The Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) is a premier institute of India in the social sciences and humanities. The Centre was set up with the objective of nurturing intellectual interests outside the closed boundaries of academic disciplines. The Centre's faculty are scholars who have diverse disciplinary backgrounds, pursue different research agendas and follow multiple methodologies.
The Centre has a unique Indian Language programme which is an effort to create a regenerative context for research in Indian languages. The idea is to involve scientists who have worked on political, social and cultural concerns to also invest in speaking/writing/ publishing in Indian languages in a variety of registers and on various fora to promote scientific work in regional languages. An immediate forum for translation, discussion and publication is provided by the Centres's other programmes such as Lokiniti and Sarai.
To achieve its objectives, the institution has set up various facilities like open air and traditional auditoria, conference hall, arena for dance performances and library. Its activities include workshops, camps, concerts, dance/drama/other arts performances, poetry recitations and numerous other programmes.