65 students awarded K.C. Mahindra Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies Abroad
Mumbai: The K. C. Mahindra Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies Abroad was awarded to 65 students this year. Of the total 1812 applications, 106 candidates were shortlisted to attend the interviews held on 6th July, 2021.
The K. C. Mahindra Education Trust was established in 1953 to promote literacy and higher learning in the country. It has impacted the lives of more than 5,00,000 deserving and needy students through scholarships worth $103.5 million, livelihood training programmes, after-school tuition support and financial aid.
The K. C. Mahindra Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies Abroad was the first scholarship to be set up by the Trust and has been awarded to more than 1500 students. The scholarships are interest-free loans awarded to deserving students since 1956. Several KCMET scholars are not only carrying out path-breaking research and teaching at reputed institutions but are also manning and leading national and international banking, commercial and financial institutions, multinational corporations, providing quality healthcare and legal services and entering sunrise industries such as IT, Biotechnology, Computing, including areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
The 65 awardees hail from various cities across the country including Ahmedabad, Alappuzha, Anantapur, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Dharamshala, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Gwalior, Guntur, Hathras, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Indore, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Medchal, New Delhi, Patna, Pune, Udupi, Vadodara, and Varanasi.
The shortlisted candidates include 26 graduates from the IITs and the balance have graduated from other premier educational institutes including BITS Pilani, the National Law School of India, Lady Shri Ram College, St. Xavier’s College, St. Stephen’s College and Sir J.J. College of Architecture. The candidates have secured admission to the highest-ranking universities and colleges overseas including Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, University of California, Berkeley, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Pennsylvania, London Business School, London School of Economics, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge.
The top three scholars will get scholarships worth INR 8 lacs each and the rest will receive scholarships worth INR 4 lacs each. Aimed at enabling higher education for the brightest and best students in India, the total value of the scholarship awarded this year is Rs. 2.72 crores. The scholars will be pursuing post-graduation in subjects ranging from Computer Science, Engineering, MBA, Architecture, Design, Law, Public Policy, Education and Economics.
The selection committee comprised of eminent leaders such as Keshub Mahindra, Chairman Emeritus, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.; Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group; Bharat Doshi, Chairman, Mahindra Intertrade Ltd.; Ulhas Yargop, Chairman, Bristlecone; Dr. (Mrs.) Indu Shahani, President and Chair – ISDI & ISME; Ranjan Pant, CEO Advisor, Global Strategy Management Consultant & Change Management Expert; M. M. Murugappan, Former Chairman, Murugappa Group; Leena Labroo, Partner at Niana; Aishwarya Ramakrishnan, Head – Strategy Marketing and Operating Excellence, FaaS, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.; and Shruti Agarwal, EA to the Chairman, Mahindra Group, who interviewed the shortlisted candidates over a period of two days.
Commenting on the scholarship program, Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group said, “Major drivers of global change are reshaping the world in the 21st century. The higher education sector has been deeply disrupted by the fourth industrial revolution and, more recently, the pandemic. It is with great humility and pride that through this profound change, KCMET and Mahindra are able to provide financial opportunities for deserving students at reputed institutions. Ultimately, our goal is to support them in their journeys towards the attainment of promising futures in global careers.”
Awardee, Maitreya Shah, Vadodara, bound for the University of Pennsylvania, commented: “I am honored to have been selected as one of the top-3 KC Mahindra scholarship recipients this year. It is an overwhelming feeling to become a part of a community of scholars with a rich history spanning decades. The selection process, which was both grilling as well as exciting, gave me an unmatched opportunity to connect with some of the eminent minds of the country. The amiability of the selection committee and the Trust’s management has been comforting all throughout. I am hoping to utilize the support provided by the Trust to the best of my abilities, in fulfilling my ambitions of studying, and taking forward my work in the areas of disability, law, and technology. I am grateful to the trust for selecting me as a KC Mahindra Scholar.”
Another awardee, Jigyasa Labroo, Dharamshala, on her way to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said: “I’m honoured and grateful to be a KC Mahindra Fellow for the year 2021. The scholarship is a huge validation of my belief that more young people need to bring world-class expertise to solve India’s problems, and will aid me in my journey to do so. Going to Harvard for me isn’t about getting a degree, it’s about creating opportunities for myself that would allow my work of creating safe spaces for children’s voices to receive acceleration and support. The scholarship will go a long way in making sure that I do not lose out on a life-changing opportunity for the want of money.”
For further details on the K.C. Mahindra Scholarships please visit: www.kcmet.org