'I ENDED UP CREATING MY OWN SPACE'

Sumeet Samos Turuk, 28, anti-caste activist and rapper, has had an interesting higher education journey. From Koraput, Odisha, he came to Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University and eventually secured admission in Oxford University. Without scholarships or personal resources, he successfully crowdfunded his Oxford tuition fee, raising Rs. 38 lakh in three hours. Now back in India, Samos spoke to Careers360 about the challenges that historically-marginalised students face while applying for universities abroad and what happened when he became a part of an international classroom. Samos has also written a book, Affairs of Caste. Edited excerpts below.

- R. Radhika

Q. What was it like to grow up in Odisha and then moving to Delhi for higher education?

A. I come from a village in south Odisha. It is an Adivasi-dominant area and growing up I saw caste discrimination and lack of opportunities. Since there is no one in our families or even the community who has gone for higher education, children like me had very little idea about what to do after school.

After Class 12, I took a bus to Bhubaneswar and while walking around, found a government college and enrolled.

That lack of support and information is a major hurdle. You end up in traditional courses like BA, BCom or BSc. There's no clarity on career prospects. Job options are limited to becoming a school teacher or a lecturer if you are fortunate enough to do a master's degree. At the same time, your family has its hopes pinned on you.

Luckily, I came to know about JNU from an acquaintance and decided to apply for BA Spanish. During the third year, I started reading more than course books, started talking to people and understanding more about Indian society, where I come from and my identity.

I went to protests that broadened my perspective. I come from a family in which everyone my brother, father, grandfather - is a singer. I thought I would give it a shot and tried singing in Hindi and English. I got a chance to travel to universities and colleges across the country.

Q. When did you decide to apply for Oxford University?

A. After I completed my undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Spanish at JNU, I wanted to work in a call centre, MNC or some international school where I could teach Spanish. I also tried competitive exams for a short while.

Then a Dalit senior from Uttarakhand who was studying in Oxford reached out to me to apply for the university.