Pune girl wins Dr Manmohan Singh scholarship

Pune girl, Sohini Vanjari, is one of the four scholars who have been selected from India for the Dr Manmohan Singh Scholarship, to pursue doctoral studies at St. John’s College, University of Cambridge, UK.

Sohini (23), who has completed her MSc in zoology from the University of Pune (UoP) and resides in Kothrud, is keen on doing her PhD in zoology (butterfly genetics) at St. John’s College. Sohini will leave for the UK this month.

“My interest in studying butterflies started in 2006, when I went for a butterfly camp in Arunachal Pradesh to photograph butterflies.

On the trip I met many photographers, who gave me tips and guided me on how to photograph butterflies,” she said. She said that photography is her hobby and it also helps her a lot in her butterfly research project.

“As part of my doctoral research, I will be working on the role of sex pheromones, its chemical structure and its role in behaviour among the Heliconius butterfly species,” she added.

Apart from Sohini, the other three talented students selected for the scholarship are: Arjun Datta (IIT Roorkee), Avishek Ranjan (IIT Madras) and Shashi Ratnakar Singh (The Energy and Resources Institute, Delhi).

“I was selected for this scholarship after my application was short-listed by the British Council. It was followed by a personal interview in Delhi,” said Sohini, adding, that it was a tough selection process. 

In 2009, Sohini was also selected as the ‘Climate Champion of India’ at the International Climate Champions, for her work on ‘The effects of temperature and humidity on butterfly population in and around Pune’, as part of her dissertation for her first-year MSc programme. Talking about her future plans, Sohini said that she wants to work in a life science institute and wants to teach and pursue her research once she returns to India.