Guwahati: Arani S. Hazarika, a 21-year-old resident of Bamunimaidam, Guwahati, has carved her name into history by becoming the first Assamese student to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Sanskrit and Classical Hindi from the prestigious Oxford University.
She received her degree at a formal ceremony held on Saturday, August 9, at Oxford’s iconic Sheldonian Theatre, in the presence of the university’s Vice-Chancellor and an audience of distinguished global scholars and researchers. Her academic achievement has brought widespread pride to the Assamese community and highlights Assam’s growing presence on the international academic stage.
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Arani studied at Balliol College, one of Oxford’s oldest institutions (established in 1263), under the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. She specialized in Sanskrit and Classical Hindi—a unique and demanding combination not often pursued at the undergraduate level.
Oxford University admitted her into this highly competitive program when she was just 18. She also received the Simon and June Li Undergraduate Scholarship, awarded for exceptional academic potential and merit. Arani began her studies in October 2022.
During her time at Oxford, she authored a well-received research paper on the standardization and authentication of 15th-century palm-leaf manuscripts from the Dakhinpat Satra of Majuli, Assam—an institution established by Srimanta Sankardeva. Her work contributes significantly to the documentation and preservation of Assam’s cultural and literary heritage.
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Arani completed her schooling at Holy Child Higher Secondary School in Chandmari, Guwahati, where she achieved distinction in both Class 10 and 12 CBSE board examinations.
She is the daughter of Partha Pratim Hazarika, senior journalist and Assistant Editor at The Assam Tribune, and Sudakshina Bhuyan, a respected Feng Shui and Vaastu consultant.