KRISHNA RAJ SUMMER TRAVEL FELLOWSHIPS
In 2006, the Sameeksha Trust established the Krishna Raj Summer Travel Fellowships, in memory of the longest serving editor of Economic and Political Weekly (EPW). It has been housed in CDE since its initiation. Under this programme, MA students from Economics, Sociology and Geography are invited to apply for fieldwork-based short research projects, either individually or in groups. Inter-disciplinary research collaborations are particularly encouraged. This research is conducted in the summer vacation in between the MA programme, followed by a written report and presentation. Some of the best papers from this fellowship have been published in the EPW over the years.
A list of fellowships awarded for research projects to be conducted during the summer of 2024 is as follows:-
Selection Committee: Professor Anirban Kar (Economics), Dr. Sudha vasan (Sociology) and Dr. Anindita Datta (Geography)
| S.No. | Team Members | Proposed Title |
| 1. | Jatin Mathur, Sanya Sharma, Udayan EB, Shreya Mukherjee |
Production of space in a neighbourhood near DU north campus |
| 2. | Sanmoy Das, Ayushi Banerjee, Ayana Mukherjee |
“How the Cheese Got There’’: Exploring Cultural Construction of Bandel Cheese |
| 3. | Shrestha Ghosh, Arjun Ullas, Ashin Biju |
How gender dynamics influence the experiences and opportunities of female railway hawkers compared to their male counterparts: A case study of railway hawkers in specific train routes of sub urban Kolkata. |
| 4. |
Harkirat Singh, |
Student migration from Punjab |
A list of fellowships awarded for research projects to be conducted during the summer of 2019 is as follows:-
Selection Committee: Professor J .V. Meenakshi (Economics), Dr. Janaki Abraham (Sociology) and Dr. Anirban Kar (Economics)
| S.No. | Authors and Department | Title |
| 1. | Naveen Kumar, Atul Kumar (Department of Economics) |
Comparative study of effects of SHGs on socio-economic factors of women- A case study of Jeevika Programme |
| 2. | Soham Das, TrishitaShandilya (Sociology) |
Spaces of Autonomy/ Spaces of Power- Individual aspirations and collective life at the Backdrop of a Precarious Ecology A case study of a Mishing settlement near Kaziranga National Park on the Brahmaputra floodplains in Assam |
| 3. | Nishaant Kapoor Vipul Bokolia (Sociology) |
Ravidassia Dharm and Ad-Dharmis of Punjab
A Study on Different Consolidated Caste Identities of Ad-Dharm |
| 4. | Amshuman Dasarathy (Sociology) |
Cinema as Travelling Medium: Picture Time and The Reconfigurations of Movie Publics and Media Technologies |
| 5. | Kundan Sen and Rebecca Rose Varghese (Sociology) |
Migration and the Metropolis: The Everyday Lives of Afghan Refugees in Lajpat Nagar Migration and the Metropolis: The Everyday Lives of Afghan Refugees in Lajpat Nagar |
| 6. | Mounica Sreesai and Tanuj Luthra (Sociology) |
The Road to Freedom: Worker Autonomy in the Platform Economy |
The reports for the fellowships awarded during the last few years are appended below:
2018
Selection Committee: Professor Ashwini Deshpande (Economics), Dr. Janaki Abraham (Sociology) and Dr. Anirban Kar (Economics)
| S.No. | Authors and Department | Title |
| 1. | Sreedevi Kurur (Geography) | Impact of Geographical Indication Tag: A Comparative Study between the Handlooms of Balramapuram and Chittur in Kerala |
| 2. | Nikhil Sood (Sociology) | Standup Comedy and the Politics of Subversion |
| 3. | Sagarika Pradhan, Aishwarya Mohapatra, Ananya Nandan and Divya Elizabeth Mathew (Sociology) | Studying the Changing Landscape of Chinatown, Kolkata |
| 4. | Vrinda Jain and Manjari Yadav (Economics) | Deprivation of Stateless Rohingyas in Delhi |
| 5. | Shakeeb Arsallan (Sociology) | A Study of the Culture of Migrant Labourers in Kashmir |
| 6. | Arushi Raj, Sweta Datta and Ayndri Mayank (Sociology) | To Analyze the Various Aspects of Dance as an Occupation and Investigate the Prevalence of Snake Handling in the Kalbelia Community of Rajasthan |
| 7. | Vivek Kumar, Priyanka Datta and Satish Kumar (Economics) | A Study of Money-metric and Multidimensional Approach to Poverty in Slums of Patna, Bihar. Does being Government recognized make any difference in overall well-being of slum? |
2017
Selection committee: Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor J. V. Meenakshi (Economics) and Dr. Janaki Abraham (Sociology)
2016
Selection committee: Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor J. V. Meenakshi, Dr. Deepti Goel (Economics) and Dr. Janaki Abraham (Sociology)
2015
Selection committee: Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor J. V. Meenakshi, Dr. Deepti Goel (Economics) and Dr. Janaki Abraham (Sociology)
2014
Selection committee: Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor J. V. Meenakshi, Dr. Deepti Goel (Economics) and Dr. Janaki Abraham (Sociology)
2013
Selection committee: Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor J. V. Meenakshi, Dr. Deepti Goel (Economics) and Dr. Janaki Abraham (Sociology)
| S.No. | Authors and Department | Title |
| 1. | Aarushie Sharma, Asmita Aasaavari and Srishty Anand (Sociology) | The Lack of Proper Toilet Access for Women in Delhi |
| 2. | Lousigam Rajprabin Singh, Antasa Vairagya, Sapna Punshiba Khuman and Puja Kumari (Sociology) | Religious Conversion and Mobility: A Sociological Study in Almora, Uttarakhand |
| 3. | Rhea John and Padmakshi Badoni (Sociology) | The Gaddi Shepherds: Negotiations with Development |
| 4. | Promila Jhakar (Sociology) | Integration and Re-integration in Society |
| 5. | Ankit Joshi, Ankita Mitra, Divya Suyal, Pankaj Yadav, Sakshi Bhardwaj and Shubham Kalra (Economics) | Dropouts in Upper Primary and Secondary School |
| 6. | Aastha Gupta, Rolly Kukreja and Swagatam Sinha (Economics) | Short-term Revenue Fluctuations in Organic Farming: A Case Study of Himachal Pradesh Grower Groups |
| 7. | Sanjive Rai (Sociology) | Development-Induced Displacement and its Impact on Local Communities: A Case Study of Teesta Low Dam Project Stage III in Darjeeling, West Bengal |
| 8. | Jibin Jose, S. Prasham and Salil Sharma (Economics) | Comparative Study of Two Land Acquisition Projects in Jhajjar District of Haryana |
| 9. | Wangkheimayum Kajal Devi and Akoijam Monika Chanu (Sociology) | Potpham-Phambee: The Women Vendors of Khwairamband Bazar |
| 10. | Arnav Das Sharma, Avipsha Das, Maitrayee Patar, Pratichi Majumdar and Rituparna Patgiri (Sociology) | Widows of Brindaban |
2012
Selection committee: Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor J. V. Meenakshi, Dr. Anirban Kar (Economics) and Dr. Janaki Abraham (Sociology)
| S.No. | Authors and Department | Title |
| 1. | Bhavnish Walia, Shambhavi Sharan, Prachi Priya and Bhanu Shri (Economics) | Mid Day Meals and School Attendance |
| 2. | Ananya Smriti, Devkanya Chakravarty, Garima Wahi, Jasmine Kaur and Shiny Kundu (Economics) | Study of Child Labour |
| 3. | Garima Agarwal, Shashank Bhatt, Adway De, Skand Goel and Arushi Kaushik (Economics) | Do Social Networks Affect Remittances? |
| 4. | Ankit Singh, Kashif Khan, Nitin Arora and Piyush Raj | Analysis of Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojna in the Bundelkhand Region |
| 5. | Ankit Sinha, Karmini Sharma (Economics), Prama Mukhopadhyay (Sociology), Rishika Mukherjee, Moumita Biswas and Debasree Banerjee (Geography) | Infant Mortality in Malda |
| 6. | Pratiksha Khanduri (Sociology) | Caste and Music: Transformation in Garhwali Music |
| 7. | Deeksha, Rahul Walia, Sahib Singh Tulsi, Soumik Bhar and Himanshu Chauhan (Economics) | Assessing the Impact of Building and Other Construction Workers’ Welfare CESS Act, 1996 |
| 8. | Rohini Ram Mohan (Sociology) | The Looming Crisis: Negotiating the Future in Face of Crisis in the Silk Handloom Industry in Kanchipuram |
| 9. | Samayita Ghosh (Sociology) | Folk Art and the Urban Social Space: An Ethnographic Exploration of the Social and Economic Life of the ‘Creators of Divnity |
| 10. | Chirasree Pal, Priya Goyal and Swati Sadana (Economics) | Microfinance and Women Empowerment in Urban North India |
2011
Selection committee: Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor Aditya Bhattacharjea, Professor J. V. Meenakshi and Dr. Anirban Kar (Economics)
| S.No. | Authors and Department | Title |
| 1. | Aaradhana Jhunjhunwala Dalmia (Sociology) | Strong Women, Weak Bodies, Muted Voices: Tracing the Lives of Women Construction Workers in India's Capital City |
| 2. | Arnab Kumar Maulik, Ashutosh Kumar and Yeshvardhan Agarwal (Economics) | Solar Power Plants in Sunderban: A Case of Failure |
| 3. | Dheeraj Kumar Mahadule and Vimmy (Economics) | Addressing Rural Poverty through NTFP: A Case Study of Madhya Pradesh |
| 4. | Maria Ann Mathew (Sociology) | Living to Tell the Tale: The Knanaya Christians of Kerala |
| 5. | Madhulika Khanna, Keshav Maheshwari, Resham Nagpal, Ravideep Sethi and Sanshya Srinivasan (Economics) | Whose City is it Anyway? |
| 6. | Shagufta Kaur Bhangu (Sociology) | Understanding Practices Around Infertility in Punjab |
| 7. | Swati Sharma (Economics) | Impact of Fair Price Shops on Slums in Delhi |
| 8. | Trishna Senapaty and Ujjainee Sharma (Sociology) | Reading in the Walled City: A Study on Public Libraries and the Reading Public in Bikaner |
2010
Selection committee: Professor Ashwini Deshpande, Professor Aditya Bhattacharjea, Professor J. V. Meenakshi and Dr. Anirban Kar (Economics)
| S.No. | Authors and Department | Title |
| 1. | Apoorva Gupta (Economics) | Evaluation of Ladli Yojana |
| 2. | Anupriya Gaur, Nidhi Gaur and Nivya Nair (Sociology) | Living in Bavana: Childhood Experiences of Girls |
| 3. | Radhika Kapoor, Randeep Kaur and Sneha Lamba (Economics) | Cost of Human-Wildlife Conflict and its Compensation in Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary |
| 4. | M. R. Sharan (Economics) | Identifying BPL Households: A Comparison of Competing Approaches |
| 5. | Chandana Anusha, Tanya Matthan, and Devika Narayan (Sociology) | Van Panchayats in Three Villages: Dependency and Access |
| 6. | Vishruti Gupta (Economics) | Solid Waste Management: A Case Study of Delhi |
| 7. | Jennifer Pachuau, Malvika Vyawahere, Zilpha Modi (Sociology) and Bhavnit Batra (Economics) | How Does the Existing Bamboo Policy Affect the Livelihood Options and Commercial Prospects of the Economically Disadvantaged in the North Eastern States of Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh? |
2009
Selection committee: Professor Aditya Bhattacharjea and Professor J. V. Meenakshi (Economics)
| S.No. | Authors and Department | Title |
| 1. | Akansha Batra, Arijit Sen, Naveen Sunder, Nirangkush Ganguly and Priyanka Agarwala (Economics) | A Comparative Study Assessing The Quality of Public Health Facilities and Health Practices of the Households Across Two Indian Villages |
| 2. | Jayant Parikshit (Economics) | An Analysis of Health Seeking Behaviour, Health Decision Making and Health Attitudes of Individuals |
2008
Under the Krishna Raj Summer Programme, a team of student volunteers conducted a field survey of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) under the guidance of Jean Drèze, Reetika Khera and Anirban Kar. The survey, located in two districts of Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh (Ranchi and Allahabad, respectively), focused on the new system of bank payments of NREGA wages. It was a follow-up of an earlier social audit, conducted in Deogarh District of Jharkhand, where it had been found that the system of bank payments had been subverted by corrupt middlemen, who were brazenly siphoning off NREGA funds by manipulating the bank accounts of NREGA workers.
The findings of this follow-up survey were more positive. They suggest that bank payments can go a long way in curbing corruption in NREGA. Also, NREGA workers generally seem to have a positive view of this new system, although those who live far away from the nearest bank often complain about the inconvenience and costs involved in collecting their wages. Also, the system is not fool-proof, as illustrated by the Deogarh scam, and instances of similar manipulations in some of the sample Gram Panchayats in Allahabad and Ranchi Districts. This underscores the need to avoid over-reliance on banks as a shield against corruption, and to insist on the enforcement of other transparency safeguards. A detailed survey report, “NREGA Wage Payments: Can we Bank on the Banks?” (by Anindita Adhikari and Kartika Bhatia) is available on request.