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Category : In Region

While the Taps Still Run: Rethinking Water Crisis Through Narrative and Practice

Jan 27, 2026 | Fellows, India, News

While the Taps Still Run: Rethinking Water Crisis Through Narrative and Practice

The Mittal Institute hosted a seminar titled “Rethinking Water Crisis, Narrative Designs, and Strategies of Resilience,” marking the end-of-fellowship seminar of Dr. Nobonita Rakshit, India Fellow at the Mittal Institute. The session was chaired by her mentor, Professor Doris Sommer, Ira and Jewel Williams Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University.

Watch Now: The Mittal Institute’s Top Event Videos of 2025

Jan 6, 2026 | Community, In Region, News

Watch Now: The Mittal Institute’s Top Event Videos of 2025

In 2024, the Mittal Institute community came together for virtual and in-person events in Cambridge, New Delhi, and beyond, on a diverse array of topics: a deep dive into the impacts of heat, lectures on ancient architecture and global health, an exploration of Bangladesh’s history and future, and much more. View our curated list of some not-to-be-missed events, and visit our YouTube page for more.

A Space Between Selves Exhibition Explores Identity and Cultural Hybridity

Dec 2, 2025 | Announcements, Arts Program, Fellows, India, News

A Space Between Selves Exhibition Explores Identity and Cultural Hybridity

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.

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.