A prestigious year-long fellowship designed to identify, nurture and empower emerging literary scholars, researchers, translators, editors, archivists and cultural practitioners.
Background & Rationale
For over seven centuries Nalanda stood among the world’s foremost centres of learning. Scholars, philosophers, linguists and translators travelled from across Asia to conduct research, translate texts and disseminate ideas. It embodied a global knowledge ecosystem built on intellectual freedom and multilingual scholarship.
India holds one of the richest literary and intellectual traditions in the world, yet a substantial portion of it remains undocumented, untranslated, unpublished or inaccessible. Many endangered languages and oral traditions face gradual disappearance.
At the same time, promising young writers, researchers, translators and editors lack sustained institutional support, mentorship and publication opportunities. Nalanda Sathi is built to close that gap.
“Nalanda in the World and World in Nalanda”
To cultivate a new generation of literary scholars, researchers, translators, editors and knowledge creators who advance Nalanda’s enduring tradition of scholarship, multilingual dialogue, critical inquiry and cultural exchange while preserving, enriching and globally disseminating India’s literary and intellectual heritage.
To establish a nationally recognised fellowship programme providing structured financial support, academic mentorship, editorial guidance, institutional partnerships and publication opportunities for outstanding young literary professionals, enabling high-quality research, translation, documentation, editing, publication and digital knowledge creation.
Core Objectives
Nine commitments shaping every fellowship awarded, from a first-time author’s manuscript to an endangered-language archive.
Encourage outstanding literary and research projects by talented individuals below the age of fifty.
Promote high-quality translation between Indian languages, English and selected international languages.
Preserve endangered languages, dialects and oral literary traditions through systematic documentation and publication.
Support first-time authors and emerging scholars in producing publishable books and research outputs.
Foster interdisciplinary research connecting literature with history, philosophy, archaeology, linguistics, science, environment and technology.
Build a national network of young writers, translators, editors, publishers and literary researchers.
Encourage collaborative scholarship among institutions in Undivided Bihar, North-Eastern India, South Asia and international partners.
Develop future leaders in literary editing, publishing, digital humanities and cultural curation.
Strengthen India’s cultural diplomacy through multilingual literary exchange and knowledge partnerships.
Programme Components
Each track supports a different kind of literary work, from original research to digital humanities. Fellows apply to the track that fits their project.
Supports original research across Nalanda civilisation, ancient universities and Indian knowledge traditions.
Promotes multilingual knowledge exchange, with emphasis on endangered literary traditions.
Financial, editorial and publication support for new and emerging authors.
Advanced training that develops professional editorial competencies.
Field-based documentation feeding the permanent Nalanda Knowledge Archives.
Innovative literary and digital humanities projects.
Categories & Eligibility
Applications are invited from individuals below the age of fifty.
Preference may be accorded to applicants from
Fellowship Support
Monthly Fellowship GrantResearch SupportEditorial GuidancePublication AssistanceIndividual MentorshipAccess to Libraries and ArchivesInstitutional CollaborationField Documentation SupportProfessional NetworkingParticipation in Nalanda DialoguesPresent at the FestivalCertificate and Alumni MembershipExpected Annual Outputs
50
Fellowship Awards
50
Research Papers
25
Books & Monographs
50
Translation Projects
25
Oral History Collections
25
Digital Archive Collections
100+
Professionals Trained
50+
Lectures & Workshops
Expected Outcomes
Sathi advances the long-term vision of the Festival while contributing to broader national priorities in language, research and cultural diplomacy.
Strategic Alignment
Nalanda Sathi encourages youth participation in literary research and first-time authorship, promotes multilingualism and the preservation of regional, tribal and indigenous languages, and builds a permanent repository of literary knowledge. It integrates literature with history, philosophy, linguistics, archaeology and technology, and supports India’s cultural diplomacy through literary exchange and global dissemination of Indian knowledge traditions.
Conversations travelling to eight cities in India and two destinations abroad.
ExploreNalanda DialoguesPreserving and celebrating India’s living literary and cultural traditions.
ExploreNalanda ParamparaSkill development for literature, language, culture and creative industries.
ExploreNalanda DakshaLanguage and storytelling activities in schools and colleges.
ExploreBhasha RathThe four-day main festival on Language, Literature and Legacy.
ExploreNalanda Mahaparva