Despite global leadership; contributions to business, arts, and culture; and its historic legacy of nonviolent protest; India and its people remain, for some, a country of snake charmers and call centers.

URI Marketing Professors Ruby Roy Dholakia and Nikhilesh Dholakia, and Engineering Professor Arun Shukla, all born and raised in India, aim to enlighten the public with the 2009 Honors Colloquium, Demystifying India, a series of free public lectures, performances, and exhibits that runs throughout the fall. The program also includes a cricket demonstration and food festival, a film festival, and art and textiles exhibits.

“We have found that many people don’t know much about India, the largest democracy in the world, home to many ancient religions, a new country, but an ancient civilization,” said Ruby Dholakia.

Edward Luce, author of In Spite of the Gods, The Strange Rise of Modern India; John Jeffcoat, director of the movie Outsourced; and Jumpha Lahiri, Hon. ‘01, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and many other authorities from India, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., are exploring India’s impact on business, literature, art, apparel, political and social movements and the environment.

All programs are free and open to the public. For a full, updated schedule or to listen to podcasts and streaming live and archived video, go to uri.edu/hc/.