Lord Meghnad, Shubha Mudgal to conduct GU courses

PANAJI: World renowned researchers, scholars and performers of the likes of Lord MeghnadDessai, SudhirKakar and ShubhaMudgal will descend on the Goa University campus starting July to conduct certificate programmes of the duration of six to 12 weeks for varsity students as well as Goans at large.
The experts will spend time on campus, interact with students and also work on projects in collaboration with their Goan students.The scholars that include historian Romila Thapar, Western Ghats expert Madhav Gadgil and graphic artist Orijit Sengupta among others have committed their time over a period of three years to Goa University.
This visiting research professors programme has received an initial funding of Rs 1 crore from the state government and the programmes are being held under the chairs established at the varsity in the honour of distinguished Goans that include Buddhist scholar DD Kosambi, Goa's first chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar, poet Bakibab Borkar, cartoonist Mario Miranda, musician Anthony Gonsalves and classical musician Nana Shirgaokar.
"The experts will evaluate the students at the end of the 15 lectures and university students will earn one credit from completing one of the certificate courses. The programmes will start with professor Santiago Lusardi Girell from the university of Seville in Spain conducting a course on 'Western Music in Dialogue with the Arts, History and Philosophy over six weeks till mid-August," Goa University vice-chancellor Satish Shetye said.
Goa University faculty members will be appointed to act as facilitators between the students and the experts, university registrar Vijayendra Kamat said.
Maria Aurora Couto, head of the university executive council standing committee, which has planned the details of the programme, said the idea is to promote interdisciplinary approach at the university. "The original idea behind instituting the professorships was to attract academics around the country to serve as full-time professors at the Goa University campus. It turned out, however, that well established academics were reluctant to relocate to Goa. The executive council in the consultation with the department of art and culture then decided to initiate the visiting research professorship programme," Couto said.
"The schedule of the courses will be uploaded on the Goa University website from time to time," Shetye said.
The visiting professorship progamme will be launched with a lecture by the doyen of Indian historians professor Romila Thapar titled 'Contours in Reading Early Indian History' to be held at the new science block of the varsity on July 5 at 3.30pm.