Scholars 2024: Suyash Srivastava, Fatima Khan and Aravind Raj
In part 3 of our 4-part series introducing the 2024 Inlaks Scholars, meet Suyash Srivastava, Fatima Khan and Aravind Raj.
Suyash will be attending the University of Cambridge for a MASt in Mathematics, Fatima will be joining Columbia University for an M.A. in Journalism (Politics Concentration) and Aravind will be studying at the University of Oxford for a Bachelor of Civil Law (B.C.L) degree.
Suyash Srivastava
Suyash’s interest in mathematics sparked while preparing for mathematical Olympiads in high school, and he developed a habit of reading mathematics textbooks. Paolo Aluffi’s “Algebra: Chapter 0” introduced him to category theory and significantly shaped his approach to mathematics.
During his undergraduate studies at IIT Kanpur, he got interested in the foundations of mathematics after learning that different models of mathematics could have different interpretations of mathematical notions. Over time, this interest expanded to encompass set theory, logic, forcing, and areas of computer science, such as the theory of computing and computability theory.
He has worked extensively at the intersection of representation theory and order theory, and one aspect of mathematics he especially likes is discovering unexpected connections between distinct fields. As a cross-disciplinary language for mathematics, category theory aids such discoveries by providing a bird’s eye view of mathematical fields, suppressing finer details while highlighting larger patterns. In mathematics, just as in poetry, where the correct choices of words and tempo convey feelings that are otherwise hard to express, the correct framework, language, and point of view allow for simplicity, insight, and coherence.
The MASt program at Cambridge will allow him to dive deeper into his areas of interest while broadening his horizons through courses in neighboring areas. It will help him prepare for a PhD and a research career in mathematics. After completing his studies abroad, he is eager to contribute to mathematical research and education in India.
Beyond mathematics, he finds joy in linguistics, music, and humorous literature, such as the Discworld series.
Fatima Khan
Fatima Khan is an investigative journalist, and will be pursuing the Masters in Journalism with a specialization in politics at the Columbia Journalism School. The course is meant to enable ground reporters like herself to enhance their storytelling by learning how to weave it in with the larger socio-political and historical context.
Fatima has worked at The Quint as a Principal correspondent, covering national politics and social justice. She has investigated hate crimes and has also covered multiple elections and interviewed top politicians. Besides feature writing, she has made multiple investigative documentaries — in some, she was the sole reporter, cameraperson and producer.
Prior to this, some of her most meaningful work came at the peak of the deadly second COVID-19 wave in 2021 while working with ThePrint, where she spent 45 days on the field at a stretch, traveling across the interiors of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — two of the worst affected states — to bring stories of chaos and infrastructural collapse. She was among the winners of the prestigious International Press Institute (IPI) award for her COVID reporting. Besides this, Fatima has also received the United Nations Laadli award for outstanding gender reporting, the Human Rights and Religious Freedom (HRRF) award, and the Digipub awards.
Besides her daily reporting, Fatima has also been working on a book, on the political churn within the lives of Muslim women of India. The book will be published by Bloomsbury later in 2024. She is a South Asia Speaks fellow, a coveted fellowship meant for emerging writers of the region.
She hopes to use her learnings at Columbia to expand the scope and depth of political journalism in India.
Aravind Raj
Aravind graduated as the Gold Medallist of his B.A. LL.B (Hons.) batch from Tamil Nadu National Law University, Tiruchirappalli, in 2019. After graduation, he served as a Law Clerk-cum-Research Assistant to Justice R.F. Nariman of the Supreme Court of India, where he assisted in several notable cases involving substantial constitutional issues, including the rights of prisoners and minorities at the intersection of caste and religion.
In September 2021, Aravind joined the chambers of Mr. K.V. Viswanathan, then a Senior Advocate designated by the Supreme Court of India. At Mr. Viswanathan’s chambers, he contributed to numerous impactful litigations and notably played a key role in briefing cases argued before a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court of India, including one advocating for the fundamental right of transgender persons to marry.
After Mr. Viswanathan was elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India in May 2023, Aravind continued to assist him as his Law Clerk-cum-Research Associate. This role primarily included providing research and briefings on matters listed before the Court involving civil and service law. Additionally, he also assisted Justice Viswanathan in preparing for lectures and engagements with civil society, including a lecture on the enduring impact of the Criminal Tribes Act on vimukta jatis (denotified and nomadic tribes) in India.
After his clerkship, Aravind will pursue the Bachelor of Civil Law course at the University of Oxford. His academic interests include identifying and studying colonial policies and actions impacting minorities, including intersectional minorities, in India. At Oxford, he aims to build on his work and expand his knowledge of equality law and comparative constitutional law.
Aravind is also an avid sports enthusiast, passionate about cricket, tennis, and football. When not working, he can be spotted in front of a sports broadcast, usually cheering for either Real Madrid C.F. or Rafael Nadal.
To know more about the Inlaks Scholarship, visit our website here.
