In a moment of immense pride for Assam, 21-year-old Arani S. Hazarika from Bamunimaidam, Guwahati, has become the first Assamese student to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Sanskrit and Classical Hindi from the world-renowned Oxford University. The milestone was celebrated at a grand convocation ceremony on August 9, 2025, held at Oxford’s historic Sheldonian Theatre, attended by the university’s Vice-Chancellor and a distinguished gathering of esteemed scholars from around the world.
Arani pursued her studies at Balliol College, one of Oxford’s most prestigious and ancient institutions, founded in 1263. Enrolled in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, she took on the rare and rigorous combination of Sanskrit and Classical Hindi, showcasing her academic brilliance in a highly specialized field.
Admitted to Oxford at the age of 18 in October 2022, Arani’s exceptional talent earned her the coveted Simon and June Li Undergraduate Scholarship, recognizing her outstanding academic merit. During her time at Oxford, she made significant contributions to Assamese heritage through her acclaimed research paper on the standardization and authentication of 15th-century palm-leaf manuscripts from Majuli’s Dakhinpat Satra, founded by Srimanta Sankardeva. Her work has been lauded for advancing the preservation of Assam’s rich cultural and literary legacy.
A product of Holy Child Higher Secondary School in Chandmari, Guwahati, Arani excelled in her CBSE Class 10 and 12 examinations, securing distinctions in both. She is the daughter of Partha Pratim Hazarika, a senior journalist and Assistant Editor at The Assam Tribune, and Sudakshina Bhuyan, a distinguished Feng Shui and Vaastu consultant.
Arani’s achievement marks a historic moment, elevating Assam’s presence on the global academic stage and inspiring future generations of scholars from the region.
