Wherever I am, the world comes after me.
It offers me its busyness. It does not believe that I do not want it.
Now I understand why the old poets of China went so far
and high into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
"The Old Poets of China" by Mary Oliver

UP Diliman, ICCR Sign MOU, Establish Chair of Indian Studies @ UP Asian Center

Details
Photo: H.E. Ambassador Jaideep Mazumdar (L); Chancellor Michael L. Tan, PhD (Middle); and Dean Joefe Santarita (R) of the UP Asian Center
The University of the Philippines Diliman and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) signed on 22 November a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that establishes the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies at the Asian Center, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Under the MOU, a Visiting Professor will teach graduate-level courses on India each semester at the UP Asian Center, with a syllabus based on the requirements of the Asian Center’s graduate program on South Asia, one of the four areas of specialization offered for a masters degree in Asian Studies.

As an area-studies institution, the UP Asian Center attempts to help students understand various aspects of a region such as South Asia: its politics, history, culture, economics, etc. Southeast Asia, West Asia, and Northeast Asia comprise the three other areas of specialization. LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR MA PROGRAMS in ASIAN STUDIES
 
The Visiting Professor will also conduct at least one public lecture during his or her semester at the UP Asian Center.

The signing ceremony was held at the Chancellor’s Office at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Present during the proceedings were faculty members of the UP Asian Center, Dean Joefe B. Santarita, PhD; Associate Professor and College Secretary Rolando Talampas; and Assistant Professors Dr. Ma. Cecilia Medina; Dr. Noel Moratilla; and Dr. Michelle Palumbarit. Ms. Bel Plotena, a South Asia major at the UP Asian Center, and Ms. Neli Quejado and Miss Milagros Dumlao were also present. UP Assistant Vice President for Public Affairs Ranjit Singh Rye also witnessed the ceremony.

The UP-ICCR MOU was signed by Dr. Michael L. Tan, Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Diliman, and H.E. Jaideep Mazumdar, Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Philippines, who did so on behalf of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi. The MOU took effect last 13 November 2017, and will remain in force until the Academic Year 2020-2021.

Founded in 1950, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is a government organization whose “objectives are to participate in the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes pertaining to India’s external cultural relations; to foster and strengthen cultural relations and mutual understanding between India and other countries; to promote cultural exchanges with other countries and people; and to develop relations with nations.” Visit the ICCR website. 
The UP Asian Center offers M.A. degrees in Asian Studies with four fields of specialization: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia. The Center also has an M.A. program in Philippine Studies that allows students to major in Philippine society and culture, Philippine foreign relations, or Philippine development studies. The Center offers a Ph.D. program in Philippine Studies in conjunction with the College of Arts and Letters and the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Get an overview of these programs. The Asian Center also houses a peer-reviewed, open-access journal, Asian Studies: Journal of Critical Perspectives on Asia. It has published several books and monographs, and hosts or organizes various lectures and conferences.