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Video Preview: Khusrau’s River of Love at Harvard Worldwide Week

Video Preview: Khusrau’s River of Love at Harvard Worldwide Week

The Mittal Institute is excited to announce its participation in 24 Hours of Harvard (24hH), organized by the Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs (OVPIA) at Harvard University during the Worldwide Week at Harvard 2020. As part of this event, the Mittal Institute will be hosting an online session entitled, “Khusrau’s River of Love: Cosmopolitanism and Inclusion in South Asian Traditions,” which will include performances by noted artists from South Asia, Ali Sethi and Himanshu Bajpai. The performances will be interspersed with analysis and commentary by Ali Asani, Murray A. Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures at Harvard University, who will also moderate a live Q&A session with Ali Sethi and Himanshu Bajpai following the performances.

Podcast: The Sikh Period and the Forgotten Architecture of Lahore

Podcast: The Sikh Period and the Forgotten Architecture of Lahore

In our latest India In-Focus podcast created with the Times of India, Shubhangi Bhadada, Mittal Institute Research Fellow, and Nadhra Khan, Associate Professor at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences of Lahore University of Management Sciences, discuss the pre-Partition architecture of Lahore, how it has been forgotten or ignored, and the importance of remembering such buildings.

Rajeeb Samdani: Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh, from the Pandemic to the Future

Rajeeb Samdani: Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh, from the Pandemic to the Future

Recently, the Mittal Institute held a webinar to delve into entrepreneurship in South Asia amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We spoke with webinar panelist Rajeeb Samdani — Managing Director of Golden Harvest Group, Co-Founder and Trustee of the Samdani Art Foundation, and a member of the Mittal Institute’s Arts Advisory Council — to learn more about how the pandemic has impacted business in Bangladesh, as well as the nation’s many unique qualities that have quickly made it an economic powerhouse in the region.

Video: Entrepreneurs and the COVID-19 Global Reset in South Asia

Video: Entrepreneurs and the COVID-19 Global Reset in South Asia

The Mittal Institute’s latest panel webinar, “Entrepreneurs and the COVID-19 Global Reset in South Asia,” was moderated by Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at Harvard Business School and Director of the Mittal Institute. Together, the panelists delved into the impact of the COVID-19 maelstrom across South Asia on enterprises. They explored the extent to which entrepreneurs have been able to work with both the state and civil society to limit the damage and distress caused by the pandemic, but also to begin exploring new opportunities that a possible “global reset” has opened up to the developing world.

Intern Spotlight: Alex Sanyal

Intern Spotlight: Alex Sanyal

The Mittal Institute’s interns come from diverse places and backgrounds, yet each share the drive and ambition to serve their communities and perform research to advance the greater good of our increasingly linked world. Their unique experiences and skills have been invaluable to our team, and we’d like to take the time to recognize and thank our graduating seniors. Although they will not be walking, it is more important than ever to share their stories and accomplishments. Introducing: Alex Indira Sanyal! A Boston native, Alex will be graduating this month with a Masters in Design Studies (MDes) in Critical Conservation from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. We caught up with Alex to learn more about her experience as a graduate student at Harvard, and how her graduate research and life as a student have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Video: The Response to COVID-19 in South Asia

Video: The Response to COVID-19 in South Asia

Last week, the Mittal Institute held a panel webinar, “The Response to COVID-19 in South Asia,” moderated by Dr. Vikram Patel, Pershing Square Professor of Global Health at Harvard Medical School. Together, the panelists discussed the impact of the policy response to COVID-19 on the ground in South Asia, considering whether or not the policies are proportionate and appropriate — and what consequences they might have.

COVID-19: On-the-Ground Perspectives from South Asia

COVID-19: On-the-Ground Perspectives from South Asia

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the entire globe, requiring quick action from governments and the populace to stem the flow of transmission. With many in quarantine or lockdown, the pandemic has changed the daily way of life for many around the world. This week, we spoke with members of the Mittal Institute team in India, Nepal, and Pakistan to get a firsthand look into the situation on the ground in South Asia, from recent governmental guidance and regulations to the response of the population and how it will impact society.

Announcing the COVID-19 Mobility Data Network

Announcing the COVID-19 Mobility Data Network

Led by Caroline Buckee (Center for Communicable Disease, Harvard T.H. Chan), Satchit Balsari (HMS and HSPH), and Andrew Schroeder (Direct Relief), the COVID-19 Mobility Data Network aims to “provide daily updates to decision-makers at the state and local levels on how well social distancing interventions are working.” The team is made up of a network of infectious disease epidemiologists located at universities around the world.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for the Mittal Institute Community

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information for the Mittal Institute Community

Due to recent developments relating to COVID-19, Harvard University has strongly discouraged the gathering of 25 people or more for on-campus events through April 30th until further notice in the hope that this social distancing measure will limit the opportunity for illness to spread. Unfortunately, the Mittal Institute will need to cancel its events for March and April until instructed otherwise by University Administration. Our top priority remains the health, safety, and wellbeing of our community.

Pakistan’s Vibrant Arts and Culture Showcased at the Lahore Biennale

Pakistan’s Vibrant Arts and Culture Showcased at the Lahore Biennale

From its cultural zenith in the days of Akbar, Lahore has remained a major center of knowledge and creativity in South Asia. As a free-spirited city that was home to the Mayo School — among other great institutions of knowledge — Lahore fed the imaginations of artists, poets, and writers, from B.C. Sanyal, Amrita Shergil, and Chughtai, to Faiz, Manto, and Khushwant Singh. But in the decades following Ayub’s martial law, as the space for arts and humanities diminished in Pakistan’s public discourse, so too did Lahore’s claim of being a vibrant cultural capital.