The first cohort of five women scholars selected for the Chevening-Karnataka scholarships were officially announced on Thursday in the presence of M.C. Sudhakar, Minister for Higher Education, at the Karnataka State Higher Education Council.
The scholars—Niharikaa Naresh, Sushma Shyamsundar, Chandana Anjinappa, Athena Rose Joseph, and Shweata N. Hegde—will head to the U.K. for their master’s scholarships in September.
The Karnataka government signed an MoU with the U.K.’s Chevening Scholarships programme in 2024 to launch a unique joint scholarship which fully funds five women graduates from Karnataka to study for a master’s degree in the UK.
Chandru Iyer, British Deputy High Commissioner to Karnataka and Kerala, said, “Empowering women and girls in the U.K. and around the world is a priority for us and an integral part of our partnership with India. I am glad that Karnataka is the first State in south India to take up the Chevening offer.”
The scholarship which looks at women graduates, preferably from government colleges, will continue every year for the next three years benefitting 15 women graduates in total.
Scholars speak
For most scholars who have been selected as part of the first cohort, challenges they witnessed on the ground in terms of policy implementations and programmes have been the inspiration to apply for the scholarship.
Athena Rose Joseph, who hails from Kodagu, has been working as a development professional closely associated with programmes for sanitation workers in Tamil Nadu. Speaking about how she observed challenges in terms of policy implementations on the ground due to social and systemic issues, she feels voices and needs of people are often not taken into account while formulating and implementing policies.
“I will now be pursuing my second master’s in social and public policy at LSE to enhance my analytical understanding in terms of policy development,” she says.
Niharika Naresh, who hails from Bengaluru and holds a master’s in food science and technology, says that while working with rural and tribal communities for food security, she understood the importance of understanding human behaviour for effective implementation.
“This is missing in most public safety net programmes, which is why I have chosen to pursue Behavioural and Economic Science in University of Warwick,” notes Ms. Naresh.
Shweata Hegde, who hails from Mysuru, is planning pursue MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College London. Co-founder & Science Game Developer at Pralay, the Climate Game, Ms. Hegde feels that science communication in India is still in its infancy and the country needs more science communicators who are formally trained.
“It was during the pandemic that I realised the gap between society and scientists and academia. I started various initiatives to bridge that gap including cofounding a podcast called ‘India asks why’ for highschoolers,” she notes.
Challenges persist
The scholars also note how the path to pursue leadership dreams still continues to be difficult for women, particularly for those working in development sector.
Sushma Shyamsundar, who holds a BE in Civil Engineering from BMS College of Engineering, transitioned to become a development practitioner after her studies. She plans to pursue higher studies at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
“Many people don’t understand what development sector is. They ask when I would find a job that fills my pockets. Some even offer to find me a job at ‘companies that gives you a cab service.’ It is important to know what your vision is, but it also important to know what not to concentrate on and how to deflect unheeded advice,” she notes.
Chandana Anjinappa, a rail systems engineer from Mysuru, is a mother to a toddler. “But I am also the daughter of a mother who have up her job to look after us and told me never to repeat the same if I found myself in a similar situation,” she says.
Ms. Anjinappa is planning to pursue Master’s in Railway Systems Engineering and Integration.
“When I started applying for the scholarship my baby was only eight months old. It was challenging. But women should not give up their dreams. You can postpone them, but never bury them,” she adds.
Published – August 07, 2025 09:58 pm IST
