Nani Deb Memorial Prize in Asian Religions
The Department of Religious Studies is pleased to announce the Nani Deb Memorial Prize in Asian religions, established by her family. The prize, a non-cash book award of approximately $200, will be awarded annually to the student who submits the best senior undergraduate essay or graduate essay, to be chosen by a committee of faculty members in the Department of Religious Studies.
Nani Deb (1918-2002) was a passionate advocate for education, although she herself never finished school. Deeply religious, she was willing to make whatever sacrifices were necessary so that her children could get the best possible education. She was a treasure trove of oral history and loved to share stories from her youth, particularly about the struggle of women in India. Nani Deb is survived by two sons, both scientists in California; two daughters in India—one a statistician, and the other a principal of a middle school that serves mostly poor and low-income families; and six grandchildren. The winner will receive reimbursement for a book purchase of up to $200.00. A winner will be determined in April.
Award Recipients
2018
Mansi Agrawal
The Buddhist Idea of Forbearance: A Comparative study of the Mahābhārata and Jātakas
2017
John (Max) Mikitish
Tibetan Buddhism and Russian Empire in a Buryat Folktale
2016
Alessandra Powell
A Currency of Power: The Sale of Buddhist Ordination Certificates during the Tang and Song Dynasties
2015
Aleksandra Gordeeva
One King, Two Virtues: Jain and Hindu Tellings of the Hariṡcandra Story
- Sasha has also translated the first act of the Jain drama from the Sanskrit and Prakrit. The play is extremely difficult, written in a colloquial language of the 12th century, and has no commentary to aid in the reading.
2014
Hong Tran
Blood is Thicker than Holy Water: Clan Alliance among Monk-Officials of Pemayangtse Royal Monastery of Sikkim during the Chogyal Dynasty
2013
Luke Connell
Memory in Indian Narrative: A collection of essays
2012
Ellen Gough
Tracing Tantra, Coloring Enlightenment: THE ṚṢIMAṆḌALA
2011
Ray Remesh
Pilgrimage and Saints in Tamil Religious Literature
2010
Marko Geslani
Occluding the Sun: Solar Worship, Solar Eclipses, and the Composition of the Vāmana Purāṇa