Indian students among UK's brightest and best, says envoy

London, Oct 30 (PTI) Indians are not only the largest group of foreign students in the UK but also the brightest and best who help strengthen the bilateral relationship, Indian High Commissioner to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said at a special welcome reception for new arrivals to Britain.

The event, held in association with King's College London on Wednesday evening, followed a student registration drive by the High Commission of India and was live-streamed across Indian consulates around the UK.

An annual fixture since 2023, this year's welcome reception attracted hundreds of Indian students setting out on their academic journey at the start of a new term in the UK.  “The Indian student community is the largest for the third year running, at 166,000 students across the UK,” said Doraiswami, in his address to the gathering.

“Our students are among the brightest and the best that we have, and your presence here is a reflection of all that you are capable of doing and the value that you bring to your studies, to your research… but you also add economic value, and it's important to emphasise that your presence here supports businesses,” he said.

The senior diplomat highlighted Indian students' contribution to the larger educational establishment in the UK, with students providing significant value in terms of the tuition fees they pay and also in terms of what they will give back to societies, both in the UK and India.

“We think this is also a contribution to the larger India-UK relationship. It is of considerable value to us that the relationship between our two democracies is taken forward by the custodians of that democracy, that is, the young people who will inherit the running of our respective countries,” he said.

The event combined serious and light-hearted aspects, including important banking advice, crucial safety and healthcare tips for the newly arrived students setting out on their higher education courses.  A comedy sketch by British-Indian comedian Ahir Shah on life in the UK and cultural performances concluded the event. PTI AK ZH ZH