Category: Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Sharin Shajahan Naomi, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Krea University was invited by the Humanities department ( Political Science Programme) of Guru Nanak College to present  on India’s foreign policy towards war-torn countries on 11 February 2025. Her presentation focused on India’s foreign  policy to countries like Ukraine, Palestine, Myanmar and historical humanitarian intervention in Bangladesh and Sri Lankan civil war. Dr Sharin Shajahan has given interviews on foreign policy to indian media before. 

Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda, Associate Professor, Politics, SIAS was invited as a resource person by the Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum, for its ICSSR-sponsored Capacity Building Programme, “Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes – Sub-Plan and Sub-Classification” (6-7 February 2025). He delivered a talk titled “Justice at Last: Examining the Supreme Court’s Verdict on Sub-Classification.”

Dr Gundimeda highlighted how affirmative action has improved Dalit representation but has disproportionately benefited dominant SC sub-groups like Chamars, Mahars, and Malas, while marginalised groups like Madigas and Rellis remain excluded. This disparity led to demands for sub-categorisation, notably by the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) in Andhra Pradesh.

The Supreme Court’s E.V. Chinnaiah (2004) ruling deemed SCs a homogeneous group, barring states from internal classification. However, Davinder Singh (2014) reopened the debate, culminating in the landmark 2024 ruling that allowed sub-classification based on empirical data. The judgment, reinforcing substantive equality, acknowledges intra-group disparities but raises concerns about implementation and political misuse.

Dr Debankar Saha, Assistant Professor & Area Chair – Marketing, IFMR GSB recently presented a research paper, ‘Birdwatching and Ecotourism: Exploring the Motivations for Participation in Eco-Avitourism’, at the Indian Academy of Management (INDAM)  Conference held at IIFT, Kolkata. The conference brought together a diverse group of academicians, policymakers, and industry professionals, fostering a rich intellectual exchange.

Dr Saha explores the key factors that motivate individuals to participate in birdwatching tourism within an ecotourism framework, emphasising its alignment with sustainability principles and contribution to responsible tourism practices. The response to the presentation was overwhelmingly positive, sparking insightful discussions with both the panel and the audience. 

Krea University recently hosted a Symposium on Biodiversity and Wetland Conservation as part of the Flamingo Festival, organised by the Andhra Pradesh Government in association with Bombay Natural History Society and Sri City.

As part of the symposium, Dr Debankar Saha, Assistant Professor & Area Chair – Marketing, IFMR GSBdelivered a talk on ‘Ecotourism as a Pathway to Sustainable Development at Pulicat Lake.’ His presentation highlighted the role of ecotourism in fostering conservation efforts, supporting local communities, and promoting sustainable practices in the region.

Dr Srajana Kaikini, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, SIAS recently penned her experience, awe and inspiration, listening to Jane Goodall at the Mumbai LitLive Festival in the article The goodness of Jane Goodall in the Deccan Herald. Dr Kaikinideep dives into an interesting question by Goodall—if apes are in fact as angry, as violent, as caring, as loving, and as communicative as human beings, then why not see us in them and why not see them in us?

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Dr Srajana Kaikini, Assistant Professor, Philosophy, SIAS was invited as a resource person to address over 250 registered participants from various university across the country for the Faculty Development Programme themed around “Critical Humanities and the Futures We Imagine” organised by the Centre for Theory and Criticism, Central University of Kerala and the UGC Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre. Dr Kaikini’s session was titled ‘The Curatorial Turn in Education: Notes from Relational Arts Practices’ where she shared insights from the field of curatorial studies and its possibilities within education and pedagogy based on her work around embodiment and learning.

Dr Vijaya C, Assistant Professor, Finance, IFMR GSB was invited as the Track Chair and Reviewer for Finance Case studies presented at the 15th Annual Case Conference, COGNOSCO 2025 organised by The School of Business and Management (MBA) and the Centre for Case Research and Development (CCRD) of Christ Deemed to be University, Bengaluru on 24 January 2025. 

COGNOSCO, initiated in 2012, is a platform for case writers to present their case studies and promote the development of quality teaching cases among the teaching fraternity and also business practitioners.

Dr Anannya Dasgupta. Director, Centre for Writing & Pedagogy (CWP) and Associate Professor of Literature, SIAS was a discussant on a panel on, “Trends in Literary Studies and English Departments in India” at the national conference on Trends in Literary Studies and English Departments in India organised by Manipal Centre for Humanities on 24 January, 2025.

Sayantan Datta, Assistant Professor of Practice, Centre for Writing and Pedagogy recently penned an article in The Hindu titled, In breakthrough, scientists find pressure sensor in fat tissue. 
The article discusses PIEZO mechanosensitive channel – a class of proteins that helps us sense pressure. PIEZO channels have been implicated in our ability to sense touch and pain, to understand how our bodies are positioned in space (proprioception), to perceive our body’s internal state (interoception), and to respire, urinate, form blood vessels, regulate bone density, and heal skin wounds. Two new studies have now expanded the ambit of PIEZO channels’ functions.

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