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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MARCH 22, 2024 | The Indian Eye 34

NEWSMAKERS OF THE WEEK

Selected stories about Indian diaspora from our website www.theindianeye.com

DR KAMAL VERMA AMITAV GHOSH

Acclaimed professor of South Author awarded Erasmus Prize

Asian Literature passes away for contribution

he Praemium Erasmianum
foundation has awarded the
TErasmus Prize 2024 to the
Indian writer Amitav Ghosh. The
theme of the Erasmus Prize this
year is ‘imagining the unthinkable’.
The award recognizes his passionate
contribution to the theme for bring-
ing forth the global crisis of climate
change through the written word.
Author of the bestsellers such
as The Nutmeg’s Curse, The Hun-
gry Tide, The Great Derangement
among others, Ghosh, 67, studied
social anthropology at Oxford, di-
viding his time between India and
the US. Winner of multiple priz-
es, including the 2018 Gyanpith Award, the highest literary prize in India,
Ghosh made nature an important character in his work ever since he con-
ducted research into the tidal landscape of the Sundarbans for his book The
Hungry Tide and witnessed how climate change and rising sea levels were
ravaging the area.
r Kamal D Verma, an acclaimed scholar of South Asian literature, According to the Foundation, Ghosh has produced “a vast body of work,
passed away at the age of 91. Professor Verma taught for 42 years at
Dthe University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown (UPJ) in Pennsylvania. After made up of both historical novels and journalistic essays” that carry the read-
er across continents and oceans.
retirement, he continued to serve as Professor Emeritus and an advisor to the “Each work is grounded in thorough archival research and succeeds in
University President after his retirement. transcending boundaries and time periods with literary eloquence. Ghosh
Focusing on recruiting more diverse faculty and students from South
Asia. he was also one of the founding members of the South Asian Review makes major themes such as migration, diaspora, and cultural identity tangi-
ble without ever losing sight of the human dimension,” it said.
and the South Asian Literary Association. Drawing from the rich history of the Indian subcontinent, Ghosh de-
Born in 1932 in Punjab, India, he was the first member of his extended
family to attend college. scribes how, in that part of the world where he was born, the effects of natu-
ral catastrophes have been inextricably linked with human destiny for a very
He was appointed the principal of a teacher’s college in Punjab where he
served until 1963. He left for the US on a Ford Foundation Fellowship to long time, the statement added.
Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands founded the Praemium Erasmia-
obtain his Specialist in Education degree at the University of Northern Iowa. num, a cultural institution active in the fields of humanities, social sciences
He then pursued further professional studies in literature, leading to his PhD and the arts in 1958.
from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada.
Dr Jem Spectar, President of UPJ, called Dr Verma “a brilliant scholar, DR ANIL MENON
an exceptional teacher and guide, a highly respected colleague, and a dear
friend”. “His students speak of a great intellect: a professor who deepened Lt Col selected as NASA
their critical thinking, analytical, and writing skills, someone who deepened
their understanding of our world, and someone whose classes prepared them
for lifelong success,” Spectar said. astronaut
Dr Verma, his wife Savitri, also a teacher and head of a women’s college
in India, and their five children settled in Johnstown, Pennsylvania in 1971, t Col Dr Anil Menon, originally from Kerala has been selected as
being the first Indian-American family to move to the area. one of the 12 new astronauts who have successfully graduated from
An author of three published books, his second book, The Indian Imag- Ltheir rigorous training program and earned astronaut wings. These
ination, focused on several of the leading writers of the Indian colonial and 12 hand-picked astronauts were selected from a total pool of 12,000 ap-
post-colonial periods of Indian history. His last book, Understanding Mulk plicants, NASA Johnson Space Center Director Dr Vanessa Wyche an-
Raj Anand, focused on noted Indian writer Mulk Raj Anand and included a nounced the details of their latest astronaut candidate graduation ceremony.
series of letters between Dr Verma and Anand over 15 years, focusing again Menon was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Ukrainian
on the ideas that inspired the colonial struggle for independence. Continued on next page... >>

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