NLSIU student wins Rhodes scholarship

Selection panel included Ratan Tata and Rahul Gandhi

Bhatia was awarded the scholarship by a panel comprising Ratan Tata, AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, historian Shahid Amin, international advocate Lavanya Rajamani, etc, in New Delhi on October 23.

Rhodes scholarships are administered and awarded by the Rhodes Trust, established in 1902 under the terms and conditions of the will of Cecil John Rhodes, and funded by his estate.

According to Bhatia, he applied online for the scholarship with a 1,000-word Statement Of Purpose (SOP), six reference letters, and academic records of school and the university, and a Curriculum Vitae (CV), in July.

Bhatia aims for pursuing a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) at the Oxford as the degree is unique, more rigorous and intense than any other parallel course. “From there, it was only a logical step to apply for the Rhodes,” he adds.

Following, this, he appeared for the highly technical preliminary interview in Bangalore in July. In September, he attended the national law round interview, which was also technical, in Mumbai before attending the final round.

“Frankly, the excitement of winning the scholarship hasn’t quite sunk in yet. Obviously, I’m quite delighted. The Rhodes Scholarship has such a cherished history and tradition. It’s very exciting to be a part of it,” Bhatia told Deccan Herald.

Born and brought up in Delhi, the 22-year-old is the son of a professor of Mathematics at the Indian Statistical Institute, New Delhi and a documentary film-maker.

Preparation

About his preparation Bhatia said he read his SOP very carefully to “defend every word I had written about myself or my plans.” Besides, he also kept abreast with current affairs, especially in the realm of public international law.

Negating the notion that one must have an exceptional record in sports, music, debating, or theatre to win the Rhodes, Bhatia said: “I must confess that I had none. My application was based solely on my academics.”

An ardent reader of fantasy and science fiction, Bhatia adores English poet Algernon Charles Swinburne.

In future, Bhatia hopes to pursue an MPhil or a DPhil in Public International Law after successful completion of the BCL. Thereafter, he plans to be involved in his field through teaching, advocacy or policy making. Bhatia says that studying at a place where JRR Tolkien, a writer who had profound influence on his life, also studied and taught for most of his career, is the “icing on the cake. It can’t get any better than this,” he said.