23-Year-Old Indian Law Student Wins Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship: 5 Indians Selected

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23-Year-Old Indian Law Student Wins Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship: 5 Indians Selected

Five Indians Win Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship

23-Year-Old Indian Law Student Wins Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship Five Indian students have been awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship for 2025, enabling them to pursue fully funded postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford. These scholars represent diverse fields, including pandemic research, human rights, philosophy, veterinary medicine, and astrophysics.

The scholars are:

– Rayan Chakrabarti from Kolkata, a Master’s student at JNU, who plans to document the impact of COVID-19 in South Asia through an archive and museum.

– Vibha Swaminathan from Bengaluru, a final-year law student at NLSIU, who aims to study citizenship regimes and engage in human rights litigation in India.

– Avanish Vats from Ranchi, a visually impaired graduate of St. Stephen’s College, focusing on making philosophy more accessible to people with disabilities.

– Shubham Narwal from Kurukshetra, the first Indian Rhodes Scholar in veterinary medicine, who intends to explore conservation strategies for the endangered Great Indian Bustard.

– Pal Aggarwal from Ghaziabad, a BTech student from IIT Bombay, who aspires to study high-energy astrophysics, become an astronaut, and promote women in science.

The Rhodes Scholarship, established in 1903, recognizes exceptional academic achievement, character, and a commitment to positive societal impact. These five scholars will begin their studies at Oxford in October 2025, joining a global cohort of individuals dedicated to creating meaningful change.

23-Year-Old Indian Law Student Wins Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship  Five Indian students have been selected for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship 2025 after a highly competitive application process, which included two rounds of interviews. These scholars will begin their fully funded postgraduate studies at the University of Oxford in October 2025, joining over a hundred scholars from around the world.

The selected scholars are:

– Rayan Chakrabarti, a Master’s student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), whose research focuses on memory studies, critical heritage, and anthropology. At Oxford, he aims to create an archive and museum documenting the impact of COVID-19 in South Asia.

– Vibha Swaminathan, a final-year law student at the National Law School, Bengaluru, who is interested in studying the fragilities of citizenship regimes and plans to pursue human rights litigation in India.

– Avanish Vats, a graduate of St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, who focuses on epistemology and accessibility in education and healthcare for disabled people. He is the third visually impaired Rhodes Scholar from India.

– Shubham Narwal, pursuing a Bachelor’s in Veterinary Science at ICAR-Indian Veterinary Research Institute, who is the first Indian Rhodes Scholar from veterinary medicine. He plans to study Clinical Embryology and conservation strategies for the endangered Great Indian Bustard.

– Pal Aggarwal, a final-year BTech student from IIT Bombay with a strong interest in astrophysics, mathematics, and data science. At Oxford, she plans to study high-energy astrophysics and aims to become an astronaut while advocating for women in science.

23-Year-Old Indian Law Student Wins Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship  The Rhodes Scholarship, established in 1903, is awarded to individuals who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership potential, and a commitment to using their talents to solve global challenges. Applications for the 2026 Rhodes Scholarships will open in June 2025. More details can be found on the official Rhodes Trust website.

23-Year-Old Indian Law Student Wins Prestigious Rhodes Scholarship  Among the five Rhodes scholars-elect from India for 2025 is Vibha Swaminathan, a 23-year-old from Bengaluru, currently in the final year of the LLB (Hons) program at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU). She will pursue a fully funded Master’s in civil law at the University of Oxford. Vibha’s selection marks the return of an NLSIU student as a Rhodes Scholar after a seven-year gap.

Vibha’s academic journey began at Mallya Aditi International School, followed by a BA (Hons) in political science at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University. Her interest in political science naturally led her to law, as she sought a practical way to address issues like citizenship and police violence.

During her time at NLSIU, Vibha worked with the citizenship clinic, focusing on the legal challenges faced by marginalized communities, particularly in Assam. She encountered cases where women had no citizenship records, often appearing in public documents only alongside their husbands, which led to a unique gendered deprivation of citizenship. This experience deepened her commitment to addressing gendered issues in Indian law, especially within the context of citizenship.

Having built a strong foundation in public law, constitutional law, and human rights, Vibha now plans to pursue an MSc in criminology and criminal justice at Oxford, particularly interested in the Border Criminology Research Unit. Her long-term goal is to return to India and work in citizenship and criminal law.

Vibha views the Rhodes Scholarship as an incredible opportunity, marking the beginning of a lifelong engagement. She is inspired not only by the legacy of Cecil Rhodes but also by the thousands of scholars who have shaped the program over the past 120 years.