Student Stipendship Programme

The contemporary urban in South Asia was a major focus of Sarai’s interests. Towards this end, we were committed to promoting critical research in the field, deploying varied theoretical perspectives and addressing multiple issues. In light of the fact that existing social science scholarship in the field was rather thin and theoretically unsophisticated, we felt that our intervention was both important and urgent. We needed to be both researchers and mentors, understanding the contemporary urban through our own work and helping build a network of young researchers who are adequately equipped to engage with the complexity of modern urban experiences. In this manner we hoped to both supplement the resources provided by the traditional university system, as also transcend them in terms of addressing emerging issues and experimenting with form.

The Student Stipendship Programme was a crucial intervention in this regard. Students were provided financial support and academic resources to carry out research, present their work and interact with the wider academic community. Each year Sarai supported around 20 young research scholars for short term studentship to facilitate research on urban life in South Asia. Stipendiaries were selected from all parts of the country, metros and small towns alike, and they covered a wide range of traditional as well as emerging academic disciplines including literature, history, geography, urban planning, media studies, film studies etc.

The Student Stipendship Programme started as a part of City One Conference organised by Sarai/ CSDS in January 2003. The conference design included an innovative component for students who were offered an opportunity to attend the conference and also report on it on the Reader List and other forums. Invitation to attend the conference was through a public call that required students to submit a brief write-up on their research interests and background.