Dr. Aniket Alam, who leads the Highland Histories Lab in the Human Sciences Research Centre, has been elected President of the Oral History Association of India (OHAI) for the 2026 – 2028 term. Established in 2013, OHAI is a national network of scholars and practitioners dedicated to promoting oral history research and practice. Over the past decade, it has organised eleven annual conferences and continues to host a range of activities, both online and in person, to foster dialogue, build networks, train researchers, and develop institutional resources in the field.

Dr. Alam has been associated with OHAI as a life member and has served as Vice President in the previous term. He has played an active role in the Association’s activities, including organising the 8th Annual OHAI Conference at IIIT Hyderabad in 2023, contributing to subsequent conferences, and participating in workshops and the development of ethics guidelines for oral history practice.

His research and institutional work have focused extensively on oral history in the Himalayan region. Since 2023, he has led efforts to record over 100 oral histories across Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim, as part of an ongoing initiative to build a digital archive of Himalayan oral histories. He has also organised oral history workshops in Dehradun and Shimla, with further workshops planned in Kargil, Leh, and other parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Sikkim, aimed at training students, researchers, and community practitioners.

As President, Dr. Alam aims to strengthen OHAI’s institutional presence, expand its membership base, and support the growth of ethical, collaborative, and accessible oral history practices in India.

April 2026