Oxford University on June 17th held a series of events, including a friendly cricket match, — which, at the time of writing, appeared threatened by bad weather — to celebrate its old ties with India and “lay the foundation for new and expanded links,” as Chancellor Chris Patten put it.
The “Oxford-India Day” provided a platform for Oxford scholars to engage with an invited group comprising Indian academics, business leaders and policy planners on a range of academic, social and cultural issues. Speakers included historian Ramachandra Guha, who explored the theme, “Why India is the World's Most Interesting Country.”
The cricket match was presumably a tribute to Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who cut his teeth on the playfields of Oxford. But surprisingly, his name was conspicuously absent from the list of prominent Indian alumni released by the university. Instead, in a nod to celebrity culture, it included the name of his daughter and Bollywood star Soha Ali Khan.
Oxford's links with India go back some 400 years and it has been home to a host of famous Indians, including Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, India's first woman lawyer Cornelia Sorabji and writer Amitav Ghosh. Although Indian students continue to be the fastest-growing “nationality group” at Oxford, the university is worried over the growing competition from rival western universities for a slice of the growing Indian student market.
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