[INDOLOGY] BBC year-ender on the PL-480 programme

[Ananya Vajpeyi]

A nice story by BBC India's Soutik Biswas on the PL-480 program that built
many of the best South Asia studies collections, including at the
University of Chicago and about 30 other American institutions:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevj80gld7do

Jim Nye is quoted, as also Maya Dodd, Todd Michelson-Ambelang, and yours
truly. A snippet:

"The 132-year-old University of Chicago houses more than 800,000 volumes
related to South Asia, making it one of the world's premier collections for
studies on the region. But how did such a treasure trove of South Asian
literature end up there?

The answer lies in a programme called PL-480, a US initiative launched in
1954 under Public Law 480, also known as the Food for Peace, a hallmark of
Cold War diplomacy.

Signed into law by President Dwight D Eisenhower, PL-480 allowed countries
like India to buy US grain with local currency, easing their foreign
exchange burden and reducing US surpluses. India was one of the largest
recipients of this food aid, particularly during the 1950s and 1960s when
it faced severe food shortages.

The local currency funds were provided at minimal cost to participating US
universities. These funds were used to purchase local books, periodicals,
phonograph records, and "other media" in multiple Indian languages,
enriching collections at over two dozen universities. Institutions like the
University of Chicago became hubs for South Asian studies as a result.
(Manuscripts were excluded due to Indian antiquity laws.)"

All best,

AV.


-- 

*Ananya Vajpeyi, Ph.D.*
*Fellow, **Centre for the Study of Developing Societies*
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*New Delhi 110054, INDIA*
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