I Want To Do Developmental Studies

An anecdote would serve better the venture of explaining my choice to do developmental studies. During my higher secondary education I got a chance to volunteer in an NSS (National Service Scheme) camp in which I had to teach the rudimentary lessons of English language to some students of my age from a tribal village quite near to my place. One fine morning, one of the students was picked up by his father as the latter wanted a hand with his labour. My parents, despite being uneducated, were adamant that me and my brother came out well educated. So I couldn’t register the disparity between my future and that of the boy who had to drop schooling to support his family. This incident was a breakthrough in my life in the sense that it prompted

There I studied commerce including Economics, Management, Accounting and Entrepreneurship. Along with securing a first class in undergraduate degree, I was able to finance my studies as well by doing different jobs. I got chances to attend several discussions led by prominent scholars including Jean Dreze, Amartya Sen whom I greatly admire and consider as an epitome in developmental economics. I read ample amount of texts among which P Sainath’s renowned book ‘Everybody Loves a Good Drought’ calibrated my thoughts largely and intensified by passion to do developmental studies. I was struck by the realization that it is the distinct group of thinkers named Developmental Economists what India desperately seeks for. I also got chances to visit and travel through many remote villages across North India including Kashmir. The Life in Delhi, the capital of India, influenced me greatly and it helped me mould my thoughts and visions. On the one hand, I got a chance to closely engage with a lot of distinguished faculties and talented students as well as to understand and experience the diversity of my country. On the other hand, I also deciphered the huge inequality which came with such a grand diversity. I realized that it was the poor who ultimately bore the brunt of urban underdevelopment. I also came to realize that waste played a huge role in determining

Above all I believe that starting my career from LSE with a focus on inclusive growth, would be unmatchable because it is the campus which was took part in moulding some of the great leaders who influenced millions of marginalised communities in india including BR Ambedkar and KR Narayan. I am deeply aware of the magisterial tasks that people like Gandhi, Ambedkar, Jawaharlal Nehru etc. who ran deep into the roots on india and germinated their revolutionary ideals from beneath the idealisms that engulfs it. Beyond the aesthetic and philosophic grandiosity that it often presents, an equally disharmonious social reality still remains unattended. And also it is a very thought provoking fact that all of the above mentioned visionaries had a period in their life during which they spent immense amount of time outside India pursuing various courses in illustrious foreign universities and simultaneously reading about her, thinking about her and acquiring techniques which will serve her the best. I hope LSE will help me bridge with similar