Meet Our India Fulbrighters Archive - Page 37 of 42

Tanusree Basak

Tanusree Basak is an ESL trainer and course instructor at Amal College of Advanced Studies, University of Calicut in Kerala. She has worked in academic publishing as an assistant editor. She completed her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Bharati College, University of Delhi, and her master’s degree in English literature from Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi with SVC rank 1st in the merit list. Simultaneously, she completed the three-year advanced diploma in French from the University of Delhi and continues her association with the language as a freelance French teacher. She is also a trained vocalist with specialization in Rabindrasangeet and Indian classical music. She participated in activities of the music society and the literary society, and in French plays at her university.

Tanusree has also presented papers at various national and international conferences and has published a paper in Intersections Journal. She has a few forthcoming book chapters and journal articles. She plans to pursue doctoral studies, and is broadly interested in discourses on modernism, psychoanalysis in literature, gender studies, cultural studies, and philosophy.

As a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant, Tanusree is teaching Hindi at Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI. She envisions the classroom as a medium to articulate individual experiences and sustain dialogues across differences. This opportunity to teach and to audit courses will enable her to expand her intellectual horizons on subjects pertinent to her broader academic interests, alongside acquiring innovative pedagogical practices. In her classes, students will get to engage in multi-faceted and vibrant language lessons. As a cultural ambassador, she strives to familiarize students with her country and culture through practical and tangible activities and experiences.

Kirti Saluja

Kirti Saluja is a Ph.D. candidate at the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Haryana. Her Ph.D. research focuses on investigating the interaction between the heart and the brain in aging individuals and those with epilepsy, involving the utilization of cognitive experiments, multimodal neuroimaging, and a data-driven approach. She has presented her research at various national and international conferences and workshops.

Before pursuing her Ph.D., Kirti completed her BSc in biochemistry from the University of Delhi, and MSc in neuroscience from the National Brain Research Centre. During this period, she actively participated in an innovation project led by the University of Delhi in collaboration with IGIB, focusing on utilizing zebrafish as a biosensor for assessing the water quality of the river Yamuna in the Delhi-NCT region. Additionally, she contributed as a teaching assistant at the Neuromatch Academy for their computational neuroscience course.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research fellow at Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, Kirti will is collaborating with Dr. Mohammad Dastjerdi, aiming to elucidate the connectivity between the heart and the brain in epileptic patients using stereo encephalography (sEEG) as the neuroimaging technique. This endeavor is expected to aid in comprehending mechanisms underlying the development of cognitive and/ or cardiovascular comorbidities in epileptic patients, potentially opening avenues for utilizing cardiac signals in predicting seizure onset. Kirti enjoys hiking, trekking, creating science-related comics, and engaging with diverse individuals.

Devanshu Sajlan

Devanshu Sajlan, a judge by profession, is passionate about analyzing the interplay between law and the rights of marginalized groups in India. Officiating as a judge at Tis Hazari Courts since 2019, he has passed more than 200 judgments pertaining to diverse areas of law. His judgments dealing with contract law (non-compete clauses), defamation law, sexual crimes, and crimes against society have been reported by SCC Online, a leading law journal of India. He was also one of the first judges in New Delhi to record evidence through videoconferencing mode during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hailing from New Delhi, Devanshu studied law at National Law University, Delhi. He was awarded the Pandit Shri Girdhari Lal Salwan gold medal in 2014. After graduating, he started working at one of India’s leading corporate law firms, AZB & Partners, where he worked on multiple transactions with international institutions like the International Finance Corporation, American Tower Corporation, and Asian Development Bank. Thereafter, to pursue his passion for criminal litigation and human rights, he joined the chamber of Neeraj Kishan Kaul, Senior Advocate, and former Additional Solicitor General of India. Devanshu also joined the panel of Delhi Legal Services Authority in 2018 as an independent practitioner to help indigent litigants and undertrial prisoners.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Devanshu is studying the criminal justice courses dealing with issues of bail jurisprudence specifically faced by indigent prisoners. He feels this will enable him to find improved solutions to the plight of thousands of disenfranchised under-trial prisoners in India.

Amrutha Sai Anju Kosuru

Amrutha Kosuru is an independent journalist from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, presently stationed in Hyderabad, Telangana. In 2022, she worked as a fellow at the People’s Archive of Rural India, where she delved into multifaceted subjects such as agriculture, art and crafts, climate change, food, public policy, and gender through her insightful reporting in the rural regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Recognized for her exceptional work, Amrutha was honored with a Jury Appreciation Citation at the Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity in 2023. She received this recognition for her compelling article on the lives of widows of manual scavenging workers and the challenges they face. Specializing in rural and literary reportage, Amrutha is a firm believer in the transformative power of compelling storytelling.

Amrutha has more than three years of experience in ground reporting and editing for both print and digital media. She has previously worked with and written for The Hindu, The New Indian Express, and NewsMeter. She has a Post Graduate Diploma in journalism from the Asian College of Journalism.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Amrutha is working on her journalistic skills which will allow her to expand the scope of her reportage in India, and help her delve deeper into narrative journalism, serving as a powerful tool to address integral issues plaguing India.

Lakshmi Priya Manirangu Sobhana

M.S. Lakshmi Priya, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), hails from the state of Kerala, and is a medical doctor by training. She is a recipient of the prestigious Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Administration for her project Sampoorna which helped reduce childhood malnutrition by 95.6% in the district of Bongaigaon in Assam where she worked as district collector. The project is based on the concept of ‘positive deviance’ and an innovation called ‘buddy mother’ model which is adopted in the national guidelines for combating malnutrition in the country.

Lakshmi Priya has been working in the state of Assam since 2015 in various capacities such as assistant collector in Jorhat, sub-collector in Bijni and Bilasipara, collector in Sivasagar and Bongaigaon, and as State Mission Director (MD) of National Health Mission (NHM). As MD, NHM, she has been instrumental in the reduction of maternal and child death rates in the state of Assam. She is known to be an upright officer who believes in participative governance and women empowerment. She also has the experience of working in the Ministry of Finance, Government of India. She is an accomplished Carnatic musician who has performed in over a hundred venues, including the Rashtrapathi Bhavan, and Indira Gandhi Centre for the Arts, New Delhi.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Lakshmi Priya is studying public health in the U.S., which will help her broaden her vision, and focus further on policy formulation and the smooth implementation of health-related administrative innovations. She believes her time in the U.S. will enable her to become a part of the larger global community working towards the betterment of humanity.

Ranjit Kumar

Ranjit Kumar, a nautical science graduate, has extensive experience of sailing. He has traveled around the world as a merchant navy officer, learning about the complexity and diversity of the marine environment and picking up a wide array of survival skills. For his leadership and managerial skills, he was appointed as chief cadet captain. As a member of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), he has been dealing with critical interventions in development and regulatory administration for the past 16 years. For his all-round performance, he was awarded best ‘District Collector’ by the Government of Maharashtra.

As the district collector of Gadchiroli, an area severely affected by left wing extremism, Ranjit has laid extra emphasis on socio-economic development to further the cause of peace. For his innovative approach and effective contribution, he has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration.

Currently, as director of National Jal Jeevan Mission, Ranjit is engaged in policy formulation and implementation of the National Jal Jeevan Mission, one of the largest programs in the world, related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6). He believes inclusive and rapid economic development with ecological sustainability is a major challenge. A study of environmental management and policy analysis will equip him with the necessary knowledge and skills to work on this challenge and help improve the quality of life of millions of citizens. Ranjit is a marathon runner, an excellent swimmer, and a sports enthusiast.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Ranjit hopes to gain valuable cross-cultural exposure, a chance to learn from diverse professionals, and an opportunity to befriend multi-talented individuals.

Praavita Kashyap

Praavita Kashyap is a practicing advocate in New Delhi, specializing in criminal law. She represents the defense and complainants across various subject areas including criminal defamation, homicidal crimes, and sexual violence, as well as individuals charged under India’s anti-terrorism laws. She has worked on several trials of public significance.

For the last decade, Praavita has been associated with social movements and campaigns. Her experience working with the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan on the Right to Information and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act fostered her understanding of transformative, participatory approaches to drafting law. Around 2015, she documented constitutional cases regarding the impact of technological interventions in welfare. In 2017, she was instrumental in establishing a campaign critiquing India’s unique biometric identification project. She then founded the ‘Article 21 Trust’ to work on issues at the intersection of welfare and technology.

Praavita holds an LLB from Delhi University, a BA (Hons.) in philosophy from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University, and an MA in human rights from Sciences Po, Paris. Her studies are motivated by her commitment to social justice.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Praavita is studying data governance law, criminal procedure, and constitutional rights, and learn strategies from the rich history of movement lawyering in the US. This will strengthen her work with social movements to bridge the disjunct between technology policy, the law and lived experiences of the marginalized. Praavita plans to return to India to continue her independent litigation practice and shape creative, participatory policy in India.

Amartya Kanjilal

Amartya Kanjilal graduated from the Faculty of Law, Delhi University in 2013. Since then, he has been engaged in human rights and criminal law litigation and research. He has worked as a judicial clerk in the Delhi High Court and practiced as a criminal defense lawyer in various courts in Delhi. He also worked at Project 39A, where he provided legal representation to death-sentenced prisoners in the Supreme Court of India and various High Courts. He has researched and written extensively on issues of criminal and constitutional law, with a special focus on capital punishment jurisprudence and gender law reform.

As a Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellow, Amartya is studying the administration of criminal justice in the U.S., concentrating on legal aid mechanisms. He hopes to continue building his practice in the future, focusing on criminal justice and legal aid. He also hopes to teach seminar courses at law universities in the future.

Abhiram Giri Sankar

Abhiram Giri Sankar is an IAS officer by profession. He completed his B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Kerala. He secured fourth rank in the all-India Civil Services Examination, 2010 and joined the Karnataka cadre. He is a passionate birdwatcher and volunteers actively towards eBird, a global citizen science initiative of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Abhiram currently serves as Deputy Director at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Government of India, Mussoorie, where he trains and mentors civil servants. In his public service career spanning over a decade, he has served in various capacities in the state of Karnataka, including Deputy Commissioner, CEO Zilla Panchayat, among others. This experience deepened his understanding of ground-level realities of development administration and exposed him to a wide range of issues.

Under his leadership, Mysuru district won national awards for the Cleanest Medium City, fifth overall cleanest city in India, and a 5-Star Rating for Garbage Free Cities. Mr. Abhiram also earned appreciation of the Government of Karnataka for his contributions towards the COVID-19 pandemic response as well as for flood relief efforts.

During his Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellowship, Abhiram is studying regional planning at Cornell University, where he aspires to gain deep insights into effective urban planning and policy-making necessary to transform Indian cities into livable, equitable, and resilient entities. After completing his fellowship, he aims to find sustainable solutions through a multi-stakeholder approach and be a change-maker public servant.