Triumph in the face of Obstacles: the Nidan 2020 (July Issue)

Abstract

It gives me great pleasure to announce the July issue of Nidan: International Journal of Indian Studies, for which I am now working as associate-editor for the second consecutive year. After successfully guest editing the 2019 Nidan special issue on Christianity in India, I was deeply honoured when Professor Pratap Penumala invited me to accept the position of associate editor for the journal. Professor Penumala and I had already struck up a cordial and efficient working relationship and saw eye-to-eye on several academic and political issues, giving me the freedom and confidence to choose my own themes, decide on paper submissions, and other reviewers and guest editors. Professor Penumala’s constant and gentle, encouraging words of wisdom gave me courage to face CoVid demotivation this year that sometimes felt insurmountable, and my work experience with various authors, reviewers, and the efficient team of editors at the University of KwaZulu-Natal humbled me with their dedication. I received much enthusiasm from junior and senior scholarly professionals alike, who were
happy to contribute and review papers for Nidan. In fact, the academic verve I encountered while working with Nidan has gone a long way in restoring my faith in academia in general, bringing me in close contact with many highly merited researchers.