Since 2007, the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI) at the University of Pennsylvania has supported nearly 200 students! Welcome to the home base for CASI students and alumni to share their thoughts, reflections, and ongoing learnings about their internships, research projects, and travels in India and beyond.
Refraction (noun) – Physics: A change in direction of a ray as it passes through a different medium. Refraction (noun) – Optometry: The process of testing ones eyes for defects and abnormalities. Since my arrival back in the States, and subsequently my resettling into university life, I have been pressed to provide countless summaries […]
It is difficult for me to reminisce about this summer without my face bursting into a smile. The friendships made, places travelled and work done have all had a very tangible, positive effect on my life. My experience at Shahi has opened my eyes to the phenomenal things being done in the realm of worker […]
In the cut-throat world of garment manufacturing, those most vulnerable are the people making the clothes. With incredibly high production targets and low profit margins, Indian manufacturers face immense competition, both domestically and internationally. Brands, and the demands of fast-fashion, place immense pressure on manufacturers. This burden often falls on the lap of vulnerable factory […]
In my interviews with families in Delhi regarding marriage, one of the most interesting finding has been related to the persistence of the system of arranged marriage. National data shows that arranged marriage is far from retreating in Indian society. While there has been a decline in parent-only arranged marriages, there has been little increase […]
With my summer in India now behind me, I’m settling back into life at Penn. It feels almost like I never left, or that India was a long long time ago, yet on some days, I feel as if I was back there yesterday – drinking chai on the streets of Delhi, taking a boat […]
Summer in India is really hot – this is something that everyone asked me about or just told me when I mentioned I’d be in India for the summer. And there’s no doubt about it; sometimes in Delhi it gets to be 46 degrees celsius (about 115 degrees Farenheit). Sweating a little bit feels normal […]
Since PHFI is located in Gurgaon, a city that is basically an extension of New Delhi, Varshini and I explored Delhi extensively. Even then, it still felt like there were so many things we wanted to see there that we never got to do. We went to different parts of Delhi, ranging from traditional markets […]
