Deepak Shimkhada

Deepak Shimkhada
Born (1945-09-05) September 5, 1945
Darkha, Nepal
Residence Claremont, California
Nationality Nepali American
Ethnicity Nepalese
Alma mater
Occupation Educator, Artist, Art historian, Author, Community leader
Years active 1968-present
Organization
  • Indic Foundation
  • Himalayan Arts Council
Board member of South Asian Studies Association
Spouse(s) Kanti Shimkhada [1]
Children Leepi Shimkhada-Mahalingam
Riti Shimkhada-Relan

Deepak Shimkhada (Nepali: दीपक सिंखडा) (born September 5, 1945) is a Nepali American educator, artist, art historian, author and community leader. He serves as an adjunct professor at Claremont School of Theology and Chaffey College. He previously served as visiting and adjunct professor at several universities in the United States including Claremont Graduate University, California State University and University of the West. From 1999 to 2011 Shimkhada was a full-time visiting professor of South Asian religions at Claremont McKenna College. He is the founding president of the Foundation for Indic Philosophy and Culture (Indic Foundation),[2] and Himalayan Arts Council. He has served on several organizations and boards including Asian Studies on the Pacific Coast, and America-Nepal Society of California as president.[3] He served on the Board of Visitors of the School of Religion at Claremont Graduate University as Chair of the Hindu Council from 2006 to 2012. He is also founding board member of South Asian Studies Association. He is a well-published author of many journal and newspaper articles, book chapters and edited books. As an artist, he has exhibited his paintings and graphics in group and one-man shows in Nepal, India, Japan and the U.S. He has appeared in several episodes of History Channel series Ancient Aliens.[4][5]

Early life and education

Shimkhada was born on September 5, 1945 in Darkha, Nepal to Ratna Prasad Shimkhada and Kausalya Devi Shimkhada. He attended JP High School in Kathmandu and completed SLC in 1960. He completed I.A. in Economics from Saraswati College in Kathmandu in 1962.

In 1962, Shimkhada left for India to pursue higher education. He attended University of Baroda and received a bachelor degree in Fine Arts in 1968. He received his Master's degree in Fine Arts in 1970 from the same university. In 1972, he received a Fulbright fellowship to study art history and moved to Los Angeles in the United States.[3][6] He is considered among the first few Nepalis to immigrate to the U.S.[3][7] He earned his Master of Arts in art history from the University of Southern California in 1975.[2] Shimkhada earned his Ph.D. in Education from Claremont Graduate University in 2001.[8] His dissertation was in art and religion using semiotics as a methodology to analyze them.

Career

Fine arts career

Shimkhada's professional career as an artist began in 1968 when he had his first one-man show of paintings in Max Gallery in Kathmandu, Nepal. In 1971, in the second Triennale of World Contemporary Art held in New Delhi, India, one of his paintings was selected as best work from Nepal and was featured in its exhibition catalog. See catalog entry #31 of II Triennale India 1971 Lalit Kala Akademi.

Teaching career

Shimkhada began his teaching career as a lecturer of Asian art history at Scripps College in Claremont, California in 1981. At that time he had just returned from India after conducting his field research for his Ph.D. dissertation under the aegis of American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS). Since 1980 he has lived in Claremont and has performed various duties as administrator and professor teaching art history at various colleges and universities in Southern California.

Although his articles in Nepali art, culture, philosophy and religion began to appear in various newspapers and journals in Nepal in the early 1970s, Shimkhada's major research writings about them took place in 1973 when his first paper was published by “Arts of Asia” followed by a series of articles by “Artibus Asiae” and “Oriental Art” in 1983.

Writings

Shimkhada has published four books: The Constant and Changing Faces of the Goddess: Goddess Traditions of Asia, Popular Buddhist Mantras in Sanskrit, Himalayas at the Crossroads: Portraits of a Changing World, and Nepal: Nostalgia and Modernity. He has contributed chapters to The Constant and Changing Faces of the Goddess, Bhagavata Purana: A Reader, Health and Religious Rituals in South Asia: Diseases, Possession and Healing, and Sangama: A Confluence of Art and Culture During the Vijayanagara Period. He is the author of many art historical articles published in journals such as NAFA Art Magazine, Arts of Asia, Orientations, Artibus Asiae, Oriental Art, The Journal of Asian Studies, The Himalayan Research Bulletin, Voice of Ulan Bator, Himalaya, Folk Dance Scene, The Overseas Times, India West, and The Rising Nepal. He has also written four children's books.

Works

Books

Book chapters

Children's books

Journals

Exhibition catalogs

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes Ref(s)
2011 History Channel’s Ancient Aliens Himself TV Series (9 episodes in 2011-2014) [11]
2009 Swaha: A Journey of Transformation Himself Documentary
2015 History Channel’s Ancient Aliens Himself TV Series (3 episodes in 2015)
2015 Natural Histories Himself BBC London Radio interview
2016 History Channel’s Ancient Aliens Himself TV Series (Season 9, Episodes: The Cosmic Egg, The Visionaries, and Alien Overlords)

Awards and honors

Personal life

Shimkhada married Kanti Shimkhada. They together have two daughters, Leepi Shimkhada-Mahalingam and Riti Shimkhada-Relan.

References

  1. ↑ "President Klitgaard greets alumnus Deepak Shimkhada and his wife, Kanti". Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 "List of CGU Distinguished Alumni Service Award Recipients". Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "One Night in Nepal - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. June 9, 1999. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  4. ↑ "The Flames - Spring 2010". Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Ancient Aliens: Season 3, Episode 9 Aliens and Deadly Weapons (22 Sep. 2011) - IMDb". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  6. ↑ Karen Isaksen. The South Asian Americans. Michigan: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313297885.
  7. ↑ P. Pratap Kumar. Contemporary Hinduism (Religions in Focus). United Kingdom: Routledge. ISBN 978-1844656905.
  8. ↑ "Deepak Shimkhada - School of Arts & Humanities - SAH". Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  9. ↑ The constant and changing faces of the goddess - Google books. Google. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  10. ↑ "The constant and changing faces of the goddess  : goddess traditions of Asia- World cat". Worldcat. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Ancient Aliens - IMDb". Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  12. ↑ "2008 Alumni Award Recipients to be Honored at 81st Commencement Ceremony". Retrieved December 20, 2014.

External links

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