EVENTS

The Institute of Chinese Studies–-Harvard-Yenching Institute (ICS-HYI) Multi-Year Doctoral Fellowship in China Studies commenced in 2014 to support and train the next generation of China scholars in India and notched its decadal milestone in 2024. This prestigious and most sought-after scholarship is awarded to Indian nationals who are enrolled in a doctoral programme in an Indian University. It provides financial support and an opportunity to study and undertake research at top-tier institutions in China and Taiwan, and the Harvard-Yenching Institute in the United States. The recipients – former and ongoing - of the fellowship are coming together on this panel to share their experiences and insights. This offers prospective applicants an opportunity to listen to their experiences and engage with them. This will also enable the wider public to learn more about this multi-year fellowship and its significance.

Introductory Remarks

Alka Acharya, Director, Institute of Chinese Studies; Professor and Chairperson, Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

Moderator

Ravi Bhoothalingam, Emeritus Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; Fellow, Royal Geographical Society, London.

Speakers

Veda Vaidyanathan is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) in New Delhi. Trained in International Affairs, Veda brings a comparative perspective to her work, examining Chinese and Indian engagements in Africa from the grassroots. She holds a PhD from the Centre for African Studies at the University of Mumbai and was the inaugural recipient of the ICS-Harvard-Yenching Institute fellowship in India.

Pawan Amin is a doctoral scholar at the Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. As a recipient of the ICS-HYI Multi-Year Doctoral Fellowship, he spent a year at NTNU, Taipei, learning Chinese before visiting Fudan University, Shanghai, for his research year. He is presently a visiting fellow at the Harvard-Yenching Institute. His PhD thesis is on, “China and the United Nations: Discourse Analysis on Human Rights and Disarmament”.

Shubhda Gurung is a doctoral scholar at the Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. As a recipient of the ICS-Harvard-Yenching Multi-Year Doctoral Fellowship, she was a visiting fellow at Peking University (PKU), Beijing and is presently based at the Harvard-Yenching Institute, Massachusetts. Her doctoral thesis is titled, “Interconnected Histories: India and China in Ji Xianlin’s Works”.

Nishant Sharma is a doctoral scholar at O.P. Jindal Global University. As a recipient of the ICS-HYI Multi-Year Doctoral Fellowship (2023-2027), he undertook Chinese language training at Central China Normal University, Wuhan (2023-2024) and is currently conducting research at Fudan University as an exchange scholar. His doctoral thesis explores how national memory narratives influence China's governance and foreign policy.

Cherry Hitkari is a doctoral scholar at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi. She is currently studying Chinese language at East China Normal University, Shanghai as part of the ICS-HYI Multi-Year Doctoral Fellowship (2024-2028). Her doctoral research focuses on the “China Dream as a Tool of Cultural Governance: Mass Political Participation and Propaganda from the 18th till the 20th Party Congress”.

Closing Remarks

Madhavi Thampi, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; former Editor, China Report; former Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Studies, Delhi University.