Somerville College, Oxford University Announces Dr Gita Piramal Scholarship For Indian Students

To honour India's most respected business historian - Dr Gita Piramal and also to provide opportunities to exceptional students of India to study in Oxford University, Somerville College announces the launch of Dr Gita Piramal Scholarship for Indian Students.

Study in UK: Somerville College of Oxford University has joined forces with the Piramal family and Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development (OICSD) to launch the prestigious Dr Gita Piramal Scholarship for Indian students.

This is full scholarship and will offer transformative opportunities for exceptional Indian students so that they can study at the University of Oxford. The scholarship’s name is to honour Dr Gita Piramal and recognizes her notable contributions to corporate leadership and academia. She is one of India's most respected business historians. She has a long association with Somerville College as she has been serving as a Senior Associate Fellow for long and is a mentor to many. Dr Gita Piramal’s pioneering work on Corporate India has shaped future business leaders' thinking with books central to MBA courses worldwide.

While commenting on the partnership, Dr Piramal stated, “India is my family home, and Somerville has been my intellectual home for many years. This scholarship will enable bright young minds from India to benefit from Oxford’s rich academic environment, contributing to India’s future development.”

Jan Royall, Principal of Somerville College, commented, “It is a privilege to honour such a longstanding friend of the College in this way. Dr Piramal’s name will be associated with empowering brilliant Indian students, allowing them to experience the world-class education Oxford offers, and to give back to India in meaningful ways.”

Dr Gita Piramal Scholarship Is To Empower Indian Students

The scholarship will cover full tuition fees and will also provide a stipend for living expenses. The aim is to elevate the exceptional talents of India. Dr Gita Piramal Scholarship will run for initial five years and will help financially disadvantaged students from India, and also enrich India’s intellectual pool.

The first recipient is Sanjana Choudhary, who is a first-generation scholar and an accomplished journalist. She has been awarded the inaugural scholarship. She is pursuing an MSc in Modern South Asian Studies. Her research work which includes post-colonial labour rights, global solidarity movements, and racial capitalism has already garnered attention. Her research work has been published in Duke University Press and The Caravan.

Sanjana said, “This scholarship is a tribute to the earlier generations of women who paved the way for me. I am honoured to represent this prestigious opportunity and contribute towards the cause of minority rights in South Asian countries.”

Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development Empowers Indian Scholars For Global Impact

OICSD was established in 2013, and till now it supported more than 60 Indian students with many of them having returned to India and contributed to technology, healthcare and climate change. The addition of this new scholarship will only strengthen the goal and it will help Indian students from underprivileged backgrounds to study at Oxford University.

Sara Kalim, Director of Development at Somerville said, “There is something deeply rewarding about joining the name of our dear friend Gita Piramal to the mission of the OICSD, which supports brain-gain for India. We are immensely grateful to the Piramal family, especially Gita’s daughters Aparna and Radhika, for their warm support.”

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