Category : Students

Madhavi Jha, a doctoral student in Economics, spent this past winter in Suri, India, conducting research for her project, “Addressing Gender Disparities in the Diagnosis of NCDs in Rural India.” Supported by a Mittal Institute Student Grant, her work examines gender disparities in diagnosing and treating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in rural India, with a particular focus on men’s lower engagement in preventive healthcare.

The Mittal Institute spoke with Ranjitsinh Disale, an M.Ed. student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Global Teacher Prize Winner 2020. He reflects on his journey since winning the award for transforming education for young girls at Zilla Parishad Primary School in Paritewadi, Solapur, Maharashtra, India, and the driving forces behind his work.

The journey of two of the Seed for Change 2020 winner projects, Growthosphere and Sahayak, exemplifies how seed funding can act as a springboard for bold ideas with the potential to create lasting impact, and the diverse pathways through which meaningful change can be fostered. Growthosphere, born from a vision to empower marginalized youth through entrepreneurial mentorship, has grown into a thriving initiative that bridges skill gaps and cultivates innovation. Meanwhile, Sahayak’s endeavor to address labor migration through rural skill development has provided key insights into the structural challenges of fostering systemic change. 

Every January, Dominic Mao, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies in Harvard’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Andrea Wright, Assistant Dean of Harvard College, train and accompany a group of Harvard undergraduates to India in what’s known as the Program for Scientifically-Inspired Leadership (PSIL). There, they collaborate with local college students to deliver a comprehensive liberal arts and sciences curriculum to high school students. This immersive camp provides intense, hands-on learning experiences, exposing high school participants to diverse academic disciplines, extracurricular activities, and meaningful cultural exchanges. By fostering interactions across these three groups, the program creates a vibrant environment for intellectual growth and cross-cultural understanding.

Looking back at the journey of the Seed for Change competition 2022 winner, e-Rehri, exemplifies how bold ideas can create lasting impact. Born from a vision to support informal vendors in Chandigarh, this initiative has grown into a transformative solution for mobility, sustainability, and livelihoods. From its first prototype addressing lockdown challenges to the deployment of an electrified fleet, e-Rehri has become a testament to innovation driven by community needs.