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My name is Vignesh Karthik KR. I am in the final (third) year of my Ph.D. programme at King’s College London.
I have a MA in Modern India from King’s College London and a BCom [Gold Medalist] from Loyola College, University of Madras, Chennai, India. Before starting my Ph.D., I worked as a legislative research consultant for over three years in New Delhi. I was associated with the Youth Forum on Foreign Policy, a youth-led initiative in the field. I also briefly interned with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes commissioned under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and Goldman Sachs. My research interests include identities in democracies, politics of mobilisation, the idea of nationalism and its manifestation in everyday life, animal rights, and foreign policy.
My Ph.D. thesis aims to unpack and analyse the period between the late 1940s and 60s – the myriad processes mostly in social and political domains in the south Indian state of Madras, later renamed as Tamil Nadu. The study is important as the result of these processes is regarded as the reason why politics in Tamil Nadu is playing out the way it has been over the years – in terms of the inclination of people towards certain ideologies or principles and the reasons for opposing certain other ideologies or principles, and the consequent dominance of the regional parties in the state. The case study of Tamil Nadu helps one to understand and ideate on how subaltern and oppressed communities can come together and be the engine of politics as a means to social change.
I am also the coordinator of Confronting Caste, a seminar, and podcast series hosted at the King’s India Institute. The objective of the series is to bring analytical attention to the question of how caste operates in contemporary society. This means not only studying caste-based discrimination and oppression across trans-national contexts but also investigating how this relates to other structures and systems.
It was my parent's sheer dedication and hard work, through which they were able to support my dream so far. In fact, such a setting has been a source of encouragement for me throughout and I have been very proactive in writing, talks, and presentations (academic and popular). So far I have published over 50 articles across English, Tamil and Hindi, presented papers and delivered talks in India, UK, and France.
The idea behind pursuing my Ph.D. is to contribute to the building of people networks and tools using existing platforms to ensure the works of social reformers in regional languages are better circulated and are recorded in accessible formats. The networks built above will also help individuals and students from subaltern backgrounds to pursue higher studies across disciplines and streams.
Having met with unexpected circumstances and emergencies, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am unable to manage my final year fee. Having exhausted my grants, scholarships, and unsecured loan options, I would like to humbly request your support in my endeavour. I have sought an extension of the deadline and I would sincerely appreciate any donation made in securing funds to complete my Ph.D. I have attached the invoice for your perusal. My final year fees amounts to £20,655, due in two installments by the end of April for which I had sought extensions. I am looking to raise £18,000 [£15,000 towards fees and £3000 towards living expenses]
For any clarification on the above, feel free to reach me at krvsphone@gmail.com
Selected Articles
Thirumavalavan, Anbumani et al: Lessons from the caste violence at Ponparappi, Ariyalur
What Are the Implications of Giving up a Caste Certificate?
An SBI Exam Has Exposed the Illusion of the EWS Quota in Uttar Pradesh
Strengthening Grassroots Democracy
Will BJP's UP Model of Mobilising Scheduled Castes Work in Tamil Nadu?
UPSC: Why EWS Quota Denies SCs, STs and OBCs Their Due
Caste in India: ‘blind recruitment’ for the civil service won’t fix the system
I have a MA in Modern India from King’s College London and a BCom [Gold Medalist] from Loyola College, University of Madras, Chennai, India. Before starting my Ph.D., I worked as a legislative research consultant for over three years in New Delhi. I was associated with the Youth Forum on Foreign Policy, a youth-led initiative in the field. I also briefly interned with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes commissioned under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, and Goldman Sachs. My research interests include identities in democracies, politics of mobilisation, the idea of nationalism and its manifestation in everyday life, animal rights, and foreign policy.
My Ph.D. thesis aims to unpack and analyse the period between the late 1940s and 60s – the myriad processes mostly in social and political domains in the south Indian state of Madras, later renamed as Tamil Nadu. The study is important as the result of these processes is regarded as the reason why politics in Tamil Nadu is playing out the way it has been over the years – in terms of the inclination of people towards certain ideologies or principles and the reasons for opposing certain other ideologies or principles, and the consequent dominance of the regional parties in the state. The case study of Tamil Nadu helps one to understand and ideate on how subaltern and oppressed communities can come together and be the engine of politics as a means to social change.
I am also the coordinator of Confronting Caste, a seminar, and podcast series hosted at the King’s India Institute. The objective of the series is to bring analytical attention to the question of how caste operates in contemporary society. This means not only studying caste-based discrimination and oppression across trans-national contexts but also investigating how this relates to other structures and systems.
It was my parent's sheer dedication and hard work, through which they were able to support my dream so far. In fact, such a setting has been a source of encouragement for me throughout and I have been very proactive in writing, talks, and presentations (academic and popular). So far I have published over 50 articles across English, Tamil and Hindi, presented papers and delivered talks in India, UK, and France.
The idea behind pursuing my Ph.D. is to contribute to the building of people networks and tools using existing platforms to ensure the works of social reformers in regional languages are better circulated and are recorded in accessible formats. The networks built above will also help individuals and students from subaltern backgrounds to pursue higher studies across disciplines and streams.
Having met with unexpected circumstances and emergencies, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am unable to manage my final year fee. Having exhausted my grants, scholarships, and unsecured loan options, I would like to humbly request your support in my endeavour. I have sought an extension of the deadline and I would sincerely appreciate any donation made in securing funds to complete my Ph.D. I have attached the invoice for your perusal. My final year fees amounts to £20,655, due in two installments by the end of April for which I had sought extensions. I am looking to raise £18,000 [£15,000 towards fees and £3000 towards living expenses]
For any clarification on the above, feel free to reach me at krvsphone@gmail.com
Selected Articles
Thirumavalavan, Anbumani et al: Lessons from the caste violence at Ponparappi, Ariyalur
What Are the Implications of Giving up a Caste Certificate?
An SBI Exam Has Exposed the Illusion of the EWS Quota in Uttar Pradesh
Strengthening Grassroots Democracy
Will BJP's UP Model of Mobilising Scheduled Castes Work in Tamil Nadu?
UPSC: Why EWS Quota Denies SCs, STs and OBCs Their Due
Caste in India: ‘blind recruitment’ for the civil service won’t fix the system
