Meet Our India Fulbrighters Archive

Yagnya

Ms. Yagnya holds a master’s in English and a bachelor’s in history and English from Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi. Her master’s dissertation, ‘Queer Aging’, examined the intersections of cultural gerontology, queer temporality, and spatial theory in Victorian novels, reflecting her interdisciplinary research interests. She has worked as an asynchronous tutor at Trivium Education, applying the research, analytical, and editorial skills developed through her academic training. She has recently completed a certificate course in Mandarin Chinese from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi.

Beyond academia, she volunteers with the Robin Hood Army, where she has supported the education of underprivileged and marginalized children, demonstrating her dedication to inclusive learning and community service.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant at Wesleyan University, she is teaching Hindi and developing an understanding of language’s cultural nuances by creating an immersive experience for the students. She employs audiovisual aids, activity-based learning, and storytelling through various art forms to make learning interactive. She hopes to apply the skills gained through the FLTA experience in the Indian educational landscape by promoting multilingual and cross-cultural understanding.

Sayed Raj Askari

Mr. Sayed Raj Askari is a research scholar and serves as Assistant Professor of English at Integral University, Lucknow. He qualified for the UGC-NET in English Literature in 2020 and has since been teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students. His research centers on African American Drama, which explores the voices of playwrights ranging from Lorraine Hansberry to the contemporary Jeremy O. Harris. Sayed’s research uncovers narratives of Black people in American culture and critically analyses plays that examine the political and social status of the Black community in America. In addition, his research interests include performance studies and Shi’a Islamic studies.

Sayed also specializes in Awadh’s various artistic expressions. As an ardent performer, he performs Nauhakhwani and Sozkhwani (elegiac renditions) in Shia cultural gatherings called Majlis, which is an important convention in Shiaism. As a cultural ambassador, Sayed seeks to impart the knowledge of these traditions. While doing so, he would love to engage in cross-cultural dialogue to gain a better understanding of cultures around the world.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Sayed is teaching Hindi at Yale University. He wishes to make learning more fun through his musical understanding, while embracing the new cultural ethos, which would add new flavor to his personality.

Samir

Mr. Samir is a PhD candidate in the Department of English at Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi. He balances his academic research with his professional role as an English Language Educator at Planet Spark, Varanasi, focusing on facilitating interactive, student-centered learning through digital tools and collaborative classroom strategies.

Samir’s academic journey is rooted in BHU, where he completed his MA and BA in English literature. His academic excellence is underscored by various recognitions, including the Junior Research Fellowship awarded by the UGC-NTA in 2025, qualifying for the National Eligibility Test in 2024, and clearing the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering in 2024.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Samir is teaching Hindi and refining his teaching methodologies. He is eager to contribute to cross-cultural exchange and pedagogical innovation. He looks forward to bridging academic insights from his research in folk literature and performance studies with the dynamic environment of the FLTA program.

Soumyabrata

Mr. Soumyabrata is a student of linguistics and holds a master’s degree in the field from the University of Delhi. Before that, he completed his undergraduate studies in sociology. Growing up in a multilingual environment fostered Soumyabrata’s curiosity about the experience of learning a new language. His higher studies further cultivated his interests, going beyond language to its existence and usage in society.

Over the years, Soumyabrata has been involved in a variety of personal and professional endeavours, ranging from volunteer work for a student-led open science initiative in the social sciences to content development and even to industrial roles in the domain of translation and localization, among others.

Through the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant program, Soumyabrata is hoping to transition from being a language student to a language teaching assistant. He is drawing on his experience as a long-time learner of several languages, including Hindi, to broaden language instruction beyond the confines of grammar and memorization by encouraging learners to engage with the culture, society, and lived experiences of India’s people.

Mithravinda R Gopalakrishnan

Ms. Mithravinda R. Gopalakrishnan is a content writer, language educator, and arts practitioner working at Pearl Data Direct, where she crafts engaging brand narratives and communication strategies to connect with global audiences. She completed her master’s degree in English from Central University of Gujarat and holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Saraswathi College of Arts and Science, Thiruvananthapuram. Her academic interests lie in cultural studies, focusing on how language, literature, performing arts, and cinema shape cultural identities and foster cross-cultural dialogue.

Mithravinda has actively contributed to community development and education through her work with Volunteer For India and Make A Difference. A lifelong enthusiast of the performing arts, she has participated in amateur theatre as an actor and director, worked as an assistant director on Malayalam short films, and contributed to film subtitles. She is trained in Carnatic classical music and actively pursues Hindustani vocal music and Kathak.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Mithravinda is teaching Hindi while exploring ways to present language as a gateway to India’s cultural traditions. She seeks to develop teaching practices that encourage students to engage with the language through its stories, everyday experiences, and cultural contexts.

Hoor Anisbhai Jinwala

Ms. Hoor Anisbhai Jinwala completed her MA in English literature from Pandit Deendayal Energy University in 2025 after earning her BA in English literature from Veer Narmad South Gujarat University in 2022. During her MA, she completed two dissertations, one on select plays of Tennessee Williams and the other on the use of AI in literary translation. Her interests include language teaching, translation, accessibility, and American, Hindi, and Gujarati literature. She has presented two papers, Exploring Aristotelian Idea of Catharsis in the Light of the Short Stories that are Tragic in Nature and Exploring Sardar Patel’s Leadership in the Light of the Servant-Leadership Model at international academic events.

Being visually impaired, Hoor has found beauty in words, letters, and sounds. She has taught Communicative English and prepared students for IELTS, PTE, and the Duolingo English Test. Volunteering with Enable India, she mentored a visually impaired learner in English. She translated environmental awareness materials into Gujarati for Shairu Gems. At Eyeway, a knowledge hub for the visually challenged, she worked as a research aide and case story writer and created screen-reader tutorials and English learning resources.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Hoor is teaching Hindi while introducing students in the United States to India’s rich linguistic, literary, and cultural heritage. She is looking to explore the role of films in language learning and applying the learnings gained through the program to language teaching, translation, and accessible education in India.

Gulshan

Ms. Gulshan is an educator passionate about language education, multilingualism, and creating equitable learning opportunities for children from diverse backgrounds. Her interests include multilingual pedagogies, curriculum design, teacher development, and culturally responsive teaching. She holds a bachelor of elementary education degree from the University of Delhi and a master’s in English literature from the Indira Gandhi National Open University. She is a beginner-level Spanish learner and has earned a Certification of Achievement in Content and Language Integrated Learning from the Regional English Language Office, US Embassy, New Delhi, reflecting her commitment to innovative language teaching.

Gulshan has worked extensively with children from low-income and marginalized communities, including many first-generation learners, through the Teach For India Fellowship and later as Lead Teacher at Hope School. She has led curriculum development aligned with India’s National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2022), designed competency-based learning materials and assessments, mentored teachers through structured professional development programs, and contributed to improving foundational learning outcomes. She is particularly interested in strengthening multilingual classrooms where learners’ linguistic identities are recognized as assets.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Gulshan is assisting with the teaching of Hindi language and culture. Gulshan hopes to apply her Fulbright experience to advance inclusive language education, multilingual pedagogies, and teacher development initiatives in India.

Aabha Sharma

Ms. Aabha Sharma is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of English at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi. Her research examines spatial dynamics with a critical focus on marginalized voices, a theme she has explored through presentations at various national and international conferences and publications in reputable academic journals.

Aabha has taught an ability enhancement course for undergraduate students, refining their communication skills through practical activities and theoretical understanding. Her pedagogical approach spans instructional design and classroom teaching. She has also worked as a teaching assistant to develop a module for the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Additionally, she qualified for the National Eligibility Test and was subsequently awarded a research fellowship in English.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Aabha is teaching Hindi. Along with fostering cross-cultural understanding through education, she is sharing stories and building bridges while learning from the diverse campus community. Driven by the belief that the richest learning happens when cultures meet, she aims to use global perspectives in the creation of harmonious and inclusive spaces.

Vijay Kumar

Mr. Vijay Kumar is a Librarian at DBRA CM SHRI School, BT Block, Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi. With 25 years of experience serving elementary, secondary, and senior secondary students, he has actively integrated library activities with curricular learning. He has organized numerous seminars and workshops promoting storytelling as an effective pedagogical tool. He is the Founder Chairperson of Katha Manch Delhi, a platform dedicated to storytelling, language learning, and cultural engagement. He holds an MPhil in library and information science from Annamalai University and a master’s degree in linguistics from the University of Delhi.

Throughout his career, Vijay has served in various academic and educational roles at distinguished institutions. He has presented research papers at national and international conferences and published research reports. In 2025, he received the Best Paper Award at the International Symposium on Digital Literacy organized by IILM University, Gurugram, and was honoured with the Shikshak Samman by Dinkar Society, Delhi.

As an FDAI scholar, Vijay is collaborating with educators from diverse backgrounds, documenting folktales from different regions of the world, and sharing Indian folktales globally, thereby promoting multicultural understanding and multilingual learning.

Nisar Shaikh

Mr. Nisar Shaikh is a teacher and teacher educator with over 17 years of experience in state government schools in Maharashtra. He holds an MA, MEd, and an MA TESOL with Distinction from the University of Leeds, UK, specialising in teacher education, educational technology, and young learners.

Nisar has contributed to teacher education at the state level. As a State Academic Resource Person at the State Institute of English, Maharashtra, he helped design teacher training programs, develop learning materials, and supported statewide English language initiatives such as TEJAS and the Spoken English programme. He also served as a British Council ARMS mentor, guiding government school teachers in conducting classroom-based exploratory action research. His innovative contributions have been recognised through awards, including Best ELT Material Writer and Technology Wizard at successive TEJAS symposia. He has presented his work at national and international conferences, including the MA TESOL Conference at the University of Hull, UK (2023) and the Language in Education Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal (2025).

As an FDAI scholar, Nisar is aiming to master research-backed multilingual pedagogies to support diverse classrooms. Upon his return, he will develop a practical teacher training module with scalable lesson plans to be shared via local workshops, professional learning networks and monthly cluster-level meetings of teachers. This initiative aligns with an NEP 2020 objective to empower rural teachers to bridge the gap between home dialects and standard instruction. Outside the classroom, Nisar is a passionate traveller who loves exploring new cultures.