The Mittal Institute, Harvard University

The Mittal Institute’s podcast series, “India In-Focus,” in collaboration with The Times of India, brings one-on-one discussions between faculty and experts from Harvard right into your home. Listen to prominent speakers discuss the latest transformative research and pivotal breakthroughs that have the potential to change how India conducts business, creates new ideas, and tackles pressing social,...

The India In-Focus podcast is back with a special mini-series that recaps the societal response to COVID-19 in India. Over the course of this seven-part series counting down to the one-year mark of the nationwide lockdown in India, our host Satchit Balsari talks with experts across industry. Each episode gives a narrative exploration of issues key to India’s response to the pandemic and the challe...

Ronak Desai, Research Associate at the Mittal Institute, moderates a discussion between Nirupama Rao, Former Foreign Secretary of India, and Vipin Narang, Associate Professor of Political Science at MIT, as they explore how the potential outcomes of the 2020 US presidential election may impact the region of South Asia.

Afghanistan was omnipresent in global news for the past two decades for all of the wrong reasons. In this podcast, the panelists explore modern and contemporary architecture and urbanism in Afghanistan to provide an updated, informed view of the country. Discussants: Rahul Mehrotra, Professor of Urban Design and Planning, Harvard Graduate School of Design Ajmal Maiwandi, Director, Aga Khan Trust f...

JOIN US FOR SESSION 3 ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020: https://bit.ly/2FceeMQ Until recently, Afghanistan was omnipresent in global news for the past two decades for all of the wrong reasons. Addressing primarily architectural, urban, and territorial aspects of Afghanistan, the second discussion in this series focuses on the history and traditions of architecture and urbanism in Afghanistan. Speaker...

JOIN US FOR SESSION 2 ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2020: https://bit.ly/2HuPaS9 Addressing primarily architectural, urban, and territorial aspects of Afghanistan, this discussion explores varied topics ranging from vernacular architecture and building traditions to infrastructure and cultural specificities in conjunction with issues related to historic settlements and contemporary planning in Afghanist...

The impact of the 1947 Partition still ripples throughout South Asia, 73 years later. However, our knowledge of this historic event is constantly being reevaluated by academics and researchers who have continued to illuminate the details of what occurred. Moderated by Jennifer Leaning, Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, this panel exp...

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.

Sven Beckert (Laird Bell Professor of History, Harvard University) and Dinyar Patel (Assistant Professor, S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research)discuss Dadabhai Naoroji and his five decade political career.

The global apparel industry is currently facing an unprecedented crisis resulting from the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. Major fashion retailers in the Global North are closing their stores and laying off workers. This discussion addresses how we can engage in dialogues and organize across borders to simultaneously hold the global retailers, governments, and factory owners accountable for ensuring...

The global apparel industry is currently facing an unprecedented crisis resulting from the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, as major fashion retailers in the Global North close their stores and lay off workers. In this clip, Dina M. Siddiqi — Clinical Associate Professor at New York University — discusses how the pandemic has forced us to think about inequality, and the unequal system between internat...

COVID-19 has shut down traditional education programs throughout South Asia, from primary education to higher education. This podcast delves into the unique challenges that the region is facing in the education sector, such as access to technology and the potential long-term effects of distance learning. Discussants: - Zainab Qureshi, LEAPS Director, Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD), Harvard Kenn...

A recent panel discussion at the Mittal Institute, “Rethinking the Museum Experience During and Post-COVID-19" — moderated by Jinah Kim, Professor of History of Art and Architecture at Harvard University — explores how art institutions can remain nimble enough to respond to uncertainties, such as COVID-19, adapting their approach to tackle similar situations in the future. How can art institutions...

Enterprises have found themselves caught in the COVID-19 maelstrom across South Asia. This podcast explores the extent to which entrepreneurs have been able to work with both the state and civil society to limit the damage and distress caused by the pandemic, but also to begin exploring new opportunities that a possible “global reset” has opened up to the developing world. Speakers include: - Taru...

In this clip from our "Science, Business, and Vaccine Development to Combat the Pandemic" podcast, Umang Vohra — Managing Director and Global Chief Executive Officer of Cipla Ltd — discusses the balance between equitable access and vaccine nationalism, as well as the availability and affordability of the vaccine, with a focus on South Asia.

How has COVID-19 impacted South Asia? In this podcast, a panel of experts share the geo-politics of how vaccines are developed, the funding and distribution methods that are critical to the effort, and the global alliances that facilitate this in the world today. - Tarun Khanna, Jorge Paulo Lemann Professor, Harvard Business School & Director, Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvar...

How has COVID-19 impacted South Asia? Throughout the spring and summer, the Mittal Institute is bringing together Harvard faculty and in-region experts to discuss the various interdisciplinary issues that have arisen in South Asia in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the science of the virus to the impact on education, you can learn how COVID-19 will change South Asia's societies. Both full-...

How has COVID-19 impacted South Asia? Throughout the spring and summer, the Mittal Institute is bringing together Harvard faculty and in-region experts to discuss the various interdisciplinary issues that have arisen in South Asia in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the science of the virus to the impact on education, you can learn how COVID-19 will change South Asia's societies. Both full-...

How has COVID-19 impacted South Asia? Throughout the spring and summer, the Mittal Institute is bringing together Harvard faculty and in-region experts to discuss the various interdisciplinary issues that have arisen in South Asia in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the science of the virus to the impact on education, you can learn how COVID-19 will change South Asia's societies. Both full-...

How has COVID-19 impacted South Asia? Throughout the spring and summer, the Mittal Institute is bringing together Harvard faculty and in-region experts to discuss the various interdisciplinary issues that have arisen in South Asia in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. From the science of the virus to the impact on education, you can learn how COVID-19 will change South Asia's societies. Both full-...

We recently sat down with Alex Beaudette, Sapna Shah, and Ankur Goel: three members of Professor Conor Walsh’s research team who are working on the research and development of the Soft Robotics Toolkit. This project has grown out of research conducted at Harvard University, University College Dublin, and Trinity College Dublin to become a comprehensive resource that will teach students how to desi...

In case you missed it: Raj Rewal and Rahul Mehrotra recently stopped by the Mittal Institute to discuss Rewal's past architectural work in India and around the world. This podcast — an excerpt from their discussion — delves into the theme of the "Timeless Rasa."

Around the world, numerous nations have witnessed a resurgence of strongman politics — and with it, many governments have bypassed democratic norms and embraced populist ideals. Focusing on President Bolsonaro of Brazil and Prime Minister Modi of India, Professors Patrick Heller, Bruno Carvalho, and Rachel Brulé discuss what nationalist and populist leadership means for Brazil, India, and the glob...

Who will benefit from big health data in India? And who will be harmed? Whom will the data leave behind? We're at an extraordinarily important time in India where digital health is concerned, and given the infrastructure, internet connectivity, and the sheer number of computer and data scientists available, India is positioned to change the way healthcare delivery has been imagined anywhere in the...

Our latest podcast on Hinduism in Nepal features Gautama Vajracharya from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in a lecture on the ceremonial purposes of the lunar calendar, entitled “Newar Ritual Calendar — New Methodology, New Discovery.”