Madhurjya Buragohain (苏心曙) is a Chinese (Mandarin) language student and aspiring linguist with a strong interest in Tai-Kadai and Dravidian languages. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (Hons./Research) in Chinese at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. Passionate about languages, he is proficient in English, Chinese, Thai, Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Telugu, and others. He takes interest in Tai-Kadai, Dravidian, and Tibeto-Burman languages in particular. He has been actively involved in language research, co-authoring a paper in the Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (JSEALS) and presenting at the 31st annual SEALS conference. He has also translated a Burmese book on Manipuri settlements in Myanmar into English and authored a Manipuri script primer in Thai. He takes interest in reviving the Ahom language as a personal endeavor.
Alessandro David is a first-year student at the University of Florida in Gainesville, currently pursuing a BA in linguistics. At the Tani Language Foundation, he works as an analytical linguist on the backend, and as a writer. His previous experience in language preservation includes writing Te Tīmata—a free introductory grammar of Te Reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand. In his free time, he enjoys language learning and making music.
Hariprasad Doley is a final-year MA student of Linguistics at the Centre for Linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His academic interests lie at the intersection of language, identity, history, and culture. Passionate about learning languages, he is especially drawn to how history, culture, and language continuously interact to shape human experience and expression.
Priyanka Garodia is an MPhil graduate in International Relations and Political Science from Jadavpur University, specializing in international affairs, gender politics, and feminist international relations. With a BA and MA from Presidency University, and having studied at Sciences Po, Paris, she currently works as a research analyst at the Advanced Study Institute of Asia (ASIA) of the SGT University, Gurugram, India. Priyanka specializes in providing in-depth analysis and insights into South Asian political trends.
Eric Henry was born in 1943. He obtained a PhD in Chinese Literature at Yale University in 1979, and subsequently taught at Dartmouth from 1980 to 1982, and at the University of North Carolina from 1982 to 2011. He was employed as a freelance keyboard musician from 1961 to 1980 and was in the United States Army from 1968 to 1971. His army service included a one-year intensive course in Vietnamese at the Defense Language Institute at Fort Bliss, Texas, and a one-year tour of duty in Vietnam (1970–71). His publications include: Chinese Amusement: The Lively Plays of Li Yu (Archon Books, 1980), In Whose Eyes, a translation of the memoirs of the film director Trần Văn Thủy, and The Garden of Eloquence (Shuoyuan 說苑), a bilingual version of a Chinese Han dynasty compendium of historical anecdotes. He has prepared for publication a bilingual edition of another ancient Chinese work, Tales from the Principalities (Guoyu 國語). He has published various articles on early Chinese history and culture in the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies and other journals, and articles on Vietnamese literature and historical legend in Vietnam Forum, Crossroads, and the Michigan Quarterly. He has been retired since 2011.
Rimmo Loyi Lego (Luke Mìngkéng) is a junior, pre-medical student and biomedical engineering major with a biology minor at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, USA. His fields of study converge in the areas of biomimetics, cardiology, biomechanics, synthetic biology, neuroscience, public health, and genetics (CRISPR). He is the founder of the Tani Language Foundation, an organization committed to the preservation and promotion of the Tani Languages. As a keen leaf collector, he maintains a personal herbarium of more than 250 plant species. Apart from his academic and ecological pursuits, Rimmo is also interested in reading, mountain biking, and badminton, and is an ardent supporter of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. He has also written articles on history, contemporary politics, and geopolitics.
Dhruba (Takar) Mili is a student of history who is currently studying for a BA in History Honors at DHSK College, which is an affiliated college of Dibrugarh University. He is the Co-founder and Vice Executive of the Tani Language Foundation, where he works relentlessly for his mother language and culture promotion and preservation. Takar also engages in social and linguistic endeavors such as speech competitions and support for the Mising Linguistic Society (Mising Agom Kebang - MAK). Outside of class, he vlogs and shares experiences with the broader community.
Ngô Thế Vinh was born in 1941. He graduated from Saigon University’s School of Medicine in 1968. During his years in medical school, he edited a journal, Y và Tình Thương (Medicine and Compassion) that published articles, editorials, and fiction. His novel The Green Belt (Vòng Đài Xanh), which deals with the problems of the Montagnard people in Vietnam’s central highlands, won South Vietnam’s 1971 National Prize for Literature. His other pre-1975 novels are Storm Clouds (Mây bão; 1963), Night Shadows (Bóng đêm; 1964) and Gusty Weather (Gió Mưa; 1965). After 1975, he was imprisoned in different communist reeducation camps for three years, a period that he used to improve his acquaintance with the Chinese language. He arrived in the United States in 1983, where, as a student at the State University of New York in downstate New York, he became a medical intern, then a resident, and finally a physician. He currently resides in Southern California, where he is a staff physician at the Long Beach Medical Center. He has continued to be active as a writer, having produced two works concerned with the ecological consequences of Chinese-built dams on the Mekong River, and two Vietnamese language books devoted to articles on South Vietnamese cultural figures from which the items in this issue of Rising Asia are chosen.
Areeza Saifi is a master’s student at Sungshin Women’s University, Korea, pursuing Korean language education. She has honed her skills in drama and movie analysis and has a keen eye for understanding the deep symbolism used in moving pictures. With a strong command of the Korean language, she greatly assisted the author in analyzing Korean dialogues and scripts throughout the process of writing this paper for the Rising Asia Journal.
Salikyu Sangtam is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Tetso College in Dimapur, India. He teaches political theory and research methods. His research focuses on Chinese thought, and non-western political thought. He is a regular contributor for the Rising Asia Journal. In 2023, he was invited to an international conference held in Beijing, China organized by the School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China on the theme “Chinese-Style Modernization: Philosophical Perspectives in a Global Context.” And in the early parts of 2024, he was also invited to an international conference organized by the Wuyi Research Institute of Chinese Civilization, Wuyi University, Nanping, China on the theme “Wuyi Forum on the Two Integrations of Five Millennia of Chinese Civilization and Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.” In addition, he has served on numerous invited occasions as a resource person in academic workshops as well as delivering lectures.
Aman Tripathi is a post-graduate student of Korean Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is currently in the second year of a master’s program with a major in Korean language, literature and cultural studies and a current Korea Foundation Scholarship Fellow. His academic journey reflects a deep interest in language and culture, extending beyond his native tongue to encompass global perspectives. He has gained insights into the evolutionary dynamics of language and society, seeing art as a catalyst for change. Inspired by Bertolt Brecht’s idea that the aim of art is “Agit-Prop,” he is on a journey to explore different medium of artistic expression, be it poetry, painting, or cinema. As someone interested in both foreign language its culture and cinema, he aims to delve deeper into understanding how different societies reflect their culture and their imbibed values and how effectively movies capture that essence.
Farheen Yousuf is a Policy and Trust Analyst at the Advanced Study Institute of Asia (ASIA), a think tank affiliated with SGT University, Delhi NCR. Her previous roles include working with the Telangana State Government, Punjab State Government, nonprofit organizations, and startups. With a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Osmania University, and an MA in Economics from Indira Gandhi National Open University, she specializes in behavior and experimental economics and political economy.
