On July 25, the “One Harvard, Young Harvard” Mixer brought together incoming and returning students, alumni, faculty, and University affiliates for an evening of conversation and camaraderie, celebrating the connections that sustain Harvard’s community in India.
Harvard offers a diverse range of courses on South Asia, spanning language, history, politics, economics, religion, and beyond. Explore a selection of Fall 2026 offerings. For the latest updates, please consult the Course Catalog. We’ll continue to expand this list as new courses are announced.
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 winners.
Each semester, the Mittal Institute offers grants to Harvard students to further their research, language study, or internship opportunities. For summer 2026, 12 students received funding to pursue projects across five countries. Their work spans a wide range of topics, from examining postnatal care in India, to studying food and chronic disease in Nepal, to immersing themselves in the languages of Sanskrit and Tibetan.
Summer is the perfect season to slow down with a great book, and our community has shared a collection of recommendations to inspire your next read. Exploring themes from identity and belonging, to the promises and perils of artificial intelligence, these selections offer a rich range of perspectives and ideas. There’s something here for every reader. Happy reading!
As the summer approaches, the Mittal Institute extends a warm invitation to Harvard’s community to visit the New Delhi Office. Whether using the office space to conduct research, participating in scholarly discussions, or immersing oneself in the vibrant academic milieu of the region, the office offers a unique opportunity to engage with South Asia’s rich cultural heritage and scholarly legacy. The office has planned several events that will connect Harvard with India’s intellectual scene. Come and be a part of it!
From advancing conversations on the future of the Arctic to reimagining how design and grassroots advocacy can shape more sustainable communities, South Asian members of Harvard’s Class of 2026 are bringing bold ideas and global perspectives. As they graduate and begin the next chapter of their journeys, these students carry with them a commitment to scholarship, innovation, and meaningful impact. While this selection of profiles is far from comprehensive, these profiles offer a glimpse into the many ways Harvard students are preparing to engage with and contribute to the world. Congratulations to the Harvard University Class of 2026!
This spring, the Mittal Institute hosted a range of programs spanning critical issues across South Asia, from examining the role of rivers in India’s cultural and environmental landscape to rethinking design solutions for extreme heat. Explore recordings from standout events, and visit our Mittal Institute YouTube page for more conversations and lectures.
This academic year, the Mittal Institute has supported 20 graduate and PhD students from across the different schools at Harvard who conduct research focused on South Asia. These Graduate Student Associates (GSAs) engage in monthly working groups to receive feedback from one another and exchange ideas.
As Harvard seniors prepare to graduate this May, three students are reflecting on an experience that took them far beyond the classroom. Liz Zheng, an applied mathematics concentrator; Kat Ravichandran, who is pursuing a double concentration in computer science and philosophy; and Brooke Decho, who is studying engineering sciences, participated in this year’s Program for Scientifically-Inspired Leadership (PSIL) in Goa, India — an immersive educational initiative supported in part by the Mittal Institute.
In this edition of our Alumni Spotlight we spoke with Dr. Lakshmi Priya, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). She hails from the state of Kerala, India, and is a medical doctor by training.
Sarthak Agarwal ’28, a doctoral candidate in Population Health Sciences at Harvard University, received a Mittal Institute grant to study India’s school feeding program, the largest of its kind in the world. While its benefits are widely recognized, understanding the operational, financial, and governance systems that sustain it is critical to its continued success. His research, which he details in the below Q&A, examines these enablers and challenges to identify practical lessons for policymakers.