UCSC's burgeoning
South Asia arts programs get boost from new endowment
By Barbara McKenna
Talat and Kamil Hasan
Nawab Hamid Ali Khan, ruler of the state of Rampur,
India, in the early 1900s, was well known for his
love and patronage of the arts. Now, halfway around
the world and three generations later, the great-granddaughter
of this respected Nawab and her husband are carrying
on that tradition, providing funding that will substantially
expand the performance and instruction of Indian classical
music at UCSC.
The couple are Silicon Valley entrepreneurs Talat
and Kamil Hasan of Saratoga, California. Their gift
of $350,000 establishes the Kamil and Talat Hasan
Endowed Chair in Classical Indian Music, which provides
ongoing annual support for UCSC's flourishing programs
in Indian arts.
"Indian classical music is a remarkable art
form," said Kamil Hasan. "It stands out
from popular music because it not only pleases the
mind and senses, it goes much deeper. It's important
to us to do our part to keep this tradition flourishing.
We think UCSC is the right place to establish this
endowment, both because of its proximity to Silicon
Valley, which is the location of a large Indian American
community, and because of the sincere commitment of
Chancellor Greenwood and Dean Houghton to create a
major program in classical Indian arts and South Asia
studies."
"We hope this endowment will do two things,"
said Talat Hasan. "First, that it will plant
seeds for a center for Indian cultural studies, supporting
not just music, but dance, drama, and the visual arts.
And, secondly, that it will make these arts more widely
available to future generations of students, including
Indian American students. This is a wonderful tradition
that traces back hundreds and hundreds of years, and
it really needs to be nurtured and preserved."
(Read more about Kamil and Talat Hasan)
"We are honored that the Hasans chose our campus
as the home for their gift," said Chancellor
Greenwood. "Thanks to their generosity, UCSC
can take an important step forward in its commitment
to fostering the study and performance of the arts
of India. We now have a total of $600,000 in endowment
funding to support Indian classical music at UCSC,
which lays an important cornerstone in our long-range
plans to develop a thriving center for South Asia
studies here."
This new endowment is the Hasans' second gift to
UCSC. The couple were also donors to the $250,000
Ali Akbar Khan Endowment for Classical Indian Music,
established last year (other contributors were Sid
and Anu Maitra, Arjun and Kiran Malhotra, and Shiv
and Kiran Nadar). That endowment enriches courses
in Indian classical music and has led to the presence
on campus of Ali Akbar Khan, considered to be one
of the world's greatest living musicians.
Khan was named Distinguished Adjunct Professor of
Music at UCSC in September 1999. Since his affiliation
with the campus, Khan has taught a class in North
Indian music and presented a public concert here.
The Khan Endowment has special significance for Talat
Hasan, who, as a young girl, heard stories of Khan's
father, the legendary sarod master Ustad Alauddin
Khan, who, along with many other famous artists, was
a resident musician in her grandfather's palace for
many years. The relationship created through the Khan
Endowment carries on a tradition created halfway across
the world more than a century ago.
"South Asia studies at UCSC really gain momentum
with the establishment of the Hasan Endowed Chair,"
said dean of arts and professor of music Edward Houghton.
Houghton announced that, in response to the Hasans'
gift, he is committing funding in the Arts Division
that will support courses in the arts of India and
will also lead to a full-time teaching position in
Indian classical music. This position comes in addition
to the activities that the new endowed chair will
support. Initially, the position will be filled by
distinguished visiting faculty members, and will be
in place by fall 2001.
In recent years UCSC has increased its programming
in the arts of India as part of a planned curriculum
expansion in South Asia studies. This academic initiative
supports new curriculum, research, conferences, and
distinguished visitors focusing on such diverse disciplines
as history, economics, the arts, and sociology.
Associate professor of history Dilip Basu, who chairs
the South Asia Studies Initiative Committee, said,
"The gift from Kamil and Talat Hasan is a splendid
contribution to South Asia studies at UCSC."
"Many Indian American entrepreneurs are endowing
chairs and supporting other educational endeavors
in this area," Talat Hasan said. But, she noted,
"Most of us have been fortunate to make our money
in technical fields, so we tend to support technical
endeavors much more. Kamil and I felt that there weren't
going to be many people whose first thought was supporting
the arts, so we thought we should try to take a lead
in that area. We hope this endowment will inspire
others to think about this cultural heritage and to
expand it to other disciplines and other cultures
of India, to preserve this very beautiful and ancient
heritage."
October 16, 2000
