For many, winning a scholarship is an achievement. So when you happen to be the one in 10 students from the country to be selected for a scholarship like the Aditya Birla Group Scholarship (ABGS), it’s a prestigious affair. And so it was for Hyderabad’s very own Harshitha Reddy Kasarla who is currently studying at the National Institute of Legal Studies and Research (NALSAR) University of Law. The scholarship, which will cover a large part of Harshitha’s tuition fees, was open to students from the best institutes in the country, covering engineering, management and law. Overall, about 40 students in the country were awarded the scholarship, with Harshitha being one in the 10 law students who were short-listed.
Speaking about her achievement, the 18 year old told City Express, “It is very inspiring to receive this award. It is a wonderful initiative and I’m happy to have obtained this scholarship.” An alumnus of the Bhavan’s Sri Ramakrishna Vidyalaya (BSRV) school, Harshitha also attended Oakridge International School where she pursued the International Baccalaureate in her intermediate.
An avid reader, the teen says that while she is currently studying law, her interests are many and she’s yet to decide on a career path. “I was always interested in literature and social sciences. I was in two minds about choosing law but figured that I could always pursue literature later. I haven’t really decided upon law as a career choice; I’m just exploring my options.”
The ABGS put the city girl through a gruelling process of elimination. As far as law students were concerned, the top 20 rankers of the Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) across four universities in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Gandhinagar and Jodhpur were selected for a written test, following which 20 students were then short-listed for an interview in Mumbai. From these 20 emerged the final winners.
As hard as the process may sound, Harshitha downplays her effort and says, “I worked hard for the CLAT test, of course. But the test and interview for the scholarship were pretty impromptu; it did not require much preparation,” she said. But no matter how prepared, facing a panel of interviewers established in their field can overwhelm anybody. “I must say that the interview was conducted by a highly distinguished panel which included three justices of India, one of them a retired Chief Justice. It was very inspiring,” she added.