To develop committed change agents for India through a multidisciplinary programme guided by distinguished scholars and leaders of our time About YIF Why YIF? The Young India Fellowship (YIF) is a one-year multidisciplinary postgraduate diploma programme in Liberal Studies at Ashoka University. The Fellowship brings together a group of bright young men and Multidisciplinary World Class Faculty women who show exceptional intellectual ability and leadership potential, from across the country, and Curriculum Fellows are taught by trains them to become socially committed agents of change. The Fellowship offers a wide outstanding faculty members variety of subjects that enable with excellent teaching and breadth of learning and multiple research credentials, from perspectives. Courses at YIF India and abroad. include Sociology, Literature, Partnering with the Best Gender Studies, International Development, and Art Appreciation. The Young India Fellowship is delivered in collaboration with University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS); Carleton College; University of California, Berkeley; University of Michigan; King’s College, London; Trinity College, Dublin; and Sciences Po, Paris. Experiential Learning Module The Experiential Learning Module complements academic work with real work experience. The module helps Fellows understand team- building and gain problem-solving skills, as they work in a professional environment. Inspiring Guest Sessions The guest sessions are a parallel academic curriculum where the YIF at Ashoka Fellows attend sessions taken by global achievers. These role models come from the most diverse range of sectors. So far, Ashoka University is a private, non-profit university. An Fellows have been inspired by unprecedented example of collective public philanthropy in India, more than 400 distinguished it is a pioneer in its focus on the Liberal Arts. It offers its students a individuals. multidisciplinary liberal education, which is usually defined as one that transcends the boundaries between the arts and sciences, and Peer Learning carries a strong emphasis on learning across subjects. At YIF, Fellows are exposed to an extremely diverse peer group. Exceptional Mentorship Financial Support Ashoka's unique postgraduate programme, Young India Fellowship Typically, a classroom consists of (YIF), now in its fifth year, has rapidly become one of the most engineers, scientists, lawyers, Fellows are mentored by a diverse The YIF offers financial support business and humanities students. group of industry titans, to successful applicants through sought-after programmes in India. There are also those who come distinguished scholars and full or partial scholarships and with work experience. This pioneering social achievers. other forms of financial aid. Ashoka is located on a 25-acre campus in the Rajiv Gandhi multidisciplinary environment gives the Fellows an exposure to Education City near New Delhi, India. multiple perspectives and skill-sets. 2 3 About YIF Why YIF? The Young India Fellowship (YIF) is a one-year multidisciplinary postgraduate diploma programme in Liberal Studies at Ashoka University. The Fellowship brings together a group of bright young men and Multidisciplinary World Class Faculty women who show exceptional intellectual ability and leadership potential, from across the country, and Curriculum Fellows are taught by trains them to become socially committed agents of change. The Fellowship offers a wide outstanding faculty members variety of subjects that enable with excellent teaching and breadth of learning and multiple research credentials, from perspectives. Courses at YIF India and abroad. include Sociology, Literature, Partnering with the Best Gender Studies, International Development, and Art Appreciation. The Young India Fellowship is delivered in collaboration with University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS); Carleton College; University of California, Berkeley; University of Michigan; King’s College, London; Trinity College, Dublin; and Sciences Po, Paris. Experiential Learning Module The Experiential Learning Module complements academic work with real work experience. The module helps Fellows understand team- building and gain problem-solving skills, as they work in a professional environment. Inspiring Guest Sessions The guest sessions are a parallel academic curriculum where the YIF at Ashoka Fellows attend sessions taken by global achievers. These role models come from the most diverse range of sectors. So far, Ashoka University is a private, non-profit university. An Fellows have been inspired by unprecedented example of collective public philanthropy in India, more than 400 distinguished it is a pioneer in its focus on the Liberal Arts. It offers its students a individuals. multidisciplinary liberal education, which is usually defined as one that transcends the boundaries between the arts and sciences, and Peer Learning carries a strong emphasis on learning across subjects. At YIF, Fellows are exposed to an extremely diverse peer group. Exceptional Mentorship Financial Support Ashoka's unique postgraduate programme, Young India Fellowship Typically, a classroom consists of (YIF), now in its fifth year, has rapidly become one of the most engineers, scientists, lawyers, Fellows are mentored by a diverse The YIF offers financial support business and humanities students. group of industry titans, to successful applicants through sought-after programmes in India. There are also those who come distinguished scholars and full or partial scholarships and with work experience. This pioneering social achievers. other forms of financial aid. Ashoka is located on a 25-acre campus in the Rajiv Gandhi multidisciplinary environment gives the Fellows an exposure to Education City near New Delhi, India. multiple perspectives and skill-sets. 2 3 Meet the Fellows Fellows Speak “I was once told that those The Young India Fellows are a group of 'first among equals', selected through a rigorous and nation-wide “Since YIF ended I had a huge list of things to do. I wanted to move to Kashmir and who follow the crowd usually do farming or something related to heritage and history. I started researching and search for passionate achievers with a desire to bring about change. The Fellowship fosters India's get lost. I am glad to be lost found a treasure of proverbs in Kashmiri and I started illustrating and translating academic, social and business leaders of tomorrow through a multidisciplinary liberal education. The with the right crowd to make them in a blog. It got a lot of attention and from that I also got around 20 volunteers number of applicants to the Fellowship has been increasing consistently every year. In 2015, the number of the right choices. I also believe from all over willing to work in heritage. I have started a heritage project that that one knows oneself only registered applicants was 18344, almost four times of that in the inaugural year of 2011. To meet this focuses on oral traditions, history and the architectural legacy of Kashmir. when he is lost. An awesome increasing demand, the number of seats has now been increased to 225. The Alumni are now 450 strong. Over the last month I got an academic paper published and got accepted to two journey ahead, in search of The Fellows reflect India's geographical diversity and a rich mix of backgrounds. From engineering to conferences, one at the Imperial College in London for July next year and one in self at the Young India fashion design, film to agriculture, medicine to art, and law to journalism, this cross flow of ideas and Prague this year. My paper was on Identity and Orientalism in arts. The work I'm Fellowship 2014-15.” doing also revolves around ethnography. I now think that I shall be applying for a learning from others is as invaluable as the more formal education they receive. - Abhinay Somani, Fellow Masters in Anthropology and I am extremely excited. For all this, I have you to 2015 thank. Else, I'd still have been sitting in front of excel feeling sorry about my life. Thank you so much for the most stimulating year of my life. In short, thank you for giving me the courage to change it.” "If there was a specific - Onaiza Drabu, Fellow 2014, in a letter to Founding-Dean Pramath Sinha degree we got at the end of the year, I fear the Fellowship would have been “Maybe this is what I should do! I might be good at just that. The beauty of this that! I never thought this could be so interesting! It's experience is that it cannot just been a week since we began and such be explained, cannot be “Being born and brought realisations have already flooded my mind and soul. pinned down as being up in a South India village, Looking forward to a year at Young India merely a degree. I was so scared when I Fellowship!” YIF! You have changed the started the journey of the - Danish Mir, Fellow 2015 course of 100 lives in one Young India Fellowship. go...intertwined us in ways However, now, I feel I am unthinkable. If this one year “You build a Trebuchet and you orchestrate a Flash Mob. You cross-dress and you write a 3,000 word reborn with each new day. “I like to describe this year at YIF as the was a roller-coaster ride, I essay. You're taught by professors from Yale and Penn and by the 'Wisest Man in India', Andre Beteille. I have discovered an single most productive year of my life. And can't wait for the rest of my Talks by Madeleine Albright and Ramachandra Guha mark the beginning and end of your first term. excitement in learning with a the change in me is evident. I jump at the life and the 99 other stories I Your understanding extends outward and most importantly inwards. You live as one big family of 100. diverse group of people, opportunity of learning anything new. I am will have the honour of You are elated. You have no time to breathe, and you suddenly begin to enjoy that.