ugent.be/team/>* > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > INDOLOGY mailing list > [email protected] > https://list.indology.info/mailman/listinfo/indology >
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