Assamese girl first from state to earn Oxford degree in Sanskrit, Classical Hindi

An Assamese girl from Assam, 21-year-old Arani S Hazarika, has become the first Assamese to graduate in Sanskrit and Classical Hindi from Oxford University. She graduated on August 9 with a Bachelor of Arts degree at Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford's ceremonial auditorium.Hazarika studied at Balliol College under the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

Arani's program combined Sanskrit with Classical Hindi, with touches on language structure, literature, and historical texts. University records, according to her family, also indicate she is the first Assamese student to graduate from Oxford with a BA in Sanskrit. Her father, Partha Pratim Hazarika, an old journalist from Guwahati, confirmed the distinction. "As per available records, this is for the first time an Assamese has graduated in Sanskrit from Oxford," he said.

Arani reached Oxford soon after her Class 12 board exams.

She was awarded a place on the university's BA Sanskrit course and received the Simon and June Li Undergraduate Scholarship for high-achieving students from underrepresented groups. She began the course in October 2022.

For her PhD, Hazarika focused her thesis on the standardization of a 15th-century Sanchi manuscript of the Dakshinpat Satra in Majuli, which is one of the main Vaishnavite monasteries of Assam.

The assignment involved rigorous examination of the language features, writing style, and problems of preservation of the manuscript.

Her own academic success has earned her an invitation to remain at Oxford for a Master's degree in the same field. She has decided to enroll for her MA from Balliol College under the same department at the end of 2025. 

Arani's achievement is an exception of global recognition for regional origin. Sanskrit, though an ancient language, continues to be taught at foreign universities as part of general courses in linguistics, philosophy, and ancient literature.

The Oxford Sanskrit programme has trained scholars from around the world, but Hazarika's admission and graduation position Assam among them.

For the scholarly sphere of Assam, the milestone will surely encourage more students to turn to specialized subjects and pursue them at the world's best institutes. It also points a finger towards the possibility of Assamese literary and cultural history research in international forums.

Hazarika's transition from undergraduate to postgraduate studies at Oxford is another part of the story. Until now, her graduation provides a benchmark for other state and Northeast students aspiring to combine indigenous scholarship with global platforms.