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Harvard University will offer many courses with South Asia related content in the Spring 2018 semester.

“The 2014 floods in Pakistan were a haunting demonstration. Hundreds of villages in the northern and eastern parts of the country were flooded, affecting over a million people in all. Many people, including several I knew personally, were unable to send money to their relatives in these villages because they had no means to do so as they relied on informal services, which had broken down. The victims, who desperately needed money for food and shelter, faced great suffering as a result. This left a lasting impression on me and motivated me to study how financial services can help the poor in the face of such aggregate shocks.”

SAI Director, Tarun Khanna: “We’re never less than busy and relentlessly ambitious at SAI. Our indefatigable Executive Director, Meena Hewett, and her team work hard with faculty, students, researchers, fellows, alumni and regional partners from Harvard and beyond. Our approach is expansive and inclusive, and we try to exceed expectations, those of others and our own.”

To say that 2017 was a pivotal year for the Lakshmi Mittal South Asia Institute (SAI), Harvard University, would be an understatement, thanks to a generous $25m naming gift from Lakshmi Mittal and his family.

“I am a product of two very substantial migrations: my grandparents, young and barely literate, moved to East Africa in the early 20th century. My parents went to the UK, years later. These are not simple transitions. It has always been important for me to know as much as I can about these histories.”

My recommendation for anyone applying to Seed for Change is to get feedback from as many people as possible, at all stages of the project. Even if someone is not an expert in your field, they may be able to offer you valuable insight. Each time Sakhi received feedback, we streamlined the project pitch. Feedback shapes your priorities and reveals what about your project makes sense and seems possible.

Professor Jinah Kim’s seminar, Women in South Asian Art, took over Harvard LMSAI’s Instagram account for the week – to highlight the course exhibition, Women in South Asian Art, at the Harvard Art Museums. Open until January 7, 2017.