Research Interns

Om Ranjan is a Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies, and a Doctoral Scholar at the Rashtriya Raksha University, Gujarat. He holds Master's degree in Politics and International Relations from Central University of Gujarat. He has been a recipient of the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, 2025 offered by the Ministry of Education, Republic of China (Taiwan) for his Mandarin language study. He also holds TOCFL A1 certification in reading and writing. His research focuses on China’s strategic culture, combining classical Chinese philosophy with contemporary statecraft. His current research framework, “China’s Strategic Culture: A Synthesis of Its Ancient Philosophies and Decision-making,” examines the interplay of classical Chinese philosophies—Confucianism, Legalism, Daoism, and Sun Zi’s strategic thought—with contemporary Chinese statecraft under Xi Jinping.

Ann Elza Varughese is a virtual Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies, and is currently pursuing a diploma in Japanese language at the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi. She holds a Master’s in Political Science from University of Hyderabad and an Undergraduate degree in Economics and Political Science from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi. Her current research delves into the liminal existence of migrant care workers in Japan’s welfare regime, drawing connections between the legal-institutional dimensions and the cultural-symbolic narratives. Her research interests skew towards examining the interplay of the cultural, social and institutional dynamics of East Asia in general and Japan in particular. She also enjoys exploring questions of morality, identity and subjectivities alongside notions of precarity and belongingness. She is interested in languages and plans to learn other languages from the East Asian region as well.

Avani Abha is a Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi. She holds an M.A. in Political Science from Pondicherry University. Her key area of interest lies in understanding how economic factors and institutional structures shape the broader political trajectory of nations, as well as their external engagements.

She is particularly focused on the evolving contours of India–China relations, exploring how political institutions, developmental models, and structural constraints influence bilateral dynamics. Her research extends to questions of comparative political economy, state capacity, and the interplay between domestic governance frameworks and foreign policy strategies. At ICS, she aims to contribute to critical scholarship on Asia’s political and economic transformations and to enrich policy debates on India’s role in a rapidly changing global order.

Alka Verma is a Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, and a PhD scholar at the Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She pursued a one-year Mandarin language program at Beijing Normal University, Beijing, under the bilateral scholarship program of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, and the China Scholarship Council, Government of the People’s Republic of China. She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Area Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

Her doctoral research focuses on the critical discourse analysis of China’s economic transition. Her broader research interests include Discourse Analysis, Political Economy with a focus on China, Gender Studies, and Labour Rights.

Haritha Balakrishnan Alayil is a Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS). She is currently pursuing an M.A. in International Studies at the Symbiosis School of International Studies, Symbiosis International University. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai. She is passionate about international political economy, technology, and regional security, focusing on how global trends shape governance, strategy, and development. She is particularly interested in China’s foreign policy and its strategic and diplomatic engagements in South Asia. Previously, she interned at the Vivekananda International Foundation, where she contributed to research on China’s domestic policies and regional dynamics. She is also learning Mandarin as part of her broader academic interest in China studies.

Tridisha Thakuria is a research intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi. She holds a Bachelor's degree in History from Miranda House, University of Delhi, and a Master’s degree in East Asian Studies from the Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi. Her research interests focus on identity politics in contemporary China, cultural affinities between communities and tribes in Northeast India and China, and border studies. She is particularly interested in exploring how cultural and ethnic identities shape inter-community relationships and state policies in border regions, with a view to understanding broader patterns of interaction and negotiation in the context of East Asia.

Supradip Das has completed his Master’s in Chinese language and China Studies from the Department of Chinese Language and Culture (Cheena-
Bhavana), Visva-Bharati University. Recently he joined the ICS as a Virtual Research Intern. He also graduated from Cheena-Bhavana and pursued a one-year advanced training in the Chinese language from Beijing Language and Culture University China, under the bilateral scholarship program of MHRD, Govt. of India, and China Scholarship Council Govt. of PRC.

Khan Farah is a virtual Research Intern at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. She is pursuing her second Masters in MA China Studies from Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai and holds her first Masters in Chemistry from Mumbai University. For her thesis, she is working on “China’s Hydrogen Energy System” under the supervision of Saheli Chattaraj. Her interests include Environment regulation, Energy Security, Technologies associated with China’s energy development, Bilateral trade, China’s Market entry, Language and Culture.