The South Asia Initiative at UCSD is an interdisciplinary research and teaching cluster that incorporates courses from various departments that center around the cultural, economic, and political processes occurring in and out of South Asia. By approaching this region—which includes the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—from diverse perspectives, the South Asia Initiative allows students and researchers to stay abreast of current events happening in the region and integrate a regional specialization into their program of study. We support research, bring speakers, and sponsor courses toward an undergraduate minor in South Asian Studies.

Our 2025-2026 Steering Committee members are: Saiba Varma (Anthropology), Shermin de Silva (EBE), Rishika Mehrishi (Theatre & Dance), Silpa Mukherjee (Film), Teevrat Garg (GPS), Gaurav Khanna (GPS), Gareth Nellis (Political Science), and Aftab Jassal (Anthropology).

We also have a quarterly newsletter; you can view the Spring 2026 edition here 

Check out our much-awaited event of the year!

  Suryamukhi by Bharti Prajapati.