Inlaks Scholars 2017: Neha Vijay, Ramanjaneyulu Doosari, Subin Sebastian, Udita Bansal & Unnati Akhouri
Neha Vijay
I am Neha Vijay. I am a Terrorism Analyst and till date I wonder how did a wanderer land into such a serious job?
Be it trekking in the Himalayas, para-gliding in the mountains of Nepal, rafting in wild rapids or bungee-jumping from free falls, the only thing I was always serious about was my love for adventure. During a similar adventure trip in Nepal, I stumbled upon an opportunity that gave me a new direction. In a jungle camp, an established security analyst took note of my analytical skills, risk taking abilities and technical knowledge. Yes, I was a network engineer by profession then. I was offered a job in Counter-Terrorism. And since then it has been an incredible journey.
I have had the opportunity to assist the governments, law enforcement agencies and armed forces of the South East Asian Countries to come up with preventive counter-terrorism measures to mitigate threats. I have been assisting Police universities to design counter-terrorism curriculum. Currently I am looking at the joint initiative by ORF and the US State Department to map social media networks and activities of terrorist groups in South Asia.
And now with Inlaks Scholarship I would be heading towards a full-fledged career in Security. This fall, I will be heading to the Paris School of International Affairs, SciencesPo to study International Security. I am equally thrilled and grateful to have gotten this opportunity and hope to make the best of it. I believe I would materialize this opportunity to be able to make a significant contribution in making the world a better and a safer place.
Ramanjaneyulu Doosari
Actor, Performer and Acting Trainer. Graduated from National School of Drama (Acting Specialization) New Delhi and Gold medalist in M.P.A. (Theatre Arts) from Hyderabad Central University, Telangana.
As an actor he performed in over forty major productions with international and national theatre directors and participated in several national and international theatre festivals such as UNESCO’s Asian Traditional Theatre Workshop in Beijing, China (2014), Bharat Rang Mahotsav (12th and 18th editions)- New Delhi, Khojikode Theatre Festival- Kerala (2011) and Indian Theatre Schools Meet- Karnataka (2009), Rangotsavam- Andhra Pradesh(2017).
He has been trained in a number of traditional theatre forms of India including Kudiyattam, Ankyanat, Kathakali, Chindu Yakshaganam and Maach and trained in some revered body cultures like Tai- chi, Kung-Fu (Black Belt), Karate, Kalaripayattu, Contemporary Dance and Yoga, and also got trained in actor training systems like Stanislavsky, Michael Chekov, Suzuki method actor training. He was awarded with the Young Artist Fellowship from Ministry of culture, Government of India.
He presented two research papers in ISTR International conference, IIS National conference on survival of a traditional art form and actor training.
He has been a guest faculty (Acting Trainer) in Hyderabad Central University. Along with this, he also taught in different theater schools and led the workshops with different theatre groups in Hyderabad. Qualified UGC-NET. Presently, - he is teaching Acting as an Assistant Professor in Department of Performing Arts, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India.
He has been awarded the Inlaks Scholarship (2017-18) so that he may persue an “M.A. Actor Training and Coaching” at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, U.K.
Subin Sebastian
Subin’s tryst with music began at the early age of three, when he started lessons in Indian Music. Early in his adulthood, Subin discovered his rare singing voice and revelled in it, though usually in private. In 2012 during a vocal master class by world renowned soprano Patricia Rozario OBE, FRCM and Pianist Mark Troop, it was discovered that Subin could sing in the vocal tessitura of a soprano.
Subin presently studies voice under the tutelage of Mumbai Based soprano, Minaish Doctor and regularly participates in the Master Classes conducted by Patricia Rozario and Mark Troop under the Giving Voice to India Program of the Giving Voice Society (GVS), through which he has played the role of Johnny Crome in Britten’s Opera ‘The Little Sweep’ at Con Brio 2013 and has played the role of Xerxes by Handel at the ‘Opera Scenes’ concert of GVS. His versatile vocal range has also resulted in him being offered the Contralto solo part for Haydn’s Missa In tempore Belli. Subin was awarded the title of the Young Musician of the Year 2017 by the Olga and Jules Craen Foundation and is presently fulfilling his obligations as the incumbent laureate.
Subin has been accepted at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, London for a Master’s Programme and will soon begin his study. He particularly enjoys singing baroque music, but is equally at home singing modern works. The Inlaks Shivdasani Scholarship will allow him to nurture his skill set and prepare him for a competitive career beyond college. He looks forward to his study at the conservatoire.
Udita Bansal
Brought up in a country rich in biodiversity and a family which is always enthusiastic to explore forests in every corner of the country, I gained interest in wildlife early on in life. But watching the country lose an asset of utmost importance, I realised the urgency of conserving our forests and wildlife. I decided to take up zoology in my bachelors at Miranda House, University of Delhi. Eager to gain knowledge and experience outside my textbooks, I joined a team working on the urban ecology of Black Kites in Delhi followed by a team from the Wildlife Institute of India working on tigers and ungulates in Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh. I worked on two projects being carried out simultaneously in that area, “Resource partitioning among sympatric ungulates in Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh” and “Monitoring tiger, co-predators, prey and their habitat”. Intrigued by the varied behaviours exhibited by animals, I decided to explore the field of evolutionary ecology. I investigated the purpose of the bright ventral colourations observed in the family of fossorial snakes called Uropeltidae (shield tailed snakes). Living in close proximity with nature and studying herpetofauna made field work in the tropical forests of the Western Ghats a life changing experience. Ever since my attention has been shifted to the group of reptiles and amphibians, amazing creatures often ignored due to their small size and stigma. I intend to change the conservation scenario in India and world wide with innovative ideas after having understood animals better through research in ecology and evolution. This opportunity given to me to pursue a fully funded masters in ecology, evolution and conservation at the Imperial College London is a major step towards achieving my goal and I wish to make the most of it.
Being a dancer since I was 3, and having learnt various folk, Indian and western classical forms, I also plan to connect the people in the urban areas to nature and spread awareness and love for wildlife through a language understood by all.
Unnati Akhouri
Having grown up in a family of avid readers of Science, Religion and Philosophy, influenced my outlook and shaped my deep interest in reading to satisfy my curiosity.
When I started reading about matter and the Universe, I developed a special liking for Science, which gradually turned into a passion for exploring the Universe (and maybe some parallel ones around us!) through Physics. The fact that the behaviour of the smallest particles holds answers to the biggest mysteries ignited my interest in Particle Physics.
I believe we are at a stage where the latest experimental results and theories demand a paradigm shift in the way we comprehend our Universe, both in Cosmology at the large scale (Dark Matter and CMB) and in Particle Physics at the small scale (Hierarchy Problem and Supersymmetry). I will be reading Mathematical and Theoretical Physics at Oxford starting October 2017 where I hope to embark upon the next chapter to unravel some of the mysteries of the Universe.
As an undergraduate, I was selected as the NIUS scholar of TIFR/HBCSE to work on Atmospheric neutrino oscillations and as an SINP associate fellow to study Quark-Gluon-Plasmas and simulate J/Psi decay events. Most recently, I was selected as the SN Bose Scholar and ISIP Fellow of Princeton University to work on Majorana Neutrinos under Dr. Kirk McDonald.
When I am not reading Physics, I indulge in painting to explore the nature of reality. With Art I express my interpretation of Philosophy and Nature. Additionally, I use my artistic abilities on my website - ‘Fatal Physics’ (www.fatalphysics.wordpress.com), where I express my understanding of Physics through comics and animations. I expect that my creative abilities would blossom at Oxford and I can continue using this platform in innovative ways to reach out to a wider audience.
In my free time, I also like experimenting with Oriental and Indian flavours where I let my curiosity guide my intuition. Often these trials have resulted in some strange but mostly well-appreciated dishes.
