An Anglican cleric and a Hindu cleric meet for a cup of tea in Oxford. This might sound like the start to a funny story but is actually the story of Professor Keith Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University, and Shaunaka Rishi Das, preparing the ground for an Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. The result of their meeting is a decades-long strategic approach to the academic study of Hinduism.
Prof. Ward was concerned that the study of Theology in Oxford meant the study of Christian traditions, with little reference to other religions. Shaunaka was concerned that Hindu traditions had no scholarly voice on the global stage. It was to address these concerns that the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies (OCHS) (ochs.org.uk) was born.
By 1997, Oxford colleges had abounded and grown for over 850 years; the Oxford Centre for Jewish and Hebrew Studies was world-renowned; and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies was undertaking construction of remarkable purpose-built facilities. In that same year, the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies began in humble beginnings in a simple residential house in multi-cultural East Oxford.
Within a year, the OCHS had gained community support and expanded to fill (what then seemed like) cavernous premises in the city centre opposite Balliol College. Empty bookshelves lined a library yet to display its treasures.
From Humble Beginnings to a Hub of Excellence
Twenty-seven years have passed since its founding, and the OCHS has flourished. Once-empty shelves now bear a burgeoning collection of 38,000 books and manuscripts, many in the process of being translated for the first time. The spacious office has transformed into a bustling hub, attracting students and scholars worldwide, who recognise the OCHS as a bastion of academic excellence. That excellence has led the Centre to create a benchmark for the study of Hinduism in all its incarnations and reincarnations. Thousands of lectures have been delivered, hundreds of publications penned, and a multitude of students have earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in subjects including, philosophy, religion, history, social science, and languages.
OCHS alumni have taken up jobs in all sectors of society and now serve as professors, journalists, civil servants, lawyers, bankers, NGO workers, diplomats, teachers, influencers, and chaplains to name a few. The OCHS has supported young talent in their learning and they are now giving back to society. With an intrinsic knowledge of Hindu texts, practice, and philosophy they can negotiate space for Hindu ideas in the modern world, enriching societal discourse, and fostering cultural understanding.
Expanding Horizons: The Future of OCHS
In 2003, the OCHS Continuing Education Department (CED) (ochsonline.org) was launched, democratising access to knowledge beyond Oxford. Offering 40 subjects for home study, the CED currently has over 1200 annual enrolments. The OCHS is also active in Hindu communities across the UK, making the highest standards of teaching accessible to a wide audience and discussing what matters to communities.
All this activity has meant the OCHS has outgrown its current offices and is set for a quantum leap. Having purchased land in the centre of Oxford, the OCHS is working towards funding an 11,000-square-foot campus. It might not yet have the financial clout of the other Oxford study centres but there is a determination to develop a fund that will ensure a permanent place for the OCHS as a driving force in representing and understanding Hindu traditions.
The purpose-built Centre for Hindu Studies will feature a a library housing 100,000 books, conference facilities, accommodation for visiting scholars, a Hindu-friendly kitchen and dining hall, offices and a temple space.
