Help Send Aditi to Oxford | Milaap
Help Send Aditi to Oxford
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    aditi
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    Aditi Premkumar

    from Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Hello! I am Aditi, an undergraduate student from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad. I have received an offer to pursue my Masters degree in Modern South Asian Studies at Oxford University for the academic year 2021-22. Since this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, I would be immensely grateful to be able to go with your help and support!

Who am I?
I am a 22 year student and have been involved in community building efforts, writing and advocating for rights in academic and activist spaces. I personally hold two opportunities close to my heart - my role as a Program Associate at The Blue Club- where we worked on a novel Fellowship Program to help Dalit women and queer writers flourish, and the second is my role as a research associate at Behanbox- where I authored articles on working class women and gender diverse person’s rights and political participation. Some of the issues I have covered include policing and caste solidarity in Uttar Pradesh, the gendered effect of farm laws and the condition of Beedi workers in Tamil Nadu. 
All these experiences were extremely important in helping me value and invest in community work and I owe my acceptance into Oxford to them.

Why is going to Oxford important to me?
A degree in Modern South Asian Studies will enable me to expand my horizons in pursuing research based journalism in the Indian context. I want to write about the financial and emotional resources that are required to sustain political movements, in an attempt to bridge this gap. I hope that my research will reflect on the work that goes into organizing political movements across the country, especially in a hostile environment that is heavily clamping down on them. I believe that there is important work being done at the grassroots by marginalized people to assert their political rights and want to explore the ways in which communities are coming together to support this. My research in this field is guided by anti-caste and feminist principles and I wish to effectively contribute to an international conversation around the politics of community building in India.

I also want to help other students who are keen on pursuing a degree abroad with their application process, based on my personal experience of applying. 

I understand times are difficult for everyone and funding might not be possible for all. Due to the delay in securing my admission, I was unable to apply for most of the scholarships for my course. After exhausting all other options, including requesting a deferment (which is allowed only in extreme situations), I am writing this appeal as my final attempt at persevering to go this year.
You may reach out to me at @aditipremkumar238@gmail.com for more questions if you have any, as I would like this process to be as transparent as possible. I have applied for a partial loan to cover some of my costs, and I have subtracted that amount from my total course fees. I am required to submit a financial declaration of the same by July 23rd.

“We are each other’s harvest. We are each other’s business. We are each other’s magnitude and bond.” - Gwendolyn Brooks











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