Professor Emeritus
Along with my interest in technology, I have a great interest in the area of nourishment for the individual and a society that is sustainable. I grew up in New Delhi, India where my parents had moved to after India’s partition. My parents came from farm families and although our farm from my father’s side was lost as it was in Pakistan, I feel fortunate that the farm on my mother’s side is still running and is in our family.
I express my interest in sustainable nourishment by leading a group of undergraduate students to the city of Amritsar in India. The program, “Sustainable Nourishment: Lessons from the Golden Temple,” runs through the Global Intercultural Experience for Undergraduates (GIEU) at the University of Michigan. At the Harmandir Sahib (called the Golden Temple due to the gold covered central temple), everyday about 60,000 meals are shared by people from all walks of life. Our group explores how this program works where no one is charged for the meal but people contribute voluntarily through money, labor, food, etc. The community meal is called “langar” or anchor and has been ongoing at the Golden Temple since 1604.
I see food from a multi-dimensional point of view. It keeps the physical body healthy, but also builds communities. I feel a multi-dimensional view of food encourages one to eat healthy foods while also preventing one from falling into the trap of eating “only the perfect food”.
I am also very interested in the role technologies of Smartphones and mobile sensors can play in sustainable nourishment. It is understood that nearly half of the world’s food production does not reach a mouth. This arises from the losses that occur during harvesting, distributing, shopping, preparing, etc. Moreover, a majority of the global population over-consumes food which leads to unhealthy bodies while there is still food scarcity around the world. I am very interested in developing Smartphone based technologies that can allow people to have easy conduits to giving to their communities, access to healthy food, education about healthy food and preparation, and use of food to demolish barriers between people.
