A (Ful)Bright Future

By KRITTIKA SHARMA

Three Fulbright-Nehru fellows talk about their research in India and the incomparable exposure the exchange program offers.

The United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) organized the Annual Fulbright Conference in November 2022, the first such gathering of FulbrightNehru awardees in India after the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference hosted 110 American Fulbrighters over three days in New Delhi, during which they presented their research and networked with other academics.

The Fulbright Commission was signed into existence in 1950 by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and U.S. Ambassador Loy Henderson. Fifty eight years later, in 2008, India became a full partner in the programmatic funding of the exchange program, now known as the Fulbright-Nehru program.

The U.S. Fellowship awards grants to U.S. college seniors, graduates and academics at all levels to conduct research at a host institution in India and carry out professional projects mentored by Indian academic supervisors. During their tenure, the Fulbrighters apply their expert knowledge of a field to the Indian context, study real-time issues and learn from their counterparts in respective fields. For many, this tenure brings invaluable exposure as they work with closely-knit communities, allowing them to form crucial relationships.