Ganges River history, future to be explored in talk

Julian Crandall Hollick, an award-winning documentary producer, will give a lecture titled "Will Ganga Die?" at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, in Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Ganges River is central to the life and culture of north India. Hindus worship the river as the goddess Ganga who is pure and eternal, yet the river is so polluted that its very existence is threatened. Will the river die, and if so, will worship of the Goddess die?

Hollick will discuss some of the environmental, religious, and political issues involved, and illustrate his talk with images. An award-winning producer and writer of radio documentaries, which have aired on NPR, BBC Radio, and CBC, he also has published articles in Smithsonian and The New Republic, as well as the book, Ganga: A Journey Down the Ganges River (2008). Click here to visit his website.

The talk is co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Program, the Environmental Studies Program, the First-Year Experience, the International Affairs Program, the Department of Philosophy and Religion, and the Student Speakers Bureau.