Our Indian Student Community
We have been privileged to host Indian students at the University of Exeter for over 100 years. Our earliest Indian links are with the Camborne School of Mines (CSM) whose graduates, like Cornish miners, were and still are, to be found all over the world. In the early twentieth century the focus of activity for our graduates in India were the Gold Fields in Bangalore and also the Kolar Gold fields of Oorgaum in the Mysore province of southern India.
One of our first students was Mr Purshotam Panelkar. He attended CSM between Jan 1906 and July 1908 having previously attended Elphinstone High School and St Xavier's College and worked as the Private Secretary to the Raj Sahib of Dhrangadra. During his time at CSM Mr Panelkar had perfect attendance, particularly excelling in laboratory work where he achieved first class marks.
There were also a number of other Indian students at CSM in the early part of the last century, including Pasupulayti P Hayrambha (Sept 1920 - Jun 1923), who previously attended Presidency College, Madras; Baburas A Juni (Sept 1924 - Jul 1927), from Sujarat College; and Nanayana Bhaskana Pillai from Vallakadaroo, Trivandrum who attended a special course in Geology (Jan - Aug 1930). That tradition continues today. In October 2011, Mr Pankaj Kumar Chauhan became the latest Indian to join us in Cornwall, commencing his MSc in Minerals Engineering.
Today, Exeter has 208 Indian students studying across our three campuses at all levels, from foundation courses to doctoral studies. They are to be found across all subjects, from Engineering to Psychology, from Bioinformatics to Sport and Health Sciences, and they have helped to enrich our local communities.
In 2011, University of Exeter Student, Sandeep Menon Nandakumar, was named International Student Employee of the Year by the National Association of Student Employment Services (NASES). Sandeep, 26, from Kerala, is studying for his postgraduate degree in International Human Rights Law. He was nominated by Multilingua, a translation company based in Exeter after carrying out assignments with local government, health and social services clients and offering translation services into Malayalam.
Sandeep explains: 'When undertaking translating work I started to realise that my knowledge of cultural practice would also be relevant. For example, I briefed social workers about normal family practice among Indian communities when a baby is born. I am so pleased to get this award and it will be a great record of the work I have done here.' Sandeep beat 440 other students to win the award and received exceptional feedback from companies hiring his services and also made a real difference to individual lives. He is a great example of the success of employing international students in the local community.
The University of Exeter is one of the leading sporting institutions in the UK, currently placed 8th out of 145 institutions in the 2010/11 British Universities and College Sport (BUCS) ranking, and Indian students have helped drive our performance upwards. For example, Krushmi Chheda, who graduated with an MSc in Sport & Health Sciences, came to Exeter on a sports scholarships after winning National and University level championships in India. Krushmi headed Exeter's 1st Women's Tennis team in all NUCS matches in 2007-2008 and is a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) ranked player.
Krushmi says, 'The University of Exeter was my first choice because of the facilities provided for elite tennis players as well as the well-structured Masters programme in Sport and Health Sciences. I was awarded a sports scholarship, which proved extremely rewarding as it provided me with high quality expertise from qualified coaches and trainers to enhance my performance. A good infrastructure and a variety of facilities helped me reach new heights in my sport. Participation in international tournaments was also funded through the bursary awarded by the University.'
Our local communities are encouraged to mix with our Indian students. For example, during Diwali last year, the Hindu Festival of Lights, a free public festival was organised for the first time on campus supported by the International Student Support Office, the Students' Guild and the Asian Society. The Exeter Hindu Temple led the opening Puja and attendees enjoyed south Indian cuisine, traditional crafts, Bollywood dance and Indian drumming workshop. The event ended with a dance show by Indian students, a drummed parade and fireworks.
At Exeter our Study Abroad strategy commits us to expanding the number of our students who spend a period of time overseas. In recent years the number of students who have studies overseas in India has grown considerably, with over 30 students participating in the UKIERI-funded Study India programmes in New Delhi and Mumbai, supported by the British Council. Our own International Summer School has also welcomed Indian students in its first two years of operations. 15 students from IISc, NIAS, IIM-B, IIT-D and the University of Delhi have studied on the International Summer School since 2010.
