This week marked the conclusion of the Indian High Commission’s UK-wide registration drive for newly arrived Indian students, who engaged with kiosks at India House in London and Indian Consulates in Birmingham and Edinburgh since the end of last month.
With a free hot meal lined up by Akshaya Patra Foundation UK charity at the end of it, the drive proved extremely useful for new students who may find themselves a little lost in a new country on the lookout for crucial support networks and missing warm home-cooked treats. During a welcome reception at the High Commission of India in London on October 10, which was also livestreamed for Indian students enrolled at universities across the UK, hundreds of these students got a chance to absorb some first-hand advice as they embark on their new lives in Britain.
Amish Tripathi, Minister – Culture & Education at the High Commission and Director, Nehru Centre, London, said: “In any issues that you face, feel free to seek advice from the team at the High Commission and other experts so that you can plan your time in the best way possible. This High Commission is your home away from home.
“As far as we are concerned, the religion you practice, the region you are from, the language you speak, the community you are from, the caste and even political ideologies you practice in India, they make no difference. If you are an Indian, you are one of us.”
His opening address was followed up by a series of presentations, including an expert guide on applying for job placements and internships, smartening up the CV to stand out in a competitive market, financial advice on being wary of numerous sophisticated scams and a panel discussion on ways to cope with mental health pressures.
In his address to the students, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami offered a range of insights and advice which touched upon the role of students in defining the course of India’s journey in the future and also their impact on UK-India bilateral relations.
He said: “You don’t serve India by just being in government alone. Each of us, as citizens of India, carries fundamentally in our hearts great deal of pride about being Indian. And, I don’t need to list the reasons why we are proud of being Indian.
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“Never lose faith, never lose that sense of fierce pride in our tricolour, never lose the sense of identity of who you are and the culture and heritage in all its diversity that we represent. We are the most diverse nation on the planet.”
