Ronald Williams Library
Northeastern Illinois University
Acceptable Use Policy 

In fall, 2002, librarians of the Ronald Williams Library identified literature titles by South Asian authors of Indian descent and by Indian-American authors.  This project was suggested by Mohan K. Sood, Dean Emeritus of the Graduate College, Northeastern Illinois University, in a proposal to provide funds to purchase additional books by South Asian authors of Indian descent and by Indian-American authors to be added to the Ronald Williams Library.

The resulting project, The ParamGun Sood Collection,  consists of twentieth and twenty-first century fiction titles by South Asian authors of Indian descent and by Indian-American authors.  The donor hopes to foster a greater understanding, through literature, of the problems and challenges faced by the Indian immigrant experience in America and a better understanding of  the culture, social life, religions and customs of Indian Americans.  Locating existing titles in the Library's collection proved difficult because subject headings assigned to the books of these writers were very diverse and sometimes not obvious.  Staff in the Library have created a simple web page which provides a listing of titles already held and titles which are on order through the generous gift of Dr. Sood in honor of his mother and grandmother.

The Library is pleased to present The ParamGun Sood Collection of Literature by South Asian Indian and Indian American Authors. (Updated 08/15/2007)
 

Notes from our Donor, Mohan K. Sood, Ph.D.:

The Collection honors the life of two women extremely important in my life. The first is my mother Gunvanti  (which means full of goodness) who died when I was three and a half years old. I have only a very faint memory of her. However, my father and other family friends and relatives have told me that she was a woman true to the meaning of her name. The second is my paternal grandmother Parameshwari (which means supreme like the Divine) who raised me. I had a great bond of love and immense devotion to my grandmother. She was not formally educated but was able to flawlessly recite mantras and prayers in Sanskrit from the Hindu Scriptures. That is how she started her every morning in India. The name of the Collection – the ParamGun which means the supreme goodness or excellence - is a synthesis of the names of these women. It is instituted to honor and celebrate their lives.

In her native wisdom, my grandmother inculcated in me the five Points of Value – Education, Work Ethic, Respect for Others, Love and the Duty to Give/Share. These five values have guided me and played an important role in shaping my life, both personally and professionally. My wife Minni and I strongly feel that our greatest achievement is our family nurtured with these values.  The Collection is my way of expressing thanks to the women in my life for bestowing those intangibles - their blessings and good wishes - for harmony in our life. What other way to celebrate and honor them than to name and build a collection of books – a reflection of  excellence of creativity of human mind that fosters continuous learning and education! It is a great personal satisfaction to establish a tradition to continue. I am immensely grateful to the leadership at the Library at Northeastern for accepting my offer. The project has been in the works for almost a year.

Mohan K. Sood, Ph.D.
Dean Emeritus
Northeastern Illinois University

This page was last updated 8/15/2007 DG