How Ananya Bangar Reached Columbia Through Merit and Perseverance

Q1.  Congratulations. Columbia Law School admits only a handful of students worldwide each year. What does this mean to you?

Ananya Bangar: Thank you very much! For me, Columbia is a place to engage in the biggest global debates in constitutional law, governance, technology and the future of public institutions. Personally, it feels like the result of years of perseverance, self-belief and hard work finally taking shape. Professionally, I see it as a platform that will let me contribute to law and policy in a more meaningful way. And I will be honest — I reached here only through honest preparation guided by the encouragement of my family. I hope that part of the story reaches students who think these doors are shut to them.

Ananya Bangar with her father, Ravindra Bangar, at her graduation ceremony from National Law University, Delhi — the foundation from which she went on to clerk at the Supreme Court of India and earn a seat at Columbia Law School, New York.

Q2.  Choosing law over engineering or medicine — especially with an IITian father and a superspecialist doctor mother — is unconventional. Who inspired your journey from the tense Covid-19 exam days to NLU Delhi and your Supreme Court clerkship?

Ananya Bangar: My parents, Ravindra and Manisha Bangar, were my bedrock, inspiring me to dream big in service of humanity. During the gruelling Covid-19 pandemic, my grandparents, Pramila Rangari, Radhabai and Ramchandra Bangar kept me anchored and motivated with their love and support through multiple exhausting law entrance exams. Embracing this path at NLU Delhi opened a new world where my passion fuelled my academic success. My career was then profoundly shaped by incredible judicial mentors: Hon’ble Mr. Justice S.C. Sharma introduced me to what a judicial clerkship is, and allowed me to observe Supreme Court proceedings firsthand, while His Lordship, Former Chief Justice of India Justice B.R. Gavai sharpened my research skills and the guidance that he and those in his office provided pushed me to apply for the clerkship position. Today, my clerkship with Hon’ble Mr. Justice N.V. Anjaria is deeply inspiring, as his warmth, encouragement, and genuine appreciation for my work drive me to push my boundaries daily.

Ananya Bangar at the Supreme Court of India, New Delhi, where she has served as a judicial law clerk for two years, contributing to legal research on constitutional law, criminal justice, bail jurisprudence and minority rights under a sitting judge of the apex court.

Q3.  You have been clerking at the Supreme Court. How has that shaped you?

Ananya Bangar: It has been beyond transformative. I truly enjoy every aspect of my job, and feel very fortunate that I was exposed to such experiences. The court lets you dive into an extraordinary range of issues every single day — be it constitutional questions, criminal appeals, civil disputes, public interest litigation, or the application of social welfare legislations. Beyond the research itself, it teaches you intellectual discipline, precision and a sense of institutional responsibility. You learn very quickly that the work is demanding and confidential, and that there is no room for shortcuts.

From a judicial clerk’s desk at the Supreme Court of India to the LL.M. classrooms of Columbia Law School — the New York university where Dr B.R. Ambedkar once studied — Ananya Bangar talks about merit without coaching, the importance of self-belief and perseverance, and why the next generation of lawyers cannot afford to ignore artificial intelligence.

Q4.  What is the single most valuable lesson the judiciary gave you?

Ananya Bangar: That law is never abstract in practice. Every file in court represents real people, real institutions, and real social consequences. Judicial work means balancing legal principle with fairness, constitutional morality, and long-term institutional impact. That perspective stays with you. It pushes you to value objectivity, while also balancing it with sensitivity to the human and institutional consequences of every decision.

Ananya Bangar with Former Chief Justice of India, Hon’ble Mr. Justice B.R. Gavai, under whose mentorship she sharpened her legal research skills and gained firsthand exposure to Supreme Court proceedings during her judicial clerkship.

Q5.  Columbia has a deep historical connection to India through Dr Ambedkar. Does that resonate with you?

Ananya Bangar: Very much. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, the chief architect of our Constitution, studied at Columbia in the early twentieth century. To get the chance to study at the same institution is, for me, not only an academic achievement — it is a way of connecting with a figure who has influenced me to enter law in the first place. For someone whose work is rooted in constitutional values, this connection is very meaningful to me.

Q6.  Your profile shows a strong interest in technology and artificial intelligence in law. What draws you to that?

Ananya Bangar: Technology is now shaping legal systems, governance and access to justice in ways we cannot ignore. I wanted to understand how artificial intelligence, algorithmic systems and digital platforms interact with constitutional values and the rule of law. Through my research, my work at Lucio AI and through UNESCO’s course on AI and judicial decision-making, I focused specifically on algorithmic bias. A whole new world of legal issues will accompany the pervasive embedding of AI into legal institutions and everyday life. My conviction is simple: the next generation of lawyers must understand both law and technology to navigate these challenges responsibly, balancing competing considerations such as environmental sustainability, privacy, transparency, non-arbitrariness, and the evolving questions surrounding the regulation and accountability of large language models.

Ananya Bangar with her mother, Dr. Manisha Bangar — Senior Gastroenterologist and Harvard Kennedy School alumna — at the iconic John Harvard statue on the campus of Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, during Ananya’s tenure as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School in 2023.

Q7.  You also audited courses at Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kennedy School in 2023. How did that change your thinking?

Ananya Bangar: It was a pivotal opportunity. I got to attend in person almost a semester at Harvard. Learning from the best minds — Harvard professors I had only been able to see in YouTube lectures — and gaining different perspectives from global experts broadened my own thought on law and policy. The discussions there were about institutions, democracy, inequality, communication and global justice — the larger ecosystem in which law operates. It made me a firmer believer in interdisciplinary thinking. Law cannot function in isolation from technology, politics, economics or social structure.

Q8.  You have written for international legal platforms and worked across litigation, legal-tech and research. How important is legal writing to you?

Ananya Bangar: Essential. Good legal writing should help people understand institutions, not feel alienated from them. Whether you are drafting a research note, analysing a judgment or writing on a current development, expressing clarity of thought is paramount. In a democracy, where public trust in institutions matters so much, legal communication has to stay accessible to ordinary readers, not just to lawyers.

Q9.  What will you focus on during the LL.M., and what are you watching most closely?

Ananya Bangar: Constitutional law, comparative public law, technology regulation, digital governance and institutional accountability. I am especially keen to study how different democracies are responding to AI, online speech, misinformation and the erosion of public trust. These are no longer future problems — they are already here.

Q10.  Finally, your message to young law students who dream of working in constitutional law or at the highest courts?

Ananya Bangar: More than anything, I would insist that students everywhere focus on their love for learning, and build that as their foundation in pursuing anything that they wish to do. A love for learning makes the consequent efforts you put into making your dreams come true all the more purposeful — not only for you but also the people you have an impact on. Read voraciously. Build genuine research and writing skills. More than just grades and internships, in my experience law school has been about intellectual depth and understanding society beyond the textbook. Do not be fazed by failure, and let your perseverance guide you to your goals. Patience, consistency, and self-belief matter more than raw intelligence. In this day and age, when education and resources are more available than ever before, diving deep into learning will give you an idea of what you want to do, bring you the connections that get you where you want to go, and eventually, help you uplift those around you. If you trust your own ability and work honestly, the doors will open.

Disclaimer: This interview has been provided by a third party. The publication has not independently verified all statements, claims or credentials mentioned herein.