THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Battling the odds has been second nature right from childhood for Chandra Prakash Yoganathan, the only researcher from an institute in Asia to be awarded this year’s prestigious Adam Smith Fellowship. Currently, a researcher at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, the fellowship has come as a recognition for his years of hardship and self-support while pursuing his academic ambitions.
Born to Sri Lankan Tamil refugee parents who parted ways when he was a few months old, Chandra grew up in a settlement close to a plantation in Kollam’s Punalur where hundreds of migrants from the island nation were rehabilitated.
Chandra pursued his studies in a school mainly for children of plantation labourers in Kulathupuzha. Lack of parental support made him self-reliant from early childhood. Thanks to state-funded school education, he managed to clear class XII, though in the second attempt. He also had to take up odd jobs such as painting, construction work and catering while studying to support himself.
“There were times when I thought of discontinuing my studies, but doing so meant depriving myself of a roof over my head and meals provided in the hostel. So, I carried on,” Chandra told TNIE. He also recollected the hardships, running from pillar to post to obtain various certificates, as there were not enough records available with him to prove his domicile.
Chandra: I intend to stay in academic field
“Now, the situation has changed and the red-tape is less,” said Chandra. After completing BSc in Geography from Government College, Kariavattom, Chandra enrolled for MSc in Demography at the University of Kerala’s Kariavattom campus. He also completed his MPhil in the subject from the university in 2016.
While working as a research associate and field supervisor in Delhi, Chandra cleared UGCNET in Population Studies. He then joined the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, to pursue research in 2019. “My areas of research at TISS include migration, refugees, statelessness, and citizenship of Indian-origin Tamils in Sri Lanka,” he said.
It was while doing a PhD exchange programme in the University of Klagenfurt, Austria, that Chandra came to know about the Adam Smith Fellowship from another researcher. “As part of the application, we need to give exhaustive writeups on the objectives of taking up the fellowship. I gave the proposal on how entrepreneurship among refugees can be improved,” he said.
Over the last few years, PhD candidates from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard, Oxford, the University of Texas, and a few other renowned universities have been selected for this programme. Chandra’s selection has also brought cheer for TISS, the country’s foremost social science university. “I intend to stay in the academic field and also work with international agencies like the UNHCR,” said Chandra.
Adam Smith Fellowship
It is a one-year-programme co-sponsored by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, US, and Liberty Fund, Inc. The fellowship is awarded to students attending PhD programmes at any university in the world and in any discipline, including econom-ics, philosophy, political science and sociology. The total award of up to $10,000 includes a stipend and travel to attend colloquia hosted by the Mercatus Center.