Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, venture capitalist and philanthropist Asha Jadeja announces Rajeev Circle History Scholars Program
New Delhi – Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, venture capitalist and philanthropist, Asha Jadeja has launched a unique program called the Rajeev Circle History Scholars (RCS) Program. The program seeks to publish high quality, well-researched and accessible popular books on Indian history each year through the grant of a coveted Fellowship awarded to eligible scholars. Rajeev Circle History Scholars (RCS) Program has been constituted in memory of Asha’s late husband Rajeev Motwani. Rajeev and Asha have invested in over 200 technology startups in Silicon Valley.
The Rajeev Circle History Scholars (RCS) Program aims to foster scholarship and produce knowledge in the field of Indian historiography that is Indic in its outlook rather than the hitherto colonial or ideologically driven narrative.
The scholars who will be supported by the RCS program are Prof. V.N. Prabhakar (RCS Senior Fellow) and Dr. Ankur Kakkar, Dr. Sreejit Datta, Mr. Aravindan Neelakandan, Mr. Aneesh Gokhale, Mr. Aabhas Maldahiyar (RCS Fellows).
Announcing the program, Asha Jadeja said, “In the decades after Independence, Indian historiography has suffered from several drawbacks, many rooted in “history written by victors”, colonial narratives that have warped the portrayal of actual events to fit a grandiosity of dying imperialism. There is an urgent need for serious scholarship that revisits these aspects of our past in a modern, contemporary context. And the Motwani Jadeja Foundation is proud to announce the Rajeev Circle History Scholars (RCS) Program to support scholars in this area. ”
The RCS program is led by author and historian Dr. Vikram Sampath. Dr. Sampath is a Bangalore based historian and author of six acclaimed books. He has a Doctorate in history and music from the University of Queensland, Australia and was a Senior Research Fellow at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi. He has established the Archive of Indian Music, India’s first digital sound archive for vintage recordings, is the Founder-Director of the Bangalore Literature Festival, Indic Thoughts Festival and ‘ARTH-‐ A Culture Fest’.
Programs like the Rajeev Circle History Scholars (RCS) and Rajeev Circle Fellowships (RCF) is an ongoing effort by Asha Jadeja and the Motwani Jadeja Foundation to contribute toward the growth of intellectual and entrepreneurial capital of India to augment India’s future through positive action for greater and exponential impact. More details on the Motwani Jadeja Foundation can be found at www.mjf.world.