[Interview] "My Harvard Degree Is Symbolic Of The Aspirations Of Millions Of Marginalized People"; Anurag Bhaskar

"I belong to the Dalit community. It is one of my identities, but the one which has majorly shaped my life choices. Coming to Harvard was more than just about myself. Apart from the exposure that I got here personally and professionally, my journey to Harvard is symbolic of the aspirations of millions who are forced even today to live on the margins of society. My LL.M. degree from Harvard is a homage to Dr. Payal Tadvi, who committed suicide, because of caste discrimination, even before she could complete her post-graduation. My LL.M. degree is a homage to Rohith Vemula, whose suicide letter shall always remain a constant reminder to our moral conscience as a nation that we ought to eliminate the prejudices in existence in our society. My LL.M. degree is for people from lower castes, who have been murdered for riding a horse, for having a mustache and all such daily atrocities. It is for the Dalits who have been denied access to water in drought-hit areas or were denied entry in cyclone shelters and deprived of relief packages after Fani cyclone had hit Orissa. I hope that my graduation from Harvard will inspire others, including little 14-year old Sunaina — whose story was recently shown by NDTV's Prannoy Roy during Lok Sabha elections. I hope that my graduation from Harvard inspires everyone to have big dreams, which may seem to be beyond one's reach".LiveLaw speaks to Anurag Bhaskar (LL.M. '19, Harvard Law School) about his decision to pursue law as a career, his experience as a law clerk to Justice DY Chandrachud, his journey to Harvard, LL.M. admission process, and his future plans.Anurag Bhaskar has just completed his LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School. Before this, he pursued his B.A. LLB (Hons.) from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University (RMLNLU), Lucknow during 2012-17. He clerked for Dr. Justice DY Chandrachud (Judge, Supreme Court of India) during July 2017-18. Besides, Anurag is a prolific commentator and has several academic articles and opinion pieces to his credit. He had written many articles in The Wire, LiveLaw, The Print and EPW. LiveLaw speaks to him about his decision to pursue law as a career, his experience as a law clerk, his journey to Harvard Law School, and his future plans. Live Law: First of all, congratulations on completing your LL.M. from Harvard Law School. How do you feel right now? Anurag: I think it's overwhelming. My commencement happened on 30th May and it took me around a week to actually internalize that I have finished my education at Harvard Law School. Two years ago, I had not thought about studying at Harvard Law School or even coming to the United States. In a struggling phase in the late 1980s, my father used to often cycle around 40 kilometers from a small village in Unnao district (in Uttar Pradesh) to Lucknow to search for a job. At that time, coming to Lucknow meant traveling to a foreign country to him. During my law school time in Lucknow, to think about shifting to Delhi for work was like moving to a foreign country for me. Coming to Harvard has therefore been a long journey for my family. Thus, I have mixed emotions, currently. Live Law: Why did you decide to pursue law as a career? Is anyone in your family into legal profession? Anurag: No! I am a first generation lawyer. My decision to choose law as a career has majorly been shaped by one historic personality, Dr. BR Ambedkar. During my school days, Dr. Ambedkar's image of being the chief architect of the Indian Constitution immensely inspired me to study law as an instrument of social change. But choosing law wasn't easy. My parents wanted me to pursue engineering. Quite often, one of the first battles for individuals from the middle class, lower middle class and economically or socially weaker groups begins at home - convincing your parents about your choice of career. I am extremely grateful to my parents that in the end, they allowed me to pave my own path in life. Live Law: How was your law school experience at RMLNLU? Anurag: Quite enriching! From introducing me to the ideas and life of my social justice inspiration - Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya, to helping me in learning to tap my own potential, RMLNLU Lucknow influenced me immensely. The University has one of the best campus infrastructures in the country. The library database is quite resourceful. We have some amazing teachers. I, however, still feel that RMLNLU as an institution is yet to realize its full potential. I also made few good friends, who have supported me, over all these years. Live Law: Tell us more about the extra-curricular activities that you did during your time at RMLNLU. Anurag: Unlike the general trend, I never did mooting or debating. Since I came from a Hindi-speaking background, I was not fluent in spoken English and for this reason, I hesitated in taking part in competitions/events which involved public speaking. However, instead...

[Interview] "My Harvard Degree Is Symbolic Of The Aspirations Of Millions Of Marginalized People"; Anurag Bhaskar

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