The India Development Review Northeast Fellowship is a 10-month programme during which three young fellows based in different states in the Northeast are working closely with IDR’s editorial team to identify and cover hyperlocal issues in their immediate environment. These stories will inform the ecosystem of policymakers, funders, and nonprofits that work, and intend to work, on issues concerning the Northeast.
Our fellows for the year 2026–27 are Aakriti Thatal, a multidisciplinary artist-researcher from Sikkim; Banteilang Syiem, a documentary film-maker from Meghalaya; and Kuvethilu Thuluo, a writer and researcher from Nagaland. They will travel both within and beyond their states to speak to community members, nonprofit leaders, and other stakeholders, and publish a mix of written narratives and multimedia content on a range of social sector themes such as livelihoods, education, health, and gender.
To connect us with the nonprofits and civil society organisations working in Northeast India, please write to us at fellowship@idronline.org.
The Fellows
Aakriti Thatal
Aakriti Thatal is a multidisciplinary artist-researcher from Sikkim, with a background in media and cultural studies and anthropology. Her work engages with the idea of home, exploring public participation in urban spaces and how its presence or absence shapes urban life, material landscapes, and aspirations, along with the layered inclusions and exclusions of caste and sexuality. Aakriti’s current research focuses on making and recording memory through still and moving images, its relationship with rapid urbanisation in Gangtok, and how art can act as a catalyst for critical thinking.
Banteilang Syiem
Banteilang Syiem is a documentary film-maker from Meghalaya. He spends time with farmers and local communities, documenting their traditional food systems, indigenous knowledge, and ways of life passed down through generations. He has founded a youth-led eco club in his village that runs environmental awareness programmes and nature education sessions in schools and documents local biodiversity, folk songs, and folk stories, thus encouraging youth to reconnect with their environment and the traditions that shape their community. Banteilang is a former Green Hub Fellow.
Kuvethilu Thuluo
Kuvethilu Thuluo is a 2026 graduate of the Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University. She is from Nagaland and previously worked as a teacher.
The Advisers
Jerry Thomas
Jerry Thomas is the director at Bosco Institute in Jorhat, Assam which runs a masters in social work programme. He also leads BI’s Youth Involve initiative that incubates young social entrepreneurs in the Northeast. Jerry has over 40 years of experience working in the social sector in Northeast.
Neikule Doulo
Neikule Doulo is the executive director at The Entrepreneurs Associates, a nonprofit based in Nagaland that focuses on empowering women, farmers, and the youth. She has more than 22 years of experience of working on entrepreneurship and education, and has expertise in conceptualising community initiatives and strategising policies for change. Neikule was previously as a journalist with Asian News International.
Rita Banerji
Rita Banerji is the founder and project director at the Green Hub Project, which runs the Green Hub Fellowship that empowers young people in North East India to use the medium of visual storytelling to take charge of their development narrative. Rita is an environmental filmmaker with a focus on conservation-based storytelling. She is also an Ashoka fellow.
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