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Summer Reading Recommendations

Summer Reading Recommendations

Summer is the perfect time to slow down with a good book, and our Graduate Student Associates have some great recommendations to inspire your next read. From climate displacement, to questions of identity, to stories set in 1980s Sri Lanka, their picks span a wide range of themes and perspectives. There’s something here for every reader. Happy reading!

Celebrating Harvard’s South Asian Community at Commencement 2025

Celebrating Harvard’s South Asian Community at Commencement 2025

From exploring social inequalities to bridging medicine and science, Harvard’s Class of 2025 is filled with graduates pursuing bold, world-changing ideas. We’ve curated a selection of standout profiles featuring South Asian graduates from across Harvard’s schools. While not exhaustive, this list offers a glimpse into the diverse paths these students are taking. Congratulations to the Harvard University Class of 2025!

Nasir Uddin on ‘Subhuman Lives’ and the Politics of Genocide Denial

Nasir Uddin on ‘Subhuman Lives’ and the Politics of Genocide Denial

The Mittal Institute welcomes Professor Nasir Uddin, a Visiting Scholar from the Department of Anthropology at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, where he is a senior faculty member. He is a cultural anthropologist who will be working in our offices through mid-summer on a theoretical, comparative and ethnographic understanding of the “politics of genocide denial.” We spoke with Professor Nasir Uddin to learn more about his research.

The Mittal Institute’s 2025 Seed for Change Winners

The Mittal Institute’s 2025 Seed for Change Winners

Focused on innovation and entrepreneurship, the Mittal Institute’s annual Seed for Change (SFC) competition awards funding to bold, creative ideas developed by Harvard students with the potential to drive meaningful impact in India. Meet this year’s grand prize winner, The Paal, who is working to empower smallholder farmers, particularly women, to own insured, high-quality cattle by turning livestock into a retail investment asset class.

The Mittal Institute’s Summer 2025 Student Grant Recipients

The Mittal Institute’s Summer 2025 Student Grant Recipients

Each semester, the Mittal Institute offers grants to Harvard students to further their research, language study, or internship opportunities. This coming summer 2025, 12 students were awarded grants to carry out projects across five countries. Their work spans a wide range of topics, from examining antibiotic access in India, to studying death and dying in Tibetan Buddhism, to immersing themselves in the languages of Pashto, Sanskrit, and Tamil.

South Asia Institute Condolences on Pahalgam

For fifteen years, the South Asia Institute at Harvard University has worked in India and other parts of South Asia to advance scholarship and research, seeking to connect Harvard to India and to the wider region, advancing mutual understanding and improving lives....

Climate Change and Maternal Health: A Student Grant Report from Saravanan Thangarajan

Climate Change and Maternal Health: A Student Grant Report from Saravanan Thangarajan

Saravanan Thangarajan, Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery Candidate at Harvard Medical School, traveled to Tamil Nadu this winter to explore the impact of climate change on maternal and infant health. Supported by a Mittal Institute Winter Research Grant, he interviewed mothers struggling to protect their children from heat, air pollution, and other environmental stressors. Below, Saravanan shares findings from his research and how the experience will impact his future academic path.

Teaching Through Art: How Pre-Texts is Transforming Education in India

Teaching Through Art: How Pre-Texts is Transforming Education in India

Pre-Texts is an arts-based training program that promotes literacy, critical thinking, and citizenship by having students interpret teaching through creative expression. Developed by Harvard’s Doris Sommer, Mittal Institute steering committee member and the Ira and Jewell Williams Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, it’s now active in South Asia, aligning with India’s mandate for arts-integrated education and helping teachers put policy into practice.