Hindi language and literature receive endowed funding

July 30, 2026
by Alexander Rony

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When Usha Jain and her husband, Santosh, arrived from India in 1960, their plan was clear: Santosh would earn his master’s degree in engineering, then they would return home. But UC Berkeley has a way of altering destinies. Soon after Santosh’s enrollment, Usha found her own academic calling, entering a master’s program in Asian studies and securing a campus job as a teaching assistant. Thus began Usha’s impactful career shaping Hindi instruction across the world.

Usha became an influential lecturer at UC Berkeley, producing popular textbooks and prominent alumni. Now, two new endowments in Usha and Santosh’s names will honor them by enriching Hindi language, literature, and graduate studies at their academic home.

Earlier this year, their daughter, Amita Jain, and son-in-law, Niteen Patkar, established the Usha and Santosh Jain Endowment for Hindi Language Instruction and created the Usha and Santosh Jain Endowment for Graduate Students, which the campus will match.

Combined, the two endowments will provide permanent support for the Hindi program Usha helped establish over her long career. Amita and Niteen said they were motivated to shield Hindi instruction from financial fluctuations while giving students “a window into a new world that can expand their horizons.” This milestone gift was the culmination of months of collaborative conversations between the couple and UC Berkeley faculty. 

“I was struck by the clarity and generosity of spirit that Amita Jain and Niteen Patkar brought to honoring Usha and Santosh Jain,” said Munis Faruqui, the Sarah Kailath Chair of India Studies and the director of the Institute for South Asia Studies. “They were a pleasure to work with: always curious, thoughtful, and genuinely eager to understand how their gift might best serve Hindi studies and graduate students in the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies. Their gift — the largest in the department’s history — will elevate the Hindi Studies Program at UC Berkeley to become the premier program of its kind in the country.”

The additional resources will expand access to Hindi language instruction for both heritage and non-heritage learners while fostering a vibrant intellectual and cultural community. The Jain and Patkar family’s philanthropy will help train the next generation of Hindi scholars, advance research in related disciplines, develop innovative teaching materials, strengthen academic partnerships with institutions in India and around the world, and bring distinguished lecturers, artists, and visiting scholars to campus.

“Perhaps most meaningfully,” said Faruqui, “this gift will be a source of immense pride and inspiration for other South Asian Americans as they consider how to invest in institutions of higher learning that nurture and champion the study of South Asia.”

“Hindi was such an important part of our lives; we wanted to know that it would continue as part of my mom’s legacy,” said Amita. “This is a gateway to having that experience be broader. We felt that was something we wanted to bolster as much as we could.”

Hindi is one of the most widely used languages in the world, with over 600 million native and second-language speakers. Though Hindi is concentrated in northern India, other countries — including Fiji, Nepal, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates — use the language in an official capacity. Almost 900,000 people living in the United States speak Hindi, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Hindi is also closely related to and mutually intelligible with Urdu, which is common in Pakistan and parts of India.

The extraordinary legacy of Hindi language and literature at UC Berkeley began in the 1950s, when renowned linguist and professor John J. Gumperz introduced Hindi instruction. Gumperz wrote extensively on South Asian sociolinguistics and produced the country’s first widely used Hindi-Urdu readers and instructional materials. Gumperz also recruited one of modern Hindi’s towering figures: the writer Sachchidananda Hirananda Vatsyayan, who is often referred to by his pen name, Agyeya. It was Agyeya who personally recommended that the university hire Usha as a teaching assistant.

After a brief post-graduation return to India, Usha and Santosh returned to America. The couple had two young children and no plans to go into teaching. Then, Hindi lecturer Gordon Roadarmel knocked on their door. He was going on sabbatical and hoped Usha would take on his classes at UC Berkeley. She agreed, believing the role to be temporary. Instead, it became her career.

Usha loved teaching, and she was very good at it. She was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award — considered by many faculty to be the top campus recognition one can earn — in 2002. 

“It has been gratifying to teach and to share my culture,” Jain said at the time. “The students are so great, the rewards are so instant; what they learn is immediately visible in their eyes.”

Usha and Santosh also cared deeply about mentorship. At the end of every school year, they would invite Hindi students over for a potluck. They became especially close with Usha’s teaching assistants, treating them like extended family. Some remain good friends with them and their children.

Though Usha was the main impetus for the endowments, Amita and Niteen wanted to recognize her father as well. The couple worked as a team.

“Without the support that he gave my mom, it would have been a lot more challenging for her to do what she did effectively,” Amita said.

Amita described her father as very gregarious. He helped establish Indians for Collective Action, a nonprofit that supports sustainable development in India and the United States. In his home and at campus functions, Santosh would inspire Usha’s students and teaching assistants to pursue career paths with similar organizations.

A couple poses for a photo on a couch. In the background is a monstera plant, a brick wall, and a fireplace.
SANTOSH AND USHA JAIN
Their gift — the largest in the department’s history — will elevate the Hindi Studies Program at UC Berkeley to become the premier program of its kind in the country.
Munis Faruqui
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A smiling woman leans forward on a desk in front of a chalkboard
USHA JAIN IN THE CLASSROOM
Photo by Peg Skorpinski for UC Berkeley
Few individuals have done more to advance the study of Hindi in North America, and her impact will continue to shape the field for generations to come.
Rahul Parson

When Usha began teaching, most of her students were studying Hindi for academic reasons related to their research. Modern student interests are quite diverse. Many want to learn the language to visit India, converse with family members, or enhance their enjoyment of Bollywood films.

Usha experimented with different teaching methods and tools, using slides, films, compact discs, and topical discussions to add cultural context to her lessons. She also developed resources like readers and grammar books that proved so useful, former students in graduate programs and faculty positions would ask her for the materials. Eventually, the University of California published her work as books that are still used at dozens of schools and universities around the world.

“It just happened,” Usha remarked. “Slowly, you work without knowing that it has an impact.”

Usha’s characteristic humility belies the indelible mark she has made on her field. Several universities even invited Usha to provide an expert review of their own Hindi programs. Amita and Santosh recalled occasions when travelers and acquaintances asked if they knew of Usha after learning their last name. That was how the Jains discovered that teachers were using Usha’s books in Italy, Pakistan, and even India.

“Over her 44 years at Berkeley, Usha Jain introduced thousands of students to the Hindi language and inspired many to pursue advanced study and academic careers,” said Rahul Parson, an assistant professor at UC Berkeley. “Many of today’s Hindi professors in the United States were trained by her. I am proud to count myself among them.”

“Few individuals have done more to advance the study of Hindi in North America, and her impact will continue to shape the field for generations to come,” continued Parson.

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Read more about the Berkeley Hindi Initiative.