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Category : Announcements

Many Mahābhāratas: The Work of Nell Shapiro Hawley

Nov 3, 2021 | Announcements, In Region, India, News

Many Mahābhāratas: The Work of Nell Shapiro Hawley

Nell Shapiro Hawley ‘11, a scholar of the Mahābhārata and its early iterations in Sanskrit poetry and drama, is the Preceptor in Sanskrit in the Harvard University Department of South Asian Studies and current Ph.D candidate in South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. She recently released a new book, Many Mahābhāratas (SUNY Press), which she co-edited with Sohini Sarah Pillai. The volume is an introduction to the spectacular and long-lived diversity of Mahābhārata literature in South Asia. The Mahābhārata, with roughly 1.8. million words, is the longest epic poem known. The Mittal Institute sat down with Nell to learn more about her research, and the importance of the book to the landscape of South Asian literature.

Student Spotlight: Can India’s Construction Waste be More Sustainably Trashed?

Nov 3, 2021 | Announcements, In Region, India, News, Students

Student Spotlight: Can India’s Construction Waste be More Sustainably Trashed?

Aakrity Madhan, a Masters of Design Studies candidate in the Harvard Graduate School of Design, received an LMSAI student grant to carry out an in-country study of India’s construction and demolition waste. Her project, “Circularity in Construction and Demolition Waste Management,” explored the life-cycle of waste, and offered some suggestions to lesson its climate impact. She shares her findings in a reflection.

Celebrating Diversity of Culture: A Spotlight on the Harvard South Asian Association

Oct 27, 2021 | Announcements, Community, News, Students

Celebrating Diversity of Culture: A Spotlight on the Harvard South Asian Association

Founded in 1986, the Harvard South Asian Association (SAA) is one of the largest and most active student groups on campus. The focus of their 300 members – who span myriad ethnicities, religions, and interests – is to bring the Harvard community closer to South Asia through academic, political, social, outreach and cultural initiatives. They host more than 100 different events each year to celebrate and foster awareness of South Asia. The Mittal Institute sat down with two of their Board members, Varshini Odayar and Siona Prasad, the co-presidents to learn more about the Harvard SAA and their own place in the student group.

Studying How People Form Beliefs: Explore the Research of Akshay Dixit, Mittal Institute Graduate Student Associate

Oct 27, 2021 | Announcements, Community, Graduate Student Associates, India, News, Students

Studying How People Form Beliefs: Explore the Research of Akshay Dixit, Mittal Institute Graduate Student Associate

Akshay Dixit, a Mittal Institute Graduate Student Associate, is a Ph.D. student of Political Economy & Government at Harvard University. He is a James M. and Cathleen D. Stone PhD Scholar in Inequality and Wealth Concentration, and a recipient of the Amartya Sen Fellowship for Students from India. He is interested in studying how people form beliefs about fairness and inequality, and how that shapes their support for redistributive policies. In ongoing research with Rachel Brulé, he is examining the effect of climate change-induced weather shocks on women’s collective political engagement in Bangladesh. In the past, Akshay has done research on youth civic engagement and accountability in public services, as a Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, and prior to that at Save the Children. He spent two years in Bangladesh as a Research Associate at Innovations for Poverty Action. The Mittal Institute sat down with Akshay to learn more about his research and future aspirations.

Introducing the Inaugural India Fellowship: New Opportunity for Postdoctoral Researchers to be Based at the Mittal Institute’s New Delhi Office

Oct 27, 2021 | Announcements, Community, Fellows, In Region, India, News

Introducing the Inaugural India Fellowship: New Opportunity for Postdoctoral Researchers to be Based at the Mittal Institute’s New Delhi Office

Last week, the Mittal Institute announced the launch of an inaugural India Fellowship. The Fellowship will commence on March 15, 2022, and aims to support research projects that focus on the advancement of public benefit in India. This unique Fellowship offers two (2) postdoctoral researchers in New Delhi the opportunity to work with Harvard Faculty remotely and have remote access to all Harvard libraries. It prioritizes scholars who have never received any opportunities or access to Harvard resources and those whom have primarily been educated at institutions in India. The Mittal Institute sat down with Sanjay Kumar, India Country Director at the Mittal Institute, to learn more about this exciting new opportunity.

Harvard, through Their Eyes: New Visiting Artist Fellows Showcase First Week on Campus

Oct 20, 2021 | Announcements, Community, News, Social Enterprise

Harvard, through Their Eyes: New Visiting Artist Fellows Showcase First Week on Campus

The Mittal Institute welcomed two new VAF Artists, Bunu Dhungana and Pragat Jain, to campus this week, for the start of their eight-week research fellowship at Harvard. The program connects artists from South Asia with Harvard’s intellectual resources, and allows a platform for mid-career artists to conduct independent research that explores critical issues in South Asia through the lens of art and design.

Afghanistan’s Next Transition (VIDEO)

Oct 20, 2021 | Afghanistan, Announcements, In Region, News

Afghanistan’s Next Transition (VIDEO)

This Harvard University panel, co-sponsored by the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute and the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies’ Negotiation Task Force, explored the lead up to the collapse of the Afghan government, as well as what the new Taliban regime means for the future of the country and its people.

Kushagra Nayan Bajaj’s New Gift to LMSAI Remarkably Expands Opportunities for South Asian Scholars

Oct 13, 2021 | Announcements, Community, News, Social Enterprise

Kushagra Nayan Bajaj’s New Gift to LMSAI Remarkably Expands Opportunities for South Asian Scholars

Kushagra Nayan Bajaj, an Indian businessman and Chairman of the Bajaj Group, Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Hindusthan Limited, and Chairman of Bajaj Corp Limited is the benefactor of the Mittal Institute’s newest research fellowship, the Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Trust Visiting Research Fellowship Fund. His support creates a fellowship at the Mittal Institute to deepen the teaching and research on significant cultural issues related to South Asia.

Arvid Bell Previews Oct 15 Talk: Afghanistan’s Next Transition

Oct 13, 2021 | Afghanistan, Announcements, Faculty, In Region, News, South Asia in the News

Arvid Bell Previews Oct 15 Talk: Afghanistan’s Next Transition

On Friday, October 15, the Mittal Institute and the Negotiation Task Force present “Afghanistan’s Next Transition: How we got here, and what comes next,” a focus on the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Discussants will explore the lead up to the collapse of the Afghan government, and what the new Taliban regime means for the future of the country and its people. Arvid Bell spoke with the Mittal Institute about his work, and what we can expect the panelists to cover at the October 15 event. Arvid is a scholar and entrepreneur who specializes in complex conflict analysis, negotiation strategy, and international security. He is lecturer on Government at Harvard University, Director of the Negotiation Task Force at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, and Partner at Negotiation Design & Strategy (NDS), a training, advisory, and research development group.