About
The spaces we inhabit, whether in our minds or in the world, shape our perceptions of reality; however, reality is truth, and truth is absolute. I believe that good scholarship helps us align our perceptions of reality to absolute truth. This concept is more important now in our post-truth world than ever before and, therefore, so is the public service that scholars provide the society they serve.
I came to bear witness to the truth.
What is truth?
There are those for whom the value of truth is determined by how it can be manipulated to serve them, and similarly, the value of a human being is based on his or her relative value to them. At our best, we pursue scholarship because the inherent value of truth complements the inherent value of a human being. It is not for our vanity, personal ambitions, or even knowledge for its own sake, but for humanity’s sake.
Background
I was born in Mumbai, but my family is from the state of Kerala, both in India. We are Thomas Christians (Nasrani Malayali), an ancient church that is autonomous yet in full communion with the Pope. I lived in Nigeria as a child before immigrating to the United States. I have lived and studied in France, and I did my doctoral work in Geneva, Switzerland. I have also travelled a fair amount. During my visit to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the largest religious complex in the world, which is part Hindu and part Buddhist, I had a moving encounter with a young boy that changed the direction of my life.
I consider myself an American of Indian origin. I have also been an international since I was very young, and I continue to develop my understanding of other countries, languages and cultures. I am a religious person, and my identity is centered around my faith. I have thought carefully about who I am and what I believe. My identity is deliberately defined and derived from my particular journey and heritage.
In general, my approach is additive instead of subtractive. I try to incorporate new aspects into my identity without erasing the existing one. One of the benefits of this approach is that it is naturally stabilizing and continuous. Instead of replacing foundational elements of my identity to construct an entirely new structure, I have simply altered the existing one to accommodate my expanding understanding of myself and the world. I am a modern and a traditional woman, from the east and the west, with a strong attachment to my local community and my country and a strong interest in other communities and countries. My additive approach has been enriching and, importantly, true to myself.