Motwani Jadeja Institute For American Studies Launched In NY
Photos: @IndiainNewYork
India-West Staff Reporter
NEW YORK, NY – In a step to deepen academic engagement between India and the United States, O.P. Jindal Global University has launched the Motwani Jadeja Institute for American Studies here. The new institute aims to become a center for research, public policy, education, innovation, and cultural exchange between the two democracies.
Established through a philanthropic endowment by the Motwani Jadeja Foundation, the institute is named in honor of the late Professor Rajeev Motwani, the influential computer scientist who mentored numerous Silicon Valley innovators, including the founders of Google. The Foundation is led by Asha Jadeja Motwani, a Silicon Valley-based venture capitalist and philanthropist known for her work in nurturing innovation ecosystems across the Global South.
In his inaugural remarks, on July 21, Professor C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of JGU, called the launch of the institute “a powerful symbol of academic diplomacy” and “a profound affirmation of our belief that universities must serve as instruments of global transformation.” Kumar emphasized the institute’s role in promoting values of democracy, freedom, and critical inquiry. “MJIAS is not merely the establishment of a new academic institute—it is about preparing our students to be not only professionals but also public intellectuals.”
Asha Jadeja Motwani underscored her vision for the institute as a lighthouse of ethical and interdisciplinary leadership in a time of rapid technological change. “We are at an inflection point in human history,” she said. “The technological revolution we are living through demands new paradigms of leadership—leadership that is ethical, empathetic, interdisciplinary, and globally conscious.” She also announced key upcoming initiatives: a series of India-US student fellowships, startup accelerator partnerships, and visiting professorships to facilitate academic exchange between the two countries.
Professor Mohan Kumar, former Indian Ambassador to France and the Institute’s Founding Director-General, presented MJIAS’s Vision Statement, describing it as a strategic platform for deepening Indo-US intellectual cooperation through knowledge-sharing and innovation.
Indian Consul General in New York, Binaya Srikanta Pradhan, lauded the launch as a “timely and meaningful contribution to the India-US strategic partnership,” and described MJIAS as an embodiment of “knowledge diplomacy.”
The event also marked the release of JGU’s Sustainable Development Report 2025, authored by Professor Padmanabha Ramanujam, Dean of Academic Governance. The report charts the university’s progress on all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with data-driven analysis of its teaching, research, infrastructure, and community initiatives.
Two keynote lectures capped the evening. Former Chief Justice of India U.U. Lalit spoke on the role of education in strengthening constitutional democracy, while Dr. Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services, delivered an address on data governance, AI ethics, and digital innovation.
With the establishment of MJIAS, JGU aims to foster a new era of academic collaboration that strengthens the intellectual and strategic ties between India and the United States.
