Stories That Cross Borders 

Stories That Cross Borders 

By Charvi Arora  September 2023

Fulbright-Nehru Fellow Kavery Kaul talks about her documentary, “The Bengali,” and the ties between South Asians and African Americans in the United States. 

Building Bonds Through Music  

Building Bonds Through Music  

By Charvi Arora September 2023

Sitar player Rishab Rikhiram Sharma talks about his tryst with the instrument and on pursuing it in the United States. 

Coming Together Through Dance and Music

Coming Together Through Dance and…

By Michael Gallant September 2023

Artistic collaboration between an Indian dancer and American musician forges bonds of creativity and innovation.

Cross-Cultural Conversations  

Cross-Cultural Conversations  

By Anesce Dremen  September 2023

An American Fulbright-Nehru English teaching assistant shares her experience of exploring India through language and culture. 

Singing for Gender Equality  

Singing for Gender Equality  

By Hillary Hoppock  September 2023

Fulbright-Nehru Fellow Christian James studies the tradition of folk songs in the Kangra Valley and how a nonprofit leverages it to promote gender equality.  

Storytelling in a Changing Climate 

Storytelling in a Changing Climate 

By Monisa Nadeem July 2023

Author Martin Puchner talks about the impact of narratives and literature on human behavior toward climate change.

A Community Observance

A Community Observance

By Mohd. Khizer Hayat April 2023

Mohd. Khizer Hayat, a master's student at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, speaks about his last Ramadan and Id al-Fitra on campus.

Observing Ramadan in the United States

Observing Ramadan in the United…

By Zainab Rashid April 2023

Zainab Rashid, a student at Princeton University, talks about observing Ramadan and connecting with her community during the month-long festival in the United States.

A Time for Reflection

A Time for Reflection

By Mohammad Aamir Sohail  April 2023

An Indian student completing his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor talks about observing Ramadan in the United States.

Unite Through Symphony 

Unite Through Symphony 

By Michael Gallant January 2023

The annual OneBeat exchange program brings together musicians from around the world to build groundbreaking projects and lasting friendships.

Unlocking Superpowers

Unlocking Superpowers

By Monisa Nadeem and Krittika Sharma January 2023

Fans at the Delhi Comic Con remember how childhood American superheroes inspired them through very human struggles.

Celebrating India’s Heritage 

Celebrating India’s Heritage 

November 2022

The United States Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) celebrated 20 years of projects in India in 2022. The United States Mission in India, through AFCP, has partnered with conservation agencies to protect and restore historic sites and intangible cultural heritage, and celebrate India’s diverse cultures and traditions.  

Saving the Song

Saving the Song

By Michael Gallant May 2017

banglanatak dot com and the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation help preserve vital folk music forms of West Bengal and support communities in the process.

Finding Life in a Necropolis

Finding Life in a Necropolis

By Steve Fox May 2017

Archaeological excavations funded by a grant from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation provides new understanding of the Qutb Shahi Heritage Park in Hyderabad.

Historic Hostel

Historic Hostel

By Natasa Milas May 2017

A grant from the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation helped give a new lease of life to the YMCA’s Student Branch at Lamington Road in Mumbai.

Leaves of History

Leaves of History

By Carrie Loewenthal Massey May 2017

The U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation is helping to preserve thousands of relics of India’s past in the United Theological College’s archives.

Restoring Heritage

Restoring Heritage

By Steve Fox May 2017

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, with the support of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, has restored the Batashewala Mughal Tomb Complex in New Delhi to its old glory.

Dancing Across Cultures

Dancing Across Cultures

By Megan McDrew January 2019

Fulbright-Nehru Fellow Lalitha Sindhuri works to understand how cross-cultural training in dance can impact the body and life of kuchipudi dancers.

Weaving Cultures

Weaving Cultures

Natasa Milas January 2019

Fulbrighter and textile artist Wendy Weiss talks about her experience of documenting ikat textiles in Gujarat.

Bonding Over Music

Bonding Over Music

By Hillary Hoppock January 2019

The U.S. State Department’s OneBeat initiative brings together musicians from around the world to create original work and develop strategies for arts-based social engagement.

Studying Sanskrit

Studying Sanskrit

By Trevor Laurence Jockims January 2019

Several U.S. universities offer courses in the study of Sanskrit, even to students with no prior knowledge of any language other than English.

Questioning Power

Questioning Power

By Carrie Loewenthal Massey November 2018

Author and professor Jigna Desai works to transform people’s thinking about power dynamics in the South Asian diaspora.

Communicating With Music

Communicating With Music

By Burton Bollag September 2022

As an Indian American, Sameer Patel chose a fairly uncommon career by becoming a musical conductor.

Connecting Communities

Connecting Communities

By Michael Gallant January 2019

From West Bengal to Washington, D.C., young artists and professionals learn from each other through a groundbreaking, heritage-themed exchange program.

Creative Communication

Creative Communication

By Jason Chiang January 2019

The International Writing Program Fall Residency at The University of Iowa brings together writers from India and other countries for creative work and collaborations.

Weaving Cultural Bonds

Weaving Cultural Bonds

By Natasa Milas January 2019

Fulbrighter Kanchan Wali-Richardson used her experience in Varanasi to design the River Sari series, a homage to the Ganges River.

Global Jams, International Bridges

Global Jams, International Bridges

By Michael Gallant January 2019

Through tours sponsored by the U.S. State Department, Ari Roland leads artistes to build international understanding through music.

Exploring Pop Culture

Exploring Pop Culture

By Candice Yacono September 2019

The Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle offers a glimpse of some of the biggest cultural icons and phenomena.

Dance of Connections

Dance of Connections

By Suparna Mukherji September 2019

Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellow Anugyan Nag explores the connections between movie dances in Bollywood and Hollywood.

Music Museum

Music Museum

By Michael Gallant September 2019

Learn about the history, art, creativity and technology of American music at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

World of Words

World of Words

By Hillary Hoppock September 2019

The American Writers Museum celebrates writers and inspires people to engage in reading and writing through innovative and interactive exhibits.

Art of American Experience

Art of American Experience

By Michael Gallant September 2019

Visit the Smithsonian American Art Museum and witness centuries of dreams, challenges and creativity in the United States.

Transforming Contemporary Literature

Transforming Contemporary Literature

By Noelani Kirschner March 2022

Meet six Black women who have written, edited or produced some of America's best literary work of the past 40 years.

Learning Through the Act of Exchanges

Learning Through the Act of…

By Paromita Pain January 2020

Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellow Dr. Ajay Joshi shared the intricacies of Indian theater with students and other community members in the United States.

A Perpetual Learner

A Perpetual Learner

By Ranjita Biswas January 2020

Lakshmi Ramaswamy shares her experience as a Fulbright Arts Fellow and how that has influenced her practice and management of the art of bharatanatyam.

Food for Thought: What’s on Your Plate Matters to the Planet

Food for Thought: What’s on…

May 2021

Jonathan Safran Foer and Jeffrey Gettleman discuss how daily actions can make an impact in the efforts to combat climate change.

Not a Musical Tourist

Not a Musical Tourist

By Ranjita Biswas January 2020

Payton MacDonald connects Indian classical music with Western musical traditions.

The Literary Connect

The Literary Connect

By Deepanjali Kakati May 2020

Fulbright-Nehru fellow Alan Johnson talks about his connection to India, his fascination with the country’s literature and the importance of exchanges like the Fulbright program.

Interpreting Identities

Interpreting Identities

By Ranjita Biswas October 2021

As an academic and an Odissi performer and teacher, Kaustavi Sarkar uses the classical dance form to explore diverse ways of being and thinking.

The Power of Paint

The Power of Paint

By Michael Gallant January 2020

American artist Augustina Droze created socially meaningful artworks and murals in India, during her Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship.

The Poet and the Pulitzer

The Poet and the Pulitzer

By Michael Gallant September 2022

Award-winning writer Vijay Seshadri discusses the writing process, and the mysteries inherent in crafting world-renowned poetry.

Connecting Global Media

Connecting Global Media

By Candice Yacono May 2020

U.S. State Department’s and Film Independent’s Global Media Makers exchange program connects Indian film professionals with U.S. experts.

Creating Conversations Through Theater

Creating Conversations Through Theater

By Candice Yacono January 2019

Vinita Sud Belani’s theater company, EnActe Arts, works to increase representation of South Asians in theater.