Our Team

Prof. Soumendra Mohan Patnaik is Professor at the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi. A Fulbright Nehru Visiting Fellow at Virginia Tech University (2011-12), he is the President of the Indian Anthropological Association (IAA); the founder of India chapter of Anthropology Without Borders (ASF); the Chair of the IUAES Commission on Anthropology, Public Policy and Development Practice; and has been an International Delegate and member of Organizing Committee (2014-2018) at the World Council of Anthropological Associations (WCAA). He has been an advisor to the Government of Nagaland, a state on India's North East, and to various international NGOs in South Asia. He has done extensive fieldwork in Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Odisha and Northeast India. His numerous publications examine the complex connections between development, displacement, indigenous identities, and public policies. He was the formerly the ViceChancellor of Utkal University (2017-2020) and Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (2019), Bhubaneswar, Odisha

Retired as Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi in 2016, she is presently the Senior Vice-President of IUAES (International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences) from 2018 and Chair of the Commission on Marginalization and Global Apartheid. Research interests are in marginalization and identity studies, gender, cosmology and religion, environment and urban communities and landscape. Publications include Gender in South Asia (Cambridge University Press) Life as a Dalit (ed.) (Sage), The Inner and Outer Selves, Oxford University press) and Gender, Livelihood and Environment (ed.) with Marilyn Porter, Anthropological Perspectives on Indian Tribes (2020) and more than 80 scholarly papers. Recipients of awards: Charles Wallace Fellowship U.K ( 2000) ; Fulbright Lecturer, U.S.A 2003 and Fulbright scholar-inresidence, 2008-2009, Visiting Professor to Maison D’Sciences De L’Homme, Paris ( 2002) , Visiting Scholar, Kyoto University (2001) ; University of Kentucky, U.S.A ( 2014) , Visiting Professor Salvador, Brazil (2019), Fellow of the Society for Applied Anthropology, U.S.A; S. C Roy Gold Medal ( Asiatic Society, 2011), Distinguished Teacher Award Delhi University, 2016. Formerly President of the Indian Anthropological Association (1997-2000).

Prof. Rambhatla is Honorary Professor at the Centre for Digital Learning, Training and Resources, University of Hyderabad. He is a socio-cultural anthropologist and is a former head, Department of Anthropology, and Department of Education and Education Technology, University of Hyderabad. He has also served as RBI Chair Professor, Regional Director, Council for Social Development, Hyderabad. He has completed various multi-disciplinary research and consultancy projects funded by national and multilateral agencies. He is associated with two National Commissions for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Ministry of Social Justice, Government of India, as a Consultant and Member of Expert Committee. He has published papers in refereed journals, edited volumes and anthologies, and published jointly edited books. He is also a member of Information Ethics Working Group, Information for All Programme, UNESCO.

Prof. A senior fellow with Indian Council of SocialScience Research, he was formerly a Professor ofsocial anthropology at the University of Lucknow,Uttar Pradesh; a Fulbright ‘Scholar in Residence’; avisiting professor in USA; Pro Vice-Chancellor,Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University,Wardha, Maharashtra. He has also been an editor oftwo research journal of anthropology- The EasternAnthropologist and Manav. He is currently editing anonline research journal Islam and Muslim Societies :A Social Science Journal. He has authored several popular books which were published underreputed banners like McGraw Hill and Sage. He also participates regularly in various people’s movements that has established him as an activis.

Former Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Prof. Kapoor is currently working as an Anthropology consultant for organization in India and USA with regards to culture and ethnographic research. He has carried out extensive fieldwork among tribes, castes and ethnic groups in the Indian states and Union territories. He has versatile research interests which is inclusive but not restricted to forensic anthropology, human rights, positions including Vice-President of Indian Anthropological Association (IAA); Head, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi to name a few. He is also the founder and life member of several prestigious scientific bodies and a member of IUAES. He has authored/edited 26 books and has published more than 280 research papers and articles in national and international journals. He has been the elected president of Indian Science Congress Association (Anthropology Section), in 2015, and formerly the Vice Chancellor of Jiwaji University, Madhya Pradesh.

Prof. A. Chellaperumal is Professor of Social Cultural Anthropology at Pondicherry University, India. He has strengthened the department in terms of the student diversity, faculty motivation and research output. He is also a founding member of the Post Graduate and research centre of Folklore at St. Xavier's College, Palayamkottai and has been instrumental in starting an International journal ' South Indian Folklorist', establishing the archival section in the college and conducting various international programmes. He has many peer reviewed articles and book chapters on Folk Religion, Ethnopeotics, Caste and tribal life as publications to his credit. He's a UGC Research Awardee (2002), Fulbright Fellow (2003) he has visited various US universities and recipient of various state awards for his research contributions.

Prof. Nilika Mehrotra is Professor of social anthropology teaching at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems,Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi,India. She is editor of the Journal Indian Anthropologist. She has been a Fulbright Senior Researcher at University of California, Berkeley, USA (2013-2014). She has recently edited thebook Disability Studies in India: Interdisciplinary Perspectives (Springer, 2020) besides contributing numerous research publications in the areas of Gender, disability and Developmentstudies. In the past she has also been associated with places like Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi and Centre for Women’s Development Studies, Delhi. She has also worked on many research projects with national and international collaborations.

Dr. Sukant K Chaudhury is Professor of Sociology, University of Lucknow, India. He has recently been aninternational visiting faculty in Rabindranath Tagore Institute, Mauritius. He is the editor of journal ‘The Eastern Anthropologist’ and a managing editor of International Journal ‘The Sociology of Leisure’ and ‘Manav’. Currently he is the president and editor ENewsletter of RC-13 (Sociology of Leisure) ofInternational Sociological Association. He has authored several books and more than 100 research papers and reviews in the field of sociology. Some of his major publications include: Myopic Development and Cultural Lens; Tribal Identity; Indian Tribes and the Mainstream(ed.), Culture Ecology and Sustainable Development (ed.) and Scheduled Tribes and Development (co-editor). He has organised and also presented research papers in manyinternational as well as national conferences/seminars. He is the general secretary ofEthnographic and Folk Culture Society, Lucknow and vice president of Indian Anthropological Association, Delhi. His research interest includes sociology of leisure, environment, gender, tribe, dalit and research methodology.

Nita Mathur is Professor of Sociology at School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). She has teaching and research experience of nearly three decades. She has been a visiting scholar at Maison des sciences de l’homme (MSH) Paris, and a visiting faculty at several reputed institutions like the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi, School of Environmental Studies,University of Delhi and Lady Irwin college, University of Delhi. She has also been a visitingprofessor, Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is currently an academic member of Athens Institute for Education and Research (AITNER), Greece and has served as resource person in many universities. She has been an associate editor of the journal ‘Indian Anthropologist’.
She has authored many books like Cultural Rhythms in Emotions, Narratives and Dance, Santhal Worldview (ed), and Consumer Culture, Modernity and Identity (ed). Some of her critical publications in national and international journals are in the areas of consumer culture, middle class, folklore, performance studies, tribal language and culture. She is currently pursing research on consumption, lifestyle choices and construction of modern identities.

Former Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, Prof. Kshatriya is a well-known Indian anthropologist since 1975. His areas of interest are population genetics, genetic epidemiology, tribal health, demography and population studies. He has worked on genetics of complex diseases and also on obesity trends amongtribal adults with reference to metabolic risk factors. He has been associated with World Bank Projects on several occasions in the context of tribal health. He was a postdoctoral fellow in Human Population Genetics and Anthropology at the University of Texas, Health Science Centre at Houston, GSBS, USA. He has also received special training under the supervision of Prof. D.C. Rao, Director, Division of Biostatistics, Washington University school of Medicine, St. Louis on genetic aspects of epidemiology. He was visiting Professor at School of Nursing at Torreon, University of Coahuila, Mexico.

Prof. Rashmi Sinha is Professor of Anthropology at School of Social Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). She is a recipient of many awards and fellowships including the Teaching and Research Career Achievement Award in 2018; Research fellowship from Indian Council of Medical Research for her PhD; Post-Doctoral Fellowship from University Grants Commission; and has worked under the Women Scientist Scheme in the Department of Science and Technology. Her area of specialization is Growth and Development, Nutritional Anthropology, Forensic Anthropology, Human Physiology and Obesity research. Prof. Sinha is on Editorial Board (Area Editor- Social Sciences) of Everyman’s Science, a publication of Indian Science Congress Association. She has a number of publications in National and International Journals of repute including three edited books ie. Obesity: A multidimensional approach to contemporary global issue; Anthropology and Health; Issues and Perspectives inAnthropology. Prof. Sinha is also a member of Academic Council for the National Resource Centre (NRC) in Anthropology.

Prof. Avanish Kumar is Professor in School of Public Policy and Governance at Management Development Institute. Heexplores questions at the intersection of policies and practice that promote sustainability, and inclusion. As a core team member, he was responsible for planning and designing of “Good Governance in Public Sector” for the Government of India; Mid-Career Training (Phase III) of IAS for DoPT with Duke University; Poorest Areas Civil Society Programme (DFID, Phase II). He was member board at large of Society for Human Ecology, Washington (2010-11 and 2011-12). Currently he is member editorial board of ISTM Journal of Training Research and Governance.

Prof. Deepshikha Agarwal is Professor in University School of Law and Legal studies, GGS Indraprastha University, Delhi. Her research focus is in the area of tribal studies, with major work concerning the ethnomedical belief systems. Her more recent work has been on the human rights issues and intergenerational prostitution among the Perna, a denotified tribe from Delhi NCR. She is a member of in the Culture and Society Commission of Centre for Nations and States (CNS), an organization that has been working on the pan- global issues of the indigenous communities. She has presented various research papers in national and international conferences and has also organized conferences on important issues of indigenous communities. She takes active interest in promoting the folk-art forms of India by organizing seminars and workshops in this area. She is currently working on the legal and social issues of De-Notified Tribal communities of India.

Manoj Kumar Singh is Professor of Archaeology and Paleoanthropology at the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi. He has done extensive field work and has excavational experience covering various pr-historic sites. Some of the important ones are Bihar & Jharkhand (Nevada, Laxmipur, Simdega); Bhopal (Bhimbhetka, Adamgarh, Narmada Valley); Chittorgarh (Gambhiri, Nagri); Madhya Pradesh (Lower Paleolithic site Tikoda); Tamil Nadu (Attirampakkam: Lower Paleolithic open-air site,), Andhra Pradesh (Sitarampet, Tirupati, Renigunta, Lower Paleolithic Site at Kondapetain Prakasam District). He has also participated in the excavations in France (Tautavel and Lazaret: Lower Paleolithic Cave sites, Abri Pataud: Upper Paleolithic Cave Site) and Portugal (Ribeira da Ponte da Pedra: Lower Paleolithic Open Air site, Vale Boi: UpperPaleolithic Rock Shelter site). He has published extensively and has a been a recipient of a number of reputed awards and fellowship. He is currently the General Secretary of Indian Anthropological Association (IAA) and the elected sectional president of Indian Science Congress Association (Anthropology Section) 2021-22.

Dr. Zhimo is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi. She had researched extensively among the Naga tribes exploring the politics of religious conversion and the dynamics of customary law. She is also interested in visual anthropology. Her work on visual anthropology has featured in IUAES 2020, Croatia,Photo Oxford Festival 2021(UK), and Visual Ethnography (Italy). She teaching a course on visual anthropology at under graduate and post graduate level at University of Delhi, and runs a YouTube channel ‘VisualAnthropology DU’. Currently she is Secretary (HQ) cum Treasure of Indian Anthropological Association (IAA), and is incharge of association’s website and global communication.

B. V. Sharma is Professor of Anthropology teaching and guiding research students for more than 30 years at University of Hyderabad. After his training in anthropology at Pune University and subsequently at University of Hyderabad where he obtained M.Phil. and Ph.D. Degrees in anthropology. His research interests include Medical Anthropology, Action Anthropology and Tribal Education. His research in Medical Anthropology largely relates to the areas of ‘Health seeking behaviour’, ‘Community participation in health care’, ‘Coping with illness’, ‘Therapy management groups’ and ‘Acquisition and distribution of ethnomedical knowledge’. He undertook more than 20 research projects for various national and international bodies and has organised about 10 national and international seminars. He is the main organizer of Post Congress, at the University of Hyderabad, as a part of IUAES -WAU World Anthropology Congress, 2023.

Tanka B. Subba is Professor in the Department of Anthropology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India. He has served as the ViceChancellor of Sikkim University (2012-17). He hasreceived awards like the Homi Bhabha Fellowship (Mumbai), Dr. Panchanan Mitra Lectureship, R.P. Chanda Centenary Medal for 2015 (Asiatic Society, Kolkata), DAAD Guest professorship at the Free University of Berlin, and Baden- Wuerttemberg Fellowship at the South Asian Institute, Heidelberg University. He was a member of the academic councils of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has also served as a member of the advisory boards of the National Museum of Mankind, Anthropological Survey of India and the INTACH. He has authored/edited many books and published several articles on various issues related to the Eastern Himalayas. His latest book, as Sectional Editor for Northeast India and Bangladesh, is titled Brill’s Encyclopedia of the Religions of the Indigenous People of South Asia (Brill, 2021 Gen. Ed. Marine Carrin)

Vineetha Menon is Professor of socio-cultural anthropology and at present a visiting Fellow at the International Centre for Social Science Research and Extension, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. She served as Director, Directorate of Academics, Kannur University (2015), and Head, Department of Anthropology, University of Calicut and Kannur University. She is on the Editorial Advisory Board of Indian Anthropologist (since September 2020), The Journal of Indian Anthropological Association and the Journal of Indian Anthropological Society (since Feb 2021). She has published extensively. Some of her key publications include 'Chronology and Events: The Sociological Landscape of Emerging Concepts' (ed) (2019); ‘Ecology, Indigeneity, Resource Conflicts and Adaptation: Empirical Studies from India' (ed) (2012);'Confronting Violence against Women in Kerala: Engendering Kerala's Development Experience' (2008); and ‘Water Insecurity, Institutions and Livelihood Dynamics: A Study in Plachimada Kerala’, Indian (2008). Her research interest and publications include a wide variety of topics dealing with local level sustainable development, local social systems and decentralized governance in the globalization context, political economy and culture of agriculture, gender, aging and policy.

Dr. Sanghamitra Pati is Director, ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar, India. A physician turned public health researcher she has keen interest in medical anthropology, particularly in the field of health, sickness and culture; patient care journey and lived experience; along with chronic disease like mental illness interface. Her Wellcome Trust-PHFI funded research is the first in India to assess the magnitude of multimorbidity (coexistence of multiple chronic illnesses in a person) in primary health care settings. In 2016, she received the Wellcome Trust UK International Engagement Award on narrative medicine for building resilience among women living with rheumatoid arthritis. Using ethnographic method, Dr Pati ’s current research focuses on meaningful engagement with vulnerable populations amidst the COVID19 pandemic.

Meerambika Mahapatro is Professor at National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi. She is working on gender, violence, health and wellbeing, for two and a half decades. As a social epidemiologist, she is interested in understanding the influence of socio-psychological determinants, especially policy and practices on health, particularly among vulnerable populations. She is recipient of research grants from WHO, UNICEF, ICMR, NIHFW, MOHFW, and Uttarakhand State Govt. She has published 36 scientific articles in peer reviewed national and international journals, 5 books/edited books. Her book Domestic Violence and Health Care in India: Policy and Practice was published by Springer in 2018. She was awarded an All India Scholarship for academics, WHO (2009) and SIDA fellowship (2011-12). In 2014, she was expert for the Prime Minster Award for Excellence in Public Administration. She is Chairperson, Sexual Harassment Committee, ISTM, GoI; Editorial team of Women’s Health Science Journal, Health And Population: Perspectives And Issues, Austin Journal of Women’s Health and Indian Anthropologist, Member Research Committee(Epidemiology) ICMR, Member of Common Review Mission, Min. of Health and Family Welfare, Member of AFP Surveillance and UIP Review team (WHO).

Professor of Social Anthropology at the Department of Anthropology, Punjab University, Chandigarh. He has authored A Brief History of Anthropology (1994), Meetings with the Other (1996), History and Culture of the Oraon Tribe (2002), The World of the Oraon (2006), among other works. He is the author of many peer-reviewed publications in National and International journals of repute as well as book chapters. He has also written a number of course materials for graduate and undergraduate students, much of it in open access format. He has also been a member of select committees of the Government for syllabus upgradation and examinations. He was the Chair of the Department (2014-2017 and 2020-21). He is at present the Book Review editor of the Journal of the Indian Anthropological Society and a Governing Council Member of the Indian National Confederation and Association of Anthropologists.

A Social Anthropologist by training, she received her doctorate from Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi, for her work examining Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of a Multinational organisation with reference to policy, its operationalisation and implications. The work was a multisited ethnography with its primary focus on HIV/AIDS related policy and programme. It tried to capture subaltern voices through field work in a trucker’s hub at the outskirts of Delhi. She has now extended her research to understand CSR and public policy, with focus on health, education and women's empowerment. Before this, her pursuit in the development sector and academics led her to conduct extensive fieldwork in rural areas of Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh (tribal Bhil community in Jhabua) and in urban slums of Delhi, India. Her research interests include cross-sectional issues of CSR, environment, disability, gender, tribe, health and HIV, child development and maternal health. She is currently Ethics officer of Indian Anthropological Association (IAA); Editor, IAA Newsletter; Secretary, IUAES Commission on Anthropology, Public Policy and Development Practice; Member, Scientific Committee, IUAES 2022 Congress, St. Petersburg. She is a UGC Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi.