Generous donations from late Perth cardiologist Dr Krishna Somers are helping Murdoch University academics to achieve highly in their research and teaching in diasporas, digital humanities and postcolonial literature.

Dr Somers’ support for this important area of study began 17 years ago with a $100,000 donation to the University.

Investment returns from this donation were used to bring more than 70 scholars from Australia and around the world to deliver seminars on post-colonial literature, diaspora theory and multiculturalism - topics that were of special interest to Dr Somers.

In 2015, Dr Somers made an additional gift to Murdoch to support the establishment of The Krishna Somers Lectureship, enabling research and teaching achievement in this area to blossom.

Since beginning his role as The Krishna Somers Lecturer in English and Postcolonial Literature in January 2018, Dr Rahul K Gairola has published seven peer reviewed articles, four book chapters and three book reviews. He has also completed a co-edited journal special issue on Digital Spatiality in Asia and a co-authored book entitled Migration, Gender and Home Economics in Rural North India, which is scheduled to be published by Taylor & Francis this summer.

In addition, Dr Gairola has successfully applied for a number of internal and external research grants, including two from the German Academic Exchange (DAAD), and has been invited to deliver guest lectures on postcolonial digital humanities in Australia, India, Germany, South Africa and the United States.

Research and teaching opportunities

Before him, Dr Helena Kadmos served as The Krishna Somers Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr Kadmos said the research and teaching opportunities provided by Dr Somers’ donations exceeded the levels available to many early career researchers. She achieved six publications, co-founded a creative writing workshop for the community and was awarded the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Early Career category in 2017.

Dr Somers’ legacy also means that since 2015, Professor Vijay Mishra, a world-renowned expert on literary and cultural studies, has had time to develop and complete major projects, including two books on Salman Rushdie, 10 book chapters and another eight journal articles.

Professor Mishra is also working on an Australian Research Council-funded Discovery Grant project on the Nobel Laureate V S Naipaul.  He expects to complete a first draft of the book by the middle of next year.

Dr Somers passed away in October 2018. At his post-funeral valedictory, Professor Mishra spoke about a chapter on the odyssey of indenture that he co-authored with Dr Somers. In it, Dr Somers reflected on his difficult journey from the detritus of indenture in apartheid South Africa to graduating as a doctor at the University of Witwatersrand, then the only university in South Africa that enrolled students of colour, and these had to be quite exceptional students. Himself a product of working class indenture ethos, Professor Mishra understood that history very well. 

“In the humanities, Dr Somers’ generosity is very rare,” Professor Mishra said.

“His example has enabled myself and other academics in the arts discipline to undertake research without placing extra demands on University funding.”

Dr Gairola said the scholarly output enabled by the funding was building knowledge across a range of connected disciplines.

I feel, after meeting him, that Dr Somers would have been excited about and proud of what his generous donations have empowered us to achieve.

“We will continue to ensure that his philanthropic legacy lives on in our research and throughout our work with colleagues, undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students,” Dr Gairola said.