Martin Puchner, Byron and Anita Wien Professor of Drama and of English and Comparative Literature in the Department of English at Harvard University, explores the global impact of the Jaipur Literature Festival, often described as the “greatest literary show on Earth,” and its evolving role as a platform for cultural exchange and diplomacy.
Fowzia Karimi, a writer and illustrator from Afghanistan, joined Harvard University this academic year as a Radcliffe Fellow. Fowzia’s work weaves fable, dream, memory, biology, and war while exploiting the interplay between text and image on the page. At Radcliffe she is working on The Age of Flowers, a collection of Afghan fairy tales illuminated with her watercolor paintings. We spoke to Fowzia to learn more about her work at Harvard.
Last month the Mittal Institute hosted the event, Between Comfort and Heat Stress: The Hidden Burden of Everyday Heat, bringing scholars together from building science, urban design, and environmental health to discuss one of climate change’s most pressing yet often overlooked challenges: extreme heat. Moderated by architect and urbanist Rahul Mehrotra, Professor of Urban Design and Planning and the John T. Dunlop Professor in Housing and Urbanization, the event featured a presentation by building science expert Rajan Rawal, Professor at CEPT University and Senior Advisor at the Center for Advanced Research in Building Science and Energy (CARBSE), on how cities, buildings, and policies must evolve to address rising temperatures. Prof. Rawal was joined in conversation by Gary Adamkiewicz, Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Exposure Disparities at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The Mittal Institute’s newly-launched South Asian Arts Fellowship (SAAF) supports artists, curators, and scholars in North America whose work engages critically with the visual and material cultures of South Asia. This four-week residency in Cambridge offers fellows dedicated time to advance their research and creative practice while drawing on Harvard’s exceptional academic, curatorial, and archival resources, including the Harvard Art Museums and the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts. Selected by Harvard faculty and curators, fellows also present their work publicly and engage with the University’s vibrant intellectual community. Our 2026 South Asian Arts Fellow is Swapnaa Tamhane, an artist, curator, and writer. Read on to learn more about Swapnaa, including her practice and her hope for her time at Harvard University.
Aditya K. Anand is a postdoctoral scholar whose work examines how climate change is reshaping multi-hazard risks and livelihood vulnerability in the Bhilangana River Basin
The South Asian Studies Colloquium at Harvard brings together scholars, students, and enthusiasts to share research and ideas across disciplines. With presentations by graduate students, faculty, and visiting fellows, plus a guest lecture series, each session encourages lively dialogue and feedback. Open to the entire Harvard community, the colloquium fosters connections, sparks cross-disciplinary conversations, and explores the rich histories and cultures of South Asia. We spoke with Colloquium organizers Seton Uhlhorn, a Mittal Institute Graduate Student Associate and Ph.D candidate specializing in classical Urdu literature, and Afeef Ahmed, a Ph.D candidate who studies Early Modern South India and the Indian Ocean, to learn more about what inspired the series.
The Mittal Institute India office hosted the Rethinking Nutrition and Food Systems for Planetary Health in South Asia webinar, moderated by S.V. Subramanian, Professor of Population Health and Geography, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The speakers included Walter Willett (Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition), Shilpa Bhupathiraju (Assistant Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology), and Purnima Menon (Senior Director, Food and Nutrition Policy; Acting Senior Director, Transformation Strategy).
Prof. Eliana La Ferrara, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School and Aditi Bhowmick, Center for International Development Ph.D Affiliate, Concentrations in Development Economics & Labor Economics are inaugural recipients of the Mittal Institute’s Faculty Climate Grant program. Their project examines how climate change, debt, and gender norms combine to harm female sugarcane cutters in drought-prone Maharashtra, India.
Adil Ahsan, a Ph.D candidate in Public Policy at the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, spent his summer in Lahore, Pakistan through a Mittal Institute student grant. His study examined whether handwashing messages delivered by religious leaders are more effective than those from secular authorities, in order to evaluate the extent to which low trust in state institutions can blunt informational interventions among religious populations. We spoke with Adil for more on his project.
Robert Lunkhopao Haokip is a postdoctoral scholar whose work explores how global events such as the Second World War was experienced at the empire’s margin.
Kazal Barua ’27, a Harvard Divinity School Master of Theological Studies student, spent his winter conducting research in Bangladesh through a Mittal Institute student grant. His project, “Reimagining the Roles of Buddhist Monastics in Bangladesh: The Case of Shasana Rakkhit Bhikkhu and BCCUL” examined how a Buddhist monk blends spiritual insight with corporate skills to lead a financial organization, drive cross-religious community development, and reimagine the traditional role of monasticism. We spoke with Kazal for more on his project.
The Mittal Institute is pleased to welcome six new members to its Steering Committee. These individuals bring a wide range of expertise, perspectives, and leadership experience that will strengthen the Institute’s mission and strategic direction. We are grateful to our new members — Feyaad Allie, Swayam Bagaria, David Jones, Gautam Nair, Subir Sachdev, and Martha Ann Selby — for their willingness to serve and contribute their time and insight. Read on to learn more about them and their research expertise.