Spotlights, Ep. 2.16, Dr. Pankaj Jain, FLAME University

This week’s episode of Spotlights features Pankaj Jain, PhD, an internationally recognized academic leader in sustainability, Jain studies, film studies, and diaspora studies. He is the Head of the Department of Humanities & Languages and Chair of The India Centre at FLAME University. We discuss connections between dharma and ecology in Hinduism and Jainism, with particular attention to three books by Dr. Jain, Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities: Sustenance and Sustainability (Routledge, 2011), Science and Socio-Religious Revolution in India: Moving the Mountains (Routledge, 2016), and Dharma in America: A Short History of Hindu-Jain Diaspora (Routledge, 2019). He tweets at @ProfPankajJain, and his podcast #DiscoverIndia is on Spotify, Apple, Google, YouTube, Gaana, and other platforms. You can also find more information at his faculty website: https://www.flame.edu.in/faculty/pankaj-jain

The Caste System in Hindu Society - Dr Pankaj Jain

About the Speaker: Professor Pankaj Jain,, is a renowned academic leader whose work has reverberated globally in the fields of Sustainability, Jain Studies, Film Studies, and Diaspora Studies. With over 30 years of experience in academia and the corporate world, he has held the position of Head of Department (HoD) for Humanities and Languages. As the Director of The India Centre at FLAME University, he has led numerous initiatives to promote Indian culture and scholarship, including international conferences, research projects, and cultural events, leaving an indelible mark on the global academic landscape.
Before his tenure at FLAME University, Professor Jain was the founding co-chair of the India Initiatives Group and an Associate Professor in the Departments of Philosophy & Religion and Anthropology at the University of North Texas, a prestigious tier-1 American university. His diverse expertise, which spans various disciplines, is a testament to his versatility and depth of knowledge. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and an M.A. from Columbia University. He also holds a B.E. in Computer Science from Karnatak University, showcasing his multidimensional understanding and proficiency.

About the Talk: The Caste System in Hindu Society is a book which breaks down the dynamic nature of the system and refutes the rigidity often associated with the varnashram pratha.

Professor Pankaj Jain Interviewed by A G Chini at Funasia 104.9 FM

Professor Pankaj Jain is an internationally recognized academic leader in Sustainability, Jain Studies, Film Studies, and Diaspora Studies. He is a Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and is heading Indic Studies at FLAME University. Earlier, he was the founding co-chair of India Initiatives Group and Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Texas, a tier-1 American university. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and an M.A. from Columbia University (both in Religious Studies). His B.E. was in Computer Science from Karnatak University, India. Prof. Jain has over twenty-five years of work experience in both academia and industry.

He is currently working on his fourth monograph, Modern Jainism: A Historical Approach, co-editing the Encyclopedia of Hinduism and a volume on Indian and Western Philosophical Concepts in Religion. He compiled Jains and Hindus’ history in America for his third monograph, Dharma in America: A Short History of Hindu-Jain Diaspora. He is also the author of award-winning Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities: Sustenance and Sustainability and Science and Socio-Religious Revolution in India: Moving the Mountains. His articles have appeared in several academic journals and on the Huffington Post, Washington Post’s forum On Faith, Times of India’s Speaking Tree, and Patheos. Dr. Jain is widely quoted in various American and Indian media outlets. In July 2020, the New York Times interviewed him, and in 2019 Morgan Freeman interviewed him for the section on Jainism in the National Geographic series The Story of God. He is a recipient of the Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship for Environmental Leadership and Wenner-Gren Grant, among many other grants. He was nominated for the Sustainability Leadership Award from Memnosyne Institute. He tweets at @ProfPankajJain, and his podcast #IndicExplorations is on Spotify, Apple, Google, YouTube, Gaana, and other platforms.

THAT'S SO HINDU: Think you know Ambedkar? Think again.

BR Ambedkar is rightly remembered for his role in creating the Indian Constitution and for his outspoken anti-caste views. Less known is how many of his views on hot button political issues in India today align far more with those of so-called Hindu nationalists than his contemporary supporters would have you believe. In this episode we speak with Dr Pankaj Jain about the unknown Ambedkar.

THAT’S SO HINDU: The podcast that interviews entrepreneurs and activists, politicians and professors, journalists, entertainers, spiritual teachers, and more on how Hinduism shapes their work and lives. All American. So Hindu.

Brought to you by the Hindu American Foundation.

How Hindu parents can help their children develop a love of Hindu and Indian culture!

How Hindu parents can help their children develop a love of Hindu and Indian culture! Hindu American Foundation’s Senior Director of Communications, Mat McDermott, speaks with Professor Pankaj Jain on our latest “That’s So Hindu” podcast episode.