The Chakrabarti Experience: Opening Students Eyes

Caitlin Hamill / Columnist

I believe that one of the best and most important parts of college are the relationships formed with peers and professors alike.  It’s not uncommon to hear of college friends still as close as ever, even years after graduation.  Similarly, graduates often continue to keep up with professors as mentors, friends, and intellectual equals years after entering the real world.  Although I am now only a sophomore and I have two rapidly fleeting years of college left, I have been fortunate enough to form what I foresee as lasting relationships in all facets of my life. 

When faced with the Elon “Civilization” graduation requirement that states, “Eight hours chosen from at least two of the following: history, foreign languages, and religion” in order to graduate, I didn’t know what I was going to do.  I already had AP credits that satisfied the 4 hours of history I needed, and I had ruled French out of the picture before the thought had ever really entered my mind.  Thus, I was left with no other option aside from an Intro to World Religions course, taught by Chandana Chakrabarti. 

Ironically enough, Dr. Chakrabarti – Chak for short, happens to teach the class that I dreaded taking the most during all of my time thus far at Elon - yet has actually ended up being a wonderful and incredibly enlightening experience.  However, I wouldn’t attribute my fondness for the class to the course content – I have never had much of an affinity towards religion, not being a religious person myself.  Regardless, as a result of Chakrabarti’s incredibly extensive knowledge base, her enthusiasm for the subject, and genuine involvement with the material and students alike, I would now encourage all Elon students to enroll in any one of the courses she instructs because the benefits are innumerable.  What I anticipate taking from her class is so much more than the basics of Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and others; rather I have developed a new way of thinking about the world, about people, about different cultures and lifestyles, and I attribute this new growth directly to Chakrabarti. 

Talking with other students that have had the Chakrabarti “experience” as it could be called, I found her to have an extremely faithful following of students, both current and from the past.  I spoke with former students from as far back as 1992, who still sang her praises and continue to hold her in extremely high regard - as they attribute the cultivation of their open mind directly to Chak.  Alex Sherman, class of ’98, who was a religion major, says that “Chakrabarti opened up so many doors...[and] helped me to form a world view from her teachings.”  She also credits Chak with “completely opening my eyes to such a different way of thinking about life that I had never been exposed to.”  Ultimately, Sherman sums her up stating “she’s just a gem for Elon.” 

There was a general consensus that one of Chakrabarti’s many invaluable assets is her ability to bridge the gap between eastern and western ways of life; from education to philosophy, from thought processes to tradition, from culture and finally to religion.  As Wilmer Brown, class of ’92 puts it, “She’s a unique professor because she’s got a foot in both worlds – she’s been educated in the East and then in the West, so the differences have become inherent to her inclusive, cyclical style of teaching.”  Brown, being a “non-traditional student,” entering Elon at age 44 after living in Uganda and becoming part of the ministry, he understood much of what puzzles people about Chakrabarti because he “had a different view of the world.”  As a result of this similarity between the two of them, “it was a delight being able to engage with her and exchange knowledge and experience.  Being a true empiricist, she has an integrity that is unblemished.”

Another interesting way of describing Chak, as explained by current junior Mike Wolfe, “Chakrabarti is the essence of an interactive professor.  She challenges people’s philosophies and somehow always manages to get the fire out of people, but in a constructive, accepting way.  After studying under Chakrabarti, Wolfe accredits her as “responsible for opening my eyes to other cultures and ways of life, [which in turn] aided in the transition of my own spiritual development.”  In complete agreement is Elon graduate and president of the Elon Alumni Association, Jack Duval, who explains Chak as being “very knowledgeable - not only about religion but about life in general.”

Personally, it seems to me that Chakrabarti lives and breathes this stuff – she is so incredibly knowledgeable in her field, yet still manages to provide an unbiased and neutral exposé to religious tradition and practices.  When asked a question, she does not automatically spit out an answer and move on – rather interacts with the student and the class in order to guide their thought processes, which enables them to draw their own conclusions and develop a greater understanding for themselves.  As a result of this method our classroom is truly transformed into an “intellectual mecca” every time we meet.  The way that Chakrabarti evokes conversation, debate, passion, and challenges our existing belief systems has not yet failed to amaze me. 

Class for me, is so incredibly engaging because I literally never have any idea what to expect.  Sure, our topic for discussion is listed on our syllabus, but the direction that a particular class meeting will take is constantly a mystery.  What I think is really interesting though, is that I would make the claim that Chakrabarti does not necessarily know where discussion and learning will go on a particular day either – she is right there with us: willing to let the natural ebb and flow of learning take over.  This is not to say that she is unprepared and unknowledgeable – rather suggests the opposite.  Because her knowledge is so extensive and well developed, a precise lesson plan has no place in her classroom and would most likely lie untouched on the corner of her desk. 

While it is really quite a struggle for me to put exactly into words how Chakrabarti works and what she does and how she teaches, I realize that is really the essence of her – she is truly indescribable.  I don’t believe that any single person could truly do her justice because she is too unique – the true essence of a human labyrinth.  Whether she’s crafting a random analogy that will miraculously lead us to a better understanding of Buddhism or comically struggling to pronounce someone’s name, Chakrabarti’s style will not be found anywhere else.  Truly a worldly person who seems to have seen it all, know it all, and who seems to possess a crystal clear understanding of the way the world works, I know that I will look back on my college years long after graduation and treasure all that she has taught me about having an open-mind, being accepting, and for seeing life as a never ending cycle of learning, understanding, and ultimately getting to know oneself.