GLASGOW ‘AULD’ STUDENTS OF KOLKATA LOOK BACK IN GRATITUDE AND LOTS OF PRIDE

EVERY year, millions of students in India look to foreign shores to further their education, dreaming of following in the footsteps of the many thousands who preceded them. Overseas education is expensive and very competitive, but the rewards are many and the experience is remembered for a lifetime — as members of the “Glasgow Auld Students” group in Kolkata will attest to.
They are all “auld” graduates of the University of Glasgow — many of them having been there in the 1950s and ’60s. They meet regularly to catch up, socialise and reminisce about their time in Glasgow. That city, like the world, was a different place back then and travelling overseas really was a huge adventure. “When we went to Glasgow in the 1950s we felt we had left our homes forever! We had to wait hours for our phone calls to India to materialise,” says the 74-year-old Asoke Kumar Mukherjee, who graduated in 1961 with a BSc in Civil Engineering and was just 16 years old when he arrived in Glasgow. “So for all intents and purposes, our friends and classmates became our families. It was a very strong bond that has not weakened in 50 years.”
Fellow civil engineering graduate, 77-year-old Prabhat Kumar Bisnu, agrees. “In those days staying away from your family was no joke! We didn’t have email, no phone calls and we couldn’t afford air tickets for visits. We had to wait six weeks to receive letters from home. Going overseas for study today is still very expensive and difficult for many people, but for those who can afford it, it is still worth studying with an international community.”
Subimal Bose, an Electrical Engineering (1958) and Mechanical Engineering (1960) graduate, found many things to enjoy about his overseas study experience. The 79-year-old says, “I enjoyed the liberal and secular ambience prevalent in the campus and was overwhelmed by how accommodating the faculty members were towards overseas students. “The general attitude of Glaswegians also facilitated easy assimilation. Our life used to revolve around the campus, the student union and the international club. The exposure to different cultures and participation in things like debates helped to form a very liberal and secular outlook on life.”
Buddha Dev Bose graduated with a BSc in Electrical Engineering in 1959 and chose to study at Glasgow because it was widely regarded in India and Kolkata as a centre of excellence in engineering. Says the 77-year-old, “Glasgow then had one of the world&’s best shipbuilding and engineering industries and we felt proud of our association with the place. I really enjoyed attending classes inside those magnificent century-old buildings conducted by internationally-reputed professors. They were very friendly and interaction with them was an excellent experience. The technique of teaching, the course content related to practical application, the interaction with professors and fellow students of different cultures really gave me a wider perspective on life beyond studies. The experience I gained there certainly helped me in building a career. I eventually became managing director of Chloride India Ltd – now Exide Industries Ltd — and president of various chambers of commerce.”
Says Mukherjee, “In India, an engineer from Glasgow was held in high esteem and after graduation I worked as a junior engineer at Sir William Arrol, a heavy engineering company in Glasgow which had built the iconic Forth Bridge near Edinburgh. I had no problem becoming a member of the Institution of Structural Engineers in London and back in India I worked for a renowned company in Kolkata for 23 years before forming my own enterprise and getting involved in various projects throughout the country.”
President of the Auld Students Subimal Bose, sees overseas education just as beneficial today and not merely in terms of professional career development. “Going overseas for higher studies enables students to broaden their outlook and acquire an international perspective which is essential in the current globalised environment. The bond we developed during our stay in Glasgow transcended friendship and it has become a large family that really is Glasgow Auld Students,” he says.
Glasgow continues to welcome students from India and new graduates continue to join the Glasgow Auld Students’ group, including Suman Chakraborty, an MLitt in Modernities from 2006. “We have become a part of a large family and our association works as a platform for our continued progress. Most of the members are very much well-established in the professional and social spheres of Kolkata, so our regular meetings enrich both these areas of our lives!” he says.
The group celebrated its 60th anniversary with a special dinner on 11 January and has a special musical evening planned for 22 February at the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Kolkata.