PAT'S BLOG FROM INDIA DAY4 - 08:00 pm, Wed 17th Feb 2010
India can sometimes leave guests with a little unwelcome gift and so it was that I awoke on day four of the trip feeling pretty sick. I had events planned with guests invited and did not want to let anyone down but as I began the day with remarks to an event in Chandigarh about educational collaborations I felt quite ill. After my remarks, I had to leave the stage but was able to return to take part in the last twenty minutes or so of the meeting.
It was then off to Ropar to see one of India’s new IITs. These technology institutes have for decades educated the best of India’s students but until recently there have only been seven of them. Now the government are opening another eight, and the IIT in Ropar has been asked to collaborate with UK institutions.
The journey along the roads of Punjab is not what you want when you have a dodgy stomach. India’s rules of the road are pretty hard to discern but they involve a lot of use of the horn and lane jumping (yet curiously little road rage). Add to that the various roadworks and temporary surfaces along the way and by the time we got to our destination, I was feeling pretty ropey in Ropar.
Nevertheless, the visit was worth it. As everywhere in India, the hunger for learning among students was palpable and the staffs were visibly enthused about the task they had been given of getting this new institution off the ground. They emphasised the ambition in creating eight new IITs and were keen to work with Higher Education Institutions in the UK.
We left after a couple of hours and headed back to Chandigarh. By the time we flew, back to Delhi I was ready for nothing but sleep.
