by Babra Wani
SRINAGAR: Minaam Reyaz Shah, a Kashmiri journalist-turned-academic, was the sole candidate from Kashmir this year to earn the prestigious Nehru Fulbright Master’s Fellowship from the US Department of State. Sixteen candidates were chosen from India for this fellowship. Among these select candidates is Avny Lavasa, Deputy Commissioner of Jammu as well.
Minaam hails from Buchpora, Srinagar, and completed his schooling at Tyndale Biscoe. He later graduated from Amar Singh College, Srinagar. In 2019, he obtained his Master’s degree in politics and international relations from the University of Kashmir. “While political science is a comprehensive field, the realm of international relations always held my fascination due to its global perspective and transnational applications,” Minaam emphasised.
Subsequently, he ventured into journalism, working as a full-time freelance journalist based in Kashmir. His work has been featured in publications such as Foreign Policy magazine, South China Morning Post, Nikkei Asia, and The Diplomat, among others. His writing career began when he joined a local news portal, The Kashmir Walla, in 2020, which was banned this year. After a brief stint there, he embarked on a journey covering the refugee beat for several international publications. His articles have shed light on critical issues surrounding refugees, forced migrations, and displaced communities in South Asia, including the Afghans, the Rohingyas, and the Tibetans.
Before his foray into journalism, Shah contributed regular commentary to the U.S. magazine, The National Interest, where he closely followed the broader contours of U.S. policy towards South Asia. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in establishing the publication and communication verticals of a European think tank.
Through his Fulbright-Nehru Master’s fellowship, Minaam Shah is currently pursuing graduate studies in international relations at Tufts University. He believes that this program will equip him with a multidisciplinary approach to optimally analyse issues of forced migration and displacement. Furthermore, he is confident that this fellowship will help him realize his objective of building spaces for solution-based journalism and adding new perspectives to policy research on global refugee crises.
The Fulbright program, one of the world’s most renowned scholarships, is the flagship scholarship of the United States. Notable graduates include 63 Nobel Prize winners and 40 Heads of State, including the current British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa.
Minaam highlighted that many people do not attempt the fellowship because they believe they won’t be selected. He lamented, “While it’s true that career bureaucrats have historically dominated the selection process if one can demonstrate future potential along with relevant experience, you have a genuine opportunity.”
The Fellowship selection process consists of two phases. Minaam explained, “The first phase involves a written component, including a research plan, a written essay, and a personal statement. If you advance past this stage, you’ll be invited for interviews with subject experts and representatives from the US embassy, typically lasting about half an hour.”
