Study Abroad: Rhodes Trust announces sixth scholarship for India

NEW DELHI: The Rhodes Trust has announced the sixth Rhodes Scholarship for India, in collaboration with the Radhakrishnan-Rajan family. With the first recipient expected to arrive in 2026, the Rhodes scholarship which is endowed in perpetuity will provide Indian students with the chance to study at the University of Oxford.

The Rhodes official press release states, "The Trust is enormously grateful to Dr Mukund Rajan (India & Worcester 1989) and Mrs Soumya Rajan for their generosity and leadership in establishing this Scholarship, and for the partnership of an American Rhodes Scholar and his wife, and the University of Oxford, in providing additional funding to secure its permanence."

Rhodes scholarship announcement

The announcement of the new Rhodes Scholarship for India was made by Elizabeth Kiss (Virginia and Balliol 1983), Warden and CEO of the Rhodes Trust, at a reception in New Delhi on September 26. The event was attended by invited guests, including members of the Radhakrishnan-Rajan family, US. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti (New York and Queen’s 1993), his wife Amy Wakeland (Michigan and Wadham 1993), Dhvani Mehta (India and Magdalen 2009), the Rhodes National Secretary for India, and Rhodes Trustee Menaka Guruswamy (India and University 1998).

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Honours Radhakrishnan and Raghavachari Govindarajan

Kiss said “The Rhodes Scholarships have, for more than a century, sought out exceptional young people of character from around the world and brought them to Oxford University to study, encouraging them to build bonds of friendship and to pursue lives of service. This new Scholarship honours two individuals, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, one of India’s great scholars and statesmen, whose birthday is celebrated each year in India as National Teachers’ Day, and Raghavachari Govindarajan, both of whose lives have been dedicated to public service. I look forward to seeing the purposeful impact of those who take up this opportunity in the years to come, as they join our global network of Scholars who are impatient to change the world for the better.”

Rajans’ personal connection with Oxford

Mukund Rajan and Soumya Rajan, benefactors of the new Rhodes Scholarship, expressed their motivation for their contribution, stating that Oxford, where they met as students, profoundly impacted their lives. Mukund Rajan, Chairman of ECube Investment Advisors, is a leading figure in ESG initiatives and works actively in sustainability and governance. He said, “Oxford, where we first met as students, changed our lives, and we hope that this Scholarship will do just that for many more in the years ahead. Our family values underline the importance of education and a spirit of public service, and while we were not born into wealth, we hope that our act of giving will inspire others who have achieved success to also consider ways in which they can support investments in India’s future.”