Ep. 90: The rich history of South Asia and MIT with Ranu Boppana and Sana Aiyar

The Indian Edit

“You know, as Asian Americans, we often don't know our history. I myself have lived in the US more than 50 years, and yet a lot of people still think that you’ve recently come from India. This is not just about MIT, it's actually an important part of the history of South Asians in America.” - Ranu Boppana

A physician and former President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology South Asian Alumni Association, Ranu Boppana began to learn about the history of South Asians at MIT (which began in 1880!) and the history of MIT’s role in developing technological education in the newly independent India and Pakistan. She teamed up with History Professor Sana Aiyar and, along with MIT-India Program Manager Nureen Das, they conceived of an exhibit showcasing this shared history. Driven by their own curiosity and their commitment to sharing their discoveries with current and former MIT students, the team has created a wonderful digital resource for us all.

I learned so much about the history of South Asians in the US, including many surprising connections with the Indian Independence movement. Join me in this fascinating journey back in time with Ranu and Sana and please take a second to rate the podcast on iTunes so we can spread the word about their amazing work!

SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 90:

Experience the “South Asia and The Institute” digital exhibition via the website including some wonderful videos

Follow Sana’s work here including her books

Read more about Ranu here

Other Books we discussed on the show:

Ross Bassett’s The Technological Indian

The Other One Percent: Indians in America by Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur and Nirvikar Singh

Our Stories: An Introduction to South Asian America by South Asian Digital Archive

The Caste of Merit: Engineering Education in India by Ajantha Subramanian

The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science by Kate Zernike

Booker Shortlisted Western Lane by Chetna Maroo

Jhumpa Lahiri’s Roman Stories

Kamila Shamie’s Best of Friends

Questions? Comments? Get in touch @theindianeditpodcast on Instagram !

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Special thanks to Sudipta Biswas, Aman Moroney and the team @ Boon Castle / Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!