Gandhi’s Grandson Invited by University of Edinburgh’s India Centre

Edinburgh Univ: Offering lucrative scholarships and jobs to Indian students 

The grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and former Governor of West Bengal will soon be a part of Scottish history. Gopal Krishna Gandhi has been invited to deliver a lecture in the Scottish Parliament on Sept 30th by Jim Eadie (Member of Scottish Parliament).

Gandhi has also been invited by the University of Edinburgh’s India Centre to participate in the India Day celebrations on Oct 2^nd. India will be the first country to celebrate its India Day in the sixth oldest university that boasts of giving over 18 Nobel Laureates to the world!

The link to Scotland dates back centuries

India had three Scottish Governor Generals during East India Company’s rule. Under Henry Dundas, India and the EIC were totally ‘Scoticised’. In other words the Scots amassed great wealth through their agencies and as entrepreneurs. However there were scholars, engineers and scientists who built India. Some of the notable contributions by the Scots were:

• The first complete geographical survey of India was done by Colin Campbell
• Alexander Kydd created the Botanic Gardens in Kolkata
• The backbone of India’s transport, the Indian railways, had engines built in Scotland
• During the 18^th and 19^th centuries some of the best educational institutions like Bombay Scottish Schools Mahim and Powai and Scottish Church College Kolkata were established by the Scots

Gopalkrishna’s visit to strengthen educational ties with Scotland

Prof Sir Timothy O Shea, principal and vice-chancellor of Edinburgh University speaking to a leading Indian daily remarked that, “The historical ties between India and Scotland are very old and so is the link between Indian scholars and Edinburgh University. One of our oldest alumnus is Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, known as the father of Indian chemistry and founder of Bengal Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals in 1893. By having a special India day, we announce how important the country is for us".

Scotland Saltire Scholarship Program

Various universities in Scotland have already been offering their unique education access to Indian students. Through Scotland’s Saltire Scholarships (SSS) unique program, students from 4 nations Canada, China, US and India can avail a substantial program of scholarships, offered on a matched funding basis between the Scottish Government and Scottish Higher Education Institutions. The scheme offers up to 200 awards, each worth £2000. These are towards the tuition fees, for any one year of full time study, on an Undergraduate, Masters or PhD course at any of Scotland’s higher education institutions.

The scholarships are designed to support the promotion of Scotland as a learning nation and a science nation and are therefore targeted at the priority sectors of creative industries, life sciences, technology, financial services and renewable and clean energy.

Chief Executive of Scottish Development International, Anne MacColl addressing the representatives of the Indian Govt in 2012 said, “The Scottish education sector has a long standing relationship with Indian universities and companies – seven universities and higher education institutes already have a highly successful presence in India.  Today’s announcements reinforce the Scottish Government and Scottish Development International’s continued commitment to support education and human resource initiatives in India as part of our strategic engagement with the country’s government and business community.”

Source: Education Scotland, The Scottish Government, Scotland, Times of India

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