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INDICA names Rajeshwari Pandharipande, Jeffery Long as 2026 Grateful2Gurus honorees
Annual Guru Purnima initiative recognizes scholars advancing Indian Knowledge Systems through teaching, research, and cultural preservation.
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Chicago Bureau - Thu, 16, Jul 2026
- 14:17 EDT
- 64
INDICA Grateful2Gurus Honorees / Handout
INDICA has named professors Rajeshwari V. Pandharipande and Jeffery D. Long as recipients of its 2026 Grateful2Gurus honors, recognizing their contributions to the study, preservation, and promotion of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS).
The announcement was made July 13 in Chicago ahead of Guru Purnima, the annual festival dedicated to honoring teachers and mentors. Grateful2Gurus is INDICA's flagship initiative that recognizes individuals who have made lasting contributions to preserving and transmitting India's civilizational heritage.
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Pandharipande, Professor Emerita in the Department of Religion at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has spent decades advancing scholarship on Indian languages, Hinduism, and Indian culture. In addition to her appointment in religion, she has held interdisciplinary roles in Comparative and World Literature, Linguistics, Global Studies, and the Center for Translation Studies.
She holds doctoral degrees from Nagpur University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has received honors including the University Distinguished Teacher Scholar Award and the William Prokasy Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.
Long serves as the Carl W. Zeigler Professor of Religion, Philosophy, and Asian Studies and specializes in the religions and philosophies of India. He is the author of several books and numerous scholarly articles and edits the Explorations in Indic Traditions series for Lexington Books.
His accolades include Elizabethtown College's 2020 Ranck Award for Excellence in Research and the 2022 Rajinder and Jyoti Gandhi Book Award for his book Hinduism in America: A Convergence of Worlds. He has delivered lectures at institutions including Princeton University, Yale University, the University of Chicago, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Delhi University, as well as three talks at the United Nations.
According to INDICA, Grateful2Gurus is intended not as an award but as an expression of gratitude toward scholars, practitioners, artists, and spiritual teachers who embody and transmit India's knowledge traditions. Since its launch in 2016, the initiative has honored more than 155 gurus across disciplines including Vedic studies, Sanskrit, philosophy, archaeology, history, Ayurveda, Yoga, music, dance, linguistics, governance, science, and the performing arts.
“In Bhārat, timeless wisdom flows not merely through institutions, but through living masters and practitioners who embody it. Guru Purnima offers us an opportunity to publicly bow to those who shape our minds and sustain our culture. Fulfilling the vision of our founder, Shri Hari Vadlamani. Grateful2Gurus we take forward the civilizational legacy we are privileged to inherit,” said Avatans Kumar, president of INDICA.
Previous Grateful2Gurus honorees include David Frawley, Subhash Kak, Arvind Sharma, and Ramesh Rao. The schedule for the felicitation ceremony will be announced later.
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