On March 4, British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, organised the Study UK Alumni Awards to celebrate the UK Alumni in India and honour them for their outstanding achievements as innovators, business professionals, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and for their important contribution to strengthening collaborative ties between the UK and India. The winners were felicitated during a ceremony at The Oberoi Grand, in the presence of government dignitaries and leaders from across the education and sports fields, including Padma Shri Deepa Malik, squash champion Saurav Ghosal, and Anirban Aditya, chairman, Aditya Group.
In its ninth year, the prestigious international event celebrates UK higher education and the achievements of UK alumni all over the world. This year, the award received more than 1,200 applications from international UK alumni in nearly 100 countries, representing more than 120 UK higher education institutions across the UK. Following in-depth interviews with a judging panel, the winners were selected across four categories, namely Science and Sustainability, Culture and Creativity, Social Action, and Business and Innovation. The Science and Sustainability award which recognises distinguished alumni in the field of science who have demonstrated the impact and scale of their achievements in their profession and beyond was presented to Abhinav Sinha, an alumnus from the University of Glasgow. The Culture and Creativity award acknowledges alumni who have carved a career for themselves in arts and culture and have demonstrated their artistic ingenuity, influence and creativity, and this year it was presented to Puja Changoiwala, who is a published author and focuses on the marginalised sections of Indian society.
The Social Action award is conferred on alumni who have made an exceptional contribution and commitment to creating positive social change and improving the lives of others. This year it was presented to Sugandha Yadav, a Supreme Court advocate and an alumnus of Durham University. The business and Innovation award, which identifies alumni who are active in initiating and contributing to innovative or creative new ideas, solutions or business opportunities that have the potential for growth, was presented to Saumya Singh Rathore, co-founder of the interactive entertainment company, WinZO.
Rittika Chanda Parruck, director of Education India, British Council, said: “The British Council has supported the aspirations of millions of young Indians for more than 75 years via our work, providing them with access to globally renowned UK education and funding tens of thousands of scholarships and academic exchanges. We hope to continue our efforts in the future as well.”
Soumitra Ray from Bhoomi performed the band’s famous songs like Barandaye roddur, Phagooner mohonay and many more
Puja Changoiwala receives the Culture and Creativity award. She holds a graduate degree in journalism from the University of Westminster. Her work has also been featured in over 50 renowned publications globally, earning her numerous Indian and international awards.
Abhinav Sinha received the award for Science and Sustainability. With dual degrees in Preventive and Social Medicine (MD) and Molecular Life Sciences (PhD), Abhinav Sinha is a senior scientist at the National Institute of Malaria Research. Abhinav is currently leading a national project on estimating the malaria burden in India, the findings of which will help sharpen malaria elimination strategies in the country.