This spring, the Mittal Institute hosted a range of programs spanning critical issues across South Asia, from examining the role of rivers in India’s cultural and environmental landscape to rethinking design solutions for extreme heat. Explore recordings from standout events below, and visit our Mittal Institute YouTube page for more conversations and lectures.
Annual Cambridge Symposium: Living with Rivers
The Mittal Institute Annual Symposium 2026 marks the launch of an ambitious new interdisciplinary effort, Living with Rivers, which brings together experts across ecology, climate science, law, anthropology, public health, business, architecture and urban planning, engineering, and religion and culture. The project explores the interdependence of people and river systems, asking a central question: How well is South Asia living with its rivers?
Exhibition Launch: Swapnaa Tamhane, Mittal Institute South Asian Arts Fellow
Artist, curator, and writer Swapnaa Tamhane joined the Mittal Institute to launch her exhibition and discuss a practice rooted in material histories, textile traditions, and collaborative making. In conversation with Harvard art historian Jinah Kim, Tamhane reflected on her research into cotton, jute, and craft traditions in India, and explored how her work challenges colonial distinctions between art, craft, and design. The discussion offered insights into material memory, labor, ornamentation, and the role of artistic practice in rethinking cultural histories.
Between Comfort and Heat Stress: The Hidden Burden of Everyday Heat
This panel explored how heat is actually experienced in daily life – inside homes, workplaces, and cities. Drawing on perspectives from building science, urban design, and environmental health, Profs. Rajan Rawal and Gary Adamkiewicz examined how everyday environments shape thermal exposure, behavior, and health. Moderated by Prof. Rahul Mehrotra, the discussion highlighted gaps between measured conditions and lived experience, and considered how design, infrastructure, and policy can better address the growing burden of heat where people live and work.
Rethinking Nutrition and Food Systems for Planetary Health in South Asia
This webinar brought together leading experts in nutrition, epidemiology, and food policy to examine the relevance, feasibility, and equity implications of planetary health diets in South Asia. With moderator S.V. Subramanian, Professor of Population Health and Geography, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Speakers: Shilpa Bhupathiraju, Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Purnima Menon, Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy and Acting Senior Director, Transformation Strategy, International Food Policy Research Institute; Walter Willett, Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.