On behalf of the team at the Mittal Institute, our hearts are with the people of Afghanistan, who are reeling in the wake of new unrest. Over the past few decades, the people of Afghanistan have experienced large-scale and ongoing violence and conflict, with recent events only adding to this turmoil and resulting suffering. Our thoughts are with the Afghan people as they look to chart a new path forward – with the necessary support from their partners in the international community – to address their needs, and ensure that the rights and safety of the most vulnerable in their midst are upheld and respected. During this crisis, the Mittal Institute would like to bring attention to how our community can stay informed on what’s developing in Afghanistan, and ways that they can help.
Since its inauguration in 2017, the Crossroads Emerging Leaders Program (CELP) has been devoted to engendering a transformation in the lives of first-in-family college students globally. By providing an array of educational resources, direct connections to Harvard faculty, mentorship opportunities, and affinity networks, CELP identifies and supports young people around the world in reimagining their academic and professional futures, fostering “success” through locally-grown, aspirational narratives, and in the process, building cohorts of next-generation leaders. This past month marked the conclusion of the fourth iteration—and second virtual iteration – of the program.
Art is a lifeblood of society, and its place at the Mittal Institute is stewarded through an Arts Program that offers such programming as the annual Visiting Artist Fellowship (VAF). This eight-week research fellowship at Harvard connects artists from South Asia with Harvard’s intellectual resources. The Fellowship provides a platform for four mid-career artists to conduct independent research that explores critical issues in South Asia through the lens of art and design. Interested applicants can now apply to join the Spring 2022 cohort – applications are due on Tuesday, August 10, 2021.
Meena Sonea Hewett, Executive Director of the Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute at Harvard (MI) has spent the past decade growing and cultivating the work of the Institute both at Harvard and across South Asia. Now, as she departs the University, we spoke with Meena about her past 10 years of service, and her most important achievements.
Satchit Balsari, Assistant Professor in Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Steering Committee member of the Mittal Institute, co-authored a comment in The Lancet on evidence-based, affordable interventions to manage COVID-19 in India. His co-authors include a range of other medical professionals: Zarir Udwadia, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, P.D. Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Center, Mumbai, India (ZU); Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Breach Candy Hospitals & Research Centers, Mumbai, India; Ahmed Shaikh, Department of Emergency Medicine, New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA; Abdul Ghafur, Department of Infectious Diseases, Apollo Cancer Hospital, Chennai, India; and Sushila Kataria, Department of Internal Medicine, Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon, India.
The Mittal Institute recently concluded the 2020–2021 Visiting Artist Fellowship, which annually brings four mid-career visual artists to Cambridge to engage with Harvard faculty and students, participate in art exhibitions, and perform research using Harvard’s intellectual resources to further their art practice. Due to COVID-related programming changes this year, the fellowship was reimagined, bringing 13 of the top applicants from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nepal to the virtual world for a series of four online seminars curated to support the artists’ long-term practice. In these courses, the artists participated in thought-provoking discussions centering on art history, creative writing, urban design, and more, with both their peers and the expert facilitating the class. For the final installment of the VAF Lecture Series, the Mittal Institute welcomed Asim Waqif, a Delhi-based artist whose international work revolves around architecture, ecology and design.
Hansong Li recently joined the Mittal Institute as a Graduate Student Associate for 2021-2022. He is a political scientist and intellectual historian in the Government Department at Harvard University. His research explores the languages and practices of interstate justice in South Asia, in comparison to East Asian and European traditions. As a Graduate Student Associate, Hansong will conduct further research on behalf of the Mittal Institute, focused on South Asia. The Mittal Institute sat down with Hansong to learn more about his background, his research motivations, and career aspirations.
On May 13, the Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System held a joint webinar with the Lancet COVID-19 Commission India Task Force on “The COVID-19 Crisis in India: What is the Way Forward?” The webinar, the first in a new series, engaged academics, practitioners and the public about the recent COVID-19 pandemic surge in India. The discussion focused on the short and long-term actions that are needed to address the impact
In a conversation with the Mittal Institute this week, Naiza Khan, a visual artist who splits her time between London and Karachi, explored the impact of the pandemic on her creative processes and methods of making art. This past year, COVID-19 drastically changed the landscape of possibilities for modes of working and presented new opportunities to engage in making work alongside other artists.
A brief history of the South Asian Poets of New England (SAPNE) and an interview with one of its core committee members
Three in four emerging infectious diseases are spread to humans from animals. Yet, the nature of our relationship with animals and the forces that drive this risk are only now beginning to come into focus. Our research, led by the Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard Law School, operates at the intersection of public health, conservation, and animal welfare to better understand these connections and what can be done to prevent future outbreaks.