Miranda House – the name resonates with education par excellence, sophistication and of course, intelligence and fearlessness. The women of Miranda House walk with their heads held high for sure … and why wouldn’t they, have you met them?
Ever since it was incepted in 1948, the alumni of the institution have been piling laurels upon laurels, and the institution is no less. In 2017, Miranda House has been voted as the number one on the Country’s official list of colleges to study in, by the National Institutional Ranking Framework.
The famous North Campus college is one of the best that Delhi University has under its name, priding in courses varying from liberal arts to science. A 5-minute ride from Vishwavidyalaya metro station, it comes with the privilege of the countless eating joints in Hudson Lane and the Sadak shopping of Kamla Nagar!
Feed that narcissism, women, you totally deserve it! And to help you shut down haters; here’s a list of distinguished alumni from Miranda House who once graced the halls of your iconic institution, who now have the world, quite literally, at their feet.
1. Anita Mazumdar Desai, English Literature (1957)
Anita Desai’s novels have received critical acclaim, with the author winning the Padma Bhushan in the year 2014. In 1978, she received the Sahitya Academy Award for her novel, Fire on the Mountain. She has been nominated thrice for the Booker Prize for Fiction in years 1980, 1984 and 1999.
In an interview with Conde Nast Traveller, she fondly remembers her college, and said, “ I remember the library at Maidens Hotel that I frequented with my mother, Exchange Stores where we bought sweets with our pocket money and Atma Ram and Sons in Kashmiri Gate where we bought our books. Later, there was Miranda House and Delhi University across The Ridge, and the No 9 bus that took me to it as a college girl.”
Currently, she is a novelist and Emerita John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
2. Anjolie Ela Menon, English Literature (1958)
Regarded as one of India’s greatest contemporary artists, Anjolie graduated from Miranda House with an Honours Degree in English Literature. From 1959 to 1961, she was awarded the scholarship to study at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In addition to being awarded the Padma Shri in 2000, she has been the Life Time Achievement Award in 2013 by Government of NCT of Delhi. Impressive indeed.
Some of her exemplary works include The Bride’s Toilet, The Harlem Series and The Prophet, amongst many others. To date, she remains thankful to her professors at Miranda House who let her make portraits of them!
3. Mira Nair, Sociology (1976)
Known as one of India’s most diverse filmmakers, Mira Nair’s films The Namesake, Monsoon Wedding and Salaam Bombay have won various prestigious awards across the years. In 2007, Nair was asked to direct the fifth film in the *drumrolls please* Harry Potter series, and famously rejected it to work on an adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s book, The Namesake! Yes, take a minute there – huge gulps down our throats – Mira Nair, also, won the Padma Bhushan in 2012.
4. Meira Kumar, Law
This is some serious mind-boggling stuff, you guys! This woman was the first to be elected as the Speaker at Lok Sabha between 2009 and 2014, UNOPPOSED. Whew- that’s a pretty hefty deal! In addition, she was the opposition’s presidential candidate in the 2017 presidential election, most notably backed by seventeen of the opposition parties unanimously.
If that wasn’t all, she has also served as the Cabinet Minister in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Ladies and Gents, meet the woman who showed ministers and members of parliament that power isn’t exercised using testosterone alone. Way to go, madame!
5. Urvashi Butalia, English Literature (1971)
Urvashi Butalia is known as a revolutionary in the circuit of Indian publishing, co-founding Kali for Women with a classmate, Ritu Menon. In 2003, she founded Zubaan Books, which focuses on publishing fiction, general interest books and children’s books. She has written the much-acclaimed work: ‘The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India’ and is the author of six other titles as well.
Look out, everyone! She is one of the fiercest, and kindest women to look up to.
Lovely ladies, the list doesn’t end there; Miranda House is one force to reckon with. To kickstart your journey to greatness and fandom, we have a solution called Coho.in. For all your accommodation requirements, Coho.in is your stop to find the perfect room for you. Whether single or sharing, affordable or luxurious – let your ingenuity and intellect take you to great heights all from the comfort of a place you can call home.
