Three South Asians -- Ian Desai, Swati Mylavarapu and Kazi Sabeel Rahman -- from the United States have been awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship this year.
In between pursuing ancient studies at the University of Chicago, Ian Desai spent last summer tracing the great Greek mythological journey of Jason and the Argonauts through Greece, Turkey and Georgia. The journey also allowed Desai -- who was on Sunday named as one of the 32 Rhodes scholars from the US to study at Oxford University for two to three years -- to reflect on life.
Among the many things he thought about was self-reliance and what it could mean to a person like him.
'Self-reliance is a wonderful thing,' Desai, wrote on his web site. 'And though it might often seem to be, it is not just a pipe-dream. But self-reliance does not come from throwing oneself out into the woods until one feels secure enough with oneself to leave society at any time in the future. Self-reliance is about cultivating your own character through your interactions with other people (and to some extent Nature). It is about growing through your relationships with others and taking what you learn from those people, those relationships, those experiences, and applying those lessons toward making your character and your spirit more robust and humane.'
'By doing this, you will naturally become self-reliant,' Desai whose passion includes cooking and poetry, wrote.
'Perhaps the first step in achieving self-reliance is learning to rely on others. Because if you can't rely on others, how can you ever fully rely on yourself?' wondered Desai who is also a board member of South Asia Watch, and a founder of the Kashmir Project.
Desai, who graduated this year with a bachelor's degree in Ancient Studies, received a university prize for his collection of poetry, and was elected a student marshal. The 22 year old is a New York City native.
He will take courses in modern Greek Studies and Oriental Studies at Oxford.
For over a year Swati Mylavarapu, a Harvard senior, has been working on one of the most vexing issues that has brewed decades of violence and conflict -- the indigenous land rights in Central America.
One of the newly minted Rhodes scholars, Mylavarapu will take her findings to Oxford where she will study economic and social history for two years.
She is a Truman Scholar and a national debate champion and is also the secretary for Bhumi, a Harvard publication since 1996 focusing on developmental activities across the globe.
The Rhodes scholarships awards tuition, boarding and travel fee to the recipients for two to three years at Oxford.
According to the Rhodes Committee, the scholars were chosen from 904 applicants endorsed by 341 colleges and universities.
Kazi Sabeel Rahman from Scarsdale, New York, is a senior at Harvard concentrating in social studies. Editor of the Harvard International Review, he is also a tutor in the Harvard Writing Center, plays the clarinet, and is active on the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee. He plans to do an M Phil in Development Studies at Oxford.
The Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by British philanthropist, colonist and diamond baron Cecil Rhodes. Winners are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential and sports, among other attributes.
Rhodes Scholars include former US President Bill Clinton and newly minted US Congressman Bobbyt Jindal.
