India Archives • The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute

On the Front Lines of the World’s Largest Gathering: Professor Tiona Zuzul at the Maha Kumbh Mela

Apr 15, 2025 | Faculty, In Region, India, News

Kumbh Mela, one of the largest human gatherings on the planet, is a monumental Hindu pilgrimage and religious festival held in India every 12 years. An even more rare and significant version, the “Maha Kumbh Mela,” occurs just once every 144 years—the most recent taking place in February 2025. Tiona Zuzul, who also attended the recent Maha Kumbh Mela, shared a dispatch from her experience in the Mittal Institute.

Harvard Faculty Visit Ahmedabad, India, to Understand Extreme Heat Impacts

Apr 3, 2025 | Climate, Faculty, India, News

In advance of the Mittal Institute’s major New Delhi conference last month, “India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future,” a group of nearly two dozen Harvard faculty, affiliates, and climate philanthropists spent two days on an extreme heat immersion trip in the city of Ahmedabad, India. The two days provided unique opportunities to dive more deeply into heat adaptation policies and practices in India, both centuries-old and modern.

India 2047: Four-day convening in New Delhi brings together 180 scholars to advance climate resilience in India and beyond

Apr 3, 2025 | Climate, Community, Faculty, India, News

From March 19-22, more than 180 scholars and experts from Harvard and around the world gathered in New Delhi, India, for one of the largest events Harvard has ever hosted outside the United States. Leading experts in climate science, public health, medicine, labor, business, agriculture, and urban planning convened for “India 2047 – Building a Climate-Resilient Future,” a series of interdisciplinary dialogues on advancing climate resilience.

Goa-ing the Extra Mile: A Journey of Learning Together Through PSIL

Mar 25, 2025 | In Region, India, News, Students

The Program for Scientifically-Inspired Leadership (PSIL) brings together Harvard undergraduates, local college students from India, and underprivileged high school students in India for a week-long residential learning experience. Merlin D’souza ’25, Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology and Global Health and Health Policy, was part of the five-person Harvard undergraduate cohort, and she shares her own dispatch, below.

Filmmakers Preview “Seed Stories,” A Documentary on Sustainability, Biodiversity, and Changing Food Systems

Mar 18, 2025 | Community, In Region, India, News

The documentary “Seed Stories,” which will be screened at the Mittal Institute on Monday, March 31, is a powerful and thought-provoking narrative on sustainability amid the rise of genetically modified crops and hazardous herbicides.

Bridging the Gender Gap in Rural India Healthcare: Madhavi Jha ’25 Shares Student Grant Update

Mar 18, 2025 | India, News, Students

Madhavi Jha, a doctoral student in Economics, spent this past winter in Suri, India, conducting research for her project, “Addressing Gender Disparities in the Diagnosis of NCDs in Rural India.” Supported by a Mittal Institute Student Grant, her work examines gender disparities in diagnosing and treating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in rural India, with a particular focus on men’s lower engagement in preventive healthcare.

From India to the World: Student-Led India Conference at Harvard Showcases Country’s Rising Global Influence

Mar 12, 2025 | Community, India, News, Students

The annual India Conference at Harvard is a student-led initiative that delves into India’s dynamic diversity and its growing influence on the world stage. For over 22 years, students from across Harvard’s schools have brought together thought leaders from business, economics, education, and culture to provide a comprehensive view of India’s present and future trajectory.

Harvard Researchers Broaden Study on Extreme Heat’s Effects on Health and Livelihoods

Mar 11, 2025 | Climate, India, News

Climate projections indicate that South Asia will face an increasing number of extremely hot days, posing severe direct and indirect threats to human health and livelihoods. However, traditional temperature measurements—whether from weather stations or satellites—fail to capture the localized effects of extreme heat. Enter the Heat Adaptation and Treatment Strategies (CommunityHATS) study, an initiative that follows hundreds of women working in the informal economy across a variety of indoor and outdoor environments in South Asia to provide a granular understanding of how extreme heat and humidity are truly experienced at the community level.

Ranjitsinh Disale, Harvard Ed.M. Student and Global Teacher Prize Winner, on Transforming Education in India

Mar 5, 2025 | India, News, Students

The Mittal Institute spoke with Ranjitsinh Disale, an M.Ed. student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Global Teacher Prize Winner 2020. He reflects on his journey since winning the award for transforming education for young girls at Zilla Parishad Primary School in Paritewadi, Solapur, Maharashtra, India, and the driving forces behind his work.

On Birth, Transformation, and Divinity: Previewing the “Birthing the Goddess” Book Talk

Feb 25, 2025 | Community, India, News

On March 4, the Mittal Institute will host an author talk on Birthing the Goddess: The Feminine and the Idea of Birth with three of the book’s five authors. This collection of essays explore birthing myths and traditions from the research of five close friends who have a common interest in the mysteries of the Feminine Divine. We spoke with one of the authors, Stella Dupuis, who gave us a preview of the talk and some insight into the book.

Rethinking India’s Digital Health Ecosystem: An Update on the Work of the India Digital Health Net

Feb 10, 2025 | Faculty, India, News

For the past seven years, the India Digital Health Net (IDHN)—an interdisciplinary team of experts from medicine, computer science, data science, and law based at Harvard and in India–has contributed to shaping India’s evolving digital health ecosystem. This year, IDHN achieved two significant milestones. In the essay below, Dr. Verghese Thomas, Assistant Professor of Research in the Division of Medical Informatics at St. John’s Research Institute and Associate of the Mittal Institute, provides further insights.

HUM SAB EK (We Are One) Continues Global Journey with Stop at The World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC

Feb 7, 2025 | COVID-19, India, News

In January 2025, the HUM SAB EK (We Are One) exhibition was showcased at The World Bank Headquarters’ Glass Gallery and the main atrium in Washington, DC. It marks the second stop of this traveling exhibition outside Harvard University after a visit at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City in September.

Category : India