SCHOLARSHIPS
and concern,” says Chopra. While this has undoubtedly contributed to the subject’s growing popularity in an age of easy dissemination, it has also led to the rise of fake news and the ‘WhatsApp University’. Against this backdrop, most initiatives feel that they have an urgent responsibility to share well-researched factual history.
As Sharma puts it, “A lot of our audience are new voters and they need to be able to question dominant narratives instead of believing everything they are told. For example, there is a popular story that the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan chopped o¤ the hands of workers who built the Taj Mahal. Yet, there is no concrete evidence for this. Instead, a vast settlement called Taj Ganj was created for the workers and many of their descendants continue to live there.”
Apart from putting out social media posts, videos and podcasts, these initiatives also o¤er opportunities for deeper online and o¦ine engagement. At Karwaan, participants can join online clubs to discuss books and lms around di¤erent aspects of history. Itihāsology brings out an annual digital journal for which it invites submissions from school, undergraduate, and postgraduate students, which are reviewed by eminent scholars. Eventually, eight entries, which undergo an exhaustive editorial process, are accepted and published.
Heritage walks through monuments and museums are a popular ofine activity. “Historian Sohail Hashmi had conducted our rst walk at Delhi’s Tughlaqabad Fort in 2019,” recalls Sharma. Since then, Karwaan has organised walks in Delhi, Mumbai, Vadodara, Kanpur and Lucknow. At Itihāsology, these walks prompt the young and old to feel, imagine and relate what they see to aspects of their own lives.
History for Peace, a network of educators and civil society members, organises conferences, short talks and workshops through the year and publishes journals containing the lectures and discussions. It has a rich archive of freely available resource material on its website.
At the Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata, historians have been bringing out illustrated history books for children in Bengali, English and Assamese, under the History for Children initiative supported by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung South Asia. These are freely available online, and the initiative organises workshops to review them and expand outreach.
Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once said that, though life must be lived forwards, it can only be understood backwards. Going by the options, there are plenty of avenues available to those interested in understanding life by plunging into the past.
Sydney Scholars India Scholarship Programme
An opportunity o¤ered by the University of Sydney.
Open to Indian citizens classied as international students under the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and have applied to a UG or PG programme at the University of Sydney but haven’t yet commenced studies.
Eligibility:
Rewards:
annually
Up to $40,000
Online June 2 www.b4s.in/edge/SSIS4
Application: Deadline: Aspire Leaders Programme
A fully-funded 14-week online leadership programme o¤ered by the Aspire Institute.
Open to students in the 18-29 age group who are rst generation learners and have enrolled in or completed an UG
Eligibility:
The All-India Management Association (AIMA) has commenced registration for the Under Graduate Aptitude Test (UGAT) 2024. This standardised test, administered by AIMA programme in the last three years. Intermediate level of prociency in English is required. Annual family income should be less than ₹8 lakhs
Free access to training modules, live sessions by Harvard faculty.
Online
July 3 www.b4s.in/edge/ALPS1
Rewards: Application: Deadline: Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) Internship Programme
An opportunity o¤ered by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, for student to understand Trade Remedies Investigations and Trade Defence Measures.
Open for PG students or research scholars from recognised universities/institutions. Certicate
Email or post the General Administration Section of DGTR.
Round the year www.b4s.in/edge/DGCI1
Eligibility: Rewards: Application:
Deadline:
annually, screens candidates for various undergraduate programmes such as Integrated MBA (IMBA), BBA, BCA, BHM, B.Com, and so on.
any stream
10+2 in
June 9 June 16 Register at https://apps.aima.in/ UGAT2024
For more visit https://t.ly/SXa-g