Ep. 90: The rich history of South Asia and MIT with Ranu Boppana and Sana Aiyar
“You know, as Asian Americans, we often don't know our history. I myself have lived in the US more than 50 years, and yet a lot of people still think that you’ve recently come from India. This is not just about MIT, it's actually an important part of the history of South Asians in America.” - Ranu Boppana
A physician and former President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology South Asian Alumni Association, Ranu Boppana began to learn about the history of South Asians at MIT (which began in 1880!) and the history of MIT’s role in developing technological education in the newly independent India and Pakistan. She teamed up with History Professor Sana Aiyar and, along with MIT-India Program Manager Nureen Das, they conceived of an exhibit showcasing this shared history. Driven by their own curiosity and their commitment to sharing their discoveries with current and former MIT students, the team has created a wonderful digital resource for us all.
I learned so much about the history of South Asians in the US, including many surprising connections with the Indian Independence movement. Join me in this fascinating journey back in time with Ranu and Sana and please take a second to rate the podcast on iTunes so we can spread the word about their amazing work!
Ranu Boppana (left) and Prof. Sana Aiyar (right) with Prof. Ross Bassett’s “The Technological Indian”
Photo: Dr Monica Sircar
SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 90:
Experience the “South Asia and The Institute” digital exhibition via the website including some wonderful videos
Follow Sana’s work here including her books
Read more about Ranu here
Other Books we discussed on the show:
Ross Bassett’s The Technological Indian
The Other One Percent: Indians in America by Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur and Nirvikar Singh
Our Stories: An Introduction to South Asian America by South Asian Digital Archive
The Caste of Merit: Engineering Education in India by Ajantha Subramanian
The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science by Kate Zernike
Booker Shortlisted Western Lane by Chetna Maroo
Jhumpa Lahiri’s Roman Stories
Kamila Shamie’s Best of Friends
Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !
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Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas, Aman Moroney and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!
