🎓 Academic and Educational Background
i) Bachelor’s Degree: B.E. in Computer Science, Karnataka University, 1992.
ii) Initial Teaching: Taught at M.B.M. Engineering College, Jodhpur after graduation.
iii) Move to the US: Relocated to the United States in 1996.
iv) Graduate Studies:
a) M.A. in Indian Religions, Columbia University, 2002.
b) Ph.D. in Indian Religions and Ecology, University of Iowa, 2008.
📚 Teaching and Academic Positions
i) Rutgers University (2007): Taught Sanskrit, Hindi, and Hinduism.
ii) North Carolina State University (2008–2010): Taught Indian languages.
iii) University of North Texas (2010 onwards):
a) Served in the Department of Philosophy and Religion and the Department of Anthropology.
b) Member of various university advisory and academic boards.
iv) FLAME University:
a) Current Role: Head of Department (HoD), Humanities and Languages.
b) Director: The India Centre.
c) Led initiatives to promote Indian culture and scholarship.
d) Convened the first Indic Studies Conference with the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (May 2021).
✍️ Publications and Editorial Roles
i) Books Authored (5 in total):
a) Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities: Sustenance and Sustainability (2011)
b) Won Uberoi Book Award (2011) and DANAM Book Award (2012).
ii) Dharma in America: A Short History of Hindu-Jain Diaspora (Routledge, 2019).
iii) Currently working on Makers of Modern Jainism.
iv) Translating Jain Darshan, a significant philosophical text.
v) Editorial Work:
a) Co-edited Hinduism Section of the Encyclopedia of Indian Religions.
b) Co-editing the Encyclopedia of Hinduism (Springer).
c) Editing a volume on Indian and Western Philosophical Concepts in Religion.
📝 Research and Writing
i) Research Interests:
a) Sustainability in religious communities.
b) Religion and ecology (India and U.S.).
c) Diaspora studies and ancient practices in contemporary contexts.
ii) Academic Journals:
Published in Religious Studies Review, Worldviews, Religion Compass, Journal of Vaishnava Studies, Union Seminary Quarterly Review, Journal of Visual Anthropology, Zygon, etc.
iii) Popular Writing:
Contributor to Huffington Post, Washington Post’s On Faith, Times of India’s Speaking Tree, and Patheos.
iv) Research Funding:
a) Fulbright Fellowship.
b) Charn Uswachoke International Development Fund.
c) Wenner-Gren Grant.
🌏 Environmental and Interfaith Initiatives
i) GreenFaith: First Hindu-Jain scholar-in-residence.
ii) Sustainability Work:
a) Helped two Dallas temples receive energy efficiency grants.
b) Guided a graduate student to design an environmental curriculum for a Jain Sunday School in Dallas.
iii) Affiliations:
a) Research affiliate, Harvard’s Pluralism Project.
b) Board member, Society for Hindu Christian Studies.
c) India Representative, International Society for Environmental Ethics.
d) Member, Academic Council, International School for Jain Studies.
e) Board Member, Hindu American Seva Communities (connected with White House faith-based initiatives).
f) Advisory Council, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNT.
🌍 Global Outreach and Presentations
Invited Speaker at numerous institutions:
Columbia University, UMass Dartmouth, Univ. of South Florida, Florida International University, University of Toledo, Texas Christian University, High Point University, Portland State University, Lancaster University (UK), Andhra University, University of Rajasthan, etc.
Media Features:
Frequently quoted or interviewed by BBC, NBC, Fox News, LA Times, National Geographic Channel, History Channel, The Hindu, Times of India, Indian Express, Dallas Morning News, India Abroad, and more.
Other Engagements:
Presented research at conferences, high schools, churches, temples, yoga centers, radio and TV stations, and community forums across India, the US, and the UK.
The article contrasts the Jain concept of dharma with the Western notion of religion. Dharma, derived from Sanskrit, means virtue, ethical conduct, and teachings of enlightened beings (Kevalins),…
1) Dr. Mathieu E. Courville
i) Ph.D. in Religious Studies, University of Ottawa, Canada.
ii) Specializes in comparative history of religions, disciplinary history, orientalism, and postcolonial…
2009Vol. 39 · No. 01pp. 83–85
JI
Aryan Culture
Jinamanjari
Vol. 39 · No. 01
Open
Jinamanjari
Jainism: A Classic World Religion of India. An Evaluation with Hinduism and Buddhism
"This comparative study analyzes Jainism alongside Hinduism and Buddhism, tracing their foundations, theological positions, philosophical frameworks, social impact, and historical trajectories.
1.…
The correspondence section features a reader’s response to the journal’s article on omniscient beings. The writer acknowledges that, according to Jain scriptures, omniscience (kevala jñāna) is the…