Shankar Brahme Samaj Vidnyan Granthalaya fellowship on Palestine awarded to Vineet Tiwari

Social activist and national secretary of the All-India Progressive Writers' Association Vineet Tiwari has been awarded the prestigious Shankar Brahme Samaj Vidnyan Granthalaya Fellowship for research and book-writing on Palestine.

As part of the fellowship, Tiwari will undertake an in-depth study of contemporary developments in Palestine and author a comprehensive, research-based book on the subject.

The three-month fellowship will begin on 1 August 2026. The book produced under the fellowship will subsequently be published by the Granthalaya in Hindi, English, and Marathi, making the research accessible to a wider readership.

A native of Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh, Tiwari is currently active in Delhi and Indore. He has been associated with people's movements, democratic rights campaigns, and human rights advocacy for over three decades. For the past twenty years, he has also been a prominent voice in Palestine solidarity initiatives in India.

Trained as a civil engineer, Tiwari later devoted himself to journalism, poetry, and theatre, using these mediums to engage with social and political issues. He is a founding member of Sandarbh Kendra, Indore, and is currently associated with the Joshi-Adhikari Institute of Social Studies, Delhi.

In November 2025, Tiwari travelled to the West Bank, where he conducted field visits and documented ground realities to gain first-hand insights into the region's social, political, and humanitarian challenges.

Palestine remains one of the world's most studied geopolitical conflicts, with the dispute centred on competing claims over territory, sovereignty and self-determination between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict dates back to the first half of the 20th century and has shaped regional and international politics for decades.

Today, the Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The issue continues to draw global attention owing to its humanitarian, political and legal dimensions, with recurring conflicts, diplomatic efforts and debates over a two-state solution keeping it at the forefront of international discourse

Based in Pune, the Shankar Brahme Samaj Vidnyan Granthalaya is widely regarded as one of India's leading progressive research institutions. It was established in memory of noted progressive thinker and architect Shankar Brahme, best known for designing the historic campus of Pune University.

Following his untimely death in 1969, his wife, the eminent Marxist economist Dr. Sulabha Brahme, founded the institution as a centre for critical inquiry, public education, and social research.

Over the years, the Granthalaya has grown far beyond the scope of a conventional library, evolving into a vibrant hub of intellectual engagement and social awareness. It regularly organises public lectures, publishes research studies, and conducts campaigns on issues relating to human rights, social justice, and public welfare.

To date, the institution has published more than 70 books on a diverse range of national and international issues, including nuclear energy, Kashmir, Gujarat, communalism, war, and imperialism, making a significant contribution to progressive scholarship and public discourse in India.