Camden Conference, in partnership with the Camden Public Library, is presenting Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, Crawford professor and chair of religious studies at Colby College, for a talk on the role of Indian art, literature and film as a glue for global connections.

This event is set for 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 at the Camden library, 55 Main St., in anticipation of the 37th annual Camden Conference, “INDIA: Rising Ambitions, Challenges at Home,” taking place Feb. 16-18 from the Camden Opera House.

“Our world is dangerously divided and polarized. Economic disparities, political divisions, environmental devastation, religious wars, and fear of immigrants only seem to be getting worse,” said Singh, according to a news release from Julia Sagaser, library programs director.

In her talk, Singh will discuss if aesthetics — the opposite of anesthesia — could serve as an antidote for modern crises. By heightening sensibilities, visual and literary creations connect people with their own selves, fellow humans, and nature. Singh will illustrate this discussion with Sikh and Sufi poetry, contemporary Indian art, and Bollywood film clips, the news release states.

This is a hybrid event and will take place in the library’s Picker Room as well as on Zoom. To find the Zoom registration link to attend virtually, visit the “What’s Happening” adult events calendar at librarycamden.org.

Singh was born in India and went to Stuart Hall, a girls’ preparatory school in the USA. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and religion from Wellesley College, her Master of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and her doctorate from Temple University.

She is the chair of the department and Crawford family professor of religion at Colby College. Her interests focus on poetics and feminist issues.

Singh has published extensively in the field of Sikhism, including “The Feminine Principle in the Sikh Vision of the Transcendent,” “The Name of My Beloved: Verses of the Sikh Gurus,” and “Metaphysics and Physics of the Guru Granth Sahib.” She has lectured widely in North America, England, France, India and Singapore, and her views have been aired on television and radio in America, Canada, Bangladesh, Australia, Ireland and India.

 

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