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Category : India

Mukulika Banerjee: Lessons in Democracy from an Indian Village

Sep 29, 2026 | India, News

Mukulika Banerjee: Lessons in Democracy from an Indian Village

What can life in an Indian village teach us about democracy? In the upcoming Oct 14 talk, “Why Democracy Needs Cultivation: Lessons from an Indian Village”, Professor Mukulika Banerjee of the London School of Economics and Political Science draws on more than 20 years of ethnographic research to explore the connections between democracy, citizenship, farming, and everyday village life. Professor Banerjee’s research focuses on democracy, elections, citizenship, and political life in South Asia. She is the author of Cultivating Democracy: Politics and Citizenship in Agrarian India and Why India Votes?, and her work offers a close look at how democratic practices take shape in the everyday lives of citizens. We spoke with her about her research ahead of the talk, which is co-sponsored by the Mittal Institute and the Asia Center at Harvard University.

Union Health Secretary of India at Harvard

Sep 24, 2026 | India, News

Union Health Secretary of India at Harvard

The Mittal Institute co-hosted a conversation with Punya Salila Srivastava, IAS, Union Health Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, hosted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, on major developments in public health in India. Secretary Srivastava provided an overview of India’s healthcare landscape and recent progress, including reductions in maternal mortality and progress toward Universal Health Coverage. Drawing on examples from across India’s health system, she highlighted efforts to leverage technology to improve health outcomes, strengthen pandemic preparedness, expand access to affordable care, and engage communities in advancing health programs.

Dr. Animesh Bag, Raghunathan Fellow, on Race, Migration, and the Power of Print

Sep 22, 2026 | Fellows, India, News

Dr. Animesh Bag, Raghunathan Fellow, on Race, Migration, and the Power of Print

Dr. Animesh Bag, the Mittal Institute’s Raghunathan Family Fellow, is exploring how American print culture shaped perceptions of India and Indian immigrants in the early twentieth century. He is working with Prof. Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs, Harvard University Department of History. Dr. Bag’s research examines newspapers, magazines, missionary publications, and revolutionary writings to trace how ideas about race, immigration, and belonging were produced and challenged across borders. We spoke with Bag about what brought him to this research, what he is uncovering in the archives, and what these histories can tell us about race, migration, and representation today.

From Chile to Kerala: Exploring Fragmented Citizenship

Sep 22, 2026 | India, News, Students

From Chile to Kerala: Exploring Fragmented Citizenship

As a Mittal Institute student grant recipient, Tara Hein, a PhD student at Harvard, spent summer 2026 in Kerala, India, conducting research for her project, “Seeing like a Citizen: Fragmented Citizenship in Santiago, Chile and Kerala, India.” Her research explores how people’s experiences with the state—particularly when government services and institutions are highly visible but unevenly delivered—shape how they understand and engage with citizenship. Building on interviews conducted in Santiago, Chile, she traveled to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram to further develop her research through interviews with residents in Kerala. She shares more about her summer in her grant report. 

Prof. Rahul Mehrotra’s Work on View in Mumbai and Kabul

Sep 20, 2026 | Afghanistan, India, News, Students

Prof. Rahul Mehrotra’s Work on View in Mumbai and Kabul

From Mumbai to Kabul, Rahul Mehrotra, Mittal Institute steering committee member and the John T. Dunlop Professor in Housing and Urbanization at Harvard GSD, showcased two sides of his work this summer. “Contextures” at TARQ in Mumbai explores the work of RMA Architects, while “The Architectures of Transition” in Kabul highlights 41 emerging architecture practices across South Asia and asks how architecture can respond to a region in transition.

The Lost River: Water as Memory in Bangalore

Sep 3, 2026 | Climate, India, News

The Lost River: Water as Memory in Bangalore

Dr. Tulasi Srinivas, Professor of Anthropology, Religion and Transnational Studies at Emerson College and a Centenary Guggenheim Fellow, was a panelist at the Mittal Institute’s Annual Symposium, Living with Rivers, where she explored the relationship between rivers, design, and urban development. Drawing on her childhood in Bangalore, Srinivas reflects on how a waterway she knew only as a polluted drain was, in fact, a sacred river with deep historical and cultural significance. In the essay below, she traces her journey to uncover the lost Vrishabhavathi River—and reflects on how Bangalore’s transformation has turned a source of life and memory into a conduit for pollution.

Dr. Thiyagaraj Gurunathan, Bajaj Fellow, on Exploring Caste, Contagion, and Medicine in India

Sep 3, 2026 | Fellows, India, News, Students

Dr. Thiyagaraj Gurunathan, Bajaj Fellow, on Exploring Caste, Contagion, and Medicine in India

Dr. Thiyagaraj Gurunathan is the Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Fellow for Fall 2026, working with Prof. David Jones, A. Bernard Ackerman Professor of the Culture of Medicine and Chair of the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University. An early-career researcher at the intersection of health humanities and cultural studies, his work examines the cultural meanings of contagion in South Asia, particularly in India, with a focus on caste, disease, and outbreak narratives. During his fellowship at Harvard, he is drawing on his background in literature and cultural studies to advance his research toward the history of medicine. We spoke with Dr. Gurunathan about his research and his hopes for his fellowship. 

Top Reasons to Visit the Mittal Institute’s India Office During Your Travels

May 21, 2026 | Blog, Community, In Region, India, News

Top Reasons to Visit the Mittal Institute’s India Office During Your Travels

As the summer approaches, the Mittal Institute extends a warm invitation to Harvard’s community to visit the New Delhi Office. Whether using the office space to conduct research, participating in scholarly discussions, or immersing oneself in the vibrant academic milieu of the region, the office offers a unique opportunity to engage with South Asia’s rich cultural heritage and scholarly legacy. The office has planned several events that will connect Harvard with India’s intellectual scene. Come and be a part of it!

From Harvard to Goa: Graduating Harvard Seniors Reflect on Teaching, Leadership, and Learning Through PSIL

May 15, 2026 | Announcements, India, News, Students

From Harvard to Goa: Graduating Harvard Seniors Reflect on Teaching, Leadership, and Learning Through PSIL

As Harvard seniors prepare to graduate this May, three students are reflecting on an experience that took them far beyond the classroom. Liz Zheng, an applied mathematics concentrator; Kat Ravichandran, who is pursuing a double concentration in computer science and philosophy; and Brooke Decho, who is studying engineering sciences, participated in this year’s Program for Scientifically-Inspired Leadership (PSIL) in Goa, India — an immersive educational initiative supported in part by the Mittal Institute.