'Indian students perform extremely well'

The high gates to the hallowed precincts of Cambridge University seemed open for Bangaloreans when vice-chancellor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz visited the City recently. Meeting with students, top officials, scientists and innovators, Leszek Borysiewicz was pleased with his interactions here.

Pointing out the close-ties between Cambridge and Bangalore, Leszek explains that Bangalore has an ‘unbelievable capacity to innovate’. “We started the interactions here since the City has many institutes and we have so many collaborations. We have a significant relationship between Cambridge and Bangalore to allow businesses to thrive. In fact, around 200 to 300 of Cambridge’s active projects are based in India, which include many in Bangalore. The sheer number of new organisations here display the capacity to innovate,” he says, while adding, “It’s not only the pure sciences area that we are interested in, we actually want to ensure that every opportunity is exploited for the benefit of Bangalore and Karnataka.” Impressed with the Indian students at Cambridge, Leszek says that they stand out with their determination to succeed and the hard work they put in. “Indian students perform extremely well and are a joy to have. But we only look at the students from IITs and those sort of institutions,” he emphasises.

Although there has been a dramatic drop in the number of students opting to attend universities in the United Kingdom, Leszek says, “In fact, there has been an increase in the number of Indian applicants in the last few years. And I must say that no Indian student has been rejected on grounds of visa.”

Leszek, for whom this was the fifth visit to India since he was elected vice-chancellor in 2010, was thrilled with his stay in Bangalore. “Every time, I come to the City, it’s amazing. It’s incredibly welcoming and I’ve always enjoyed coming here,” he smiles adding, “I’m off to Mumbai next. The only sadness is that I have to leave Bangalore far too soon.”