SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Indian ambassador visited Lund University:

Ms Narayanan and Mr Sachdeva visited the SASNET root node office at Lund University, accompanied by Prof Staffan Lindberg (left side), Phd Jan Magnusson, and Mr Shisher Kumra.                             Photo: Lars Eklund

The Ambassador of India, Ms. Chitra Narayanan and the Counsellor, Mr. Rajesh Kumar Sachdeva, visited Lund University on 21 May 2002. The full programme for their visit was planned by SASNET.

The programme started with a meeting with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Boel Flodgren, at her office in the main University building, after which followed a short sightseeing tour on foot through Lundagård and inside Lund Cathedral, on the way to the International Institute of Industrial Environmental Economy, at Tegnérsplatsen. Mr. Shisher Kumra hosted the ambassador and briefed her about the Institute´s wideranging collaboration with Indian counterparts.

A visit to SASNET's root node office at the International Office followed, on way to the Old Bishop's Palace, where a meeting had been organised with researchers engaged in Indian studies at Lund University. A fruitful informal exchange of information followed. Present at the meeting were besides the Indian guests Boel Billgren, acting head of the International Office; Bo Mattiasson, professor, Dept. of Biotechnology; Catarina Kinnvall, assistant professor, Dept. of Political Science; Neelambar Hatti, associate professor, Dept. of Economic History; Åsa Ljungh, researcher, Dept. of Medical Microbiology, Dermatology and Infection / Bacteriology; Sidsel Hansson, PhD, Dept of History of Religions; Jan Magnusson, PhD candidate, Dept. of Social Work; Shisher Kumra, PhD Candidate, International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, IIIEE; Staffan Lindberg, professor, Dept. of Sociology, and director, SASNET; and Lars Eklund, deputy director, SASNET

Lund University hosted the ambassador and invited guests for a lunch the Old Bishop's Palace. Dr. Hans Modig, University Secretary represented the Vice-Chancellor for the occasion.

In the afternoon Ms Narayanan and Mr Sachdeva, accompanied by Staffan Lindberg and Lars Eklund from SASNET, visited Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, where they had a meeting with Prof. Göran Melander. Information on the Institute´s activities was also given by the Assistant director Rolf Ring, and the Indian Visiting professor Rahmatullah Khan.

Finally, before proceeding back to Stockholm, a fruitful meeting took place with Prof. Roger Greatrex, at the Centre for East and Southeast Asian Studies. The ambassador who has a keen interest in promoting International scientific cooperation offered to find Indian scholars in Chinese and Japanese studies and put them in contact with the Centre in Lund.