Two Indians among 2012 Yale World Fellows

Washington, April 4 (IANS) Yale University has selected 16 World Fellows for 2012. Two of them are from India, bringing the total number of fellows from India to 11 since the programme started in 2002.

India and Britain - each with 11 fellows - have had more fellows in the Ivy League university's signature global leadership development initiative than of the 79 countries represented since its inception, the New Haven, Connecticut, based institution announced.

Two fellows from India are Ayush Chauhan, co-founder and managing director, Quicksand and Ruchi Yadav, senior programme officer, The Hunger Project.

Chauhan heads up Quicksand, a multi-disciplinary design and innovation consultancy working at the intersection of business, development, and culture.

He is also a partner at the Box Collective, where he conceptualised and launched UnBox, the first interdisciplinary festival in Delhi bringing together leading voices from across the world for inspiration, debate and reflection.

With a background in advertising, human rights, and the women's movement in India, Yadav's focus is to empower elected women representatives at the grassroots level as key change agents in local institutions of government across seven states in India.

From August to December, the 2012 World Fellows will enrol in a specially designed seminar taught by leading Yale faculty; audit any of the 3,000 courses offered at the University; participate in weekly dinners with distinguished guest speakers; receive individualised skill-building training; and meet with US and foreign leaders.

"We will be so fortunate to have these extraordinary men and women at Yale," said Yale President Richard C. Levin. "The university community is always so enriched by the World Fellows. We hope they take full advantage of all our community has to offer them."

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)