Frontline Journalist Lyla Bavadam, from India, reflects on
her term at Oxford as a Bellagio Fellow

I know this sounds clichéd but my time in Oxford was a milestone in my life. It is something which will always stay with me and be a point of reference for my research and writing.

My interactions with my advisor were the most influential aspect of my three months. The feedback I received for my paper was extraordinary - Her critique was directed completely towards the ideas and not diluted by anything else. To many people this may not seem extraordinary but for me it was extremely refreshing since I come from a culture in which everything else - your family, caste, skin colour, religion, gender, etc. etc. - goes towards forming an opinion. To have just my ideas and writing evaluated, with no preconceived stereotypes and notions, was a very novel experience. The criticism was invariably incisive and always, at the end of it, a way forward was pointed out. And yet, there was no spoonfeeding. It was exhilarating to work in such an atmosphere.

Lyla Bavadam (right) with Paddy Coulter, Director of the Reuters Fellowship Programme at Green College, Oxford.

The Reuters course is very well structured. It provides a broad framework and then leaves the Fellows free to pursue their own interests.

My topic dealt with the sustainable development policies of the Indian government and I had initially thought that I could do a better job of my paper if I worked on it from India. It was only when I was in Oxford that I realised that the fellowship is about far more than just writing a paper.

The student card and the university email address that we are given open up the entire university to us. It was fascinating to have access to people who are acknowledged authorities in their fields, to be able to attend any lecture in the university, to access any library. Even something as simple as the computer network that links all the libraries and tells you the status and whereabouts of a book from your home computer was a learning experience. Of course, the city is a stimulus in itself. It is impossible not to be drawn into a desire to learn in an atmosphere like that.

The programme brings together journalists from around the world and it was a very heartening to realise that my `tribe' worldwide are committed to certain basic things like social justice.

My only regret was that I only had three months to absorb all this, interact with my advisor and also write a paper. I console myself with the fact that since I knew I was so short on time I packed as much as I could into every day.

I'm happy to see that I can continue my association via the article assessment and analysis facility being offered by Reuters which, I believe, is offered to people who have participated in Reuters programmes. I value the critical but independent analysis that is being offered by Reuters editors.

The whole experience has been unforgettable and inspiring.

Lyla Bavadam   

The Bellagio Fellowship is organised under the aegis of the Reuters Foundation Fellowship Programme at Green College, Oxford.