Several Indians among Fulbright scholars

Thirty-one South Asians, including several Indians, are among the winners of US Fulbright Scholarships.

Thirtyone South Asians, including several Indians, are among the winners of US Fulbright Scholarships for 2004-05 announced by the State Department.

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Announcing the list of 1,099 Fulbright Scholars, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the students would fan out to 110 countries this year for study and research on subjects ranging from public health to anthropology.

They follow in the footsteps of nearly 100,000 Americans who have over the past six decades received the award - among them, economist Milton Friedman, opera soprano Renee Fleming and Intel CEO Craig Barrett.

Last week, a foreign Fulbright alumnus, Aaron Ciechanover, received the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, becoming the sixth Fulbrighter in the past five years, and 34th overall, to be awarded a Nobel Prize.

Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by the late Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the programme's purpose is to build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries.

While several of the South Asian awardees are making their way to India, others are going to countries like Germany, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ukraine to study.