Tag Archives: living in two countries

Feeling English, Thinking Teaching: Language Workshops in Calcutta

Over the last four weeks, I have had the great pleasure of being invited to conduct English language and theatre workshops at Union Chapel School in Calcutta.

I teach two groups of students in the fifteen to sixteen year age group, all of whom have a first language background in either Hindi or Bengali (Hindi is the national language of India, and Bengali is the language of the state of West Bengal). When I asked my students how they related to English – and if they felt that they were dealing with a foreign language, I got some interesting answers. Read More »

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View from Calcutta: Indian universities and the UK

Over the next few blogs I will seek to provide an overview of the educational climate in India, and the extent to which international alliances are changing or are likely to change the university experience .

Why are British universities seeking to find a presence in India?

The Indian government has plans to increase the number of university goers from a current 12 per cent of the population to 30 per cent. In plain terms this works out to a present university student population of 12 million, and a projected increase to 30 million.

I want to present a side to the global impact of the ongoing changes in the Indian university system that is seldom seen in the media.

That is, what is the university experience in India from the point of view of the student and the lecturer?

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Let’s Talk: Meeting Dr. Ritu Mahendru

Let’s Talk resumes its interview series with higher education professionals, and is delighted to welcome Dr. Ritu Mahendru. Ritu has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Kent (2010) and authored the book: “Young People’s Perceptions of Gender, Risk and AIDS: A comparative analysis of India and the UK (2010).

First off, many congratulations on completing your doctorate in Sociology. Would you like to comment on your early career experiences now that you’ve got it under your belt? What are your career plans, and what do you think of the present job market in the UK and outside it? Read More »

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India and the UK: Joint University Programmes the Way Forward?

The Indian economy like the Chinese economy is expanding. India, like China, is investing heavily in education. New schools and universities are being founded at a steady rate.British universities are looking to these two countries for expansion.

Are we going to see British students no longer simply taking a gap year in India but living and studying there in significant numbers?

Is your department or university considering a move East? Read More »

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Let’s Talk: Staying Earthed

I live and work in two countries: India and Britain and within two cultures which are usually perceived as extremely different to each other. From where I stand, it’s the similarities which strike home. Any urban professional, anywhere, is similarly expected to focus on the visual and the mental. But we are starving ourselves. I didn’t realize how much until I took up a yoga and movement course, which has helped me to bring movement back into my daily work day.

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