Celebrating 75 years of Scholarships in India

An image of the Indian flag unfurled against a blue sky

This year marks the 75^th anniversary of the Rhodes Scholarship in India and we are delighted to be hosting events to mark the impact of the Rhodes Scholar community, to look to the future and to welcome the next generation of Scholars as they start their journey as Oxford post graduates.

Events in Mumbai and Delhi will bring together Scholars from across India to celebrate the anniversary and look to the future.

Nearly 250 Scholars have come to the University of Oxford from India since the Scholarship was created, adding huge experience, knowledge and perspective to the global community of Scholars and to the wider University.

Many have gone on to distinguished careers in fields from science and literature to sport and the law and join an international cohort of leaders committed to continuous learning and to mutually supporting each other to deliver their best for the wider global good.

As the oldest and one of the most prestigious international Scholarship programmes, the Rhodes Scholarships have always selected candidates on high academic ability, but also a powerful commitment to service – people with energy, courage, and an impatience to act.

The Rhodes Trust’s strategy is to fundraise to increase the opportunities for Scholarships around the world, including in India, and to expand our outreach so the Scholarships appeal to the widest possible diversity of candidates and Scholars from all backgrounds and parts of the world.

The anniversary of the Rhodes Scholarships in India comes as the Rhodes Trust prepares to celebrate its own 120^th anniversary in 2023, the 20^th anniversary of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation in Africa and the fifth anniversary of the Schmidt Science Fellows Program.

Read Dr Elizabeth Kiss, Warden of Rhodes House, on the impact the Scholarships have made and our plans for the future.

Read Nandan Kamath, Rhodes Trust National Secretary for India, writing more about the Scholarships for India and why talented students should consider applying.

A composite image of 6 Rhodes Scholars from the last 75 years against a red background. The text reads

Just some of the inspirational scholars leading the way in tackling some of humanity’s greatest challenges. Left to right: Gautam Bhatia, Dr Menaka Guruswamy, Sanjay Chauhan, Sagarika Ghose, Dr Rukmini Banerji, Tanjore Ramachandra Anantharaman.

Gautam Bhatia (India & Balliol 2011)

Gautam Bhatia is a lawyer and scholar of constitutional law, science-fiction author and news columnist. His work has been cited by the Supreme Court on four occasions, and he was admitted as an amicus curae by the Supreme Court of Kenya in the landmark BBI judgment. Co-ordinating editor of 'Strange Horizons' and Author of 'The Wall' and 'The Horizon', his writing often explores themes of liberty, autonomy and equality.

Dr Menaka Guruswamy (India & University 1998)

Dr Menaka Guruswamy is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of India. She was on Foreign Policy magazine’s list of 100 most influential Global Thinkers for 2019, and with Arundhati Katju on TIME Magazine’s 2019 list of 100 most influential people for their work on the decriminalisation of homosexuality. She has been published in the New York Times, the New York Review of Books, the American Journal of International Law, and the Indian Express.

Neel Mukherjee (India & University 1992)

Neel Mukherjee divides his time between London and the US, where he teaches at Harvard. He is the author of several critically-acclaimed novels, including 'A Life Apart' and 'The Lives of Others'. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018.

Sanjay Chauhan (India & Worcester 1988)

Sanjay Chauhan is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Pan Am Equities, a New York City wealth management firm specializing in real estate and dedicated to generational growth by meeting future challenges with technology-driven solutions. Prior to this role he led a successful career in green real estate development, serving as CFO at Jonathan Rose Companies, LLC. While studying at Oxford, he made six appearances in first-class cricket for Oxford University in 1989-90.

Sagarika Ghose (India & Magdalen and St Antony's 1987)

Sagarika Ghose is a journalist, columnist and author. She has written biographies of Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the polemical work ‘Why I Am A Liberal’, and two novels. In 2004, she became the first woman to host Question Time India. She is currently a columnist with The Times Of India and a TV commentator.

Dr Rukmini Banerji (India & Balliol 1981)

Dr Rukmini Banerji is the CEO of the Pratham Education Foundation, an innovative learning organisation founded to improve the quality of education in India. She has played a key role in designing large scale partnerships with state governments in India to improve children’s learning outcomes. In 2021, she was awarded the Yidan Prize for Education Development, the world’s highest education accolade.

Girish Karnad (India & Magdalen 1960)

Girish Karnad was an actor, film director and playwright who often used history and mythology to tackle contemporary issues. He was a recipient of the 1998 Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour conferred in India.

Tanjore Ramachandra Anantharaman (India & Trinity 1951)

Tanjore Ramachandra Anantharaman was one of India's pre-eminent metallurgists and materials scientists, with 250 publications to his credit. He received the first ever Lifetime Achievement Award in Metallurgy from the Indian Union Ministry of Steel and Mines in 2004.

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