Gagandeep Kang on “Unglamorous Diseases,” Global Health, and Lessons from the Indian Experience
Gagandeep Kang & Rohan Venkat
October 14, 2024
In this issue of India in Transition, CASI Managing Editor Rohan Venkat speaks to recent CASI-Khemka Distinguished Lecturer Dr. Gagandeep Kang (Gates Foundation) about the impact of winning the 2024 Gairdner Award, what it's like to focus on an “unglamorous” health problem like diarrhea, and what examples the medical research ecosystem in India might have for other developing countries.
In Memoriam: Ratan Tata (1937-2024)
The CASI & UPIASI community sadly announce the passing of Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus, Tata Group & Tata Sons and CASI IAB Member (1994-98). He was deeply committed to CASI and UPIASI in the early years of both institutions’ formations.
“When I met Ratan Tata in Bombay, he was kind and gracious. I explained that Penn had just established the first India Center in the U.S., and that we wanted to have a sister institution in New Delhi. He immediately understood that this was an important initiative and that he would support it. As a result, the Tata Trusts made available the funds that allowed us to purchase the offices for the University of Pennsylvania Institute or the Study of India (UPIASI), in the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. Until recently, it was the only American university to have an affiliate in India. Mr. Tata further extended his support to CASI by serving on its International Advisory Board between 1994-98. It was an honor to know him.” -Francine R. Frankel (CASI Founding Director, 1992-2006; Professor Emerita of Political Science and South Asian Regional Studies, Penn)
CASI in the News
CASI Fall 2024 Visiting Scholar Hilal Ahmed (Associate Professor, CSDS) published "The Way to Solve the 'Kashmir Problem'" and "Social Justice as a Political Narrative" in the October 11, 2024 issue of The Hindu. He was also recently interviewed by NDTV about his book, A Brief History of the Present: Muslims in New India (Penguin-Random House, 2024).
CASI IAB Member Ashley J. Tellis (Tata Chair for Strategic Affairs & Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) published the October 7, 2024 CEIP paper "Reclaiming the Promise of Nuclear Power in India."
CASI Non-Resident Visiting Fellow Swagato Ganguly (Senior Fellow, The Convergence Foundation) published "The West Should Help India in its Rivalry with China in the Global South" in the September 2024 issue of Global Asia.
CASI & UPIASI Welcome New Scholar, Aparna Pasumarthy
Aparna Pasumarthy is the Garware Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Advanced Study of India (UPIASI). Her research interests include gender, careers, organizational behavior, and leadership. Her postdoctoral research project focuses on the (un)sustainable careers of professional men and women in India by examining the personal and professional aspirations of individuals in contemporary India considering their contexts and delineates how professionals navigate their careers and life.
Upcoming Events
2024-25 CASI Seminar Series
October 17, 2024, 12 noon at CASI
CASI / South Asia Center / Anthropology Dept / CGH Seminar with Bharat Jayram Venkat (UCLA)
October 24, 2024, 4:30pm at CASI
"Bankrolling Empire: Family Fortunes and Political Transformation in Mughal India"
CASI / Lauder Institute / South Asia Center / South Asia Studies Dept Book Symposium with Sudev Sheth (Lauder Institute) with Discussants Divya Cherian (Princeton), Gautam Nair (Harvard), Michael S. Dodson (Indiana), and Moderator Lisa Mitchell (Penn)
November 7, 2024, 12 noon at CASI
"Mandate 2024: The Possibilities and Limits of Competitive Welfarism"
CASI / South Asia Center / Political Science Dept / PDRI-DevLab Seminar with Yamini Aiyar (Brown)
November 14, 2024, 12 noon at CASI
"A People's Court? Insurgent Lawyering and Social Movements in India in the 1980s"
CASI / South Asia Center / South Asia Studies Dept / History Dept Seminar with Rohit De (Yale)
November 21, 2024, 12 noon at CASI
"Politics of Muslim Representation: Ideas and Trajectories"
CASI / South Asia Center / Political Science Dept Seminar with CASI Fall 2024 Visiting Scholar Hilal Ahmed (CSDS)
CASI Student Programs
Friday, October 25, 2024, 2-4:30pm
Summer Internship Presentation! To kick off Penn's Family Weekend, come hear 2024 summer interns briefly share about their experiences in India. Light refreshments will be served.
CASI's 2024 Summer Interns and Summer Research Grant recipients have wrapped up their time in India. Read all about it on the CASI Student Programs Blog!
Questions about CASI Student Programs?
Please contact Juni Bahuguna (Assistant Director, Student & Visitor Programs) at junib@sas.upenn.edu
Our Campus & Regional Partners
October 17-19, 2024 at Penn
The 2024 Norms and Behavioral Change (NoBeC) Conference: Democracy Under Threat
The NoBeC Conference, organized by the Penn Center for Social Norms and Behavioral Dynamics, will focus on political polarization and democratic norms and will explore the link between norms, behavior, polarization, and democracy—with perspectives from a multitude of disciplines.
Featuring Keynote Speakers (PCPSE, Blank Forum, 2nd Floor):
Dr. Kaushik Basu (Cornell University)
"The Grammar of Democracy and Authoritarianism"
Friday, October 18 at 9:00am
Dr. Diana Mutz (Penn)
"The Implosion of the Public Sphere"
Saturday, October 19 at 2:40pm
MPA in International Impact Evaluation
PDRI-DevLab is collaborating with Penn Fels Institute of Government on a one-year MPA in International Impact Evaluation program. Read more
Campus Location
CASI's office is located close to the heart of Penn's campus at the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science & Economics at 133 South 36th Street (Suite 230) Philadelphia, PA 19104-6215.
