Year In Review 2024-25

YEAR IN REVIEW | 2024-25

Cover Photo: Harvard faculty and affiliates visit the Dada Hari stepwell in Ahmedabad, India, as part of a two-day immersion trip on extreme heat ahead of the ‘India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future' conference in New Delhi in March 2025 (see pages 14-17).

Photo by David Trilling, the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University

Year in Review July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025

Countries the Mittal Institute works with: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and diaspora populations from these countries

•

Main offices: Cambridge (USA) and New Delhi (India) Presence in Kathmandu (Nepal) and Lahore (Pakistan)

Mission The Mittal Institute connects Harvard and South Asia. With over two billion people facing shared challenges and opportunities, South Asia offers unique opportunities for interdisciplinary research, capacity building, and informing policy across a wide range of fields. The Institute works with faculty members, students, and in-region institutions and experts to advance and deepen the understanding of critical issues shaping South Asia and its global impact.

Harvard University formally recognized the South Asia Institute, which later became the Mittal Institute, as an academic institute in 2013, signaling the University’s longstanding commitment to the region and the beginning of an exciting new era for South Asian studies at Harvard. The Mittal Institute now serves as the premier center on regional studies, cross-disciplinary research, and innovative programming pertaining to South Asia.

Contents

06 10 12

New Leadership at the Mittal Institute HIGHLIGHTS 2024–25 Highlights 10 FACULTY Climate A Pivotal Year for the Climate Platform 14 Health Exploring the Future of India’s Health System 20 Education Educational Initiatives Expand Across India 22 Arts Arts at the Mittal Institute 24 Faculty Grants 28 Faculty Grant Spotlight: Climate Change and Emergency Healthcare 30

32

STUDENTS

42

SCHOLARS

54

EVENTS

62

GOVERNANCE

Research, Language, and Internship Grants 34 Student Spotlight: Allen Wang 36 Seed for Change Competition 38 Student Organization Grants 40

Fellows, Visiting Scholars, and Associates 44 Fellow Spotlight: Arpit Shah 52

Overview 56 Event Highlights 2024–25 57

A Reflection on the Present Moment

I

t is my privilege, let us call it that, to write to you at a uniquely challenging time for the Mittal Institute and Harvard University. We are in a period of uncertainty, but as you will see in the pages that follow, the work we do is vital and urgent, and of lasting value.

We are meeting this moment with focus on our mission – Connecting Harvard with India and South Asia – and new plans to continue our work at the University and in the region. In this effort, we know that we are fortunate in having many extraordinary partners from academia, government, business, as well as civic and cultural leaders from Harvard, the subcontinent, and around the world.

It is also a time of transition at the Mittal Institute. Over these last years, I have had the profound pleasure of working side-by-side with our exemplary Faculty Director Tarun Khanna, whom most of you know well. Tarun is now passing the baton to Professor Diana L. Eck, whose work on Hinduism and on Pluralism has changed our understanding of the world today. She is an admirable colleague and an old friend. A letter from her follows in the next pages, and I am looking forward to working with her.

We celebrated Tarun’s leadership this April with moving personal and professional testimonials from friends and colleagues, among whom are the most distinguished faculty at Harvard. It was an evening of joy, facts, and occasional hyperbole that struck true in a deep sense, as when one colleague compared Tarun to the Hindi film star Rajesh Khanna. We also had two leading scholars of Asia, Arthur Kleinman and Bill Kirby, join Tarun for an illuminating conversation on Harvard’s long history of international engagement. You will find reports of both those events in these pages.

After 15 years leading the Mittal Institute, Tarun will return to his full-time teaching post at Harvard Business School. In his time here, he has made the Institute the model for international engagement at Harvard. He has overseen innovative and landmark work on the Partition of British India, the Kumbh Mela, and Meritocracy in India and China. He has co-led our Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India's Health System, which holds the potential to change the lives of hundreds of millions of people for the better. He launched our Climate Platform which, following the model he set for the Institute, is an open platform that welcomes work from diverse disciplines and approaches. He has built thriving programs in both India and Pakistan, to engage the

best in both countries with Harvard, and the Institute has continued to expand through difficult times.

Tarun will continue to lead our Climate Platform and continue to help us build relationships with leaders in India and South Asia and with scholars and others who are interested in working there.

Overleaf, you will find Tarun’s direct thoughts, taken from a conversation we had with him about his leadership.

I am deeply grateful that Diana L. Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies, Emerita, and Frederic Wertham Research Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society, has agreed to step in. Diana is an exceptional scholar with deep connections to India and the wider region, as well as a long record of leadership at Harvard.

We look forward to introducing her to you more in the year to come.

The Mittal Institute, as always, has a full agenda for our busy offices in Cambridge and New Delhi as well as our presence in Lahore and Kathmandu, and we are happy to share all that with you in this annual report. Thank you for your engagement and constant support.

Hitesh Hathi Executive Director

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 7

After 15 Years of Extraordinary Growth, the Mittal Institute Launches a New Era

The Mittal Institute will begin a new chapter after 15 years under the helm of Tarun Khanna, who built the Institute from its earliest days. Diana L. Eck will step in as Interim Faculty Director at a pivotal moment for both the Institute and the University.

In this special interview, Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor at Harvard Business School (HBS), recounts how he came to the Institute, his greatest achievements, and what he hopes for the Institute’s future.

What brought you to lead the Mittal Institute?

TK: I joined the South Asia Initiative in 2009 as a member of the Advisory Committee. I was the most junior of the Committee, and at some point, Drew Faust, then the President of Harvard, asked me to reimagine the initiative.

It was part of her One Harvard idea, which resonated because I had never fully understood Harvard’s previous philosophy that each school manages their own affairs, which meant very little cross-integration. Being a nerd interested in everything, One Harvard was Year in Review 2024-25

very appealing to me. I also think I was the first person from outside the Faculty of Arts and Sciences to run a center like that, so it was breaking precedent.

What were your first steps in building the Institute?

TK: One of the first things I did was hire Meena Sonea Hewett as executive director. She seemed enthusiastic, so I said, “Okay, we need some energy in here.” I also remember Drew Faust coming to India. She wasn't big on traveling, but I remember her agreeing pretty quickly to come, which I interpreted as a signal that this was important.

We also soon organized an Annual Symposium, even though we had little to show at that point. But I remember saying to Meena, "This has to be a show of force so the University sees that

Prof. Amartya Sen with Tarun Khanna

we’re here, and that folks agree that this is an important effort, even though it’s just you and me."

Was there a pivotal moment that brought faculty into the Institute?

TK: The 2013 Kumbh Mela project, led

by Rahul Mehrotra from the Graduate School of Design and Diana L. Eck from Harvard Divinity School, brought together faculty from across the Uni-

What are you most proud of ?

TK: I'm most proud when I meet older alumni who say that they wish the Institute had been here when they were at Harvard. I think this is the most emotive expression of something that they either explicitly or viscerally thought was missing and that now they see it in the Institute.

Tarun Khanna in conversation with Muhammad Musa, then the executive director of BRAC International, in early 2020

versity to study one of the largest gatherings on Earth from the perspectives of urban planning, religion, and public health. That project was the first largescale expression of One Harvard. Until that point, we hadn’t really made it come alive, and we demonstrated this was possible. Many projects were launched in its wake: the Partition of British India, Making Meritocracy in China and India, the Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System, and our new Climate Change in South Asia Platform.

We now have faculty participating from every corner of the University.

We also brought faculty together in organizational ways, including a Steering Committee that had every School represented. I was determined that the collective needed to decide the priorities of the Institute, not solely the faculty director. This governance system was

Tarun Khanna and Prof. James Robson, director of the Harvard-Yenching Institute

effectively an organizational commitment to the open platform idea.

How did the India office come about?

TK: There were two principles that were very clear to me from the beginning: One was that we're not going to be narrowly constrained by whatever the director is most familiar with. In my case, imagine a whole center based on technical economics. It would be very small, right? From day one, I said, this is a platform and anybody's welcome.

And the second thing was that we really needed to have people on the ground in the region, “feet on the street,” to be fully immersed in the interesting phenomena they were studying. It was always an essential part of the focus to open the India office, which officially launched in 2018.

Dipti Mathur, Arts Council Chair; Nilima Sheikh, Distinguished Artist Fellow 2023; Prof. Jinah Kim, Arts Council Faculty Director; Tarun Khanna

Tarun Khanna with Usha and Lakshmi Mittal, Executive Council members

What are your hopes for the future of the Institute?

TK: We’ve barely scratched the surface of possibility at an institution as intellectually rich as Harvard. We work with less than 5% of the faculty, and there's an opportunity to expand that quite dramatically.

Meena Sonea Hewett, first executive director of the Mittal Institute; Shilpa Sanger, Arts Advisory Council member; Tarun Khanna

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 9

A Welcome from Incoming Faculty Director Diana L. Eck

M

y own work with the Mittal Institute began in 2012 when Rahul Mehrotra and I envisioned a multi-disciplinary study of the Kumbh Mela that would take place at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati rivers in 2013. As a scholar of religion and pilgrimage in India, this was a unique opportunity to understand the dynamics of a huge gathering of pilgrims, sadhus, and teachers at a site renowned not for its temples, but for its rivers. Rahul and I were both interested in the remarkable human achievement of creating a temporary city on the flood plain of the receding rivers within a matter of weeks, creating streets, bridges, tent encampments, hospitals, and clinics, complete with electricity and water. The team eventually included faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates. We were from architecture, engineering, public health, business, anthropology, and religion.

It was more than interdisciplinary, but inter-faculty, a feature of our work that has characterized many initiatives at the Mittal Institute.

Year in Review 2024-25

The Kumbh Mela made clear just how important rivers are in the life of the Indian subcontinent. The Himalayan rivers – the Indus, Ganga, Yamuna, and Brahmaputra – are the lifelines of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. In India, these rivers and their tributaries are something more than “resources.” They are, in a sense, the cathedrals of Hindu India, far more important to daily life than temples that rise and fall.

There is arguably no place in the world that should have a higher standard of river quality than India, where millions repair daily to rivers to bathe, sip water, refresh their spirits, and make offerings to the departed. Here too, perhaps, we could invite the energies of those who work in science and technology, engineering, public health, and religious life to think together about rivers and water.

Thinking about working together across disciplines brings me to another topic: Pluralism. Very much like India, the United States has become multicultural and multireligious with growing Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist communities

encountering American Christianity, Judaism, and America's dominant secularism. I launched the Pluralism Project in the 1990s to study the changing religious and cultural landscape. Pluralism is not just the fact of diversity. That is obvious.

But Pluralism entails the willingness to work across differences to create a common society, recognizing our diversity.

These are challenging issues for both India and America, and how we tackle them will be of decisive significance. More important, however, would be to look carefully at the hundreds of initiatives, local and regional, where people are working together on common dilemmas.

I look forward to dialogue and discussion on some of these issues in the months ahead.

Diana L. Eck Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies, Emerita, and Frederic Wertham Research Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society

2024-25

Highlights JULY 2024-JUNE 2025

SEPTEMBER The Prime Minister of Nepal, Rt. Hon. KP Sharma Oli, speaks to more than 400 students, affiliates,

JULY

and faculty at Harvard Kennedy School’s JFK Jr. Fo-

A panel discussion in

rum. Read more on page 58

New Delhi discusses

At Harvard’s first-ever South Asian Convocation,

change and innova-

over 300 students and affiliates celebrate the South

tion in Indian higher

Asian community at Harvard. Read more on page 58

education. Read more on page 57

DECEMBER The Mittal Institute awards eight faculty climate research grants, a new funding tool for faculty research on climate change in South Asia. Read

AUGUST Co-hosted with the Ameri-

more on page 29

OCTOBER

can Centre in New Delhi, the

As Distinguished Performing Artist in Residence

exhibition “Interwoven Eco-

at the Mittal Institute, Bahauddin Dagar, a re-

systems” explores ecological

nowned Indian classical musician, performs to

networks, climate migration,

a standing-room only audience, visits classes

and landscape transformation.

and museums, and conducts a workshop for stu-

Read more on page 57

dents. Read more on page 25

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

HIGHLIGHTS | 11

JANUARY The fifth iteration of the Program for Scientifically-Inspired Leadership (PSIL), a week-long residential learning program in India, takes place in Goa for the first time. Read more on pages 22-23 The multimedia exhibition HUM SAB EK (We Are One) is on display at The World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C., marking the third stop on its global journey. Read more on page 59

MARCH For four days, over 180 experts gather in New Delhi for “India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future,” a series of interdisciplinary dialogues on advancing climate resilience in the Global South. Read more on pages 14-17

JUNE

FEBRUARY

Prof.

Tarun

Khanna,

Community HATS, a longitudi-

who has been the Mittal

nal study on the impact of ex-

Institute’s Faculty Direc-

treme heat on informal work-

tor since 2009, is step-

ers in India, completes its pilot

ping down. Beginning

study and expands to more participants and new trades.

Read more on page 18

APRIL The Mittal Institute awards 15 faculty grants for research related to South Asia across a wide range of themes and disciplines. Read more on page 28 Naiza Khan, a renowned artist from Pakistan, spends a week on campus as the Mittal Institute’s second Distinguished Artist Fellow. Read more on pages 24-25 This year’s Annual Symposium kicks off with a special Mahindra evening spotlighting the Institute’s 15-year evolution, followed by a day of lively discussion on media, climate, and the arts in South Asia. Read more on page 61

Year in Review 2024-25

on July 1, Prof. Diana L. Eck will step into the role as interim director. Read more on pages 6-9

Faculty The Mittal Institute supports faculty-led multidisciplinary research projects and ­programs in the disciplines of arts and humanities, social sciences, and sciences.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 13

Year in Review 2024-25

CLIMATE

A Pivotal Year for the Climate Platform With a large study on extreme heat, new faculty members and partnerships, and a landmark conference hosted in India, the Mittal Institute Climate Platform has grown significantly this year.

S

ince 2023, the Mittal Institute has hosted a major climate change initiative focused on climate adaptation in South Asia.

The Climate Platform brings together researchers at Harvard and in-region from different disciplines—including medicine, public health, urban planning, climate science, and economics—with policymakers and other end-users of such research.

In the academic year 2024-25, the Platform significantly expanded its programs and reach. Below are key highlights:

India 2047 – Building a Climate-Resilient Future From March 19-22, 2025, more than 180 scholars and experts from Harvard and around the world gathered in New Delhi, India, for one of the largest events Harvard has ever hosted outside the United States. The four-day conference addressed the effects of extreme climatic events such as extreme heat intensifying across the Global South—particularly in India—with far-reaching impacts on the environment, economy, and society, demanding urgent, evidencebased responses. It featured leading

experts in climate science, public health, medicine, labor, business, agriculture, and urban planning to engage in a series of interdisciplinary dialogues.

Hosted by the Mittal Institute and the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, the convening consisted of an opening address by senior representatives of Harvard and the Indian government, six plenary sessions, and four parallel thematic tracks. In each of the parallel

Participants of the 'India 2047' conference in New Delhi in March 2025.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 15

Harvard professors James Stock and Tarun Khanna at the inauguration of the 'India 2047' conference.

Alan M. Garber, the President of Harvard University, addressed conference attendees in a video message.

Faculty members and local grassroots leaders during a pre-conference excursion in Ahmedabad. Photo by David Trilling, the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University.

Year in Review 2024-25

Scenes from three days of lively discussion and debate at the 'India 2047' thematic sessions and plenaries.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 17

Conference participants in break-out groups focused on climate science, agriculture, health, work, and the built environment.

tracks, scholars and experts discussed climate resilience in relation to climate science, agriculture, health, work, and the built environment.

Representatives from Harvard included more than 20 faculty and affiliates from across the University, while the majority of the attendees were researchers from other universities in the U.S., South Asia, and Europe, representatives of non-profit, philanthropic, and private sector in-

dustries, and representatives of several ministries of the Indian government.

Harvard faculty and other participants of the 'India 2047' conference engaged in festive evening dinners and events with colleagues from around the globe.

For a summary of the conference’s findings, event recordings, news articles, and op-eds, scan the QR code below:

In advance of the landmark event, nearly two dozen Harvard faculty, affiliates, and friends spent several days in Ahmedabad, India, on an immersion trip to deepen their understanding of the impact of extreme heat on vulnerable communities, as well as the solutions emerging to adapt and prepare for it.

India 2047 Conference Media Features and Op-Eds

Year in Review 2024-25 2021-22

Community HATS (Heat Adaptation and Treatment Strategies in South Asia) In India, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), together with an interdisciplinary team at Harvard and CEPT University in Ahmedabad, is measuring heat and humidity in the homes and workplaces of women in the informal economy. Participants are equipped with biosensors that track their heart rate, movement, and sleep patterns. Regular measurements of blood pressure, body temperature, thermal comfort, sleep quality, and work productivity are

also made. The study aims to provide a granular understanding of how extreme heat and humidity are truly experienced at the community level.

Between May 2024 and January 2025, a pilot study followed 100 home-based garment stitchers and kite makers in Ahmedabad, with initial results indicating that they experience oppressive thermal conditions during the day and at night due to the poorly insulated, ill-ventilated, and densely populated urban spaces in which they work and live.

In February 2025, the study started to tenfold the number of participants and expand to other trades, including farmers and glass bangle factory workers. The expansion included training new cohorts of grassroots leaders to collect the data and improving the analysis.

Climateverse In 2024-25, the India Climateverse database was launched in partnership with local stakeholders. An innovative repository of climate-relevant data designed to facilitate accurate, evidence-based decision-making, Climateverse provides a tailored, user-centric search experience enhanced by an AI chatbot and novel visual representations of metadata. The platform now hosts over 90 datasets across themes such as weather, health, energy, and infrastructure, each enriched with detailed metadata on access, resolution, provenance, and uncertainty. Climateverse is accelerating its integration with State Disaster Management Authorities in India and, through its selection for the AWS Computing Impact Fund, will conduct training workshops in the coming year to build government capacity in using climate data effectively.

“Our data shows that the temperatures and humidity in the homes and workplaces of informal workers are much higher than the meteorological data would suggest. For example, 104° F (40° C) outdoor heat index can translate to 118° F (48° C) inside due to poor ventilation and cooling.”

— PROF. CAROLINE BUCKEE, In India, a major study explores the effects of extreme heat on economically disadvantaged working women. In the image, a team member from SEWA positions a temperature sensor in a participant’s bedroom.

PROFESSOR OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, HARVARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 19

Climate Dialogues In fall 2024, the Mittal Institute launched Faculty Climate Dialogues, a series of closed-door events centering South Asia in the climate change conversation. The talks facilitate interdisciplinary dialogue, connections, and research collaborations. Fall speakers included some of the Climate Platform leads (see below), as well as other faculty from the University, including Edward Glaeser, Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics; Ankur Pandya, Associate Professor of Health Decision Science; and David S. Jones, A. Bernard Ackerman Professor of the Culture of Medicine.

In the fall semester, the Mittal Institute hosted three climate dialogues to foster interdisciplinary debate and connections between faculty members and other scholars.

Climate Platform Team Faculty Leads

The following faculty members have been leading the Climate Platform since its onset in 2023: Caroline Buckee, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Satchit Balsari, Harvard Medical School Peter John Huybers, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University Tarun Khanna, Harvard Business School Jennifer Leaning, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Rahul Mehrotra, Harvard Graduate School of Design Daniel P. Schrag, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Harvard University

cohort of key faculty and researchers whose work on climate change can be connected to South Asia. Seventeen Harvard faculty members joined as Climate Platform Affiliates, greatly increasing the platform’s reach and expertise:

Aminta Ossom, Harvard Law School Vikram Patel, Harvard Medical School

Gary Adamkiewicz, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Peter Tufano, Harvard Business School

Martha Chen, Mittal Institute Associate

Fellows and scholars

Francesca Dominici, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Diana L. Eck, Harvard Divinity School

Doris Sommer, Harvard University S.V. Subramanian, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dustin Tingley, Harvard Kennedy School

The following scholars are decisive in conducting research across the Platform’s programs:

Louise Ivers, Harvard Medical School

Natalie Ayers, PhD Candidate

Sheila Jasanoff, Harvard Kennedy School

Kartikeya Bhatotia, Climate Fellow Felipe González Casabianca, Visiting Scholar

David Jones, Harvard Medical School Zhiming Kuang, Harvard University Amala Mahadevan, Mather House

Robert Meade, Postdoctoral Research Fellow

In the academic year 2024-25, the

Megan Murray, Harvard Medical School

Ahmed Shaikh, Assistant Professor at Mount Sinai

Mittal Institute started a new program aimed at creating a cross-disciplinary

Gautam Nair, Harvard Kennedy School

Akash Yadav, Research Affiliate

Faculty Affiliates

Year in Review 2024-25 2021-22

Tess Wiskel, Harvard Medical School

HEALTH

Exploring the Future of India’s Health System The Mittal Institute supports two cross-sectoral initiatives to advance India’s health system: one aimed at advancing its digitalization and the other at developing a roadmap for Universal Health Coverage in India.

H

ealthcare in India is one of the Mittal Institute’s longterm research areas. The Institute provides funding and administrative support to two initiatives, both of which are co-chaired by Harvard faculty and work closely with relevant stakeholders from across India’s healthcare sector. The aim is to explore pathways to high-quality healthcare for all of India's 1.4 billion people.

for peer review to The Lancet, where it is currently undergoing final review.

To further refine the report’s recommendations and address outstanding issues, the authors convened for a

two-day hybrid workshop in December 2024, hosted at the Population Foundation of India offices in New Delhi.

The final report is scheduled for publication in winter 2025-26.

Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System Founded in December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lancet Citizens’ Commission (LCC) aims to achieve Universal Health Coverage in India within a decade by proposing reforms grounded in the lived experiences of its people. The LCC brings together diverse experts across five workstreams and engages the public through various platforms.

In September 2024, the Commission submitted its comprehensive report

Speakers during the webinar “The Purchaser-Provider Split and the Public Sector,” in November 2024.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 21

Also, as part of ongoing engagement and discourse, the Commission and the Mittal Institute co-hosted two well-attended webinars in October and November 2024: “Private Sector in Public Health: Catalyst for Progress or Cause for Concern?” and “The Purchaser-Provider Split and the Public Sector.” The sessions attracted participants from across the globe, reflecting the widespread interest in health systems reform in India.

Co-Chairs Gagandeep Kang, Gates Foundation Tarun Khanna, Harvard Business School / The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Biocon Ltd.

riences, and addressing system-wide inefficiencies. By highlighting areas of both alignment and tension among stakeholders, the study provides a roadmap for targeted, high-impact innovation. Preliminary findings are included in the final report of the Lancet Citizens’ Commission on Reimagining India’s Health System.

IDHN also applied human-centered design methodologies to improve the usability of India’s Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) digital platform. The final results show that incremental improvements in the user interface, centering the needs of the end-users—community health workers and physicians—can result in tens of thousands of person-hour savings.

Key Personnel Satchit Balsari, Harvard Medical School Shubhangi Bhadada, The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute Devadass Dhinagaran, St. John’s Research Institute Bharat Kalidindi, St. John’s Research Institute Verghese Thomas, St. John’s Research Institute Tony Raj, St. John’s Research Institute

Vikram Patel, Harvard Medical School / Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

India Digital Health Net The India Digital Health Net (IDHN) is an interdisciplinary team of experts from medicine, computer science, data science, and law. Since 2017, they have helped shape the policy landscape and technical framework of India’s digital health ecosystem.

In 2024, IDHN undertook a landmark study to better understand the evolving needs of key stakeholders in India’s digital health landscape. Through participatory design research, the study engaged patients, healthcare providers, and health system administrators to uncover both shared priorities and distinct challenges. The research identified critical areas where digital tools can make the most impact—enhancing coordination, improving user expe-

Year in Review 2024-25

A community health worker performs a user test of India’s Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) digital platform at a rural health center near Mysore, a city in Southern India.

EDUCATION

Educational Initiatives Expand Across India With support from the Mittal Institute, three faculty-led initiatives that offer free educational programs to economically disadvantaged students in India expand their impact.

T

he Mittal Institute continues to provide funding and administrative support to three educational initiatives led by Harvard faculty. The aim is to bridge gaps between opportunities offered by public versus private institutions, conduct pilot studies on better learning outcomes, and strengthen cross-cultural teaching experiences for Harvard students.

Scienspur – for public university students Scienspur provides free, high-quality STEM courses to underprivileged students attending public colleges and universities in India and some abroad. All students are selected through a competitive application process. Since its start in 2021, Scienspur has increased the number of courses, students enrolled, and volunteer teachers. In the academic year 2024-25, 190 students were enrolled in Cell Biology, 140 in Neurobiology, and 125 in Molecular Genetics.

Meanwhile, Developmental Biology has been significantly restructured and will take place later in the year.

Group photo on Zoom with some of the participants of Scienspur's Fall 2024 courses.

The program, funded by the Mittal Institute, is led by Nagaraju ‘Nag’ Dhanyasi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard, and Vinay Vikas, a biotech professional, under the leadership of Venkatesh Murthy, Raymond Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard.

Program for ScientificallyInspired Leadership (PSIL) – for high school students Every January, PSIL brings together Harvard undergraduates, local college students, and underprivileged high school students in India for a week-long residential learning program. In past years,

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 23

This academic year, the program has expanded its partnership with academic institutions such as The Heritage School, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, where it has trained 23 teachers in the pedagogy of the program. Pre-Texts also trained eight volunteers from Sarvam Shakti, an NGO dedicated to empowering marginalized girls. With support from the Mittal Institute, it also hosted an “unconference,” where educators from across the country gathered for a special event that showcased the Pre-Texts protocol and celebrated the contributions of trainers, teachers, and schools who helped bring the pedagogy into their classrooms.

Five Harvard undergraduates and five students from two colleges in Goa, India, taught this year’s courses at the Program for Scientifically-Inspired Leadership (PSIL).

it operated for two years in Manipur and two in Telangana; in 2025, the program expanded for the first time to Goa. The 10 Harvard and Goa college students who taught courses to 100 local high school students were selected from dozens of applicants based on their enthusiasm for education and their adaptability.

ative expression. Originally focused on arts-based learning for literacy and comprehension, Pre-Texts has since broadened its scope and is applied across various academic and non-academic topics.

The program was developed and is run by Doris Sommer, Ira and Jewell Williams Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University.

The program is led by Dominic Mao, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Studies in Harvard’s Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Andrea Wright, Lecturer in Anthropology and Assistant Dean of Harvard College. Building on previous years, they held pedagogy workshops for government school teachers. The Mittal Institute continues to provide organizational and financial support.

Pre-Texts – for primary school students Pre-Texts is an arts-based training program that promotes literacy, critical thinking, and citizenship by having students interpret teaching through creYear in Review 2024-25

In March 2025, the Mittal Institute facilitated a gathering of educators to focus on the pedagogy program Pre-Texts. From left to right: Monika Setia, Associate Country Director, Mittal Institute India office; Hitesh Hathi, Executive Director of the Mittal Institute; Prof. Doris Sommer, project leader of Pre-Texts; Naveen Jha, Harvard University's Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) alumnus; and Sunita Swaraj, Principal of the Heritage School.

ARTS

Arts at the Mittal Institute The Mittal Institute’s Arts Program bridges South Asia’s artistic world with the intellectual and creative resources of Harvard University.

T

he Mittal Institute is dedicated to the scholarship and preservation of South Asian art and architecture through research and training, fellowships, and numerous arts-related events. Five major initiatives are elaborated below.

Distinguished Artist Fellowship In April 2025, the Mittal Institute welcomed Naiza Khan, a highly acclaimed

Naiza Khan. Photo by Malika Abbas.

visual artist from Pakistan, as the Institute’s second Distinguished Artist Fellow (DAF). The Distinguished Artist Fellowship supports the artistic and research interests of leading artists from South Asia. A selection committee, comprising Harvard faculty and contemporary South Asian art experts, nominates a DAF in recognition of the artist’s contribution that brings forth critical issues relevant to South Asia through the lens of art and design.

Khan’s multidisciplinary practice spans drawing, sculpture, archival material, and film. Her work is rooted in critical research, documentation, and mapping-based exploration, raising significant questions about colonial history, collective memory, and the impact of old and new infrastructures. Her work engages deeply with museum collections and the circulation of objects linked to migration across the Indian Ocean, offering a critical lens on contemporary issues of borders and migration. Based

Unruly Edges - Work in progress, 2023 | NK studio The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 25

ing artists, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

From l to r: Naiza Khan, Distinguished Artist Fellow, in conversation with Prof. Jinah Kim at the Mittal Institute Annual Symposium in April 2025.

between London and Karachi, Khan continues to create art that bridges personal and political histories.

genre Dhrupad. In 2012, the Government of India bestowed on him the country’s highest award for perform-

During his residency, Dagar performed a concert, “Dhwani – Exploring Dhrupad and Dagarvani," accompanied by tanpura player Shraddha Aggarwal and percussionist Tejas Tope. The concert was part of ArtsThursdays, a university-wide initiative supported by Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA). This was followed by an interactive workshop on Dhrupad style, where students and others had an opportunity to interact with the distinguished musician. He also lectured in two of Prof. Richard Wolf’s classes: “Music in Islamic Contexts” and “South Asian Music.” During his time, Dagar also visited the instruments exhibition at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

During her residency at the Mittal Institute, Khan delivered a public lecture, where she presented her powerful work that weaves together themes of land, body, and memory through drawing, sculpture, archival material, and film.

Her film, "Mapping Water," was screened at the Mittal Institute’s Annual Symposium in April 2025. Khan’s fellowship also included visits to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts.

Distinguished Performing Artist The Mittal Institute welcomed Distinguished Performing Artist Ustad Bahauddin Dagar, a renowned rudra veena player, to campus in Fall 2024.

Dagar hails from a long tradition of Indian classical music, especially the

Year in Review 2024-25

Ustad Bahauddin Dagar performing at Harvard in October 2024. 

Visiting Artist Fellowship

Abir Abdullah, a Bangladeshi photographer and educator, brought his long-standing commitment to documentary storytelling, particularly his series “Climate Migrants – On the Frontline of Climate Change,” which chronicles the lives of Bangladeshis displaced by rising seas and environmental instability. His work foregrounds the human cost of climate change in one of the world’s most vulnerable regions.

The Mittal Institute’s Visiting Artist Fellowship (VAF) is a unique opportunity for mid-career visual artists from around South Asia to spend eight weeks on the Harvard campus, allowing them to refine their craft and engage with the vibrant university community.

In Fall 2024, the fellowship welcomed Saurav Ghimire, a filmmaker and researcher from Kathmandu, Nepal, who blends fiction, experimental forms, and archival material to explore deeply personal yet politically resonant themes.

His short film, “Songs of Love and Hate,” premiered at the Berlinale and received a Special Jury Mention for its poetic reflection on intimacy and social constraints.

Saurav Ghimire, SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE 2

The Visiting Artist Fellowship continues to foster artistic excellence and critical dialogue, deepening Harvard’s engagement with South Asia’s diverse, creative voices and enabling meaningful cultural exchange on global issues.

In Spring 2025, the Mittal Institute hosted three fellows: Parul Gupta, Masuma Halai Khwaja, and Abir Abdullah.

Parul Gupta, an Indian multidisciplinary artist, redefines drawing through site-responsive sculptures and installations that investigate spatial perception, architectural movement, and light.

Her works offer immersive experiences that collapse boundaries between body, space, and geometry.

Parul Gupta, DRAWING IN SPACE

Masuma Halai Khwaja, a Pakistani artist, uses fiber, drawing, and mixed media to counter dominant historical narratives. Her art draws from oral histories and personal memory to examine the lingering effects of Partition, forced migration, and state-sponsored erasure— reclaiming marginalized voices through tactile and symbolic storytelling.

Masuma Halai Khwaja, THE MUTINY WITHIN

Abir Abdullah, CLIMATE MIGRANTS

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 27

Mapping Color in History Mapping Color in HistoryTM is a digital research platform led by Jinah Kim, George P. Bickford Professor of Indian and South Asian Art and Professor of South Asian Studies at Harvard University, that brings together scientific data drawn from existing and ongoing material analyses of pigments, especially in Asian painting, to put them in a historical perspective.

In the academic year 2024-25, the project traveled from Mumbai to Jaipur, where the team analyzed five large-format Rajput court paintings by renowned artist Sahib Ram (17451803). Using non-invasive methods, the study revealed detailed insights into the artist’s pigment palette, its evolution, and the materials and methods used. The findings were published in the prestigious journal Heritage Science in May 2025, and the Harvard Gazette extensively covered the program in March 2025.

The Mapping Color in History project analyzes pigments in paintings. In the image, digital microscopy of a painted area is used to observe details at high magnification.

Year in Review 2024-25

GSD students Pranav Thole and Devashree Shah, the project explores fundamental questions about the research and practice of architecture in South Asia, a region undergoing numerous transitions.

Anjali Jain, research manager with the Mapping Color in History project, examines the elemental peaks in a graph generated using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis.

The State of Architecture in South Asia The State of Architecture in South Asia is a multi-year research initiative anchored by the Mittal Institute and the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), supported by the South Asia Graduate School of Design Student Group and the Architecture Foundation, India. Led by Prof. Rahul Mehrotra, John T. Dunlop Professor in Housing and Urbanization, and former

A major component of the initiative, the traveling exhibition “The Architectures of Transition – Emerging Practices in South Asia,” began its journey across the region, stopping in New Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Calicut, and Kochi in India, as well as in Kabul, Afghanistan, between December 2023 and June 2025. The exhibition showcases the work of emergent architectural practices that engage with architecture, landscape, and infrastructure in the public realm.

It was designed to test and reflect on the knowledge and insights generated through the earlier components of the project—namely, a lecture series, publication, and major conference. A concluding exhibition edition is scheduled for March 2026 in Mumbai, India.

In January 2025, the traveling exhibition “The Architectures of Transition – Emerging Practices in South Asia” stopped in Bengaluru, India.

Faculty Grants The Mittal Institute supports faculty research with two types of grants to fund a variety of fields, disciplines, and regions related to South Asia.

Faculty Research Grants The Mittal Institute annually supports faculty research projects that unite scholars from different fields and regions whose research relates to South Asia. Priority is given to interdisciplinary scholarship, as well as projects that catalyze connectivity between scholars at Harvard and those in South Asia.

In April 2025, the Mittal Institute awarded 15 grants. The recipients and their research initiatives are listed below.

Exposure to Indoor Air Pollutants (PM2.5) Measured by Low-Cost Monitors in Selected Villages of Rural South India Gary Adamkiewicz, Associate Professor of Environmental Health and Exposure Disparities, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health A Multicenter Prospective Study of Hip Fracture Management and Outcomes in Bangalore, India Kiran J. Agarwal-Harding, Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School Project Ummeed: Harvard-India Initiative for Inclusive Medical Mentorship in India Shabbir Ahmed Ansari, Instructor in Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School

Dual Sites of Citizen Coordination in Urban India Feyaad Allie, Assistant Professor of Government, Department of Government Evaluating Crop Insurance as Climate Policy Emily Breza, Frederic E. Abbe Professor of Economics, Department of Economics Enterprises in India: Formal, Informal & Women’s Enterprises Martha Chen, Mittal Institute Associate Telling Forest Stories in Color: The Indic Art of the Book and the Mumbai Āraṇyakaparvan Jinah Kim, George P. Bickford Professor of Indian and South Asian Art and Professor of South Asian Studies, Department of History of Art + Architecture Understanding and Planning for Climate Displacement in Pakistan Mashail Malik, Assistant Professor of Government, Department of Government Trajectories of Development: Interconnected Spatial Typologies in India Rahul Mehrotra, John T. Dunlop Professor in Housing and Urbanization, Harvard Graduate School of Design Wells of Memory: Traditional Water Management Practices and Contemporary Urbanization in Rajasthan Pablo Pérez-Ramos, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture, Harvard Graduate School of Design

Enhancing Public Sector Performance in Bhutan Through Research and Training Anthony Saich, Daewoo Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School Scalability of Pre-Texts in India Doris Sommer, Ira Jewell Williams, Jr., Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures (Spanish) and in African and African American Studies, Department of Romance Languages & Literatures Granular Estimates of the Health Impacts of Environmental Risks in India S.V. Subramanian, Professor of Population Health and Geography, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Arpit Shah, Mittal Institute Raghunathan Fellow 2024-25 and Assistant Professor in the Public Policy Area at IIM Bangalore Digitizing Afghanistan’s Buddhist Heritage Eugene Y. Wang, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Professor of Asian Art, Department of History of Art + Architecture Time Poverty Interventions to Reduce Newborn Mortality in India: A Project with Ansh Ashley Whillans, Volpert Family Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 29

Faculty Climate Research Grants Starting in Fall 2024, the Mittal Institute increased its funding for faculty research through new faculty climate research grants. These grants are designed to foster deeper scholarly engagement on climate change, catalyze the creation of new knowledge, and contribute to the development of sustainable solutions across South Asia.

The inaugural cohort of eight winning projects, awarded in December 2024, is listed below.

Documenting Women’s Leadership in Climate Resilience Building in Koshi Province, Nepal Vincenzo Bollettino, Director, Program on Resilient Communities at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; Director, National NGO Program on Humanitarian Leadership Patrick Vinck, Research Director, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Heat Stress in India: Why is Relative Humidity in Addition to Temperature on the Rise?

Peter Huybers, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Chair, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Year in Review 2024-25

A Systematic Review of Climate Change and Learning: Fostering Climate Resilient Education through Improved Policymaking Asim Khwaja, Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development; Director, Center for International Development

South Asia’s Role in Shaping a Future Global Climate Policy: The Case of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms Dustin Tingley, Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Government Department

Unveiling Gendered Climate Vulnerability in India: Blending Historical Archives, Satellite and Census Data Eliana La Ferrara, Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School Aditi Bhowmick, CID PhD Affiliate, Concentrations in Development Economics & Labor Economics

Music and Rain: Indigenous Climate Stories from South India (a Film) Richard K. Wolf, Professor of Music and South Asian Studies, Department of Music

Optimizing India’s Biofuel Capacity with Green Hydrogen Penetration: A Decarbonization and Emission Reduction Strategy Michael B. McElroy, Gilbert Butler Professor of Environmental Studies, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Chair, Harvard-China Project on Energy, Economy, and Environment Climate Change, Loss and Damage, and Habitability in Nepal Eugene Richardson, Assistant Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Faculty Grant Spotlight: Caleb Dresser

Climate Change and Emergency Healthcare in India With support from a Mittal Institute faculty grant, Prof. Caleb Dresser led an exploratory evaluation on how climate change impacts India’s health security and emergency care. The project laid the groundwork for future research on how escalating hazards, particularly heat, affect healthcare delivery in India and what barriers exist to implementing Caleb Dresser

As climate change intensifies, extreme weather events—especially heatwaves— are placing growing pressure on India’s healthcare system. To better understand these challenges, the project “Climate Change, Health Security, and Emergency Care in India: An Exploratory Evaluation” was launched with support from a Mittal Institute grant.

Led by Caleb Dresser, Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Assistant Professor in Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the

climate-resilient healthcare policies.

Key Findings: Heatwaves and Their Growing Burden on Healthcare

stronger infrastructure in healthcare settings, such as cooling systems and reliable electricity. It also found that healthcare professionals would benefit from more training on how to respond to heat-related health issues.

One of the components of this project was a literature review that looked at existing research on how extreme heat impacts healthcare in India. This review revealed several critical gaps: limited access to data, a scarcity of research on heat-related illnesses, and the need for

The team also conducted a pilot survey with healthcare professionals to gauge the real-world implications of extreme heat on both patient presentations and healthcare facility operations.

The single-season pilot survey data showed that:

project ran from June 2023 to November 2024.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

FACULTY | 31

• Heat-related illnesses are a major concern;

• High temperatures are affecting operations in many healthcare facilities;

• Most medical professionals would like additional training on responding to extreme heat;

• Climate resilience hasn’t yet been fully integrated into healthcare activities.

To share these insights, the team hosted a virtual workshop in November 2024, titled “What are the Implications of Extreme Heat for Healthcare in India?” Healthcare workers and public health experts joined to discuss the findings and agreed that climate change must be incorporated into the

Year in Review 2024-25

medical education curricula and become a more central focus in medical training and policy development. The team emphasized the need to identify specific steps healthcare facilities can take to become more climate resilient.

The Bigger Picture: Investing in Climate-Resilient Healthcare These conversations point to a pressing need for change: better training for healthcare workers, stronger heat-related readiness and health protection policies, and more investment in healthcare infrastructure, especially cooling resources.

The project also faced challenges: Building partnerships with local organizations took time and led to adjustments in the project’s original objectives. Additionally, most survey

respondents were physicians, meaning voices from nurses, emergency responders, and other key staff were underrepresented.

Despite these hurdles, the project has laid important groundwork. The literature review has been developed into a manuscript currently under peer review, and the pilot survey is being used to inform a larger, multi-region study that will gather more detailed, diverse, and actionable data through surveys and interviews with a broader range of healthcare professionals.

Students The Mittal Institute supports Harvard undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students in their South Asia-related research and internships, entrepreneurial projects, and on-campus student group activities.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

STUDENTS | 33

Year in Review 2024-25

Research, Language, and Internship Grants The Mittal Institute provides student grants to support undergraduate and graduate students working on issues relating to South Asia.

T

he Mittal Institute funds Harvard students in their pursuit of research, language studies, or internships focused on South Asia during the winter and summer recesses.

Mehrin Faisal Human Developmental & Regenerative Biology, Secondary in Global Health & Health Policy, Harvard College, 2025 Internship at Society for Urban and Rural Advancement (Bangladesh)

Naomi Nishit Mehta Master of Architecture in Urban Design candidate, Harvard GSD, 2025 Rethinking the Critical Infrastructures of Waste, Sanitation, and the Urban Commons in Mumbai (India)

Winter 2024-2025 Grants

Hagar Gal PhD candidate in History, Harvard GSAS, 2028 The Long Arm of Malwa Opium: Transformations of Economic Lives in Qing and British Imperial Frontier (India)

Khushi Nansi PhD candidate in History of Art and Architecture, Harvard GSAS, 2030 QARZ: Women and Jewellery in Bombay/Mumbai (India)

Mahia Bashir PhD candidate in History, Harvard GSAS, 2028 Imperial Incarceration (India) Kaylin Chong PhD candidate, Harvard GSAS, 2028 Mountains and Mouthparts: A Case Study in Ticks of Nepal and Their Feeding (United States) Shivangi Chopra Master in Public Administration candidate, Harvard Kennedy School, 2025 PinnkEd: Design & Deployment of a Breast Cancer Awareness Curriculum for School-Going Adolescent Girls (India)

Madhavi Jha PhD candidate in Economics, Harvard GSAS, 2028 Addressing Gender Disparities in the Diagnosis of NCDs in Rural India (India) Anishta Khan Master in Urban Planning candidate, Harvard GSD, 2025 Dhaka Nexus: Preparation for a Regional Plan (Bangladesh)

Hana Rehman Joint Concentration in History & Science and Government, Harvard College, 2025 From Canals to Conflict: The Roots of Water Inequality in Pakistan (England) Saswato Ray Social Studies, Secondary in Economics, Harvard College, 2025 Christian Schools in Kolkata as the Paradigm of What it Means to be a 'Good' School (India)

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

STUDENTS | 35

Muhammad Mughees Sanaullah Master in Public Administration candidate, Harvard Kennedy School, 2025 Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Enhance Disaster Management and Response in Pakistan (Pakistan) Allen Wang Master in Design Studies candidate, Harvard GSD, 2025 A Climate-Resilient Future for the Trekking Industry in Nepal’s Everest Region (Nepal) Omer Yousuf Master in Urban Planning candidate, Harvard GSD, 2026 Internship at Hyderabad Urban Labs (India)

Summer 2025 Grants Muhammad Adil Ahsan PhD in Public Policy candidate, Harvard GSAS, 2027 Doctor’s Orders vs Divine Wisdom (Pakistan) Leren Gao PhD candidate, Harvard Divinity School, 2029 Death and Dying in Tibetan Buddhism: Pre-Dissertation Research in Nepal and Bhutan (Nepal/Bhutan)

Year in Review 2024-25

Abhinav Ghosh PhD candidate, Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2026 Back to Basics? Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Reforms in India (India)

Sri Sathvik Rayala Master of Theological Studies, HDS, 2026 Intermediate Tamil Course Needed for Graduate Research and Curricular Training (USA)

Elizabeth Karron PhD candidate, History of Science Department, Harvard University, 2030 Access to Antibiotics in India: Domestic Government Initiatives and Multinational Business Influence (India)

Nishtha Shah Harvard College, 2028 Intensive Sanskrit Study in Pune by American Institute of Indian Studies (India)

Nikhil Kumar PhD candidate in Public Policy, Harvard GSAS, 2028 Digital Platforms, Informal Intermediaries and Temporary RuralUrban Migration in India (India)

Akhil Thomas PhD candidate in South Asian Religions, Committee on the Study of Religion, Harvard University, 2026 Poetics of Displacement: Jesuit Acculturation in Early Modern Malabar and Its Afterlife in Chicago (United States)

Jōsh Mysoré Social Studies and Computer Science candidate, Harvard College, 2026 Cyber Ghar: Digital Spaces and the Indian Diaspora from Mauritius to America (India)

John Weaver Harvard College, 2026 Summer Sanskrit Program by American Institute of Indian Studies (India)

Vaishnavi Patil PhD candidate, Department of Art + Architecture, Harvard University, 2025 Imaging Motherhood: Evolution of the “Mother-Child” Image in South Asia, 1st-8th Century CE (India/Nepal/ Bhutan)

Wafa Zaka PhD candidate, Department of History, Harvard University, 2030 Pashto Language Study for Research on Migration and Colonial Legacies in the North-West Frontier (USA)

Student Spotlight: Allen Wang

Climate-Resilient Trekking in Nepal Allen Wang, a Master in Design Studies (Ecologies) '25 student from the Harvard Graduate School of Design, was a recipient of a Mittal Institute Winter 2024-25 Student Grant. Allen traveled to Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara to complete a research project on envisioning climate-resilient futures for the ecotourism industry in Nepal.

Allen Wang, MDes ’25

What were your goals with your student grant, and why did you pursue this project?

AW: I’ve been looking at Nepal’s ecotourism industry as a case study since January 2024. As someone with a background in service design and currently in a design studies (ecologies) program, I chose this site as the confluence of those two fields: to explore service delivery in the context of landscapes. In May 2024, I completed two weeks of fieldwork in Sagarmatha National Park (home to a prolific trekking industry centered around Mount Everest, also known as Sagarmatha or Chomolungma). During that trip, I focused on documenting how the pursuit of service delivery (e.g., guides, logistics, hospitality, retail, waste management) impacts the

environment and how the environment shapes services in turn.

After a semester unpacking my findings through coursework, I realized that I had more questions. I wanted a more projective approach, to describe not just the way things work today but to understand anthropologically what futures were at stake in relation to pollution/waste, climate change, and disaster risk. How have recent events shaped the way people in Nepal’s ecotourism industry think about the future? What do economic growth and infrastructure development mean to locals when balanced with questions of environmental and cultural sustainability? And I had a few solution hypotheses I wanted to get people’s feedback on. So, I went to Kathmandu for 15 days and serendipi-

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

STUDENTS | 37

A view of the Annapurna range from the trail to Sarangkot.

tously found myself in Pokhara as well through a few snowballing referrals.

What was the most impactful component of this experience?

AW: It was a productive 15 days of research. In 93 hours of fieldwork, I engaged 70 stakeholders through 28 semi-structured interviews (mostly with government and NGO stakeholders), 30 walk-in interviews (mostly with local storekeepers), and site observations. I shared 38 teas or coffees with interlocutors (as many as six cups in a single day!), as well as 11 meals.

The most impactful part of this fieldwork was the opportunity to hear people tell stories about their past experiences and their outlook on the future.

Some storekeepers described their experiences during the 2015 earthquake, when they were working in the very same stores we were chatting in. They described the initial shock of the earthquake, followed by the persistent terror Year in Review 2024-25

Machhapuchhare (nicknamed “Mount Fishtail”) viewed from Pokhara at sunrise. Locals frequently cited its lack of snow in recent years during winter as a signifier of climate change.

of the aftershocks that came every few hours or days for some time. They described pulling people out of collapsed buildings and the month spent in the temporary shelters. We could still see cracks in some of the walls. And there was frustration with the central government, like how it had agreed to pay some percentage of the rebuilding cost for people’s homes, but only on a reimbursement basis, which meant that if you couldn’t afford to rebuild your home in the first place, you saw none of the relief money.

some storeowners about their future plans for another natural disaster, or for climate change, most adopted a reactive ethos or emphasized their own powerlessness: “I have no plan for the future; God will decide.” If we see ourselves as moving through time in bubbles, these bubbles have shrunken for many.

In May, I had heard it described how the trauma of the earthquake transfigured Nepali paradigms into more of a “YOLO” mentality, that of living for today because a natural disaster could snatch away the future at any moment.

Through my conversations in December, it seems to me that the psychological impact has been more diverse. It was also not so common for many to dwell on the earthquake; a lot of people seem to have moved on. And when I asked

Read the full report here:

More analysis remains to be done, but this experience was immensely helpful in bringing me closer to a country that I had no prior connection to as the topic of my study.

Seed for Change Competition Seed for Change is an annual competition to develop entrepreneurial student projects that aim to positively impact social, economic, and environmental issues in India.

The Seed for Change­ competition is made possible by a generous grant from KP Balaraj MBA ’97 and Sumir Chadha MBA ’97.

Once a year, the Seed for Change (SFC) competition provides monetary prizes to interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial student projects that have the potential to positively impact social, economic, and environmental issues in India. The grand prize for a 12-month project is up to $30,000, and one or two runner-up prizes of up to $5,000 may be awarded for exploratory travel grants. The program prioritizes projects in the early stages of development over start-ups that have already received financial support.

2025 Seed for Change Winner “The Paal” Manali Jain, Master’s in Public Policy ’25, Harvard Kennedy School The Paal is a platform that is turning livestock into an investable asset class to improve livelihoods for smallholder women farmers.

“Out of 100 million farmers in India, two-thirds rely on livestock for their livelihood—most of them small and marginal farmers with limited access to land. Of these, 70% are women,” explain Jain and team partner Shivam Johri. These farmers face a range of challenges, including financial constraints, limited access to livestock

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

STUDENTS | 39

management resources, and genderbased barriers that hinder their ability to sustain or grow their businesses.

The Paal aims to transform livestock ownership through an innovative model that de-risks the process for farmers by channeling retail investments and tapping into the momentum of India’s growing economy. The model is designed to improve the incomes of smallholder women farmers, often excluded from India’s growth story, by equipping them with the tools and support they need to thrive.

"We know the idea we’re building has a lot of economic potential at every level for stakeholders in the value chain,” Jain and Johri say. "Even if we reach 1 percent of India’s 100 million farmers, the impact will be massive."

Year in Review 2024-25

2025 Seed for Change Runner-Up “Games for Ed” Mridula Chalamalasetti, Master’s in Education ’25, Harvard Graduate School of Education Games For Ed—created by HGSE student Mridula Chalamalasetti and co-applicants Meha Wadher and Abhijith Giridhar—aims to enhance student engagement through game-based experi-

ential learning. The program develops custom curriculum-aligned games and thematic mega-games, focusing on diverse topics like sustainability and global trade. By partnering with schools, it supports teachers with training and resources, ensuring accessibility for low-income institutions through a revenue-sharing model. With this approach, Games For Ed seeks to integrate playful learning into mainstream education.

Student Organization Grants The Mittal Institute offers grants to student organizations for academic and social events relating to individual countries or spanning the region of South Asia.

T

here is a growing number of undergraduate and graduate student organizations from various schools focused on South Asia. The Mittal Institute offers them grants to host cultural and educational events on issues affecting South Asia, as well as social events such as concerts and mixers. The average grant support for academic events is $500, while the average grant support for non-academic events is $250.

Student Organization Grant Recipients 2024-2025: • • • • • • • • • •

Harvard Bangladeshi Students’ Association Harvard Human Rights Journal Himalayan Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School India Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School India Conference at Harvard Pakistan Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School Pakistan Conference at Harvard South Asian Law Students Association South Asian Association South Asian Women's Collective

In September 2024, the South Asian Association and the Mittal Institute co-hosted Harvard’s first-ever South Asian Convocation at Harvard Epworth Church for a unique celebration of the South Asian community at Harvard. The image shows members of Harvard Undergraduate Bhangra performing at the event, photographed by Ibta Chowdhury '25.

Lakshmi Puri (right), former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, discussed her best-selling novel, “Swallowing the Sun,” in November 2024. The event was hosted by the India Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School and received a student organization grant from the Mittal Institute.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

STUDENTS | 41

The South Asian Law Students Association and the Harvard Human Rights Journal co-hosted a panel discussion in November 2024 about the theft, trafficking, and trade of precious artifacts from Nepal and countries around the world. The Mittal Institute co-sponsored event featured art crime professor Erin Thompson (right), conservation law expert Sanjay Adhikari (not pictured), and Nepal-born artist Sneha Shrestha (left), moderated by Grace Shrestha ’27 (center). Photo by Harvard Law Today.

The Mittal Institute co-sponsored the annual student-run India Conference at Harvard that took place on February 15-16, 2025. In the image, Nita Ambani, chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, is in conversation with Nitin Nohria, former dean of Harvard Business School.

On February 21, 2025, the Harvard Bangladeshi Students’ Association (HBSA) held its inaugural event, co-sponsored by the Mittal Institute. The University-wide student organization aims to build community, amplify Bangladeshi voices, and create spaces for cultural celebration, professional development, and advocacy.

Year in Review 2024-25

Scholars The Mittal Institute connects faculty and students from across Harvard and other U.S. academic institutions with scholars, public and private organizations, and governments in South Asia.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

SCHOLARS | 43

Year in Review 2024-25

Fellows, Visiting Scholars, and Associates The Mittal Institute offers fellowships and associate opportunities to students, scholars, and artists to contribute to independent research on South Asia in a variety of disciplines.

T

he Mittal Institute provides ever-expanding opportunities for scholarly and artistic exchange between Harvard and South Asia. This includes fellowships, visiting scholar programs, and associate programs.

Fellowships Every year, scholars focused on South Asia or from South Asia are welcomed to the Harvard campus to engage in research with some of the leading academics in their particular fields of interest. The Mittal Institute also offers opportunities for in-region scholars to connect with Harvard’s exceptional resources and faculty while remaining in South Asia.

The Bajaj Visiting Research Fellowship (Cambridge) is a semester-long appointment that supports postdoctoral researchers who have a research interest in India, with priority given to those who have primarily been educated in South Asia.

The Mittal Institute India Fellowship (MIIF) (New Delhi) is a year-long

appointment based at the institute’s India office. It funds highly qualified postdoctoral researchers focused on India or connected with India to collaborate remotely with Harvard faculty.

The Pakistan In-Region Research Fellowship (Pakistan) supports outstanding junior faculty from reputable universities across Pakistan. Fellows are mentored remotely by a Harvard faculty member in their area of scholarship.

The Raghunathan Family Fellowship (Cambridge) is an academic year-long residency that supports recent PhD recipients in the humanities and social sciences with their research on historical or contemporary South Asia.

The Syed Babar Ali Fellowship (Cambridge) is a semester-long appointment that supports postdoctoral researchers in their continued research in areas related to Pakistan.

The Visiting Artist Fellowship (Cambridge) is a unique opportunity for mid-career visual artists from around South Asia to spend eight weeks on the

Harvard campus. The fellowship is research-centered, providing artists with the vast resources of Harvard’s intellectual community to enhance their artistic practice while being mentored by a faculty member.

The Distinguished Artist Fellowship (Cambridge) supports the artistic endeavors and research of a senior artist from anywhere in South Asia, bringing them to Harvard’s campus in Cambridge to access Harvard’s intellectual and creative resources. The senior artist is nominated by a selection committee of faculty and curators of modern and contemporary South Asian art in recognition of the artist’s contribution to important issues related to South Asia.

Visiting Scholars The Mittal Institute supports a small number of fully funded visiting scholars each year. These scholars are funded via a fellowship program (Fulbright, Marie Curie, etc.) on leave from an academic university ladder position, or they are privately funded. They have a Harvard faculty member as a mentor and par-

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

SCHOLARS | 45

ticipate actively in the Mittal Institute community while at Harvard.

Associates The Mittal Institute Associates program accepts a limited number of researchers and faculty with an interest in South Asia.

Associates contribute to Harvard’s scholarship on South Asia through their wealth of expertise on the region, from political economy to public health. Appointments are unpaid and associates are not housed in the Mittal Institute’s offices.

Graduate Student Associates The Mittal Institute supports graduate students from across Harvard who conduct research focused on South Asia.

Graduate Student Associates (GSAs) benefit from the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas, network opportunities, and other resources.

2024–25 Postdoctoral Fellows, Artist Fellows, and Visiting Scholars

ABIR ABDULLAH Visiting Artist Fellow Photographer, Bangladesh

PARUL GUPTA Visiting Artist Fellow Visual artist, India

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

P. ARUN Mittal Institute India Fellow Historian, India

NAIZA KHAN Distinguished Artist Fellow Visual artist, Pakistan

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

MUHAMMAD AYAZ Syed Babar Ali Fellow Assistant Professor, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan

MASUMA HALAI KHWAJA Visiting Artist Fellow Visual artist, Pakistan –––––––––––

––––––––––– SAURAV GHIMIRE Visiting Artist Fellow Filmmaker, Nepal –––––––––––

Year in Review 2024-25

NILANJANA MUKHERJEE Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Fellow Professor of English, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India –––––––––––

NOBONITA RAKSHIT Mittal Institute India Fellow Literary and cultural theorist, India –––––––––––

NASIR UDDIN Visiting Scholar Professor of Anthropology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh –––––––––––

ARPIT SHAH Raghunathan Fellow Assistant Professor, IIM Bangalore, India

SARAH UMER Visiting Scholar (Fulbright) Associate Professor, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

IAN TALBOT Visiting Scholar Emeritus Professor in History of Modern South Asia, University of Southampton, United Kingdom –––––––––––

2024–25 Associates

ANU ANTONY Assistant Professor BITS Pilani K K Birla, Goa Campus, Goa, India ––––––––––– AJMALKHAN AREETHALA Assistant Professor Shiv Nadar University, New Delhi, India –––––––––––

YAQOOB BANGASH Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Information Technology University, Lahore, Pakistan ––––––––––– MIHIR BHATT Director All India Disaster Mitigation Institute, Ahmedabad, India –––––––––––

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

SCHOLARS | 47

MARTHA CHEN Mittal Institute Associate Cambridge, United States –––––––––––

PRADEEP CHOUDHURY Assistant Professor of Economics Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India ––––––––––– LIAQUAT CHANNA Professor of English Balochistan University of IT, Engineering, and Management, Quetta, Pakistan

RAHUL GUPTA CEO J.C. Flowers Asset Reconstruction, India ––––––––––– AMREEN WASIF HUSSAIN Research Associate Project Prakash –––––––––––

MUHAMMAD IMRAN MEHSUD Political Scientist Pakistan –––––––––––

––––––––––– MARIAM CHUGTAI Assistant Professor Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan

NAVEEN JHA Global Director Mehta Family Foundation, United States

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

HARDEEP DHILLON Assistant Professor of History University of Pennsylvania, United States

AMRA KHAN Interdisciplinary Visual Artist Lahore, Pakistan

–––––––––––

Year in Review 2024-25

–––––––––––

KHEYA FURTADO Assistant Professor Goa University of Management, Goa, India

BHARGAV KRISHNA Fellow and Coordinator Sustainable Futures Collaborative, New Delhi, India

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

GARIMA GUPTA Independent Artist India

VANI KRISHNAMURTHY Arts Entrepreneur and Advisor United States

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

TODD LEWIS Distinguished Professor of Arts and Humanities College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, United States

CHANDRABHAN PRASAD Journalist and Sociologist India –––––––––––

––––––––––– HANSONG LI Assistant Professor of Global Inquiry American University, Washington, D.C., United States ––––––––––– CHANDRA MALLAMPALLI Research Scholar Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, United States ––––––––––– SHAILENDRA MEHTA President and Director MICA, Ahmedabad, India –––––––––––

DINYAR PATEL Associate Professor S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, India ––––––––––– ADITYA PILLAI Fellow and Coordinator Sustainable Futures Collaborative, New Delhi, India ––––––––––– ANKUR PHUKAN Independent Historian India –––––––––––

ARAVIND RADHAKRISHNAN Doctoral Student Charite University, Germany –––––––––––

ROBERT RAMAN Assistant Professor of History SRM University, Andhra Pradesh, India –––––––––––

ANNIE ROYSON Assistant Professor of Literature Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar, India ––––––––––– SRISHTEE SETHI Deputy Director, Auditor School Systems The TonsBridge School, Uttarakhand, India ––––––––––– DEVASHREE SHAH Manager Inclusive Design in Public Transit, Institute for Human Centered Design, Boston, United States ––––––––––– RINAN SHAH Post-Doctoral Fellow Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, Shiv Nadar University, Uttar Pradesh, India –––––––––––

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

SCHOLARS | 49

VIDYA SUBRAMANIAN Associate Professor and Associate Dean of Planning and Strategy Jindal Global University, Sonipat, India ––––––––––– IAN TALBOT Emeritus Professor of Modern South Asia University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom

ASHUTOSH VARSHNEY Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences Brown University, Providence, United States ––––––––––– AKASH YADAV CrisisReady Cambridge, United States –––––––––––

––––––––––– PRANAV THOLE Urban Designer ONE Architecture + Urbanism, New York, United States –––––––––––

Year in Review 2024-25

FATIMA ZAHRA Assistant Professor of Evaluation, Statistics, and Methodology University of Tennessee, Knoxville, United States –––––––––––

VERGHESE THOMAS Researcher St John’s Research Institute, Bengaluru, India

MUHAMMAD ZAMAN HHMI Professor of Biomedical Engineering Boston University, Boston, United States

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

KHYATI TRIPATHI Visiting Fellow / Postdoctoral Researcher University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom / Vrije Universiteit, Brussels, Belgium

MARIAM ZIA Assistant Professor Lahore School of Economics, Lahore, Pakistan

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

2024–25 Graduate Student Associates

SARTHAK AGARWAL PhD Candidate, Population Health Sciences Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

ELIZABETH KARRON PhD Candidate, History of Science Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences –––––––––––

––––––––––– ARNAAZ AMEER S.J.D. Candidate Harvard Law School

IQRA SALEEM KHAN S.J.D. Candidate Harvard Law School

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

SHREYA BHUTANI MUP Candidate Harvard Graduate School of Design

NIKHIL KUMAR PhD Candidate, Public Policy Harvard Kennedy School

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

PRIYAMVADA GANNAVARAPU MArch Candidate Harvard Graduate School of Design

PHUSATHI LIYANARACHCHI MTS Candidate Harvard Divinity School

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

FATIMA HAMDANI MDes Candidate Harvard Graduate School of Design

NAOMI MEHTA MArch Candidate Harvard Graduate School of Design

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

BHAVYA JAIN MDes Candidate Harvard Graduate School of Design

PRUTHA PARMAR MPP Candidate Harvard Kennedy School

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

SCHOLARS | 51

VAISHNAVI PATIL PhD Candidate, History of Art and Architecture Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences –––––––––––

–––––––––––

PRADISH POUDEL MMSc-GHD Candidate Harvard Medical School

POORNA SWAMI PhD Candidate, South Asian Studies Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

ADHITYA RAGHAVAN MBA Candidate Harvard Business School

SARAVANAN THANGARAJAN MMSc-GHD Candidate Harvard Medical School

–––––––––––

–––––––––––

HILTON SIMMET PhD Candidate, Public Policy Harvard Kennedy School

SHAHARYAR ZIA PhD Candidate, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences

–––––––––––

Year in Review 2024-25

KARTIK SRIVASTAVA PhD Candidate, Public Policy Harvard Kennedy School

–––––––––––

Fellow Spotlight: Arpit Shah

On Climate Change Inequalities in South Asia Arpit Shah, Assistant Professor in Public Policy at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and the Mittal Institute’s 2024-25 Raghunathan Fellow, is an interdisciplinary researcher who works at the intersection of urban studies and the environment. During his fellowship at Harvard, Arpit explored the justice implications of urbanization and climate change on communities in South Asia.

Arpit Shah

How did you become interested in studying climate change’s impacts? What are the specific themes that you’re researching?

AS: As a Strategy Consultant with the Monitor Group (in my pre-PhD life), I did a lot of work on social-sector projects that involved working with marginalized communities in urban slums and in the rural parts of some of the economically poorer regions of India. That led me to witness firsthand the impacts of marginalization and poverty on the lives of people and how climate shocks can compound these effects. I got interested in the issue of climate change as a result.

As I learned more about the unequal impacts of climate change across communities, I realized how privileged groups that consume more resources are also better able to protect themselves. As an example, people with means can afford to install air-conditioners to tackle the extreme heat that is now a daily feature in the Indian summer. But this actually leads to greater problems for households that cannot afford air-conditioning. I have come to believe that any fair solution to the climate crisis must first grapple with its unequal impacts.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

SCHOLARS | 53

Arpit Shah presented his research in February 2025 in a seminar moderated by Prof. S V Subramanian.

South Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. How has your research grown or evolved as the climate crisis has worsened?

AS: South Asia is definitely one of the most vulnerable regions in the world, be it the threat of sea-level rise, extreme heat, or extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and cyclones. In many cases, the vulnerability is compounded by weak state capacity and the poor socioeconomic conditions that many households face. While climate threats were seen as an abstract future threat until a few years ago, we are now starting to experience climate impacts in our daily lives. Every year since 2022 has been a record-breaking year for heat waves in the Indian summer. My work has started to be shaped by what is happening around us. For instance, a recent paper Year in Review 2024-25

I worked on that was published in Demography examined how an individual’s social identity modulates occupational exposure to outdoor heat in the summer in India. This is a project we’re now building on to further document such inequalities and thereby influence policymaking.

What research project did you work on during your Raghunathan Fellowship?

AS: Through this fellowship, I was able to extend my work on heat inequality and start to examine its health impacts.

In my ongoing work with Prof S V (Subu) Subramanian that I started during this period, we’ve begun to study changes in heat exposure in India over time, and the resultant impacts on factors such as maternal health and neonatal mortality. Our preliminary findings are already

quite striking and show the profound impacts that heat has on human health and well-being. Subu and I have recently been awarded a Mittal Institute Faculty Grant to continue this research further into the next academic year, which is quite exciting!

I’m also working on a project that aims to map and examine environmental justice in Delhi at the neighborhood level, by pairing administrative data with remotely sensed information. In the longer run, we also hope to link environmental exposure with health outcomes in the city. Our work will provide the first high-resolution spatial characterization of residential segregation, and the provisioning of environmental goods (green spaces) and bads (air pollution, high temperature) for Delhi.

Events Each academic year, the Mittal Institute hosts a multitude of events covering topics in the arts, humanities, sciences, education, business, and more.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

EVENTS | 55

Year in Review 2024-25

Events The Mittal Institute strengthens South Asia-related research in a variety of disciplines by providing platforms for scholars to present and discuss their research at symposia, conferences, workshops, and seminars.

4

exhibitions

4

conferences

50+

talks and seminars

250+ speakers

I

n partnership with relevant organizations, student groups, and academic institutions, the Institute’s events provide platforms for faculty, scholars, industry leaders, and others to present their research, discuss developing issues, and deepen the public’s understanding of critical issues facing South Asia today.

During the 2024-2025 academic year, these events brought together a range of speakers, such as Rt. Hon. KP Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal, renowned artist Naiza Khan, and Bahauddin Dagar, distinguished Indian classical musician.

A wide array of departments and programs from across Harvard co-sponsored and collaborated on the events, including the Asia Center; Center for International Development; Committee on the Arts; Department of the History of Art and Architecture; Department of South Asian Studies; FBX Center for Health and Human Rights; Harvard College Office of Student Life; Harvard Graduate School of Design; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; Harvard-Yenching Institute; Institute of Politics; Korea Institute;

Office of the Vice Provost for International Affairs; Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies; Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability; Southeast Asia Initiative at Asia Center; and the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.

The Mittal Institute also collaborated with other universities and organizations, including the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia at Brown Uni­ versity, the Johns Hopkins University, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Asia Society in New York City, The World Bank, LearnQuest, Global Fairness Initiative, Indiaspora, and South Asian Poets of New England.

Also, the India office held events in collaboration with a wide range of organizations such as the Harvard Business School Club of India, Harvard Club of India, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health – India Resource Center, American Center New Delhi, Anant Art, Architecture Foundation, Boston University Foundation-India, FAST India, JSW Foundation, and the Max Weber Forum for South Asian Studies Delhi.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

EVENTS | 57

Event Highlights 2024–25 Read a curated list of event highlights of the Mittal Institute’s Cambridge and India offices below. The events took place in the U.S., India, or online. For a full list of the 50+ events and 250+ speakers, check out the website.

JULY 10, 2024

JULY 31, 2024

AUGUST 3-10, 2024

Indian Elections and After

Navigating Change and Innovation in Indian Higher Education

Interwoven Ecosystems: Art Exhibition

Chaired and moderated by Prof. Tarun Khanna, faculty director of the Mittal Institute, this panel discussion examined key transformations in India’s higher education system. It focused on historical contexts, philanthropic models, global collaborations, and innovative approaches for shaping the future of higher education in India. The event was co-hosted by the Mittal Institute and FAST-India.

Co-hosted by the Mittal Institute and the American Centre in New Delhi, this exhibition explored ecological networks, climate migration, and landscape transformation.

Featuring works by two alumni of the Visiting Artist Fellowship program, Dhara Mehrotra and Paribartana Mohanty, it emphasized the connection between environmental and human well-being, highlighting the fragility of ecosystems and the resilience of affected communities.

India’s 18th national elections saw the BJP lose its majority, raising key questions about state vs. national dynamics, welfare politics, voting patterns, and democratic implications. Leading experts explored what this verdict meant for governance, rights, and the future of Indian democracy. The panel discussion was chaired by Prof. Ashutosh Varshney, director of the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia at Brown University.

JULY 18 + 25, 2024 Heatwaves 101 This two-part webinar delved into the science behind extreme heat and its impact. Chaired and moderated by Prof.

Satchit Balsari, the webinar explored methodologies of predicting heatwaves, the impact of extreme heat on the health of workers in the informal economy, and existing and proposed responses to extreme heat, including the scope and limitations of India’s Heat Action Plans.

Year in Review 2024-25

AUGUST 28, 2024

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

Revisiting Shastraic Reasoning

A Conversation with Rt. Hon. KP Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal

This webinar featured a paper by Prof.

Francis Clooney, S.J., Harvard Divinity School, about the relevance of śāstraic reasoning in modern Hindu ethics, focusing on varṇa, jāti, and the inclusion of śūdras in Vedic studies. It also highlighted the balance between strict rules and interpretive flexibility in classical texts.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 The Transition in Bangladesh and its Implications A panel discussion co-hosted by the Mittal Institute, the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, and the Saxena Center for Contemporary South Asia at Brown University discussed the lead up to the resignation of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, its foreign policy implications in the region and around the world, and what comes next for Bangladesh.

Rt. Hon. KP Sharma Oli, Prime Minister of Nepal, spoke to more than 400 students, affiliates, and faculty at Harvard Kennedy School’s JFK Jr. Forum about the current state of governance and development in Nepal, the move from transitional justice to climate justice, and relationships with India, China, and the United States. At this talk co-sponsored by the Mittal Institute, the Institute of Politics, and the Center for International Development, he was in conversation with Michael Puett, Director of the Asia Center, and Fatema Z. Sumar, Executive Director of the Center for International Development.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2024 South Asian Convocation The student-run South Asian Association and the Mittal Institute co-hosted Harvard’s first-ever South Asian Convocation at Harvard Epworth Church. This unique celebration of the South Asian community at Harvard featured class pictures, presentations by South Asian student organizations, cultural performances, and a reception. It attracted over 300 undergraduate and graduate students, as well as affiliates and faculty members.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024 Rethinking Territorialities of Water Governance in a Water-Scarce World Featuring India Fellow Rinan Shah and Prof. Diana Davis, this panel discussion explored water sovereignty and equitable access in marginalized, urbanizing regions facing extreme climate conditions. It investigated how laws, policies, and governance structures control and manage water resources and discussed claim-making for governance mechanisms.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2024 Three Iconic Directors A Mittal Institute co-sponsored talk in New York City brought together direc-

tors Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham), Deepa Mehta (Water), and Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), moderated by Aroon Shivdasani, founder and retired executive and artistic director of the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC).

OCTOBER 7, 2024 Unveiling Hampi Vijayanagara: An Illustrated Lecture on India’s Ancient Capital George Michell, a distinguished architectural scholar on South Asian architecture, presented his 30 years of work creating a comprehensive survey of the 14th-16th century ruins of the great capital city of Hampi Vijayanagara in Karnataka, one of the most spectacular historical sites in India and now inscribed on UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List.

OCTOBER 17, 2024 An Evening of Indian Classical Music: “Dhwani – Exploring Dhrupad and Dagarvani” As part of his residency with the Mittal Institute, distinguished Indian classical musician Bahauddin Dagar gave a captivating concert to over 170 attendees, accompanied by tanpura player Shraddha Aggarwal and percussionist Tejas Tope.

The event was part of ArtsThursday, a university-wide initiative supported by Harvard University Committee on the Arts (HUCA). Read more on page 25.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

EVENTS | 59

Fellow Saurav Ghimire presented his work, including a screening of his film "Songs of Love and Hate," and his efforts to preserve, restore, and archive South Asian and Nepali film heritage.

NOVEMBER 15, 2024 The 1970 Bhola Cyclone and the Birth of Bangladesh

OCTOBER 18, 2024 Chronicling Unrealized Trajectories: The Plurality of Historical Experience in 1940s South Asia This full-day conference examined the historical experiences of 1940s South Asia, challenging dominant narratives of partition and independence. The focus was on unrealized political possibilities and mass movements, reinterpreting the decade as one of fluidity and contested futures within a broader Asian context.

The nine speakers included Sugata Bose, Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University, and Robert Rahman Raman, Mittal Institute India Fellow 2023-24.

In 1970, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) was hit by a cyclone that killed 300,000 to 500,000 people. Prof.

Mushfiq Mobarak from Yale University discussed empirical evidence that the cyclone's devastation and the Pakistani government's "callous response" to it were instrumental in galvanizing support for an independence movement. His presentation was followed by an eyewitness account from Mittal Institute Associate Prof. Martha Chen.

Nepali Filmmaker and Visiting Artist Year in Review 2024-25

In January 2025, the HUM SAB EK (We Are One) multimedia exhibition was showcased at The World Bank Headquarters in Washington, D.C. It marks the second stop of this traveling exhibition outside Harvard University after a visit to the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City in September 2024.

JANUARY 11-12, 2025 India Science Festival The Mittal Institute contributed to FAST-India's 2025 edition of the India Science Festival, a two-day event in Pune that promotes science, technology, and innovation. The festival featured Harvard professors Shriya Srinivasan, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and K. Viswanath, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Insights from the World’s Largest Spiritual Gathering – Mahakumbh

Crafted Visions: India and the Values of Design, 1955-1985

Visiting Artist Fellow Art Exhibition Opening and Film Screening

HUM SAB EK (We Are One) at The World Bank in Washington, D.C.

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

DECEMBER 16, 2024

OCTOBER 22, 2024

JANUARY 8, 2025

Vishal Khandelwal, an assistant professor in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University, discussed his book manuscript in New Delhi. The book delves into the history of design education and practice in postcolonial India, with a particular focus on the early years of the National Institute of Design.

The General Consulate of India in New York City hosted Harvard professors Tarun Khanna, Diana L. Eck, and Tiona Zuzul, who presented their research on the Kumbh Mela 2013, from its preparation through to the actual gathering. Professors Khanna and Zuzul also reported on their study of the 2025 iteration of the mega event. They were in conversation with moderator Hitesh Hathi, executive director of the Mittal Institute.

MARCH 19-22, 2025

MARCH 21-28, 2025

APRIL 14, 2025

India 2047: Building a Climate-Resilient Future

To Reach the Source: The Stepwells of India

Public Lecture by Distinguished Artist Fellow Naiza Khan

Focusing on climate resilience in the Global South, this four-day convening brought together 180+ experts in science, health, labor, business, and policy.

It addressed the impacts of extreme climate events to advance collaborative, evidence-based solutions for a sustainable future. Read more on pages 14-17.

Photographer and environmental artist Claudio Cambon presented his work at an exhibition in New Delhi, co-hosted by the Mittal Institute and the National Foundation for India. The photographs highlight the beauty and significance of stepwells, linking historical preservation with ecological awareness.

For one week, the Mittal Institute hosted Naiza Khan, a renowned artist from Pakistan, as the Institute’s second Distinguished Artist Fellow. In a lecture co-hosted by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Khan presented her powerful work that weaves together themes of land, body, and memory. Read more on pages 24-25.

APRIL 1, 2025 Visiting Artist Fellows Art Exhibition Launch Mittal Institute Visiting Artist Fellows Abir Abdullah, Parul Gupta, and Masuma Halai Khwaja shared their artistic motivations in a panel discussion moderated by Prof. Vishal Khandelwal.

They also displayed reproductions and a few originals of their works.

ENGAGING WITH HARVARD ALUMNI AROUND THE WORLD The Mittal Institute is focused on engaging former Harvard students, fellows, and affiliates with a connection to South Asia. The Institute hosted two events in 2024-25, one of them in New York City and the other one in New Delhi, and is looking to grow these connections and community.

In July 2024, the Mittal Institute hosted a “Harvard New Students and Alumni Reception” with over 100 participants in New Delhi. From l to r: Hitesh Hathi, Tarun Khanna, Laxmi Priya, and Radhika Chopra.

In September 2024, the Mittal Institute hosted more than 30 recent Harvard graduates with ties to South Asia at the Harvard Club of New York City.

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

EVENTS |

61

ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM 2025 Harish C. Mahindra Evening: The Mittal Institute’s 15-Year Journey to Increase Harvard’s Presence in Asia To kick off this year’s Annual Symposium, the Mittal Institute hosted a special evening on April 17 featuring Tarun Khanna, Mittal Institute Faculty Director, William C. Kirby, former Fairbank Center Director, and Arthur Kleinman, former Asia Center director. They discussed the Mittal Institute’s 15-year journey to increase Harvard’s presence in Asia, the extraordinary leadership of Tarun Khanna, and international centers at Harvard.

Watch it here:

Mittal Institute Annual Symposium: Media, Climate, Arts At the Annual Symposium on April 18, journalists and media experts from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh discussed the changing media landscape in South Asia; scholars summarized findings from the recent 'India 2047' conference co-hosted

Year in Review 2024-25

by the Mittal Institute in New Delhi; Distinguished Artist Fellow Naiza Khan showcased her film “Mapping Water” in a conversation with Prof. Jinah Kim; and a fireside chat addressed the Institute’s upcoming leadership change, with

Prof. Tarun Khanna stepping down as Faculty Director at the end of June 2025 and Prof. Diana L. Eck becoming the interim Faculty Director.

Governance

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

GOVERNANCE | 63

Year in Review 2024-25 2021-22

Governance EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Aditya and Megha Mittal (UK) Lakshmi and Usha Mittal (UK) KP Balaraj, MBA ’97 (India), Chair, Advisory Council Sumir Chadha, MBA ’97 (USA), Chair, Advisory Council Dipti Mathur (USA), Chair, Arts Council Tarun Khanna (USA), Faculty Director, The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute

ADVISORY COUNCIL

ARTS COUNCIL

Chairs: KP Balaraj, MBA ’97 (India) Sumir Chadha, MBA ’97 (USA)

Faculty Director: Jinah Kim, George P. Bickford Professor of ­Indian and South Asian Art and Professor of South Asian Studies, Harvard University (USA); Chair: Dipti Mathur (USA) Arts Program Advisors: Shanay Jhaveri (USA), Meena Sonea Hewett (USA)

Aditya and Megha Mittal (UK) Lakshmi and Usha Mittal (UK) Syed Babar Ali, AMP ’73 (Pakistan) Kushagra Nayan Bajaj (India) Lucinda Bhavsar MBA ’97 (USA) Kuntala Das and Bharat Das ’08, s/o late Purandar Das (USA) Mark Fuller ’75, MBA ’78, JD ’79, and Jo Froman (USA) Meera Gandhi (USA) Vikram Gandhi, MBA ’89, ExEd ’00 (USA/India) Nandita Prakash Glazer (USA) Mala Haarmann ’91, MBA ’96 (UK) Rajiv Kothari OPM '14 (USA) Anuradha and Anand Mahindra ’77, MBA ’81 (India) Dipti Mathur (USA) Karen ’82, and Sanjeev Mehra ’82, MBA ’86 (USA) Chandrika and Dalip Pathak (UK) Chandni and Mukesh Prasad ’93 (USA) Sribala Subramanian and Arvind Raghunathan (USA) Rajiv and Anupa Sahney (India) Gaurav ’96 and Falguni Shah (USA) Vimal MBA ’02 and Punyashree Shah (USA) Parul and Gaurav Swarup, MBA ’80 (India) Tom Varkey MBA ’97 (USA) Jasvinder Khaira and Monica Vaughan-Khaira (USA) Osman Khalid Waheed ’93 (Pakistan) Arshad Zakaria ’85, MBA ’87 (USA)

Archan Basu ’93 and Madeline Jie Wang ’97 (USA) Poonam Bhagat (India) Anurag Bhargava (India/USA) Radhika Chopra MPP ’96 (India) Sunil Hirani (USA) Bharti Malkani (USA) Chandrika Pathak (UK/India) Pinky and Sanjay Reddy (India) Omar Saeed (Pakistan) Sana Rezwan Sait (USA) Nadia and Rajeeb Samdani (Bangladesh) Shilpa Sanger (USA) Gaurav ’96 and Falguni Shah (USA) Osman Khalid Waheed ’93 (Pakistan)

FRIENDS OF THE INSTITUTE Nadeem Elahi MBA ’01 (Pakistan) Namita Luthra and Anil Shrivastava AB '90, MBA '96 (USA) Usha and Diaz Neesamoney (USA) Anwarul Quadir Foundation (USA)

INDIA ADVISORY BOARD Aditya and Megha Mittal (UK) Lakshmi and Usha Mittal (UK) Gobind Akoi GMP ’10 (India) KP Balaraj MBA ’97 (India) Sumir Chadha MBA ’97 (USA) Radhika Chopra MPP ’96 and Rajan Anandan (India) The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

GOVERNANCE | 65

FACULTY CABINET Chair: Tarun Khanna, Faculty Director; Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School

Diana L. Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies, Emerita, and Frederic Wertham Research Professor of Law and Psychiatry in Society, Harvard Divinity School

Homi Bhabha, Anne F. Rothenberg Professor of the Humanities, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Mashail Malik, Assistant Professor, Department of Government

Jacqueline Bhabha, Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health; Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Lecturer in Law, Harvard Law School; Adjunct Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School Martha Chen, Mittal Institute Associate Sheila Jasanoff, Pforzheimer Professor of Science and Technology Studies, Harvard Kennedy School Asim Khwaja, Sumitomo-FASID Professor of International Finance and Development, Harvard Kennedy School Jinah Kim, George P. Bickford Professor of Indian and South Asian Art and Professor of South Asian Studies, Harvard University Jennifer Leaning, Senior Research Fellow at the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights; Professor of the Practice at Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health Rahul Mehrotra, John T. Dunlop Professor in Housing and Urbanization, Harvard Graduate School of Design Venkatesh Murthy, Raymond Leo Erikson Life Sciences Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University Vikram Patel, The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health, Harvard Medical School Parimal G. Patil, Professor of Religion and Indian Philosophy, Committee on the Study of Religion; Chair of the Department of South Asian Studies, Harvard University

FACULTY STEERING COMMITTEE * includes members of Cabinet Ali Asani, Murray A. Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies; Professor of Indo-Muslim and Islamic Religion and Cultures, Harvard University Satchit Balsari, Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Caroline Buckee, Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health Year in Review 2024-25 2021-22

Durba Mitra, Carol K. Pforzheimer Assistant Professor, Radcliffe Institute; Assistant Professor of Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Harvard University Jukka-Pekka Onnela, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health Sanjay Saini, Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School Daniel Schrag, Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Ajay Singh, Senior Associate Dean for Postgraduate Medical Education, Harvard Medical School; Director, Master in Medical Sciences in Clinical Investigation (MMSCI) Program Pawan Sinha, Professor of Vision and Computational Neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Doris Sommer, Ira Jewell Williams, Jr., Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and in African and African American Studies, Harvard University Kristen A. Stilt, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School Ashutosh Varshney, Sol Goldman Professor of International Studies and the Social Sciences and Professor of Political Science, Brown University; Director, Center for Contemporary South Asia, Brown University Conor Walsh, Paul A. Maeder Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences, John A. Paulson Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences Muhammad H. Zaman, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor of Biomedical Engineering and International Health, Boston University

MITTAL INSTITUTE ADMINISTRATION Tarun Khanna, Faculty Director; Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School Hitesh M. Hathi, Executive Director Mirela Vaso, Director of Finance and Administration Carlin Carr, Assistant Director of Programs and Outreach Monika Setia, Associate Country Director, Harvard Global Research Support Centre India

CAMBRIDGE Shubhangi Bhadada, Research Fellow; Project and Research Director, Lancet Citizens’ Commission *Kartikeya Bhatotia, Climate Fellow Ahva Davis-Shiva, Financial Associate Thomas Elliott, Programs and Administrative Coordinator Kellie Nault, Writer/Editor Selmon Rafey, Program Manager Sneha Shrestha, Arts Program Manager Danielle Wallner, Programs and Administrative Coordinator Bettina Wyler, Communications Manager

IN-REGION India Amit Chaudhary, Administrative & HR Coordinator, Harvard Global Research Support Centre India Angarika Datta, Communications and Outreach Manager, Harvard Global Research Support Centre India Garima Gupta, Program Manager, Scienspur Anjali Jain, Research Manager, Mapping Color in History Shreya Majumdar, Program Manager, Harvard Global Research Support Centre India Sushma Mehta, Grant and Finance Manager, Harvard Global Research Support Centre India *Yuvika Pharaswal, Climate Coordinator, Harvard Global Research Support Centre India Pakistan Mariam Chughtai, Pakistan Programs Director Nepal Pukar Malla, Nepal Programs Director

*New in FY 2024/25 The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University

CGIS South, 4th Floor, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA B- 43, Middle Circle, Connaught Place, New Delhi - 110001, India www.mittalsouthasiainstitute.harvard.edu