Bangalore girl on the road to being a Rhodes scholar

Bangalore's affair with the Rhodes Scholarships continues. Anupama Kumar, who will graduate from the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, in 2013 with a B.A., LL.B. (Hons.) degree has joined the likes of former US president Bill Clinton and deputy chairman of planning commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia by winning the Rhodes scholarship. Anupama intends to study Bachelor of Civil Law for a post-graduate degree at the University of Oxford.

Besides being a state-level karate competitor, Anupama has been an active in international moot courts and debates.

Others recipients include Kalyani Ramachandran, who has a B.A.(Hons.) in History from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi; Priyanka D'Souza, who will graduate from the IIT, Bombay, in 2013 with a B.Tech, M. Tech (Dual Degree) in Energy Science and Systems Engineering; Jalnidh Kaur, who will graduate from St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, in 2013 with a B.A.(Hons.) in Economics and Arushi Garg, who will graduate from the NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, in 2013 with a B.A.,LL.B.(Hons.) degree.

In a highly-competitive selection process, which spanned over 6 months, the finalists were interviewed by the selection panel and quizzed individually on their interests, achievements and goals.

The selection committee was chaired by industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and included the Acting Warden of Rhodes House Dr Andrew Graham, along with top academics and professionals and Rhodes Scholar alumni.

Since independence, there have been 192 Rhodes scholars from India. Prominent among them are Girish Karnad and Montek Singh Ahluwalia.