The Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation is a non-profit charity trust that supports initiatives in the fields of Art & Culture,Education and Community. It seeks to embody the lifelong passions and values of Vinod and Saryu Doshi, who believed that the mind is enriched through education and the spirit through art and culture. They have spent a considerable part of their lives supporting these causes.
The Foundation provides scholarships to financially challenged young Indians enabling them to catapult themselves to a higher economic and social orbit. It fosters emerging talent in the visual and performing arts through Fellowships, performances, exhibitions and festivals. It is committed to improving the community by funding initiatives in environment protection and social upliftment.
The Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation has extended its support towards education by setting up a rigorous and challenging Post Graduate Fellowships in Liberal Arts & Sciences.
The Fellowships aim to support students of Indian nationality who have received acceptance at a University abroad to pursue post-graduation in the field of Liberal Arts (Masters, Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate or Doctorate). The Fellowships are applicable to the fields of Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
The main aim of the fellowship program is to enhance the higher education by giving an opportunity to academically bright students who have a drive to succeed but are unable to do so due to their financial challenges. This is a need-based merit Fellowship and abides by the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action policy. The maximum amount for the Fellowship will be upto Rs 3 lakhs per fellow, which will be payable as a onetime amount.
Bapitha Udhaya Kumar from Tamil Nadu, will be pursuing her Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering at Technical University of Munich, Germany. "An Interminable and challenging environmental issue turned my interest to muster all the audacity to become a part of a movement of numerous environmentalist to make a better environment."
Gitanjoli Dasgupta from Pune, Maharashtra will be pursuing her Masters in Conflict Studies from The London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom. "My experience of working in a conflict-ridden state gave me an insight into the complexities of how armed conflict affects marginalised groups, inspiring me to pursue this field of study. It is an honour to be a Saryu Doshi Post Graduate Fellow as I truly believe in the goals of the foundation towards its commitment to social upliftment and equity."
Dhruva Gandhi a Mumbai resident, will be pursuing a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford, UK. "My passion for constitutional law and a desire to stand up for individual rights motivated me to pursue these subjects further at Oxford."
Gaurav Sharma from Uttar Pradesh, Ghaziabad, will be pursuing his Masters of Science and Engineering (MSE) in Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, USA. "Fascinated with the biological phenomena that work minuscule scale and impact all the life on our planet, I decided to pursue Biological Sciences after completing a Bachelor's in Engineering. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a medium to support the lives of others like me in the future."
Prem Kumar Chiluveru from Telangana, will pursue his MSc. Pharmacology from Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom. “My initial interest was to study the action of drugs at molecular levels and the side effects of drugs on the human body. This pushed me to choose Pharmacology as my career. It's an honour for me to receive the fellowship which has contributed to building my strength and confidence as a researcher in my field."
Nipun Malhotra from Delhi, will be pursuing his Graduate Performance Diploma in Piano Performance from Longy School of Music of Bard College, USA. "I personally find piano playing to be a spiritually & intellectually fulfilling art form and am deeply committed to learning as much about it as I possibly can."
Moumita Mukherjee is a resident of Mumbai and will be pursuing the MSc in Development Studies programme at the London School of Economics. “My incurably curious mind has always been at unrest while analyzing the dynamics of inequality and social justice in the area of international development. Development directly impacts human lives and this programme at the LSE soothes much of my curiosity through its course structure and enables me to make positive contributions to the society.”
This year we are pleased to have been instrumental in securing additional support from our longstanding association with the American Alumni Association for the following students:
Preeti Sahai, Masters in Public Administration - Harvard University
Karishma Mhapadi, M. Ed International Education Policy – Harvard University
Mani Jain, MS in Bioinformatics - Georgia Institute of Technology
Sanchita Sharma, Doctorate in Culture and Performance - University of California, Los Angeles
Madhuri Mukherjee, Masters in International Business Strategy & Development - The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
Mahesh Chandrashekarapuram Ramakrishnan from Hyderabad, will be pursuing his Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, USA. "Government spending on social change is the largest in any country's economy. Efficient utilization of these resources is the biggest way to impact people's lives. The desire to be a part of the Political system and bring about social change is what inspired me to pursue this program. The Saryu Doshi fellowship serves as an encouragement and helps me focus on making best use of the time and resources here at Harvard."
Ranjita Ganesan, a resident from Thane, Maharashtra, will pursue her Masters of Arts in Iranian Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. "An appetite for Persian cinema and arts made me curious about the region and encouraged me to examine Iran's significant archive of politics, philosophy, poetry, and pain. This Fellowship award is truly heartening as it supports the pursuit of area studies, a relatively under-explored discipline within the liberal arts."
Sonali Udaybabu, from Bangalore, Karnataka, will be pursuing her Masters of Fine Arts in Film and Media Arts from Temple University, USA. "I believe that honing the personal voice to make art can have the universal power to create progress and change.”
Raghuveer Meena, a New Delhi resident, will be pursuing a Master of Law in Intellectual Property Law from the George Washington University Law School, Washington DC, USA. “Love for the Art and Creativity and Passion to protect it converged to inspire me to pursue Intellectual Property Law.”
Zulfiya Hamzaki, a Bangalore resident, will be pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in documentary film making from Stanford University, USA. “My background in social sciences, interest in gender issues and love for filmmaking all converged into this field of making documentaries”.
Punit Kumar Jha, originally from Dewapur, a village in Bihar, joined the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA for a PhD in Physical Chemistry. “This Fellowship towards my PhD reaffirms that my dreams are possible and I am one step closer to my goal because of it.”
Parinita Shetty, from Mumbai, will pursue her Masters of Education in Children’s Literature and Literacies from the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Parinita is a published author. Her two books ‘The Monster Hunters’ and ‘When Santa Went Missing’, were published by Duckbill Books and Penguin Books respectively.
Mahesh Admankar from Jaggasagar village in Hyderabad will join the Levy Economics Institute, Bard College, USA to pursue his Masters of Science in Economics Theory and Policy. He is the first person from his village to have received a college education.
Sanhita Joshi will receive her PhD in South Asian Studies (Sanskrit) from the University of Cambridge, UK. "A great penchant for languages since childhood propelled me towards pursuing Sanskrit, the most-lauded ancient Indian grammar". Sanhita lives in Mumbai.
Pritha Chatterjee will pursue her Masters degree in Public Health and Social Behaviour at Harvard University, USA. Pritha spent eight years with Indian Express as a journalist covering health policy, gender, minorities, and sanitation from the perspective of policy makers and beneficiaries on the ground.
Mr. Maitreya V. Doshi is the Chairman and Managing Director of Premier Ltd. (previously called Premier Automobiles Ltd.) He is a Bachelor of Economics from Stanford University, USA and an MBA from IMD, Switzerland.
He has been associated with various Industry associations like Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC), Society of Indian Automobiles Manufacturers (SIAM), Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers Association (IMTMA) etc. in various Board and governance positions.
Mr. Doshi has served on the International board of Young Presidents Organization (YPO- WPO) and is currently a member of the Governing board, College of Engineering, Pune.
Dr. Saryu Doshi, PhD. is an eminent art historian in Indian classical and contemporary art. From 1996 - 2005 she was the Honorary Director of the National Gallery of Modern Art (Government of India), Bombay during which time she curated thirteen major exhibitions and art shows. She was pro-term Chairman of the Lalit Kala Academy from 1999 - 2006 and, from 1981 - 1986 the Editor of Marg Publications. She has also been a visiting professor at the University of Michigan and University of California, Berkeley, USA.
She has a doctorate in ancient Indian history and culture from the University of Bombay and thereafter did her post doctoral research at the University of Chicago, USA. In 1999 she was awarded the Padmashri (a National award by the Government of India). In 2006 she was awarded the "Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity” by the Italian Government for her contribution towards promoting Italian culture in India and also a Life Time Contribution award by the Art Society of India. She has authored several books on art, history and culture and edited more than fifteen books on similar subjects. She is a frequent commentator in the press and media on art related issues.
She has also served as: member of the Indian Film Certification Board; member, Advisory Council, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation; member, Advisory Committee, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (Government of India); Trustee, Prince of Wales Museum; Board member, Indian National Trust of Art and Cultural Heritage. She has also served on the Boards of various Universities and Academic Institutions.
Mrs. Rohita M. Doshi is a trustee of the Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation. She is also a Director of Premier Ltd. Mrs. Doshi has a BS and MS with high Honors in Computer Engineering from the Case Institute of Technology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA and has also completed her Ph.D. Research on distributed databases and systems in Computer Engineering. She was the recipient of various scholarships and research assistantships as well as the winner of the Jennings Award for Excellence in Computer Engineering.
She started her career as a Research and Development Engineer at Hewlett Packard, Cupertino, CA, USA. She has designed and implemented a state of the art compiler for RISC architecture machines and other HP computers. She also worked as a Systems Analyst/Research Associate for SOHIO (Standard Oil of Ohio), Cleveland, USA.
She co-founded Soulkurry.com (India) Pvt. Ltd. in 2000, which launched India's first women's internet portal/website with more than 50,000 registered members. She is currently the promoter of Art Point Pvt. Ltd. that consults and deals in contemporary Indian art, promoting artists, holding exhibitions and sales. She has also been a speaker at conferences such as TIE on IT, chaired the IT committee of IMC Ladies' Wing and has been the Chairperson of Continuing Education Committee IMC Ladies' Wing. She was featured as an entrepreneur in International Business Week magazine and Asia Week magazine and has appeared on TV shows such as Movers & Shakers. Mrs. Doshi is a Director of Art Point Pvt. Ltd., Doshi Holdings Pvt. Ltd. and DHPL Marine Pvt. Ltd.
Principal - HR College Member UGC 2011 to 2014 Sheriff of Mumbai 2008 & 2009
The Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation is a non-profit charity trust that supports initiatives in the fields of Art & Culture, Education and Community. It seeks to embody the lifelong passions and values of Vinod and Saryu Doshi, who believed that the mind is enriched through education and the spirit through art and culture. They have spent a considerable part of their lives supporting these causes.
The Foundation provides scholarships to financially challenged young Indians enabling them to catapult themselves to a higher economic and social orbit. It fosters emerging talent in the visual and performing arts through Fellowships, performances, exhibitions and festivals. It is committed to improving the community by funding initiatives in environment protection and social upliftment.
General terms and conditions : The Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation initiated these Fellowships to assist Indian nationals who have received acceptance in a University abroad to pursue their post-graduate studies (Masters, Postgraduate diploma/certificate or doctorate) in the field of Liberal Arts & Sciences. This includes the Humanities, Social Sciences, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
The main aim of the fellowship program is to enhance the higher education by giving an opportunity to academically bright students who have a drive to succeed but are unable to do so due to their financial challenges. This is a need-based merit Fellowship and abides by the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action policy. The maximum amount for the Fellowship will be upto Rs 3 lakhs per fellow, which will be payable as a onetime amount.
Candidates applying for the Fellowship are required to satisfy the following criteria :
For any enquiries/ questions ONLY you may email us at vsdfoundation@gmail.com. DO NOT CALL the office for queries – questions will only be answered by email. Email applications will not be accepted.
An esteemed panel of experts will review all applications and short-list those who appropriately meet the criteria. The shortlisted candidates are then called for a personal interview. Students must appear in person for the panel interview if they are selected to do so. No stand-in will be accepted. If the student is unable to appear on his or her own behalf, eligibility is relinquished. In case you are not from Mumbai – a Skype call or telephone interview may be conducted with the selected candidate. This will be at the sole discretion of the selection committee.
The application is the first means of introducing the candidate to the Foundation and to the selection committee. Care should be taken to be thorough and neat. All requested documentation must accompany the application..
This section requests personal information about the applicant and your family, as well as your passport size photographs. It is also to determine visa status – in case a applicant’s visa is rejected before the final award ceremony, the Fellowship award money will not be awarded to the applicant.
This section is to provide the applicant’s educational accomplishments.
Section 2a - All details for Standard 10, 12 and graduation are mandatory for a 10 + 2 + 3 year education format. In such cases please enter your 10th, 12th and graduation details depending on whether you attended a 3 or 4 year graduation course. In those educational formats, which are 10+5 years, please enter your first year graduation details in the 12th standard space and the remaining years in the graduation space provided. In case your final year results for your graduation are still awaited - please specify the same accordingly against the appropriate year. In case you already have a Master’s degree, please fill in the details as per your course in the space provided.
Sections 2b, 2c, 2d and 2e - Kindly follow the instructions indicated on the form
This section provides the applicant an opportunity to provide information about your professional experience.
This section tells us about which Universities you have applied to and secured admission along with relevant financial details.
You may enter details of all Universities to which you applied, but clearly enter your preferred University in the first row.
All financial data should be entered in INR and per annum by referring to the instructions provided on the form.
This section provides information about your sources of funds for the cost of your education.
Please fill in both sections i.e. ‘Applied’ and ‘Received’ clearly and transparently so that we have an understanding of your current financial position and your plan to bridge the gap between your financial requirements and funds received.
This section provides the applicant an opportunity to articulate in writing some of the elements regarding the selected degree program.
Please fill in your answers online and DO NOT use separate pieces of paper for each answer – be conscious of paper wastage! Please type your answers.
This section requires details of 2 references who are familiar with either your academic achievements and/or work experience. A sealed letter of recommendation should accompany each of your references (i.e. total 2 letters of recommendation). The seventh section asks you to identify two references who can affirm with personal knowledge your work and/or educational experiences.
This section provides us with income tax information summarized and substantiated with relevant documents.
The completed and printed Income Tax Summary Form needs to be attested by a Chartered Accountant.
This section is a checklist of documents without which your applicant will be ineligible. Please check these carefully and attach all relevant documents as required by the form.
The final section is a certification by the applicant that the information on the form is true and accurate. The applicant also thereby confirms that s/he understands and agrees that the decision of the Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation in granting the Fellowship is final and binding and the Fellowship is awarded based on their ability to get a visa for their studies abroad.
All applicants that have been selected for interviews will be notified by phone or email of their selection. If you do not hear from the Foundation via email or phone with regards to an interview (or selection for the grant) please consider that for this year we are unable to support you. We receive a very high volume of applications so it is not possible for us to inform every candidate individually.
Please be neatly dressed and presentable. Carry hard copies of all original certificates that we may require for verification. In case there is any additional information left out during the written application, the personal interviews are a good time to present this information to the panel. Please come prepared to answer why you deserve this award over other qualified candidates and to answer relevant questions asked by the panelists.
Remember that this is an opportunity to make a final impression and your answers matter!
Courier Application Form by 7th May, 2018
