Khentse Gyatso

Khentse is pursuing his PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. His doctoral research explores the foundational role of negation in two of the most influential non-dualist philosophical systems of Indian thought: Prāsaṅgika Madhyamaka of Mahāyāna Buddhism and Advaita Vedānta of the Vedic tradition. While employing distinct metaphysical frameworks, both traditions converge in their ultimate aim: liberation from suffering or bondage through realising the ultimate truth. However, their respective dialectical methods of arriving at this realisation differ significantly. This study seeks to analyse, compare, and critically engage with the dialectics of negation in both traditions to understand their philosophical methods, goals, and ethical implications.

The motivation behind this comparative study stems from the historical gap in direct philosophical engagement between these traditions following Buddhism’s decline in India after the 12th century. Through a comparative study, this research aims to contribute to reviving philosophical dialogue between the Indo-Tibetan Madhyamaka and Vedānta traditions. It is significant in bridging the gap in comparative Indo-Tibetan philosophies, where detailed studies on the logic and ethics of negation across Buddhist and Vedāntic systems are still unexplored.

During the proposed visit to the University of Oxford under the Grant, he hopes to benefit from his host Professor Jan Westerhoff’s expertise in Madhyamaka and comparative philosophy. Specifically, he aims to continue his research on the Madhyamaka object of negation under his supervision to get a more nuanced and critical understanding of it. He also looks to develop comparative methodologies for engaging with multi-system philosophical traditions, and to receive scholarly feedback on the structure and direction of his dissertation project in preparation for the writing phase next year, including guidance on how to chart the thesis chapters to meet international academic research standards in philosophy.

Sandeep

Sandeep is pursuing his PhD from Ashoka University. His research lies at the intersections of gender, religion, caste and colonial politics. He is researching the history of epidemic disease, religious healing, and political power, focusing on how Kanphata Yogis, local kings and the colonial state engaged with the healing cult of Pateshwari Devi to claim spiritual and political power. By examining the intersections of territorialization of sacred, political and economic spaces, his research throws light on how divine healing cults mediated the articulations of distinct local identities fostered by complex forms of sovereignty in a quasi-princely state where colonial structures and kingly rule coexisted. It questions both colonial historical narratives and modern state-centred interpretation, offering a more nuanced view of sovereignty based on ritual, healing, and blended forms of authority. His research is geographically located in the northern Awadh and the Nepal Borderlands. Characterized by dense forests, riverine and widespread malaria until the mid-twentieth century, the region is home to the Tharus, an indigenous community with shared cross-border cultural and religious ties.

The  Grant will allow him to visit the United Kingdom and access the archives of British Library, The Plymouth Archive, Lambeth Palace Archive and universities such as Cambridge, SOAS and London School of Economics. These archives/libraries contain colonial district officials records from Awadh and private papers on famine, fairs, mutiny and missionaries in colonial state. Access to these rare collections will build a more comparative and comprehensive framework for his research and help develop his material within these broader conversations. This would offer a critical space to refine the intersectional and decolonial aspects of his work.

Anas Zaman

Anas Zaman is pursuing his Ph.D. at the Department of History, University of Delhi. He completed his M.Phil. in History from the same institution and holds a Master’s degree in Medieval History from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has taken courses in Persian from the Department of Persian, University of Delhi, and has also worked with the National Archives of India on a project involving the translation and cataloguing of documents in Persian and Urdu.

His doctoral thesis, titled ‘Governance and Sovereignty in Mughal India with Reference to the Reign of Aurangzeb Alamgir (1658-1707 C.E.),’ examines Mughal political culture in the latter half of the seventeenth century - one of the most contested and widely debated periods in both academia and public domain. This work builds upon his M.Phil. dissertation, in which he explored the diverse historiographical writings on Alamgir Aurangzeb’s reign in the colonial and postcolonial periods. The narratives which he examined were often shaped by reductive binaries and ideologically driven interpretations of his rule. His doctoral thesis seeks to move beyond such historiographical depictions to explore the nature of governance, bureaucracy, political communication, and imperial culture during Aurangzeb’s reign. It aims to understand the everyday workings of governance and the articulation of power through Akhbārāt (courtly reports), written orders, and other administrative documents of the Mughal state. Moreover, it also attempts to situate Aurangzeb’s rule within the broader context of early modern and Persianate world.

The Grant will enable him to visit the United Kingdom to locate and study archival material in institutions such as the British Library, the Royal Asiatic Society, and the Bodleian Library. These collections are unparalleled in range, comprising chronicles, normative accounts, official correspondences, diplomatic letters, memoirs of Mughal secretaries, and legal compendia, as well as illustrations and miniatures, many of which remain hitherto unexplored. This Grant will play an important role in the successful completion of his doctoral research and in shaping its contribution to the study of norms of governance and political practices in Mughal India.