Images from the Mittal Institute’s new India Office.
On Thursday, March 11, the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute (the Mittal Institute), Harvard University, officially inaugurated its new India headquarters in New Delhi – a significant milestone for the Institute and the University. The new office is in legendary Connaught Place, an important icon of Delhi’s architectural and commercial heritage.
Key leaders from Harvard and the Institute’s India Advisory Council celebrated the new office space’s occupancy. Harvard University Provost, Alan Garber, and the Vice Provost for International Affairs, Mark Elliott, represented university administration. They were joined by Lakshmi Mittal and Aditya Mittal, representing the family after whom the Institute is named. Also in attendance were other stalwart supporters of the Institute, including Gobind Akoi, KP Balaraj, Rajan Anandan, Radhika Chopra, Sanjay Sharma, and Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
Garber mentioned that the South Asia region is of extreme importance to Harvard and underscored the value of the Delhi office from where faculty and students can engage more effectively with the region. “We want to be a part of what’s going on in South Asia, and we want South Asia to be an important part of Harvard,” said Garber.
Congratulating the Institute for its many achievements in 2020, Lakshmi Mittal shared his appreciation for the progress made and the Mittal family’s ongoing commitment to the Institute’s initiatives.
Tarun Khanna, Director of the Mittal Institute and Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School, said that the New Delhi office is essential especially for situating the Institute’s work in the capital city, “the intellectual beating heart of India.” Giving an overview of the research programs underway in India, he remarked on the excitement for the Institute’s future that will be propelled forward by providing space for scholars and events hosted by the Mittal Institute. The Mittal Institute office’s physical presence in Delhi will strengthen existing collaborations and make possible new partnerships with regional academics, think tanks, policymakers, and the community at large.
This year, the Mittal Institute will run various programs and research projects in India, including but not limited to two large-scale efforts, Reimagining India’s Health System: A Lancet Citizens’ Commission and Program for Conservation of Culture.
Partnering with the world’s leading global health journal, The Lancet, and the Mittal Institute, the Lancet Citizens’ Commission will lay out the path toward universal access to quality and affordable healthcare services in India. The Commission consists of distinguished health and business leaders who have brought together experts from academia, the scientific community, civil society, and private healthcare to serve them on the Commission.
The Program for Conservation of Culture will advance awareness of cultural heritage among cultural professionals and organize resources related to conservation science and technical art history in South Asia. By facilitating network-building with leading global and regional conservation experts, the program will advocate for sharing knowledge and resources in the art and science of conservation practices.
“We want to be a part of what’s going on in South Asia, and we want South Asia to be an important part of Harvard.”