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June 19, 2024

I’m already into my fourth week here with CSBC! Due to unexpected shifts in project timelines, I will not be working on the original roster of projects I had anticipated, but am still keen to dive in to these new ones. One of the new projects I have been busy with is a social media campaign for iron deficiency anemia, which affects more than half (57-59%) of women and girls in India. We have partnered with a creative agency to film a series of Bollywood-style, catchy, short videos for social media. They highlight various storylines of women or young girls affected by anemia. The collaterals include a personal call-to-action to get tested for iron deficiency anemia and to take iron supplements (if anemic) from Sara Ali Khan, a Bollywood actress (with 46M followers on Instagram!)

The campaign will be launched in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (two states in Northern India with the largest and third-largest populations, respectively) and I am responsible for evaluating the impact of the campaign. It’s been exciting to work with Dr. Sharon Barnhardt on this (PhD from Harvard University and Director of Research at CSBC), as I am learning from her about how to design effective surveys and monitoring / evaluation mechanisms.

More broadly, as my time in India progresses, I am increasingly stunned by the vast religious, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity within India. Imagine the European Union but melded into one country. One cannot imagine the complexities of achieving good governance, fair representation and effective politics in navigating these differences. I hope to learn more about the diversity and nuances of India — far from being a monolithic entity — throughout this summer.

I have also been grateful to explore the beautiful sights and cafes in Delhi on my weekends. A few Harvard classmates have been in and out of the city, adding a touch of familiarity. Additionally, I’ve found a great local badminton community to play with and I look forward to building deeper connections through sport!