NLSIU grad Devranjan Mishra bags Jagdish Bhagwati Fellowship at Columbia University

National Law School of India University (NLSIU) Bangalore graduate and Indian Revenue Services (IRS) officer Devranjan Mishra has bagged Columbia University's prestigious Jagdish Bhagwati Fellowship for this year..The Fellowship aims at supporting graduate students specializing in international trade, trade law, public interest, and human rights. The grant, underwritten by the Indian government, is named after Columbia University's Professor Jagdish Bhagwati, a noted trade theorist and economist..Devranjan has chosen to pursue an LL.M. and learn about international trade dispute settlement and multilateral trade treaties with Professor Bhagwati.."It's incredible and inspiring to be associated with Professor Bhagwati! I feel immensely thankful that I have been granted the Jagdish Bhagwati Fellowship, and got the opportunity to study with him", says an elated Devranjan on his accomplishment. .While Devranjan has got a flavour of the Columbia experience through online classes during the pandemic, he looks forward to moving to New York to attend classes in person, he tells Bar & Bench.."Due to COVID, we had to begin the session remotely. The platforms and technology used at Columbia make it feel almost as good as the classroom experience. All the on-campus activities are also being done, as far as virtually possible. Further, many courses at Columbia are in hybrid mode already, which means one can attend them on campus if one wishes.".After graduating law school, Devranjan broke through the competitive civil services examination and embarked on a career in the IRS..He presently serves as Deputy Director of the Enforcement Directorate at Delhi, continuing in his role even as he begins his LL.M. Devranjan hopes to return to serving with the IRS at the end of his course at Columbia.Speaking of his experience as a civil servant, Mishra says,."IRS opened my eyes to the sheer diversity of governmental function and also the possibilities of immense transformative action possible therein. During the service, I got the opportunity to be part of the team that drafted the Union Budget, The GST Laws and also various International Treaties. Other than these activities, the field experience of working in intelligence and enforcement organizations has given me a multifaceted perspective on the diversities inherent to law. Instead of looking as law as a mere dispute resolution mechanism, I have begun to see it as a much broader area, with implications far and wide. This understanding has definitely enriched my discussions at law school."