Our mission is to provide resources and support for the local Asian, South Asian, Pacific Islander American community, and increase the visibility and representation of the Asian American diaspora in Evanston’s civic, cultural and community spaces through the arts.
V. M. Ilahi Baksh
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V. M. Ilahi Baksh was born in Bombay, India. He came to the U.S. to attend Illinois Wesleyan University.
After graduating from Wesleyan in 1911, he came to Evanston to attend Garrett Biblical Seminary.
A skilled orator, Baksh won Northwestern's prestigious Kirk Contest for oratory in 1914 and represented the university in the Northern Oratorical League in 1913.
He also lectured and preached widely, both in Evanston and around the Midwest.
Baksh returned to India and taught at Calcutta University.