In November, the intermediate Hindi class was invited to visit the library to explore resources related to South Asia, particularly in Hindi. The session focused on how to locate Hindi materials and what resources are available for students. This was especially beneficial for those who plan to conduct research in the South Asian topics, and it provided a valuable opportunity for students to meet the new South Asian librarian, Adhitya Dhanapal. Below are some of the class's feedback on the session.
Parishi
I enjoyed hearing from Adhitya. I found his talk to be relevant and useful for me as I am also double majoring in International Comparative Studies with a South Asia concentration. Additionally, I plan to pursue an AMES minor. I believe that I will end up spending some time reading South Asian literature and conducting research on the region so I will be in contact with Adhitya at some point in the next few years.
Connor
Adhitya Dhanapal was very insightful and fun to listen to. I didn’t know there was a librarian primarily based on south Asian studies, which is super cool. Being able to read a Hindi-comic book was not something I really knew was possible, but it isn’t surprising it does exist. The parallel between western and eastern culture is interesting to study.
Sneha
I really enjoyed Adhitya’s talk. My dad reads a lot of books in Hindi and I remember as a kid seeing him read comics too. I enjoyed looking at the illustrations in the Hindi comics that my dad had and the ones we saw in class on Friday. It was very nostalgic.
Thulsy
I really enjoyed having Adhitya speak with us last class! It was helpful to know that he is a resource for South Asian studies, in case I decide to pursue further studies in that area. I also enjoyed looking at the comics, which was reminiscent of my childhood love for Amar Chitra Kathas. It was challenging to decode the Hindi letters as printed in the comic strip our group had, but I did learn new words, and I also liked looking at the pictures to help better understand the storyline.
Rohan G
Adithya’s talk was great! I didn’t even realize there were so many resources out there that could help aid my Hindi learning. I feel like it was also really nice that he brought comic books that we got to read – it was a lot of fun. Thanks to Adithya’s talk, I think the library can be a very useful service for me to find resources that can help me learn more Hindi and more about South Asian culture in general.
Sahil
Learning about Adhitya's role as a South Asian studies librarian was both enlightening and engaging. The existence of Hindi comic books in academic collections was particularly interesting - while not surprising in hindsight, it wasn't something I had previously considered. The parallels between Western and Eastern cultural materials are fascinating to examine.
Shiv
It was a fun class, and he had some great knowledge to share. I enjoyed flipping through the comics and while I may not utilize many of the South Asian literary resources, it’s nice knowing that they exist. I think bringing in librarians like Adhitya is the best strategy for libraries to improve their usability for students in need of culture-specific resources.
Shankul
I really enjoyed librarian Adhitya’s talk. He was a very well spoken person and was very knowledgeable in his academics. It was wonderful to see the resources that Duke has, specifically the Hindi language comics. It made me feel closer to the south Asian culture of the past and it was interesting to see Devanagari written in a different font that was unusual to how we usually read Hindi in class. I think the librarian did a great job opening himself up for a library resource at Duke.
Arvindh
I thought librarian Adhitya’s talk was really nice. I thought it was helpful, and it was cool to read comics in Hindi. I used to read Amar Chitra Katha a lot when I was growing up, and it was cool seeing more native versions of similar stuff.
Mili
I thought Adhitya’s talk was interesting and unlike any activity that we have done before. I think the activity was a cool idea, but it might have been helpful to choose an easier comic to read as I remember facing difficulty in reading and understanding some words.
Zubin
I liked Adhitya’s visit because it brought me back to my conversations with my parents about the comics they read in the 70s. I found it fascinating to explore the comics and listen to Adhitya’s perspective on them.
Vineet
I enjoyed Adhitya’s talk because it reminded me a lot of the comics like Akbar and Birbal which I used to read when I was very young. It was amazing to see that my Hindi reading ability had improved to the point where it was possible for me to read most of the comics that I was given and understand many parts of them.
Amruth
I really enjoyed Adhitya’s talk. It was great to learn about the resources for South Asian studies at the library, especially the Hindi comics. Seeing those reminded me of stories my parents used to talk about or comics I’d come across growing up. It was also fun to practice reading Hindi in such a different format, and it made me realize how much my Hindi has improved. I didn’t know Duke had a librarian focused on South Asian studies, so it’s nice to know someone like Adhitya is there as a resource.
Meghan
I think it was interesting to hear from Adhitya! I’ve never looked through a comic book in another language before, and I think it was really funny to see the sound effects in Hindi!