Sylff News

Amit Singh, left, receiving the award certificate from Professor Mirza Tasduq Baig and Talat Bhatt in Malmo, Sweden, in May 2025.

Amit Singh (University of Coimbra, 2020–21) has been awarded the Nordic Mela Peace Award 2025 in recognition of his significant contribution to the promotion of human rights, democracy, and intercommunal harmony in South Asia.

In presenting the award, the Swedish organization Mela Nordic cited Singh’s “outstanding commitment and dedication to the promotion of peace and social cohesion, human rights and freedom for all, as well as his efforts in defending freedom of expression and strengthening democratic values in the South Asian region.”

Singh, a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, was a recipient of an SRG award in 2024, which he used to complete his post-doctoral project on “Hindu Populism against Religious Minorities and Resistance: Case Study of Varanasi.” The findings of the research and fieldwork, conducted mostly in India and Portugal, were presented at international conferences and academic lectures (including at Comenius University in Slovakia and the University of the Philippines in Manila) and published in the Journal of Dialogue Studies.

“This Peace Award acknowledges that issues such as human rights, democracy, peace, academic freedom, and freedom of expression and religion are under threat from India’s authoritarian Hindutva government,” Singh commented. “Receiving this award has boosted my confidence in my struggle against the anti-democratic, far-right populist regime in South Asia.

“This award would not have been possible without the help of Professor Dipak Malik, Dr. Bruno Sena Martins, Margie Gianan Singh, and organizations such as the Sylff Association in Japan and Mela Nordic in Sweden,” he added. “I hope to continue this pursuit so that we can live in a world that is inclusive, fair, and just for all, now and in the future.”