This Week's Top Stories
September 11, 2020
Welcome back students, faculty, and the greater Harvard community! We're looking forward to seeing you at our virtual events in the coming months and continuing to support your research, projects, and knowledge generation on all topics related to South Asia.

Although we remain physically distanced, we will continue to bring the Mittal Institute community together this school year in new and exciting ways.
In our latest podcast created with the Times of India, Shubhangi Bhadada, Mittal Institute Research Fellow, and Nadhra Khan, Associate Professor at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, discuss the pre-Partition architecture of Lahore, how it has been forgotten or ignored, and the importance of remembering such buildings.
In a recent paper published in The Lancet, Satchit Balsari, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, and his co-authors delve into the use of mobility data from mobile phones to monitor physical distancing and the spread of COVID-19 — advocating for the preservation of privacy and data protection.
Burhan Rasool, an IT and e-Governance expert, and Ammar Malik, Director of EPoD Research at Harvard Kennedy School, explore the eight challenges that Pakistan faces as it incorporates IT and data-driven policymaking into its public sector to continue its digital transformation journey.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, September 12, 10:30 AM EST
Our Extreme Urbanism series will explore a range of topics, from vernacular architecture and building traditions to infrastructure and cultural specificities in Afghanistan. Speakers will include academics from Harvard University and Kabul University, in addition to global experts and practitioners working in or on Afghanistan. This series is organized in partnership with the Harvard Graduate School of Design and the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat.
Monday, September 28, 11:00 AM EST
Register to attend: https://bit.ly/33l4eJr
In the next event within the Brown-Harvard-MIT Joint Seminar on South Asian Politics series, panelists will discuss the recent conflicts surrounding the border between China and India and how these events will impact the future of India-China relations.
Latest Announcements
Deadline to Apply: Friday, October 16, 2020
We're now accepting applications for our winter grants to virtually research, intern, or perform a language study on topics about South Asia! Harvard undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to apply. Reach out to Selmon Rafey, srafey@fas.harvard.edu, with any questions.
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