Dipankar Ghose

We’redelighted to welcome Dipankar from India to study an MSc in Modern South Asian Studies this year. In this interview, he discusses his captivating career so far, his motivation for his field of research and what he’s looking forward to about his time at St Antony’s.

Could you tell us your name, where you are from and the programme you will study at St Antony’s College?

My name is Dipankar Ghose. I am from India, and I will be studying the Msc in Modern South Asian Studies at St Antony’s College as a University of Oxford Weidenfeld-Hoffman Scholar.

What inspired you to apply to the University of Oxford?

As a journalist who has looked at India’s minutiae for over a decade—from human rights to conflict, politics to policy—I felt it was time to take a step back and gain some perspective on the broader strands that connect the histories and present-day realities of South Asia. There is no better place to do this than at the University of Oxford. I am convinced that the learning, the vast expertise which I will gain access to will only further inform my understanding of the world, and indeed, my journalism.

Can you share a bit about your journey to get here?

After graduating from Delhi University’s Hindu College with a BA(Honours) English Literature degree, I completed a post graduate diploma in journalism and a Masters in Political Science. I joined the Indian Express as a trainee correspondent in 2011 and in the 13 years since, have travelled to the most conflict ridden parts of South Asia—from a riot hit city in Uttar Pradesh, or to a Nepal devastated by two earthquakes. From 2015, I lived in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh—the arena of one of Asia’s longest standing battles between the state and Maoists—where I wrote on both the conflict, and the lives of people caught in between. For my work, I have been awarded the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism, India’s top journalism honour, on three separate occasions. I am also the recipient of the Prem Bhatia Memorial Award for Political Journalism, for my reportage on the effect COVID 19 had on hinterland India.

From August 2021, I have had the privilege of being the Deputy National Affairs Editor at the Hindustan Times, one of India’s largest English newspapers, leading a team of correspondents from across the country in daily news reportage, investigative journalism, and long form features which delve into issues of caste, class, communalism, gender, politics, corruption, and climate change–the intricacies of a complex country often at odds with itself.

What is your field of research? Could you explain it a bit about it?

South Asia is full of societies that are each fiercely independent, but share so much– their genesis; their histories; even their current-day politics. In many ways, whether it is now or a century ago, the existence of these countries have always been symbiotic. India and Pakistan were partitioned as the British left, leaving behind a trail of violence and decades of rancour; Bangladesh was born out of that conflict which involved India and Pakistan; a militancy in Sri Lanka led to the assassination of an Indian Prime Minister; Nepal and India have shared experience with Maoism, but with very different outcomes (in the former, they have assimilated into mainstream politics, in India there is a conflict that still rages).  

It is these diverse strands of independence and yet interlinked history and politics that I want to examine at the Msc Modern South Asian Studies course at the University of Oxford.

What are you looking forward to about your time at St Antony’s College?

There is so much I am looking forward to—the campus, the libraries, the discussions and the professors. I’m eager to attend the seminars, not just related to my field of study, but across a wide range of subjects. But I’m also eager to experience the joy of sitting in the dining hall with my peers, talking about the world around us. I know I will meet wonderful people from across the globe in one of Oxford’s most diverse colleges, each with their own stories that have brought them to this institution—learning from them, but simultaneously unlearning my privileges informed by their experiences. I am eager to be part of a group of St Antony scholars that over the course of the next year challenge each other, share in a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and become friends for life.   

Do you have any advice for people considering applying to Oxford?

This is often said ad-nauseam, but I think the most important piece of advice for any prospective student, is just apply. It is normal to be wracked by doubt, but step one, just beginning the application process, is often the hardest. Once you do apply, stay calm. The process can be quite rigorous, but everything is explained thoroughly—the applications you need to fill, the essays you need to write, all the deadlines that must be met. If it gets too much, don’t abandon it—take a break, have some faith and come back to it. The chance you are taking, the work you’re putting in, is all worth it.