(Image source from: News18.com)

An Indian American professor Pankaj Jain will share his views on religion on Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman’s ‘The Story of God’, the National Geographic documentary series, now in its third season, exploiting how religions around the world have shaped society.

Originally from Rajasthan, Pankaj Jain is an associate professor of philosophy and religion at the University of North Texas. He had traveled to Nepal last year where he joined Freeman to take part in rituals at a Jain temple in Kathmandu.

Their journey and discussion about Jainism will feature in the series' April 9 episode.

Jain holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Iowa and a Master of Arts from Columbia University. He studied computer science in India and has worked as a software engineer in India and New Jersey.

The professor is an active member of several academic and community organizations and has published poems in Hindi.

Jain has been consulted widely by the media around the world for his expertise in ancient religions such as Hinduism and Jainism and their connections to contemporary issues. He also created the University of North Texas's first course on Jainism and has helped organize Jain education events at the university.

Recently, Jain published Science and Socio-Religious Revolution in India: Moving the Mountains, and is also the author of Dharma and Ecology of Hindu Communities: Sustenance and Sustainability," which has won two awards.

By Sowmya Sangam