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Category : In Region


Harvard Faculty Convene New Series on the Indian Elections 2024: A Q&A

Harvard Faculty Convene New Series on the Indian Elections 2024: A Q&A

2024 is a significant election year globally with more voters than ever before heading to the polls. India will hold the largest election of them all and is one of several South Asian countries to have national votes this year. This four-part series – led by Harvard Professors Arunabh Ghosh, Maya Jasanoff and Vatsal Naresh – will feature cutting-edge scholars across the social sciences and media who will come together over the next two months to provoke discussions about democracy, the press, and diasporic politics that resonate with parallel trends in the U.S., Asia, and globally. We spoke with the three event conveners for more on the ideation of the series, and what we can expect from the discussion. 

LMSAI Fellow Muhammad Imran Mehsud on the Politics of the Indus River

LMSAI Fellow Muhammad Imran Mehsud on the Politics of the Indus River

The Mittal Institute’s Syed Babar Ali Fellow, Muhammad Imran Mehsud comes to Cambridge from Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan, where he is an Assistant Professor of International Relations. He is an expert on South Asian transboundary hydropolitics and his research project at the Mittal Institute examines the effectiveness of the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 in settling contemporary transboundary water issues between India and Pakistan. We spoke with Imran about his research, and his plans for his time at Harvard.

Student Group Spotlight: Afghanistan Caucus at the Harvard Kennedy School

Student Group Spotlight: Afghanistan Caucus at the Harvard Kennedy School

This academic year, there are two new Afghan student groups on campus: the Afghanistan Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Afghan Students’ Association at Harvard College. The Mittal Institute spoke with Sal Parsa, co-founder of the Afghanistan Caucus, about their inaugural event on February 20 and further plans to foster a sense of unity and purpose among Afghan students and alumni.

On Climate and Health in Bangladesh: A Q&A

On Climate and Health in Bangladesh: A Q&A

Sabina Faiz Rashid is a medical anthropologist and currently Professor and Chair of Health and Poverty at BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is also the principal in-region investigator of Mittal Institute’s CLIMATE ADAPTATION IN SOUTH ASIA project, an interdisciplinary project that seeks to advance climate adaptation research and implementation at the household, community, state and federal levels in South Asia, particularly in the context of climate-driven migration.

Todd Lewis on the Revival of Newar Buddhism in Nepal

Todd Lewis on the Revival of Newar Buddhism in Nepal

The Harvard Buddhist Studies Forum launched its spring semester events series with a February 7 talk by Todd Lewis, Distinguished Professor of Arts and Humanities at the College of the Holy Cross and Research Associate in Harvard’s Department of Sanskrit and Indian Studies. His talk, co-sponsored by LMSAI, explored “Reconfiguration and Revival: Newar Buddhist Traditions in the Kathmandu Valley (and Beyond).” We spoke with Todd to learn more about the motivations behind his research on South Asian religions, and what society can glean from their teachings

Richard Cash on Solving Dehydration

Richard Cash on Solving Dehydration

“A solution that can’t be applied,” says Professor Richard Cash, Senior Lecturer on Global Health at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health and LMSAI Steering Committee member, “is really no solution at all.” He shares more on his cholera dehydration life-saving solution that he and his colleagues first developed in Bangladesh — a solution that is credited with saving tens of millions of lives worldwide. Their oral rehydration therapy (ORT) is a mix of salt, sugar, and water and has helped patients return to their hydrated state as quickly as they had sickened.

Previewing the 21st Annual India Conference at Harvard

Previewing the 21st Annual India Conference at Harvard

The annual student-led India Conference at Harvard returns to campus for its 21st year on February 17 and 18, with experts from various sectors including business, economy and culture offering insight into India’s current landscape and future. We spoke to two of the four co-organizers, Ananya Chhaochharia (Harvard Kennedy School) and Ishaan Poddar (Harvard Business School) to understand the goals of the conference, and unpack this year’s theme, “India Rising.”

Intensive Hindi Study Trip to India

Intensive Hindi Study Trip to India
This past May, Richard Delacy, Preceptor of Hindi-Urdu, Department of South Asian Studies, Harvard University trekked the foothills of the Himalayas, where he and students from his Hindi-Urdu language class were immersed in an intensive language-learning experience....