SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

---

Visit to Lund University of Indian Ambassador, June 2005

Participants at the meeting organised at the Dept. of Biotechnology. Photo: ASHOK KUMAR

The Indian Ambassador to Sweden, Ms. Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa, along with the First Secretary of the Embassy, Ms. Vani Rao, visited Lund University on Monday 13 June 2005. The programme for the day was prepared by SASNET.
They first visited the Department of Biotechnology, where they were received by Prof. Rajni Hatti Kaul.

A meeting was organised with South Asia related researchers at the department (including Ashok Kumar), but several Indian researchers from other departments at Lund University had also been invited and participated in a fruitful meeting, discussing their projects with the Indian Ambassador.

Among them were Prof. Baboo Nair from the Department of Applied Nutrition and Food Chemistry, Associate Prof. Neelambar Hatti from the Department of Economic History, and Prof. Dipak Khakar from the Department of Informatics.

The Ambassador Ms. Wadhwa, Prof. Olle Qvarnström, and Ms Vani Rao. Photo: KRISTINA MYRVOLD

A vegetarian lunch was served at the Old Bishop’s House. Assistant Vice-chancellor Björn Wittenmark represented
the University Vice-Chancellor at the occasion.

After that Ms. Wadhwa and Ms. Rao had a meeting in the same house with Prof. Staffan Lindberg and Mr. Lars Eklund from SASNET, Dr. Jan Magnusson from the Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies (in charge of Lund University’s Masters Programme in Asian Studies), and Ms. Boel Billgren, Deputy Head of the International Office.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Göran Bexell had a separate meeting with the Ambassador, discussing increased collaboration between Lund University and India.

Finally a meeting was organised in the afternoon with researchers at the new vital Section on Indic Religions at the Department of History and Anthropology of Religion; Centre for Theology and Religious Studies. Prof. Olle Qvarnström welcomed the Ambassador and presented the research carried out by his colleagues in the section. Nearly 10 people from the department, senior researchers and PhD candidates were present.