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Tresa Abraham, Mittal Institute Raghunathan Family Fellow, on How Wild Animals Shaped Power in Colonial India

Nov 25, 2025 | Announcements, Fellows, India, News

Tresa Abraham, Mittal Institute Raghunathan Family Fellow, on How Wild Animals Shaped Power in Colonial India

Tresa Abraham, a cultural historian of colonial South Asia with a foundation in literary studies, is the Mittal Institute’s newest Raghunathan Family Fellow. Tresa’s research focus is on the use of wild animals in power negotiations in colonial India. Trained in English literary studies, she approaches the colonial past with a literary lens, weaving together histories of animals, humans, and the empire. We spoke with Tresa about her research, and what she hopes to focus on during her fellowship at Harvard.

Climate Extremes and Maternal Well-Being: Lessons from Tamil Nadu, South India

Nov 13, 2025 | Announcements, Associates, Climate, India, News

Climate Extremes and Maternal Well-Being: Lessons from Tamil Nadu, South India

As heatwaves intensify and rainfall patterns shift, the effects of climate change in South Asia are no longer confined to the environment; they’re reshaping lives in deeply personal ways. A new India Development Review article, “In Tamil Nadu, Climate Extremes Are Reshaping Maternal Well-being,” by Mittal Institute Associate Dr. Saravanan Thangarajan explores how these environmental stresses are affecting maternal mental health across India. The research, supported by the Mittal Institute and building upon collaborations from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, offers powerful insights into the intersection of climate, health, and gender. Dr. Thangarajan, a Visiting Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Ariadne Labs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, gave us an introduction to his article and shared some images from his fieldwork in Tamil Nadu. 

Reflections on Workplace Mental Health: A Formal and Informal Workforce Perspective

Nov 13, 2025 | India, News

Reflections on Workplace Mental Health: A Formal and Informal Workforce Perspective

The webinar, “Reflections on Workplace Mental Health: A Formal and Informal Workforce Perspective,” convened prominent voices from academia, policy, and worker organizations to discuss the critical importance of mental health in both formal and informal work settings. The discussion highlighted how different workplace contexts influence well-being and what steps are needed to build more supportive environments for workers.

Designing for Heat Resilience: Ultra-Low Cost Solutions for Overheating and Sleep Disruption in South Asian Homes

Nov 4, 2025 | Announcements, Climate, Faculty, India, News

Designing for Heat Resilience: Ultra-Low Cost Solutions for Overheating and Sleep Disruption in South Asian Homes

Rising temperatures are pushing Indian cities to the limits of human comfort, with residents in rooftop rooms particularly affected by extreme heat trapped under concrete roofs. To address these challenges, the project “Ultra-Low Cost Solutions for Overheating and Sleep
Disruption in South Asian Homes” was initiated with support from a Mittal Institute Faculty Research grant.

Beyond the Surface: Rinan Shah and Nobonita Rakshit Reframe India’s Water Crisis Through Boundaries, Gender, and Storytelling

Oct 28, 2025 | Associates, Climate, Fellows, India, News

Beyond the Surface: Rinan Shah and Nobonita Rakshit Reframe India’s Water Crisis Through Boundaries, Gender, and Storytelling

Two India Fellows, Rinan and Nobonita, at the Mittal Institute, explore water through the lenses of governance, gender, and narrative has opened new ways of understanding this crisis. Instead of starting with scarcity as a number, their works ask us to see water as lived experience: shaped by boundaries, by politics, and by stories.

Dr. Eugene Richardson on Climate Vulnerability in Nepal

Oct 15, 2025 | Announcements, Faculty, Faculty Climate Grants, Nepal, News

Dr. Eugene Richardson on Climate Vulnerability in Nepal

Nepal is acutely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, grappling with rising temperatures and an increasing frequency of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and landslides. These environmental stresses pose significant threats not only to infrastructure and livelihoods, but also to cultural heritage, biodiversity, and long-term habitability. To better understand the human dimensions of this crisis, Professor Eugene Richardson, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is leading a research project that examines how local communities in Nepal perceive climate risks. His project, “Climate Change, Loss and Damage, and Habitability in Nepal,” is one of the inaugural recipients of the Mittal Institute’s new Faculty Climate Grant program.

Informal Enterprises in India: Bridging Data, Policy, and Action for Inclusive Growth

Oct 14, 2025 | Faculty, India, News, Social Enterprise

Informal Enterprises in India: Bridging Data, Policy, and Action for Inclusive Growth

To better understand the significance, characteristics and performance of informal enterprises, particularly those operated by women, a project entitled “Enterprises in India” was launched with support from a Mittal Institute Faculty Research grant. The project is by Martha (Marty) Chen, Associate of the Mittal South Asia Institute at Harvard University and former professor at Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Renana Jhabvala, President of SEWA Bharat, who have worked together for over 40 years – bridging activism, statistics, research and policy – to support livelihoods and enterprises in the informal economy, both in India and around the world.

Hitesh Vaidya, Visiting Artist Fellow, on Collective Memory in the Everyday

Sep 29, 2025 | Announcements, Arts Program, Nepal, News

Hitesh Vaidya, Visiting Artist Fellow, on Collective Memory in the Everyday

Hitesh Vaidya, the Mittal Institute’s newest Visiting Artist Fellow, is a visual artist and cultural practitioner based in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Vaidya’s practice explores how everyday objects, spaces, and rituals quietly shape collective memory, bridging traditional culture with contemporary life. Drawing on the lived histories of Bhaktapur, Kathmandu, and Patan, Vaidya interprets the city through its domestic rhythms, communal architectures, and interpersonal relationships. We spoke with him about his work and what he hopes to explore during his fellowship.

From Boston to Ahmedabad: Experts Share Strategies on Heat, Work, and Resilience

Sep 24, 2025 | Climate, India, News

From Boston to Ahmedabad: Experts Share Strategies on Heat, Work, and Resilience

A multi-country session, titled ‘Protecting Workers in Heat Action Plans’ hosted by The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard, The Harvard Center for African Studies’ Africa Office, and The Center for Labor and a Just Economy at Harvard Law School brought together experts from India, South Africa, and the United States to address the urgent intersections of labor, climate, and resilience. 

From Classroom to Culture: John Weaver ’26 Explores Sanskrit in Pune

Sep 22, 2025 | Announcements, India, News, Students

From Classroom to Culture: John Weaver ’26 Explores Sanskrit in Pune

John Weaver ‘26, a triple concentrator in History of Art and Architecture, South Asian Studies, and English, spent his summer in Pune, India, at the American Institute of Indian Studies Summer Sanskrit Language Program. This 8-week program consisted of Sanskrit courses and occasional cultural immersion outings. John shared more about his summer with us in the interview below.