In an unusual grant, the Indian government is providing $1.5-million to set up the “Indian Ministry of Culture Vivekananda Chair” at the University of Chicago, reports the Indian Press Information Bureau. The contribution is to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Vivekananda, a Hindu philosopher credited with spreading the Hindu religion to Western countries. He represented India at the 1893 Parliament of the World’s Religions, which was held in Chicago, and conducted hundreds of lectures on Hinduism’s main texts, the Vedas, and yoga. Under the terms of the agreement, “the University of Chicago will take into an account the feedback from the government of India before making its final selection from the pool of selected candidates.”