JF Fellow

Dr. Chatterjee received the scholarship from Japan Foundation on April 14, 2021. He has also previously received a chance to be a part of Japan-East Asia Network of exchange for students and youths (JENESYS) in 2016. He has also presented paper and joined exchange event at Aoyama Gakuin University in 2018. Along with these, he was also part of Collaborative Research Workshop, Japan Foundation in Tokyo in 2019. He has also been published a few research papers in journals like in International Peer Reviewed Journal, Reviewed Journal Art and Humanities, etc. He believes that this scholarship can prove to be a very important aspect of a researcher’s work because it gives a researcher an all-round support whether it is academically, financially or opportunity-wise to take their research to new heights while being comfortable and well-cared for.

Subhajit mentions that his topic of research was “Jātaka and Nihonryōiki: A Confluence of Cultural Narratives”. He shares that he received the scholarship during a time when he wanted to do fieldwork in Japan regarding the two texts of Jātaka and Nihonryōiki by visiting temples and shrines throughout the country. Therefore, the opportunity to stay in Japan for more than six months opened up way for him to do very necessary fieldwork which has been greatly significant in his research. Talking about his current trajectory, he says that completing the scholarship successfully has impacted his life very positively. He has been able to complete and submit his doctoral thesis due to the generous scholarship and it has also given him new avenues to further continue his research in. He says that he has also learnt to be resourceful and self-reliant during his stay in Japan.

On being asked to share something about his memories from the scholarship period in Japan, he says that while there were some hard moments because he had previously never lived alone for an extended period of time, most of his memories in Japan during his stay with the help of the scholarship were happy and very memorable. “Some that instantly come to the mind are the memories of seeing snowfall outside my window, visiting a ski-rink and riding the ropeway, as well as going up the volcanic mountain Hakone, and travelling to Kyoto, Nara to visit famous temples and shrines like Tōdaiji, Yakushiji, Fushimiinaritaisha, Kasugataisha and many more. These are all the memories that I am going to cherish for a long time.”