15 students awarded fellowship, mentorship by NIAS

The National Institute of Advanced Studies has hand-picked 15 promising students from across the state, who can be mentored and given a fellowship to pursue a career of their choice.

They have been picked up from urban and rural areas for the National Programme for Gifted and Talented, which works to identify and mentor children, aged between 16 and 18.

As a part of the programme, selected students get a one-time award money of Rs 50,000 and are provided with active life-long mentoring from experts in various fields.

For the programme, NIAS collaborated with the National College Basavangudi and the Iyengar Foundation, and launched a talent search to identify excellence. The collaborative initiative to support the youth culminates in an annual two-day mentoring workshop for the fellows of the Nias-Maiya programme

Speaking at the talent search workshop that was held in the city, Prof Anitha Kurup of NIAS said, "This is the second year that we have identified students. This is not just to encourage students in the science stream alone," she said. Last year, 10 students were chosen.

Speaking about the selection process, Anitha said that the students have to clear multiple tests to be selected. "It involves one round of essay writing, followed by interviews. We pick children who have a novel approach and are creative," she said.

Umme Sarah, one of the selected students from the Vijaya Composite College, said that her principal had encouraged her to apply for the programme. "We get to meet mentors who share a common passion. This helps us with our careers and pushes us to succeed," she said.

Rushabh, another student from Kalaburagi. said that with the fellowship awarded to him, he hopes to develop energy-efficient fans. "It helps us to decide the path of our careers. This programme also helps us understand the alternatives that are available if the original plan fails."