Episode 4: London to India and beyond: a life shaped by UCL
In this episode, UCL President and Provost Michael Spence speaks with Achala Moulik, a remarkable alumna who chose the university in 1959, about her extraordinary journey from being an economics student to Secretary of Elementary Education and Literacy for India.
Achala was one of only four women in a class of 35 studying economics at what was then called simply University College. Her entrance interview made a mark when, as an opinionated 17-year-old, she told professors that India was poor because of "imperialism and colonialism”, before hastily adding that the Britain had also brought legal system and taken India into “the mainstream”. After mentioning Moscow State University as a backup option if she gained a scholarship there, her interviewer said, "Dear me, we must save her from that fate." She describes her experience of UCL as outwardly "sedate and demure" but with enormous respect for diversity underneath – a place where she “never felt alien”, despite coming from a different culture.
After graduating, Achala returned to her family’s home in India and had a distinguished civil service career. Initially struggling with reverse culture shock, she found her calling as Director General of the Archaeological Survey of India. Travelling from Kashmir to the southern tip, working on projects including Angkor Wat's restoration, she says she finally discovered the country’s vast diversity: "I began to identify with this vast land."
Achala is an accomplished cultural historian, novelist and playwright. Her play about Alexander Pushkin earned her Russia's prestigious Pushkin Medal, presented by then Prime Minister Putin. Her new book Phantom Lovers comprises two novellas. The first is about characters during the British Raj. The second is set against University College (as UCL used to be called) and LSE, exploring the encounter between India and England – a fitting tribute to the place that "shaped me, truly."
Credits:
Presenter: Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost
Guest: Achala Moulik, cultural historian, novelist, playwright and former civil servant.
Produced by UCL Communications and UCL Educational Media
Creators and Guests
Host
Dr Michael Spence
Dr Michael Spence has been UCL’s President and Provost since January 2021. He is a long-standing champion of universities as crucibles for debate and dialogue, and an established voice on fostering constructive discussion around challenging issues. Recognised internationally as a leader in the field of intellectual property theory, he holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford and has a BA with first-class honours in English, Italian and Law from the University of Sydney.
Guest
Achala Moulik
Achala is a cultural historian, novelist, playwright and former civil servant. Born in 1941 in Calcutta, India, Achala studied in the USA, UK and Italy.
