NEWSLETTER
May 11, 2018
The distinguished UC Berkeley scientist, Professor Ashok Gadgil, spoke at our Annual Symposium about how he went from theoretical physicist to life-saving inventor of water purification technology, and what he's learned about 'knowledge translation' (the theme of the symposium) along the way.
Every year the Mittal Institute publishes an annual report that chronicles the highlights of the academic year. This report showcases the breadth of interdisciplinary faculty and student research projects, programs and events that the Mittal Institute supports related to South Asia both at Harvard and in-region.
Congratulations to Green Screen and Umbulizer , the winners of our 2018 Seed for Change Competition! Umbulizer, the winner of Seed for Change Pakistan, will receive $15,000 to further develop a reliable, low-cost, and portable device that can provide continuous ventilation to patients in resource-limited healthcare settings. Green Screen, winner of Seed for Change India, will receive $40,000 to produce a zero-electricity, modular ventilation panel made from an agricultural waste byproduct and designed for the slums of New Delhi, India. 
The deadline for applications to the Crossroads Emerging Leaders Program has been extended to June 30, 2018. It is a unique career development opportunity for talented first-generation college students from across Asia, Africa and the Middle East to spend nearly a week in Dubai, all expenses paid, learning from Harvard professors, alumni and local business leaders in September 2018. Apply now!
Conor Walsh says of Harvard's latest budget allocations for science and technology, “If somebody is just deciding to choose a career path in academia, one thing to think about is what the funding landscape looks like, and are they going to have realistic chances and good opportunities to get funding. It’s showing that the country is supportive.”
HSPS Student Sohini Mukherjee discusses the inspiration for her research on women in the Sundarbans. “A lot of the questions I was asking them, such as ‘Do you feel like you are in control of your life?’, were questions that no one had ever asked them before. At first a lot of the women wouldn’t really talk. But there were others who just wouldn’t stop talking. Seeing the joy in someone being heard—you can only get that from face-to-face interaction.”"
In The Indian Express , Ashutosh Varshney questions Roderick Macfarquhar about President Xi Jinping's Wuhan summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "The strategic perspective is quite simple: India, you have come closer to the US, but before you commit yourself too strongly, think carefully about your interests. America is far away, and we are your powerful neighbor."
The Center for International Development at Harvard University (CID) New Global Growth Projections show that, "countries that have diversified their economies into more complex sectors, like India and Vietnam, are those that will grow the fastest in the coming decade."
CAMBRIDGE EVENTS
Saturday, May 12, 8 AM-9 PM Harvard Faculty Club
The Bangladesh Rising Conference will discuss how Bangladesh can maintain its momentum and potentially accelerate the growth achieved in the last decade. The conference will host practitioners, academics, and high-level government officials to discuss the ways the country can advance further and avoid pitfalls. It will include important topics such as financial inclusion, foreign investment, generation of electricity, and sustainable development goals.
Sunday, May 13, 2:00-6:00 PM, CGIS South, S010
The theme for this year's India Poetry Reading is “Humanity”.  This annual event celebrates India's contribution to the field of literature and invites local poets to recite original compositions in the language of their choosing. 
FLASHBACK FRIDAY
On April 16, 2015, The Mittal Institute hosted its Annual Symposium with a panel on Art and Education in the South Asian Context. The panelists argued that it is important for spaces that display art in India, especially museums, to engage their audiences more intentionally because they are responsible for generating and institutionalizing the conventions of artistic evaluation and value that determine tastes and consumption among consumers, as well as society, more broadly.