The European Union has extended the Erasmus Mundus Scholarships programme to India, which will open up about 35 masters courses for Indian students in the European Union. Scholars will go for an average of three months to work for one of the Erasmus masters courses. The first batch of 133 Indians will travel to different universities in Europe in October. For 2005-06, out of the 803 students taken in from all over the world, 353 come from Asia. India has predictably sent the highest number, followed by China (67), Pakistan (31), Thailand and Malaysia. The total number of scholarships under the programme every year is about 1,000. Welcoming the move, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday: “This will go a long way towards improving mutual understanding and trust between young people and academic communities in India and in Europe. Nothing creates stronger and more enduring bonds than educational links. This initiative is of value today and its value will grow manifold over time.” The Erasmus programme is intended to open up European academic centre of excellence to Indians as an attractive learning destination. It’s a showcase to enhance the profile and visibility of higher education in Europe. It’s no secret that the majority of Indian students and scholars consider US as the first destination of choice for higher studies, specialized courses etc. Most of these students go on to work in the US and live there, contributing to the growing corpus of the affluent Indian American community. But even if they return back to India, they keep a corner of their hearts reserved for a little bit of Americana.

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