FAST India announced the recipients of the second edition of India Science Book Fellowship. The winners will receive mentorship, editorial, and publishing support to bring their books to completion
NEW DELHI (India CSR): The Foundation for Advancing Science and Technology (FAST India) has announced the winners of the highly-coveted India Science Book Fellowship (ISBF) 2024-25 edition. The five selected books, authored by the fellows are:
- Dr Vineeth Venugopal, Postdoctoral Scholar – Massachusetts Institute of Technology – for the book titled ‘Where is Vibranium?’
- Dr Nivedita Bhaktha and Keshav Aggarwal, Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, IIT Kanpur, India – for the book titled ‘Fourier Analysis and its Real-World Applications: A Panorama of Mathematics that Transformed the World’
- Nikhil Gulati, Writer and illustrator, and Prahladh Harsha, PhD Massachusetts Institute of Technology – for the book titled ‘π-Quest: A Journey Through the History of Pi’
- Pratyasha Nath, B. Tech/M. Tech in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering, IIT Kharagpur, and Dr Jenia Mukherjee, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences IIT Kharagpur – for the book titled ‘Fables for the Anthropocene’
- Sneha Mary Mathew, Freelance Science Writer – for the book titled ‘Why We? Stories of Citizen Scientists in India’
Launched in 2023 by FAST India, ISBF was created to fill critical gaps in India’s science and technology ecosystem. This initiative is a flagship project of FAST India with support of Bajaj Auto Limited, Cactus Communications, and Mr. Rishi Khanna. Now in its third year, ISBF aims to encourage authors to write engaging books that make Indian science visible to the world, strengthen the publishing ecosystem by providing writers with mentorship, editorial guidance, and publishing support, and develop a cadre of science writers who combine rigorous research with powerful storytelling.
The second edition of ISBF 2024-25 fellowship attracted 249 applications from across India. Following a rigorous three-stage process that involved abstract screening, detailed proposals, and jury interviews, 11 finalists were shortlisted. Based on further evaluations, the jury selected three full fellowships who will receive grants worth ₹10 lakh each, two partial fellowships who will receive grants worth ₹7.5 lakh each, and short grants up to ₹1.5 lakh each to the remaining finalists.
Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Varun Aggarwal, Founder, FAST India, commented, “India produces world-class science, but much of it remains locked inside labs and research papers. The India Science Book Fellowship is our effort to change that. By helping scientists and writers combine rigorous research with powerful storytelling, we want Indian science and technology to inspire readers and become part of everyday culture, not just specialist conversations. This year’s projects range from frontier materials and breakthrough mathematics to the history of π, urgent environmental themes, and citizen science – capturing the breadth and originality we aim to bring to readers.”
To support this initiative, eminent jury members such as Jhanavi Phalke – Author, Filmmaker, and Historian; Karthik Venkatesh – Executive Editor at Penguin Random House India; Luis Miranda – Chairman, Centre for Civil Society & Co-founder ISPP; Gagandeep Kang – Director at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, came together and lend their expertise and perspective. By hosting this annual fellowship programme, FAST India, by means of ISBF, seeks to ensure that India’s stories of science and technology do not remain invisible but reach classrooms, bookstores, and the global stage.
(India CSR)
