India Fellows Years: Indian Fellows 2022-2023

Stuti Benal

Ms. Stuti Benal is a teacher of foreign languages and has been teaching French at Alliance Française de Chandigarh. She recently completed her master’s in English from the department of English and Cultural Studies, Panjab University, Chandigarh. In addition, she also holds a master’s in journalism and mass communication from the School of Communication Studies, Panjab University.

Ms. Benal has worked in France as an English language assistant as a part of the prestigious Asisstant de Langue program for two years where she taught high school and college students while sharing her culture with them and developing her teaching methodologies. She has written for magazines and university newspapers in the past and continues to be an avid writer. Passionate about languages, she is currently learning Spanish and also working towards perfection in her native language, Pahari.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Assistant and cultural ambassador at the University of Notre Dame, Ms. Benal aspires to share her language with the students through innovative teaching strategies while incorporating the culture of her country in the classroom through music, food, literature, and films. She looks forward to enhancing her understanding of this increasingly multicultural world, which for her finds its reflection in the manifoldness of the Indian experience.

Vikas Audumbar Kadam

Dr. Vikas Audumbar Kadam works as an assistant professor in the Department of English, Malla Reddy University, Hyderabad, Telangana. He has taught many courses in English language communication, business communication, and soft skills at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. He has a PhD in English language education from The English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad. He has done M.Phil. in English language studies from the University of Hyderabad. He has also completed a postgraduate diploma in the Teaching of English (PGDTE) and a B.Ed. in English from EFLU Hyderabad.

Dr. Kadam has published his research in international and national journals and presented at several national and international conferences in the areas of language assessment and testing, pedagogical and collaborative assessment, critical thinking, and teacher education. His recent publication includes a research article on Tertiary Level Teachers’ Research Engagement in a Scopus indexed international journal ‘IUP Journal of English Studies’. Dr. Kadam is associated with the Regional Institute of Education (RIE- NCERT), Bhopal, and SCERT Andhra Pradesh as a course content developer and teacher trainer.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, he will teach Hindi at Mississippi Valley State University, Itta Bena, Mississippi. In the world of globalization and technological advancements where spatial boundaries get thinner each day, Dr. Kadam, through his foreign language teaching assignments and other academic and cultural events, will attempt to establish an intercultural bond between his home culture and the local culture in the U.S.

Aanchal Aggarwal

Ms. Aanchal Aggarwal is pursuing her Bachelor of Education from Indira Gandhi University, Rewari, Haryana. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Delhi. In her postgraduation, she closely studied, researched, and analyzed Hindi language at various levels of language aspects. Her immense interest in language learning and teaching has helped her in earning certificates of excellence from British Council and NPTEL.

Ms. Aggarwal teaches English as a foreign language. She has more than five years of experience teaching young and adult learners coming from diverse linguistic, cultural, and ethical background. Currently, she is providing language and soft skills training through online platforms, Enguru and Spark Studio. She has been a part of ‘Project Spoken English 2019’, which was a partnership project in collaboration with the Directorate of Education Delhi, Macmillan Education, and the British Council. Trinity College, London observed closed sessions for the project. Apart from being a language trainer, she has been associated with several private and non-profit organizations as a training coordinator, annotator, writer, mentor, and campus ambassador.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Ms. Aggarwal will teach Hindi at Boston University. She aims at cultivating her knowledge about the rich cultural and educational pedagogies practiced across the world and aspires to evolve into an accomplished language trainer. She is ambitious and hard-working and yearns to be an inter-cultural conduit of knowledge sharing in this program.

Benny Varghese

Mr. Benny Varghese is Research and Publication Officer (Post Graduate Teacher Mathematics) at Navodaya Leadership Institute, Canacona, Goa—one of the seven teacher training institutes for Navodaya Schools run by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. With 25 years of teaching experience in senior secondary schools, Mr. Varghese was honored with the National ICT Award by the Government of India in 2016 in recognition of his effective and innovative integration of ICT in promoting students’ learning. During 2020-22, he served as an institute advisory board member of the Central Institute of Education Technology, a constituent unit of the National Council of Educational Research and Training, Government of India. He holds a master’s degree in mathematics and a bachelor’s degree in education.

At times, the abstractness of mathematics makes its teaching and learning a dull experience for many. Through his Fulbright DAI project, ‘Toy-based pedagogy for enjoyable mathematics learning’, Mr. Varghese aims to transform the traditional methods of teaching and learning Math by means of gamification. Given children’s fondness for games, he intends to design and use mathematical games to teach and reinforce math concepts. Upon his return to India, he intends to share his enriching Fulbright DAI experience and his pedagogical findings with Navodaya school teachers. He further aims to implement the findings of his project in Navodaya schools and in other educational organizations in the country.

Alpa Nigam

Ms. Alpa Nigam is head teacher at Primary School Tilauli, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. With 15 years of teaching experience, she has trained approximately 1,25,000 teachers at NCERT and SCERT. She is also a member of the assessment framework team and the tools development team for the State Level Achievement Survey (SLAS). Her contribution to eContent and QR code development at NCERT and SCERT has helped make classroom teaching effective, easy, and accessible for many learners. Ms. Nigam uses art, craft and puppetry as pedagogical tools to make her classroom teaching effective for children with learning disabilities. In recognition of her innovative teaching methods, she received the National ICT Award 2016 from the Indian Ministry of Education and the State Award in 2017.

Through her Fulbright DAI project, Ms. Nigam is working on developing tools and content for early detection of learning difficulties that children face in classrooms. After returning to India, she intends to share these insights and experiences with her learning community of teachers through webinars, orientation meets, and training programs. She also plans to orient parents of children with learning disabilities so that they can cater to the educational as well as personal needs of their children. She hopes these efforts will eventually benefit numerous children enrolled in different schools.

Satyam Mishra

Mr. Satyam Mishra is a mathematics teacher at Mount Assisi School, Poreyahat, Jharkhand. He also provides support to the students at Saint Stanislaus School, Mirzacheuki, Bhagalpur. He has a decade of professional experience and holds a bachelor’s in engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, Karnataka.

Mr. Mishra is the first from Bihar-Jharkhand combined to have made it to the finalists of the UNESCO Global Teacher Prize, Varkey Foundation (2021). He is a Shaper and Impact Officer at the Global Shapers Community (GSC), an initiative of the World Economic Forum. He is a three times TEDx Speaker and a National Geographic Certified Educator by the National Geographic Society. For his contributions across several countries to help children from marginalized communities access an excellent education, he was recognized as a Network Connector by Teach For All. He served as Teach For India Fellow (2015-17) and was one of the finalists at Transformational Impact Journey (TIJ) and Teach For India (2017).

During his Fulbright DAI Project, Mr. Mishra is developing more inclusive teacher-training modules to support teachers in some of eastern India’s remote and underdeveloped regions. He aspires to make his pedagogical innovations more universal in approach based on observations, research, data points, and feedback. Upon his return to India, he plans to share his Fulbright experience and learning with fellow teachers and create better access to education for children with disabilities, first-generation college students, students from tribal communities in eastern India, and adult women resuming their studies.

Mohammad Imran Khan Mewati

Mr. Mohammad Imran Khan Mewati, an Indian teacher and mobile app developer, has made significant contributions to the field of education and technology. As a school teacher in the Sanskrit Education Department in Alwar, Mr. Khan’s passion for education and his understanding of the transformative power of technology led him to develop over 100 educational mobile applications. These apps have garnered millions of users, providing free educational content to students from rural and marginalized communities.

Mr. Khan’s advocacy for digital learning and equal access to technology gained national attention when the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned him during a speech at Wembley Stadium in 2015, “My India is in Imran Khan of Alwar.” His dedication and impact on education have been recognized through numerous prestigious awards, including the National Teacher Award, National ICT Teacher Award, and the Jamnalal Bajaj Award. He has developed notable apps, such as the PRASHAST app for disability screening in schools for the Indian Ministry of Education and Project Dishari, Geervani, and DevVani for the Government of Rajasthan.

During his Fulbright DAI project, Mr. Khan is developing an advanced educational app that incorporates pedagogical principles and utilizes cutting-edge technology. The app aims to deliver engaging educational content, enabling students to learn easily using smartphones.

Ravi Kumar Kola

Dr. Ravi Kumar Kola is Teacher of English at Zilla Parishad High School Panthini, Hanumakonda, Telangana. He has 24 years of teaching experience, master’s in English and zoology, and a Ph.D. in zoology. Dr. Kola was awarded the National ICT Award for School Teachers by the Ministry of Education, Government of India for extensive integration of technology with content and pedagogy. He is also a state resource person for SCERT Telangana. A constant learner, he has completed online courses from prestigious institutes like US Embassy’s Regional English Language Office (RELO), New Delhi, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

Through his participation in the Fulbright DAI program, Dr. Kola is enhancing his teaching skills and gaining insights into innovative pedagogical approaches. Upon returning to India, he intends to utilize his refined English language skills to develop tailored English language programs for rural students in Telangana. By equipping rural students with strong English language abilities, he aims to empower them to access better educational opportunities and improve their employability as well as to bridge the linguistic gap between rural and urban areas in the state. As an active member of various English forums, Dr. Kola wishes to share knowledge gained from his Fulbright project with the English fraternity of Telangana.

Kritika Dhiwahar

Ms. Kritika Dhiwahar is an English language facilitator at HLC International School, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. With a distinction in Cambridge International Diploma in Teaching and Learning (CIDTL) and training in drama from the National School of Drama, New Delhi, Ms. Dhiwahar uses storytelling and drama techniques to create an inclusive learning environment. She holds a master’s in English literature and a bachelor’s in education and has over a decade of experience in classroom teaching and teacher training. She also works as a freelance teacher educator for Srikriti, the Teacher Education Centre, and for leading publishers—Macmillan Education and Scholastic, India.

Ms. Dhiwahar’s Fulbright DAI inquiry project, “Play’s the Thing: Targeting (language) learning outcomes through story and drama-based learning”, focuses on exploring pedagogical applications of storytelling and drama. She aims to understand how these methods are implemented in U.S. schools to advocate their increased use in the Indian ELT context. Through her project, she seeks to establish the educational value of drama and storytelling. Ms. Dhiwahar plans to conduct seminars and workshops to inspire her fellow educators to embrace storytelling and drama as pedagogical tools in language learning classrooms. She believes that bridging the gap between a theoretical understanding of language and its practice will enhance language acquisition and the overall educational experience of Indian students.

Srinivas Chokkakula

Dr. Srinivas Chokkakula is the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) Research Chair – Water Conflicts and Governance, at Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi. He leads the TREADS (Transboundary Rivers, Ecologies and Development Studies) group founded by him at CPR. His research interests extend to the broader area of water policy and governance, federalism, politics of infrastructure development in India and South Asia.

Dr. Chokkakula is a recognized voice in national debates and discourse on water policy and governance. His work on interstate river water disputes and transboundary water governance has received extensive attention from policy makers, and informed public debate and discourse in the country – including those over the Interstate River Water Disputes Amendment Bill, 2019. He is a member of the Drafting Committee for National Water Policy formulated by the Government of India.

His efforts as the MoJS Research Chair have led to an MoU between CPR and NMCG for collaborative research and knowledge production towards the broader goal of rejuvenating rivers in India. Under this MoU, TREADS at CPR will be working closely with NMCG to improve the outcomes of the NMCG’s Namami Gange programme and contribute to policy thinking about rejuvenating India’s rivers.

He has an interdisciplinary training in human geography, planning and engineering with a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Washington, Seattle, and a postdoctoral at SOAS, London. Apart from several other fellowships and scholarships, Dr. Chokkakula has been the British Council’s Chevening Scholar in its Young Indian Environmental Managers programme, 2000.

As the Fulbright-Nehru Visiting Chair in Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, he will be teaching and conducting research on federal responses to the emerging challenges of interstate river water governance in India and the USA.