Arshia Sattar
Encyclopedia
Arshia Sattar is an India
n translator, facilitator, author, and director. Arshia Sattar obtained her PhD in South Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago
in 1990. Her abridged translations of the epic Sanskrit
texts, Kathasaritsagara
and Valmiki
's Ramayana
have both been published by Penguin Books
. Sattar is one of a handful of women academics who have translated the Ramayana. Her book reviews and articles appear regularly in The Times of India, The Illustrated Weekly of India and the Indian Review of Books.
She has also worked with documentary film and theatre. Most recently, she taught Indian Studies at the Mahindra United World College of India
in Pune
for five years. She currently works as a freelance writer and researcher. She is also the programming director at OpenSpacehttp://www.infochangeindia.org/aboutus.jsp, an NGO committed to promoting awareness of issues such as globalization. She has also been a visiting lecturer at Middlebury College
, teaching courses on Indian cinema and cultural politics. In 2005, Sattar was the program director for the Rangashankara theater festival in Bengaluru. She also sometimes lectures at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India, and the Srishti School of Art Design and Technology, Bangalore, India where she takes a week long class on Indian narrative.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n translator, facilitator, author, and director. Arshia Sattar obtained her PhD in South Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1990. Her abridged translations of the epic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
texts, Kathasaritsagara
Kathasaritsagara
Kathasaritsagara is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends, fairy tales and folk tales as retold by a Saivite Brahmin named Somadeva....
and Valmiki
Valmiki
Valmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself. He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e...
's Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
have both been published by Penguin Books
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
. Sattar is one of a handful of women academics who have translated the Ramayana. Her book reviews and articles appear regularly in The Times of India, The Illustrated Weekly of India and the Indian Review of Books.
She has also worked with documentary film and theatre. Most recently, she taught Indian Studies at the Mahindra United World College of India
Mahindra United World College of India
The Mahindra United World College of India is one of 13 United World Colleges, located 40 km west of Pune in Maharashtra, India. Established in 1997, the college has a population of about 200 students from all around the world who live together on campus for two years...
in Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
for five years. She currently works as a freelance writer and researcher. She is also the programming director at OpenSpacehttp://www.infochangeindia.org/aboutus.jsp, an NGO committed to promoting awareness of issues such as globalization. She has also been a visiting lecturer at Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
, teaching courses on Indian cinema and cultural politics. In 2005, Sattar was the program director for the Rangashankara theater festival in Bengaluru. She also sometimes lectures at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India, and the Srishti School of Art Design and Technology, Bangalore, India where she takes a week long class on Indian narrative.