Indian schols for 10 Lankans

Ten Sri Lankan youths selected for the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) undergraduate scholarships in fine arts (Music, Dance and Painting) visited the Indian High Commission on Monday before leaving for India to join the institutes.

The students applied for the scholarships in response to applications invited by the Indian Cultural Centre, Colombo.

Of the 10 youths, two will learn Kathakali at the Kerala Kala Mandalam in Thrissur district, Kerala; four will join Kathak, tabla and painting courses at the Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata; one will be learning Kathak at Pracheen Kala Kendra, Chandigarh; and three will learn Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music at the Kalakshetra Foundation, Chennai.

The students thanked the Indian government for the scholarship scheme which has provided them an opportunity to go to India to pursue the courses at reputed institutes.

Around eight to 10 scholarships will also be awarded to Sri Lankan youths to study Hindi at the Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra. The selection process is underway for this year’s courses.

The selection of applicants for 10 scholarships for Sri Lankan nationals under the Ayush Scholarship Scheme for UG/PG/Ph.D courses in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy for the academic session 2012– 2013 is also being finalised.

These scholarships are in addition to the substantially expanded scholarships programme to Sri Lankan students announced during Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna visit to Sri Lanka in January 2012.

Under the expanded scholarship programme, the number of scholarships and self-finance slots for Undergraduate/Master’s/PhD courses have been increased from the earlier 113 slots to 270 per year. In addition, scholarship support to deserving students pursuing GCE ‘A’ level and University degrees in Sri Lanka has been expanded to cover about 500 students annually.