Events

A symposium showcasing how Seattle University faculty research, supported by the Raman Family Faculty Grant, advances scholarship on contemporary India and the Indian diaspora, contributing to positive social, economic, and policy change.

Moderator: Nalini Iyer, Professor of English at Seattle University
Speakers: Dr. Tapoja Chaudhuri, Dr. Rashmi Chordiya, Dr. Rebecca Cobb, Dr. Mathew Isaac, Dr. Sonora Jha, Dr. Meenakshi Rishi

A panel discussion on how India’s digital public infrastructure has boosted socio-economic development, enhanced access to critical services, and serves as a model for transformative technologies.

Moderator: Sital Kalantry, Director of Roundglass India Center and Professor of Law at Seattle University
Speakers: Onur Bakiner, Seattle University; Vidushi Chaturvedi, Seattle University; Consul General Prakash Gupta, Consulate General of India, Seattle; Sanjay Jain, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This panel featured experts in higher education, food sciences, agricultural development, and food security discussing collaboration opportunities between India and the US.

Moderator: KV Raman, Adjunct Professor at Cornell University.
Speakers: Girish Ganjyal, Food Science Professor at WSU; Meetu Kapur, Director at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Peter Kelly, CEO of Grow Further; Vijay Raghavan, CEO of Sathguru Management Consultants; Sonny Ramaswamy, President of NWCC.

In a fireside chat co-sponsored with Indian American Community Services, Karthick Ramakrishnan, Professor of Public Policy and Founder and Director of AAPI Data, and Sital Kalantry, Director of Roundglass India Center and Professor of Law, delved into the factors that shaped Indian American political beliefs.

We were honored to host Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi in a fireside chat moderated by Sital Kalantry, Director and Professor of Law. Mr. Satyarthi’s four decades of social reform have liberated over 100,000 children from exploitation through his organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan. His latest endeavor, the Satyarthi Movement for Global Compassion, aims to globalize compassion to restore justice, peace, and equity in the world.

Senator Manka Dhingra shared wisdom from her beginnings as a law student and King County prosecutor to becoming the first Sikh state legislator elected in the nation in 2017 and the Deputy Majority Leader of the Washington State Senate. Hosted in conversation with Middle Eastern/South Asian Law Student Association leaders from Seattle University, excerpts from the Sikhlens film Breaking Barriers for Manka Dhingra were screened.

Prachi Gupta’s memoir They Called Us Exceptional, described by the Washington Post as “vulnerable and courageous,” is a 2023 standout. It details the struggles of a second-generation Indian American woman facing cultural assumptions, mental health challenges, and family dysfunction. In conversation with Inclusion on Purpose author Ruchika Tulshyan, Gupta discussed how the Model Minority Myth impacts South Asian communities by downplaying private struggles.

To celebrate the new Indian consulate in Seattle, the Center hosted a welcome reception at The Rainier Club. Special guests included Consul General Prakash Gupta and Ms. Neha Prakash, with remarks by Professor Sital Kalantry, CG Gupta, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, and Bellevue Mayor Lynne Robinson. Attendees included mayors, public officials, Port of Seattle reps, business CEOs, and luminaries from the Seattle Indian diaspora community.

The Center and Seattle University School of Law explored the evolution of India's Supreme Court over 75 years. Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, member of the Parliament of India and a senior advocate at the Supreme Court of India, led the discussion, with insights from Professor C. Raj Kumar, founding vice chancellor of Jindal Global University, Director Sital Kalantry, co-author of "Court on Trial," and School of Law Dean Tony Varona.

Seattle University welcomed Indian Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Consul General Dr. K. Srikar Reddy to discuss opportunities for collaboration between India and the U.S. in education, job skills training, healthcare, and technology with a dozen university leaders. Ambassador Sandhu also engaged with a small group of faculty and staff in a meeting facilitated by the Roundglass India Center.

This conference showcased Seattle’s pivotal role in building economic and political bridges with India and marked the launch of the Roundglass India Center. Keynotes and Welcome Remarks were offered by the U.S. State Department’s Deputy Secretary Izzo Jackson, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, Representative Pramila Jayapal, Senator Manka Dhingra, and Gurpreet (Sunny) Singh. There separate panels on business, law, and philanthropy featured leaders from greater Seattle, Washington DC, and India.