VETERAN actress and former Miss India, Swaroop Sampat-Rawal (pictured above), has been awarded a fellowship by the University of Worcester.
Sampat-Rawal, who was crowned Miss India in 1979, rose to fame with her role in the Indian sitcom Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi. She later pursued a PhD in education at the University of Worcester, graduating in 2006. Her research focused on using drama to enhance life skills in children with learning disabilities.
She said, “It just feels awesome. It made me look back at my younger self, when I was such an unsure student, but I came here, and I excelled.
“The university changed the way I think, it brought out my creativity and it turned me into an academic. I’m so proud of the books I’ve written and the conferences I’ve presented at, but it has all come from my time at Worcester.”
The fellowship coincides with her receipt of the Education World Educational Researcher TREE Award for 2025-2026, acknowledging her work in education. She was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2018 for her contribution to education and social change.
And , a poster of the play
