Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Fellow Explorers of Ideas,

What a privilege — and honestly, what a joy — it is to serve as the Academic Affairs Coordinator here at the Sundar Singh Institute of South Asian Studies. This role places me right at the heart of what I love most: connecting with people, exchanging ideas, and building collaborations that cross borders and challenge assumptions.

Around here, we see scholarship not just as something that lives in libraries or gets presented at conferences (although we do love those too!). For us, research is also about rolling up our sleeves and engaging with the big, messy, real-world questions that shape South Asia today.

One project that’s especially close to my heart is our Global Justice and Policy Reform Program. It’s been an extraordinary partnership with the National Law Institute of India and several international human rights organizations. Seeing our research contribute directly to policy changes that protect marginalized communities — especially in some of the most complex urban environments — has been deeply rewarding.

We’re also collaborating closely with the UNDP and the WHO on the Urban Health Equity Project, tackling the tangled challenges of healthcare access in South Asia’s rapidly expanding cities. It’s inspiring to watch this work begin to reshape how public health systems are being reimagined for the future.

But truthfully, what I treasure most about this role isn’t found in reports or programs — it’s in the friendships, conversations, and unexpected moments of learning that happen along the way. Through our Scholarly Exchange Program, we’ve had the joy of welcoming visiting scholars from Oxford, the Seoul Institute for Policy Studies, and many other institutions. Every exchange leaves us wiser, more curious, and above all, more connected.

Looking ahead, I’m genuinely excited about where this journey might take us next. If you’re a scholar, a policymaker, or simply someone passionate about South Asia and eager to think deeply and work collaboratively — I would love to hear from you.

Let’s keep asking hard questions. Let’s stay curious. And let’s see what new possibilities we can create together.

Warmly,
Dr. David A. Chatterjee
Academic Affairs Coordinator
Sundar Singh Institute of South Asian Studies