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“I’ve always felt that Hinduism has a lot to contribute to the way we think about ourselves and humanity,” says Amod Choudhary. “It looks at everything holistically.”     

In late 2025, the Choudharys took the next step toward realizing this vision by committing $2.5 million to endow the Ratna and Amod Choudhary Assistant Professorship in Hinduism at the University of Chicago Divinity School.      

“When you look at the globe, you can see that humans are always living through challenging times; no one time is better than another, and we have the wherewithal to support this position now,” Choudhary said.      

Criteria spoke with Amod Choudhary about his goals for the position, his inspiration to give, and what he believes Hindu education has to offer students at the University of Chicago.   

This Q&A has been edited for readability.     

In your view, why does serious, sustained scholarship on Hinduism matter for public life today, both within the academy and beyond it?     

The more you study something, the finer you make it. If two open-minded, serious people look at an issue, they can bring out what’s right with it and what’s wrong with it. That’s the beauty of scholarship. An academic has the authority and credibility to articulate expertise that people can rely on and trust.     

This is also an opportunity to reassert the importance of the humanities. Disciplines such as business and mathematics are well-supported in our society, but the study of cultures and the arts is essential to understanding humanity and faces greater funding challenges for important work.     

What do you hope an Assistant Professor of Hinduism will contribute to students and to the broader intellectual community over the next generation?     

I hope that whoever fills this role, now and many years from now, is enthusiastic about the subject and serves as an academic leader. I hope they will represent the School and their field with pride, both within the University and in public life, and that anyone can come to the University of Chicago to study Hinduism with an open mind.     

Many Indian and Hindu students growing up in the United States today know very little about Hinduism. They may know something about Diwali, but that alone doesn’t provide much meaning. I hope this position creates opportunities for young people to engage the tradition more deeply.     

Why did you choose to establish this position at the University of Chicago Divinity School, and what distinguishes the School’s approach to the academic study of religion, particularly Hindu traditions, from other institutions you considered?     

Once, I was reading an article on death and rebirth by a prominent American University academic historian, and the piece failed to mention the Hindu perspective on the topic. It was then that I realized even academic humanities scholars don't know much about Hinduism.     

I researched the leading institutions teaching Hinduism, and two important reasons emerged for establishing this position at the Divinity School. First, Swami Vivekananda’s speech at the first World’s Parliament of Religions in 1893, held at what is now the site of the Art Institute of Chicago, marked a pivotal moment in the introduction of Hinduism to the United States. In many ways, Hinduism’s public roots in America began in Chicago.     

Second, the University’s location in the U.S. Midwest creates an opportunity to reach students from across the country. Although the Divinity School has a strong reputation for multireligious scholarship, I noticed that other religious traditions are represented by named professorships. Given that Hinduism is the world’s third-largest religion, it felt important to support a similarly prominent position.     

Also, my son attended the University of Chicago as an undergraduate, and I have long admired the institution’s balance and seriousness. This gift is one way of expressing gratitude for the education he received.     

If you were speaking directly to future students or scholars who will benefit from this position, what would you want them to understand about your hopes for their work and its place in the world?     

Many students today face significant mental and financial stress. My hope is that engaging Hinduism, even through a course or two, can help them center themselves and feel more confident about who they are and how they navigate daily life.     

In almost everything we do, nothing is entirely good or entirely bad; there is always subtlety. Hinduism teaches that life is complicated, but with thoughtful understanding, one can take actions that improve one’s own life and the lives of others.