Re:But Seriously.....
rveluri@smtpgate.anl.gov
Wed, 03 Jun 98 11:33:09 -0600
[Aravinda Pillalamarri sent the following post to SCIT, and without her
permission ( I hope she wouldn't sue me!) I am posting it in Telusa
with my response. V. R. Veluri]
In article <Pine.A32.3.93.980602084824.26289B-100000@erwin.phys.Virginia.EDU>
Aravinda Pillamarri says.....
>Dr. Veluri -- I like this idea and I am going to try and raise funds for
>this. At the same time, I hope we can work for a fund for graduate
>fellowships for students on Telugu Literature. Speaking from my own
>experience, one of the main difficulties I faced in getting a grant (I
>haven't yet gotten one) to do research is that either Telugu Literaure
>just isn't something the granting agency funds (unless it is ancient or
>"religious") or in the case of the more broad fellowships I was told that
>because I am originally Telugu I am not eligible. Eventually I will get
>some grant so I am not asking for this to materialise in time for me to
>apply, but it would make it easier in the future for people like me who
>have grown up in the U.S. to consider graduate studies in Telugu. I of
>course appreciate the ability of people in other professions such as you
>mentioned who were at the Atlanta conference to maintain their involement
>in Telugu literature. In just two years of graduate school , though I
>myself have already bitten of more than I can chew in terms of research
>topics and wish fervently that there were others in the US in the same
>field. It was a great morale boost to me to read my paper at the
>conference and get so much encouragement from people. This gives me
>confidence to think that people will be interested in funding graduate
>fellowships as well as an endowed chair, in fact, each one needs the
>other.
>Aravinda Pillalamarri
>Department of South Asian Studies
>University of Wisconsin, Madison
First things first: My sincere and heartfelt congratulations to Aravinda
(to speak in the traditional lingo, I must say my blessings to Aravida!!)
for reading her paper at the Atlanta Conference. Let me say a bit more
on this. Aravida could have easily read her paper (I presume that it is
a part of her dissertation) in English, in which she has a Masters from
Columbia University. But, she chose to read the paper in Telugu. I had,
goose bumps while listening to her read, and read eloquently her paper
pertaining to her current research in Telugu literature.
The theme of her research topic deals with a difficult subject; the
treatment of 'prostitutes,' then, and after the anti-nautch reformation,
etc. I don't want to give away anything more. Her paper, I hope will be
published in the proceedings of the Atlanta Conference, and I beg your
indulgence to read it in full. Being brought up here, Aravinda could look
at the problem from a much broader and certainly a different perspective;
which makes it a scholarly work to mull over, not a simple "catalog-type" of
work.
In the above response to my 'But Seriously....' post, she raises a
pertinent question dealing with scholarships to the 'upcoming Telugu
researchers of Telugu origin in USA,' and we as the well-settled
immigrants should take a serious look at her question. As she
points out, and I couldn't agree more, that the issue of Telugu Chair and
funding
for reseach students are inextricably interwoven. And, just for that reason,
the Telugu community should promote the idea of Telugu Chair, and work
for the realization of it as soon as possible.
Regards.
Venkateswara Rao Veluri