5 Indian students for Rhodes Scholarships

New Delhi, Nov 2: Five Indian students -- two each from Delhi and Bangalore and one from Mumbai -- have been selected for the Rhodes Scholarships 2009.

The Rhodes Selection Committee, India, under the chairmanship of Mr N R Narayana Murthy, Chief Mentor of software major Infosys, made the announcement, after the final round of interviews was held at the India International Centre here yesterday. The five Rhodes scholars elected from India are Chinmaya Kumar (Kirorimal College, Delhi University), Rakesh Sharma (St John's Medical College, Bangalore), Dhvani Mehta (Government Law College, Mumbai), Kritika Bhattacharjee (St Stephens College, Delhi) and Sushila Rao (NLSIU, Bangalore).

Announcing the Rhodes scholars elected from India, Prof V S Chauhan, Indian Secretary, The Rhodes Trust and himself a former Rhodes Scholar, said, ''India boasts of having one of the most vigorous and transparent process of selection. A majority of Rhodes scholars from the country are occupying the top public offices or have gone on to become leading bankers, academicians, economists or serving in the high echelons in corporate sector.'' The Rhodes Scholarship, considered among the most prestigious awards, is a postgraduate award for studying at the University of Oxford. The Rhodes Scholarship has a long line of luminaries as recipients including former US President Bill Clinton, former Senator Larry Pressler and also such well-known Indians as Planning Commission Deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, and moviemaker and actor Girish Karnad, among others.

Every year, only five Indian students get to receive this award through a vigorous test based on academic ability, sporting activity, qualities of personal rectitude, strength and compassion and sense of the public good and leadership.

UNI