This background is too familiar on social media. Neatly stacked up books, green stalks of creepers flanking the bookshelf bathed in a mellow light, an open book with a pair of glasses on it, and a coffee mug by its side.

Beyond creating this now-too-familiar aesthetic ambience that could get more likes on social media, it also opens up a vista of academic possibility, something not known to many.

Abhirami Ajithkumar, who won a Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship for a year-long research in Digital Humanities at the Digital Laboratory at the University of Basel (Universität Basel), spoke about the possibility. She has been studying the hidden aesthetic link between the Internet and books.

"Books were earlier purchased only to read," she said. "However, books have now become a 'property', giving an aesthetic touch to coffee shops, residences, and social media posts. The social media trend is behind this development."

Abhirami, who graduated from the BCM College in Kottayam, successfully pursued a Master's Degree in English from the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) in Hyderabad, Telangana. She was a PhD scholar in English Literature at IIT-Kanpur when she received the Swiss scholarship.

"The Internet has influenced all. Literary works reflect society. Digital Humanities is a growing research area," she said.

Digital Humanities
To put it short, Digital Humanities deals with the Internet-powered advances in the printing industry, related changes in literary works, and reading habits. It combines traditional humanities with digital technologies.

"Visual content is more prevalent in modern literature with the advent of the Internet. Novelists do not detail everything in their works, leaving the reader to rely on the Internet. Writers in English publish the initial part of their works online, and if well accepted, go for the print edition. The same book now often features artificial intelligence-generated content, alongside the writer's work, both of which are based on the same theme. Characters seen on social media, too, are many in such joint works. Digital Humanities studies such changes," Abhirami explained.

The Swiss scholarship
The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship is part of an India-Switzerland Cultural Exchange programme.

The candidate should specify in his/her application how the research in Switzerland would benefit India. Finding a research guide is the next hurdle. Once the guide is found, a research proposal should be prepared. The application must include three recommendations, a detailed biodata specifying educational qualifications, and responses to research-related queries. The application must be sent to the Swiss Embassy in Delhi. An online application, too, must be made.

Applications for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship could be submitted from August 4. For details, visit: https://www.sbfi.admin.ch/en/swiss-government-excellence-scholarships