Being Indian is hip

Indian students are reputed for their academics and deserve better treatment, writes Nabanita Sircar.

India's growing stature on the world-stage was in focus over the last week when G7 finance ministers met in London. India's Finance Minister Mr P Chidambaram's eloquence did India proud. Such recent events has made me, and I am sure many others, wake up to the fact that India has come a long way.

Some years ago the only mention India would get in Britain, would either be through the prism of Pakistan, or the country's poverty. But all that has changed now. This awakening to a different India came from a comment, the young and impressive MP, Jyotiraditya Scindia, made at a dinner in Bombay Brasserie, while he was visiting London, leading the IBPF delegation. He pointed out that the "India - Pakistan hyphernation has changed to India-China hyphernation." True. It is high time that happened!

Even Goldman Sachs, the world famous investment bank, has predicted that India's economic growth could actually exceed that of China by 2015 and Britain by 2022. It sees India as having the "potential" to deliver the fastest growth over the next 50 years and is telling investors that India is poised to become the world's fastest growing economy and that they should move their cash there. But "potential" is the keyword, as "perennial red-tape" remains one of India's problems, which most Indian business tycoons and ministers admit is a major hindrance. In today's shrinking world, India needs clear the decks and get her act together soon.

We, living away from home, are already reaping some of the rewards of India's economic buoyancy. Bollywood, Indian food and fashions have become a mainstay in Britain. Suddenly, being Indian is hip. Even some, who, five years ago, would shy away from admitting they are Indians, are happily promoting their origins. That is how far India has come.

The flavour of India is so popular that top chefs are tempting the British palate with Indian food to back a charity fighting AIDS. Celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Madhur Jaffrey are enthusiastically supporting VSO, to raise £100,000 to fight AIDS in India, through Spice Up Your Life week, next month. Under this innovative initiative, the British public is being asked to urge friends and family to get together for a curry and donate to the charity.

Yet, while India's stature is rising and Britain is looking to increase bilateral trade and acknowledging India's human resource skills, I notice Indian students planning to come to Britain for education may find it increasingly difficult. In bizarre Home Office regulations being worked upon, Indian students will now have to look for a UK sponsor. A student coming to the UK for education need not have family or friends here. So how does he go hunting for a sponsor? Securing a place in a university, and an assurance that the exorbitant fees will be paid, will not be enough.

I find it ridiculous that when universities like Oxford and Cambridge are clamouring to get foreign students to balance their budgets, such stipulations are being considered. Why would Indian students rather not opt for European universities and those in the US. After all, the US offers better scholarships too. If Britain wants its universities to survive and raise their profiles and have the money to do so, they will need foreign students. Not only do these students help fill university coffers, Indian students are reputed for good academic performance. Britain needs to wake up to some ground realities.

Basere se dur: Indian students deserve better!