I am a Dalit and I come from a poor background, a remote village of Yerragonda Palem constituency, Prakasham district in Andhra Pradesh. I have completed my graduation in a Government Residential Degree College, after which, I was selected for an MA in History at the University of Hyderabad (UoH).

Now, I have been selected for PhD at Lancaster University, United Kingdom (UK), one of the most renowned universities of the world.

I can't afford its fees and other costs which come with living in a foreign country. I am seeking assistance from the Government of Andhra Pradesh for my PhD at the University of Lancaster. The varsity has given one month time to pay the fees and commence the programme.

My research is on the History of Sanitation in Colonial Andhra, 1858-1947. I intend to explore how, during the British Raj, pandemics had been tackled with western and indigenous medicines in colonial Andhra and what kind of contestations and negotiations were happening between western and indigenous medicines.

This is a one-time opportunity for a student like me to pursue PhD such a renowned university.

If the Government of Andhra Pradesh can support me via AP Overseas Scholarship, I will be grateful.

(Joseph Ananda Paul Sandrapati is a student aspiring to study in the UK. Views expressed are his own)