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What do you teach at Ca’ Foscari? What are your main research interests? 
I teach five courses: Sanskrit Language, Sanskrit Language Exercises, Pali Language, Marathi Language and Past and Present Caste System. My main research interests are mediaeval and modern ascetic and religious traditions (especially in the Maharashtra region and Dattasampradaya); the institution of the guru; the Sai Baba movement and related hagiographic traditions. I graduated in History at Ca' Foscari (with a History of Religion curriculum) and continued my studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where I obtained an MA and a PhD.

What led you to pursue a research career? What are you most passionate about in your field of study?
At university, my career was firstly historical and religious, which I began under the guidance of Prof. Franco Michelini Tocci, and then I specialised in Indian studies under the guidance of Prof. Mario Piantelli. I have always had a strong interest in historical and religious studies, which I continued to pursue with Prof. G. J. Larson, Indologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, under whose guidance I perfected my knowledge of Sanskrit and Indian philosophical and religious traditions (primarily Samkhya and Yoga) and obtained my PhD. What fascinates me most about the Indian world is the possibility of combining book-based studies with on-site research.

What does teaching at the university mean to you?
Teaching is a great privilege for me. The relationship with the students is one of constant mutual enrichment. I always try to pass on to the students a passion for the study of Indian civilisation and its languages.

You work in a department dealing with non-European worlds: what does working on cultural diversity mean to you in an increasingly interconnected world?
My approach to cultural diversity is primarily language teaching, especially classical Sanskrit. Studying Sanskrit is a privileged and irreplaceable gateway to understanding Indian civilisation. Understanding the language gives students direct access to the sources, which means going in depth, while always putting what they are learning into context in a historical and critical perspective and in a methodologically aware manner.