Alumni Q&A: Sagarika Ghose (India & St Antony's 1987)
Q: Can you tell us what you are working on at the moment?
A: "At the moment, I work as a syndicated columnist and television commentator. But I am really excited about a book writing project I am involved with at the moment, which is writing a series of biographies of 3 of India's prime ministers. The first of the series, on Indira Gandhi, India's first and only woman prime minister was published in 2017 and became something of a best seller!
It is now in development as a screen adaptation. The second biography in the series will be out by the end of the year and the third hopefully in the next few years. It has been a complete joy for me to work on these books and delve into the lives of these colourful and popular personalities."
Q: What are you passionate about?
A: "I am passionate about social justice and civic freedom and I am involved with several groups and campaigns to bring greater doses of democracy and citizens' rights to people where these are sorely lacking. I speak widely in public on liberal freedoms and civil liberties and write on these issues in my columns.
I am also quite passionate about history, which was my subject in College-writing it, reading it and exploring historical monuments. I am also passionate about running! My daily run is a meditative time for me when I focus my mind and organise my day."
Q: If you could go back in time, what would you tell yourself about applying for the Rhodes Scholarship?
A: "The Rhodes Scholarship is a tremendous opportunity to meet people, gain a voice and an empowering platform. When I first applied I had little idea it was such an influential platform and conferred such great responsibility as a leader. If I could go back in time, I would tell myself that the Scholarship is not just about academic excellence but also about having the courage to be a future leader in the field of one's choice."
Sagarika Ghose (India & St Antony's 1987) is a journalist, columnist and author. She has worked at The Times of India, Outlook and The Indian Express. She was a prime time anchor for BBC World on Question Time India and on the news network CNN-IBN, also being the deputy editor for the latter.
Sagarika is the author of the best selling biography of Indira Gandhi, "Indira, India's Most Powerful Prime Minister." She is also the author of the recently published theoretical work, “Why I Am A Liberal”. Sagarika studied at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar and has a Bachelor's in Modern History from Magdalen College and an M.Phil. from St Antony's College.